Okay, it's all done EXCEPT one of the back canopy hinges -- didn't have it in me to press that last tiny piece into place. Weird, eh? Also, canopy and doors aren't glued down as I am hoping to get the figure set being worked on so I'll need access to the inside -- same reason I didn't put the seat belts on, as the figures will obviously be sitting on the seats.

Anyways, this is a straight build from the box from a guy with modest skills. But I pushed them to the limit on this one -- at least as far as patience goes. I typically like to get a model done in four minutes :) I worked on this one on and off for about two months, I think, which may be a record for me.

First, I want to thank ALL the people here who posted tips and reference -- it REALLY helped out. I am especially AMAZED by some of the extras a few of you have added -- although I can't match your skill, what you did encouraged and inspired me to at least take a little more time with this model.

The orange interior lines and roof panel are from the vinyl kit offered by Culttvman. I opted not to use the masking for exterior of Chariot and instead used Bare Metal Foil. Very painstaking work, but I like the effect.

The body was an auto spray can color -- I believe Marble Head, but maybe something else -- it was left over from a Phase Pistol toy repaint I did a while back and looked pretty close to the instructions-suggested Testors color, which I couldn't find at my hobby shop.

The only small extra I added were the side grips on the front scanner thing between front seats -- easy enough to do and I happened to have the small plastic tubing on hand from another project.

I think I got most of the interior and exterior colors pretty close -- I deliberately changed a few small things (like scanner base sides -- the actual scanner seems to have same color body and side panels) but wanted a little more contrast. Funny how I sweat some details on color and then completely ignore others -- not typical of me.

And yes, I know the base is meant for Space Pod, but I wanted to have something other than my tiled floor to show it off.

Well, that's it....wanted to show it off and express my thanks to everyone who posted pics of their build and/or offered tips or reference. Not sure what's next - I have a Lindberg pirate ship that I might paint up like the Black Pearl. A shame they never offered a true kit of this, or Davy Jones ship.

Here are a few more pics of my Chariot.

Great job!! So, on a scale of 1 - 10, how hard did you find this kit to build?

Wayne

VERY nice! Great job on the lil' Robot, too!

WOW! That is impressive! Great job! Thanks for posting, I've got to get one for myself now.

Great Job!! Very nicely done.

Great job!! So, on a scale of 1 - 10, how hard did you find this kit to build?

Wayne


Good question. For me, this was at least an "8" for my skill level.

I also give this an 8 because of all the trim work that had to be done, and, believe it or not, the painting was more difficult, or at least more time consuming, than I would have thought. It is also a delicate model in many ways -- with all the small parts that have to put in, some at odd angles -- and with my big meaty fingers, this proved a bit challenging. But for most of you on this forum, I'm guessing that a build of this kit straight outta the box would likely be more like a 5 or 6.

Not that anyone here needs MY advice, but if I could offer any in the humblest of ways, it would simply be to TAKE YOUR TIME. This applies to any build, of course. When I said earlier that I like to build a kit in four minutes I wasn't kidding. When I get a new kit I often feel like a little kid again, and when I was a kid, all I wanted to do was slap the kit together as quickly as possible so I could either play with it or set it out on my shelf. I never quite appreciated the PROCESS of building as a kid, and it carried over to my adulthood. But after reviewing other people's posts about this kit helped me take a breath and realize that it pays to take your time -- AND it can be sort of fun to immerse yourself in the building process and actually enjoy the "thinking about how you're gonna do it" and then the actual "doing it."

Hope this makes sense.

Like many of you, I build these kits cause I adored the shows these kits come from as a kid, and I like to surround myself =with toys/icons/models that remind me of these shows. It is also a sort of ZEN experience with the building -- and there is certainly a sense of accomplishment when it's done. Havign said all that, I guess I would still have been just as happy had someone released a ready-built-and-pre-painted version of this! :)

But as this is a forum for people who have a LOVE of building, I won't go on about pre-builds. :)

Again, I posted pictures because it has helped me to see what others have done -- plus it's just neat to see the kit built-up and not sitting in pieces in the box. This really is a cool kit.

What made it work for me was forcing myself to just work on it for 15 to 60 minutes at a sitting and then leaving it alone -- allowing paint to dry or glue to set -- so when I came back to it for the next step, I didn't face some of the dumb mistakes that are often made when you try to do too much at once -- like smeared paint, or fingerprints on paint, or glue smudges, or details like control buttons, etc.

This is why I am so blown away when people start customizing the smallest details or even adding lights to the smallest of places.

Okay, looks like I've =blathered on enough for this post -- one final note -- PAY ATTENTION WHEN ADDING THE LOWER ORANGE STEP LADDERS -- I got a little impatient and tried to force mine in the side body and ended up smashing both pieces (D'OH!) I managed to glue them back together and touch up the broken areas with paint, but it made me wanna cry when it happened. They look okay now, but I've sent in my $2.95 to Moebius for replacement parts should I decide to take them off and reinstall non-broken ones. Most people would never notice, but it bugged me that I lost my patience on this. And that is what you have to remember -- be patient at ALL times, because one slip up can potentially detsroy HOURS of work.

Anyways, thanks for all the kind remarks, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of you build this baby up.

Great job :thumbsup: It looks really good. :wave:

Thanks AJ - sorry to hear about your "dust storm" -- have you figgered out a solution yet?

if not, and you need another BLACK MASK for exetrior, I'll send you mine as I never used it.

That's really nice! I was expecting something star trekie though, or a horse and buggy.

This is one of IA's better props.

looks really good , thanks for sharing

Excellent work, my dear Doctor!
And as regards to patience (with both the model and yourself), it is, along with the proper building and painting materals, a key ingrediant to any build.
To quote a fortune cookie slip I once got, "Patience is the step-sister to wisdom". :thumbsup:

Now that is a beeee-yout-a-ful build! You may not be confident in your build skills, but I think it turned out great! I hope mine will turn out as good.

I can only hope mine will come out that nice, very clean build.

Now if I can ever finish my Seaview....:rolleyes: