# New Project - Fiat Topolino



## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

I hate waiting for glossy enamel paint to cure (referring to the Ford P68); but, experience has taught me that prudence is wise. So, I scanned the internet to find the next car to carve. My first thought was to carve out a 1977 F100 and paint it like my Dad's pick-up. The wheelbase didn't fit and once I readjusted everything, it looked like a shortbox with a squished cab. 

I grew up with old cars, so I thought I would try my hand with the 1958 Packard (Studebaker) Hawk. Of the tailfin era, this car is quite unique. I realize that AW made this car for the T-Jet, but I cannot find a version that will fit the AFX Speed Steer chassis. The only blueprint I was able to find was a sideview on The-Blueprints.com. If anyone has a top view that they can send me, I would greatly appreciate it. 

I love fenders and running boards, but they don't work all that well with the Speed Steer chassis. I really want to make the Auburn boattail coupe and think I can make it work, but thought I should try my hand at something simpler before I tried carving that elaborate body and have a miserable failure. 

A friend of mine has a 1948 (I think) Fiat Topolino and, though it isn't my favorite body style, but I thought he might enjoy seeing his car crafted in miniature. I started about 4:00 this afternoon and spent a couple of hours on it today. The longest part, believe it or not, is going to be sanding out all of the Dremel pits, so this is FAR from finished. The only part I have carved on the underside are the wheel wells. I am not sure how much I will get done this week with work and all, but I will keep you posted as things progress.

Incidentally, if you see cut 3-views of Luke's Landspeeder in the picture, I am trying to find a way of adapting this body to the AFX chassis. The side engines are an issue. Any ideas? Thanks.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Is the Fiat gonna look stock, or like an Fuel Altered -Drag Car ?


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## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Ralph:

I plan on making it like my friend's, which is stock. Thanks for asking.


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## vickers83 (Mar 8, 2010)

Your creations are amazing! I can`t even carve a pumpkin! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Ditto vickers!! Heck, I can't even carve a turkey right!! 

Amazing already Jim!!  I can see major progress already! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## carlosnseattle (May 12, 2009)

*Crazy Idea*

Hi Jim, you are making some truly amazing models!! I see that you are asking about how to cut panel lines and details in acrylic. 

Is there any reason you wouldn't mold your creations in clay then cast them in resin using silicon molds? You car bodies looks so nice and if you did clay, then silicon, then resin you could make several copies. I know people on this forum, myself included, would love to buy one of your exquisite models. 

Just a thought


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## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Carlos and all:

Thank you for the kind words - that truly means a lot to me.

Not to be a nay-sayer, but I have tried casting in resin in the past with horrific results - probably because I didn't have the process down. I molded three planes in 1/144 scale out of balsa and pine - Lockheed XF-90, Republic XF-91 and Convair XF-92. The resin casts of the plane came out half the time, which was quite disappointing. I figured that it cost me about $40.00 to each plane and that was about ten years ago. The resin was expensive, as was the RTV, so I quit doing it. 

I am still in the learning process of all of this, as in creating panel lines and finding different materials to carve out of. I chose acrylic because I didn't have to try and vacu-form "a piece of glass" - the glass was already part of the mold. However, it isn't the easiest material to carve fine details into - at least I have yet to discover how to do it. It polishes up phenomenally well and makes it easy to see any imperfections.

I never took an art class on sculpture - and, interestingly, it hasn't taken much time to carve one. I carved the majority of the Fiat in a couple of hours. I realized late last night that I printed the pattern too small and that the Speed Steer chassis won't fit, so I will have to adapt the body to a Tyco TCR chassis. I told my wife that and she said, "Carve another. It didn't take you long to do this one." Things like that shake one's confidence, yet provide new challenges. A roofer I worked for me once told me when I nailed a hole in the wrong place, "It is not the mistake that matters - it is how you fix the mistake that matters." That is a phrase that I continually use when teaching my music students. 

I feel like the Good Lord has given me a gift that I would love to share - I am just not sure how to go about it. I would love to offer the car bodies I create to you all and, in fact could take requests, but would definitely need some coaching/guidance if I was to do it again. For Alex Trant of www.airalex.com, he would pay me to make masters, then he makes the molds and makes money from that. That, too, is fine with me. P/M me if you have suggestions.


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

You don't need to cast clay. In fact, with most of the at home resin kits, that would be harder or impossible.
You could easily cast the plastic thats being carved, it would need a nice smooth surface.


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## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

*Topolino Update*

I spent about 2 1/2 hours tonight carving out the shell of the Topolino to make it work with the Tyco narrow chassis. As I mentioned earlier, I made the template too narrow for the AFX chassis' tabs, so the only way to make it work was to use the one made by Tyco. All this is a learning experience and tonight I gained a new appreciation for those guys who craft models from scratch. Trying to create the "T" inside the body was very difficult and, when all was said and done, I ended up not using it. 

By the time I fitted it to the chassis, I had no more room in the wheel well. I took off as much material as I could without totally ruining the fender and it still bottomed out. So, I ground the inside walls smooth (getting rid of the "T") and added 2mm of styrene plastic to the bottom of the running board to raise the body off of the wheels. With CA+, it adheres quite solidly to the acrylic, but I still must be careful removing the chassis. I took a photo that I thought would best show the fix. 

It won't look authentic, but at least it works. When I tested it tonight, it ran smoothly down the track and easily changed lanes. It will be a good competitor for the VW Bug or the Hummer. I still have a lot of carving to get the symmetry right - perhaps tomorrow night I will get to that. Then again, not - I'm pretty tired. I hope you all have a great Wednesday.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

........


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Jim,

Hey I dig this time for another carving car deal...great work once again!!

Bob...I just draw a face on Pumpkins ( :freak: ) and eat Turkey carved up by a qualified carver...zilla


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## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

What kind of pump would you recommend?


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

*Resin Casting Tips*

Great sculpting technique. Your work is excellent and the scaling looks spot on!

As for resin casting, pressure pots work well too. If you already have a compressor, you half way there. The pressure "crushes" the air bubbles out of the resin. You can use it to eliminate the air from the silicone mold as well. I've used both vacuum and pressure in casting. The vacuum works, but I had challenges from that process distorting the mold as the resin cured. Reinforcing the mold by making the side walls thicker fixed that, but raised the cost of making the mold. The way I make my molds with vent lines and sprue wells, the pressure works better for me, but there's more ways to approach it.

-Paul


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

I'd go with the pressure pot, less expensive, does the same thing as P64 stated. By all means use the pot on your mold. If you don't your casting's will come out terrible. The pressure will force resin into all the mold cavity/pit holes that will form in the mold, if you don't use the pressure pot for it also. As always, opinions may/will vary...RM


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## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Thanks for the advice on what to do in casting resin. A guy can make a sound decision the more input he gets. Based on the expense of buying the pot, RTV, etc., I am going to wait until I get more money saved. We live on my income, which pays the bills, but not much extra. If I want play money, that means extra side work. The crankshaft broke in my 1:1 1927 Model T the day before Thanksgiving, right between cylinders 1 & 2, so any extra dollars are going towards that rebuild. 

Alpink sent me an e-mail stating that there would be several guys, including himself, who would be willing to cast some of my creations in resin. I would consider going that route for now. If there are those of you who want to work something out, please P/M me and we can communicate via e-mail or phone. Thanks!


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