# Batmobile 1966 - Deluxe Edition



## Trekkriffic

Got this kit some years ago as a contest prize on another forum. This is the deluxe edition Batmobile from the 1966 TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. 

The box lid has a beautiful illustration of the Batmobile speeding along:

Batmobile 1966 Deluxe Edition Box Art by trekriffic, on Flickr

The bottom of the box has a lot of nice images of the completed model. For the engine you have two options a big block V8 or a jet turbine. I went with the jet turbine for this build, the car always made that jet turbine sound when it raced around the highways and spouted flames out the back on the TV show:

Batmobile 1966 Deluxe Edition Box Art by trekriffic, on Flickr

Comprehensive instructions showing steps to build either of the two engine options. The kit also includes two chassis depending on which engine you choose to build:

Batmobile Instruction Sheet by trekriffic, on Flickr

All steps in construction are well documented. You can even build this as the Penguin Mobile by installing the optional umbrellas- you get one closed and one opened umbrella:

Batmobile Instruction Sheet by trekriffic, on Flickr

First things first...

All parts and sprue trees are soaked in a solution of warm water and TSP to remove any factory mold release:

Batmobile Parts in Tub by trekriffic, on Flickr

The Dynamic Duo get a bath! Pull yourselves together fellas! These are vinyl parts and will need to be painted with acrylics:

Batmobile - Batman and Robin Get a Bath by trekriffic, on Flickr

Chrome parts tree. I won't be using all of these parts:

Batmobile Chrome parts by trekriffic, on Flickr

Clear parts tree:

Batmobile Clear Parts by trekriffic, on Flickr

The clear parts tree includes two options for the rear canopy - one for over the arch and one for under the arch. I found an old photo of George Barris, the builder of the original 1966 Batmobile, standing beside the car which showed the arch. It was over the canopy in the rear and under the canopy in the front. That's how I'll build mine. 

Kit included photo-etch sheet:

Batmobile Deluxe Edition Photo-Etch by trekriffic, on Flickr

Stainless steel with three license plate options and tons of tiny nameplates. I loved how the Batmobile had signage all over it so you didn't mistake, for example, the radio controls for the buttons that fire the rockets! 

ing along!


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## Trekkriffic

Once the parts dried off I started on the priming using Duplicolor grey automotive primer:

Batmobile Body in Primer by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Chassis in Primer by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Parts Tree Primed by trekriffic, on Flickr

After priming, I used a can of Krylon Colormaster Covermax Flat Black paint for all parts:

Batmobile Rear Deck Painted Flat Black by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Painted Flat Black by trekriffic, on Flickr

Some parts will get brushed with Testors chrome silver, Italian red, or steel enamel later on. I won't be using Penguin's umbrella though:

Batmobile Parts Tree Sprayed Flat Black by trekriffic, on Flickr

The body parts eventually got a second coat of Krylon Colormaster Covermax Satin Black giving them a nice semi-gloss sheen:

Batmobile Parts Sprayed Flat Black by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Parts Shot with Krlyon Flat Black by trekriffic, on Flickr

First thing I assembled was the jet turbine engine. The turbine consisted of only three pieces. Cables and hoses were brushed with Testors "rubber" enamel over flat black. Here it is installed in the chassis. I used Testors steel over Krylon flat black.:

Batmobile Jet Turbine Installed by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Chassis Underside by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

Next I played with the tires...

The rims were pushed into the vinyl tires then the brake drum plates were painted steel before gluing into the backside of the rims:
Batmobile Tires and Hubs by trekriffic, on Flickr

This is a curbside model meaning it's meant to sit at the curb - the wheels don't spin in other words. I wanted mine to spin so... I found these small picture hanging nails to use as axles for the tires:

Batmobile Tire Modifications by trekriffic, on Flickr

The nails will be cut short and inserted into the spindles using CA. First I drilled the holes for the nails into the spindles using a pinvise:

Batmobile Drilling Holes for Axles by trekriffic, on Flickr

After trimming to a half inch length the nails were inserted thru the center of each hub before being glued into the front spindles and rear transaxle:

Batmobile Axles Measured by trekriffic, on Flickr

The nails I used worked great. All tires turn freely:

Batmobile Chassis with Tires Installed by trekriffic, on Flickr

The front tires turn left and right too:

Batmobile by trekriffic, on Flickr

Matte Aluminum Bare Metal Foil was wrapped around the exhaust nozzle:

Batmobile Turbine Exhaust Nozzle by trekriffic, on Flickr

The dashboard:

Batmobile Dashboard by trekriffic, on Flickr

Two sections of stainless steel photo-etch were attached to the dash using CA glue:

Batmobile Dashboard Photo-Etch by trekriffic, on Flickr

Part 32 consists of the clutch, brake, and accelerator petals:

Batmobile Photo Etch Detail by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

I scraped off the black paint and glued the three pedals in place using CA glue:

Batmobile Pedals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The rear canopy deck was modified to remove the rings representing the speakers. Each speaker will use two phot-etch parts to replace the plastic kit rings. Here the rings have been removed using an xacto chisel blade before being masked with Tamiya Tape for a second coat of satin black:

Batmobile Rear Speaker Cover Mods by trekriffic, on Flickr

A section of Matte Aluminum Bare Metal Foil was rubbed onto the interior of each door panel. After rubbing down tight the excess foil will be trimmed away using a very sharp xacto knife:

Batmobile Door Panel Foiled by trekriffic, on Flickr

The Bare Metal Foil after trimming:

Batmobile Finished Door Panel by trekriffic, on Flickr

More to come! Thanks for read


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## alpink

the wheel centers/bat spinners will be red?


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## Trekkriffic

alpink said:


> the wheel centers/bat spinners will be red?


Yes indeed!


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## aussiemuscle308

Looks good so far. the photoetch seems like a good addition. This is a fun build, i hope you have as much fun as i did.


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## Loriartnstuff

Wow I lot of parts but im sure your having fun, ive always wanted to try this,makes me wanna go buy a model and build!!


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## Trekkriffic

Sorry for the long pause between posts guys. I've been a little tied up lately...


Dynamic Duo Tied Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

As you can imagine I've made some progress... after some minor hiccups. 
Anyway, here are more pics taken with my Bat Camera...

Got this at Harbor Freight years ago. Inexpensive for my needs which is cutting tubing. It's so old now the (rubber?) housing has gotten sticky:


Drillmaster Mini Cutt-Off Saw by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit instructions included a bracket and template for making your own rocket tubes using aluminum tubing. I masked the tubing with Tamiya tape to avoid scratches- hopefully:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

The new rocket tubes glued to their bracket with CA. The two outer tubes were a bit of a pain to get the same length but only took two tries and they were just right. I removed any burrs from the tube mouths using flat and round diamond files:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

The cockpit arch painted with Krylon Satin Black. This is after about three coats:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Canopy frames masked with Micro-Mark Liquid Masking Film before being brush painted with Testors Semi-gloss Black enamel. After it dries I'll brush on Testors Aluminum:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

After gluing in the photo-etch grills and brush painting with de-canted Krylon:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear deck after gluing photo-etch in place with CA:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Canopies after removal of dried liquid mask. Sometimes a piece of tape helps to get the mask to start peeling off. After some more cleanup I'll retouch the frames using a liner brush and some thinned enamel. Then I have to wait about 3 days for the aluminum enamel to dry. Uggggh!:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Photo-etch signs for dashboard with orange decals applied. These are incredibly tiny. Luckily I have a set of extremely fine pointy tweezers:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

More pics to come Bat fans! 
Just thought I'd keep it to ten at a time.


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## Trekkriffic

Cockpit seats. Flat black Krylon with aluminum enamel frames brushed on:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Dash buttons painted flat red using thinned enamel and a round toothpick:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Bat turn handle and Bat fire extinguisher painted and decaled:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear Taillights painted with Tamiya Clear Red acrylic. I backed them with pieces of reflective tape to shine when light hits them; although, you can't see much anyway behind the black grills to come:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear taillights Installed: 


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

rear taillight grills installed using CA. Touched up with Krlyon black satin brushed on from the can. Parachutes installed with Testors tube glue:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Mobile Crime Computer decaled:

Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

I was looking for information on the Bat Computer when I found this tribute page. Lots of neat stuff about the Batcomputer, Batmobile, Utility Belts, and more:

Batman's Crime-fighting Equipment

Anyway, moving right along...

Rear deck with Bat emergency brake handle and Bat fire extinguisher:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Headlights and lower front grills installed:

Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Stand by for more!


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## Trekkriffic

Now for one of the hiccups... 

I thought I'd lost the small sprue with the license plate brackets attached. Couldn't find it anywhere on or under my work bench (thought I might have accidentally thrown out the sprue?) so I made my own from scratch to work with the photo-etch steel license plate below the exhaust vent in the rear. Then after three days I found the missing parts (I was also missing the tiny Bat Ram lever for the dashboard) clamped in the hobby vice at my right elbow! Still don't know how I could have missed seeing that in plain sight like that:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

The amber lenses were painted black, then silver, then Tamiya Orange Acrylic. The PE screens over the headlights were touched up using a brush and some de-canted Krylon Satin Black:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

A little cleanup left to do but the signs are all in. The letters are decals which you apply first to the brass strips that are about 1/64 of an inch wide. Then you glue the strips to the dashboard using CA. Delicate work:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Chassis finished. The fit of the dash, doors, and rear deck was pretty bad. I had to use a lot of CA and kickstarter to get the parts to mate and, even then, there were still gaps. I may go back and apply some AVESD Apoxy Sculpt to the larger gaps (unless I feel they are not that conspicuous): 


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

"Holey Moley Batman somebody stole the Batmobile's body!!!"

"Well Robin, you know what they say?"

"What Batman?!"

"Every body... needs a body... sometime."


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batphone and the shift handle next to it were glued in with CA. If you have a jeweler's loupe you can actual read the tiny letters on the dash's orange signs. I covered the floor with "carpet" using a sheet of adhesive-backed felt:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Turbine Engine was brushed with Creatfx acrylic black wash to bring out some more detail:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

You also have to paint the canopy rims on the inside. Otherwise you will see the black enamel layer underneath:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear canopy glued in with canopy glue oddly enough. I glued the arch down using 5 minute epoxy:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Chassis ready for assembly with body:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

Mobile Crime Computer, Rear canopy and Arch, and rocket tubes installed in body:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Tamiya tape just to protect the Krylon from my dirty fingers temporarily:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batmobile Emergency Turn Lever. Releases the bat chutes from the back and spins the Batmobile 180 degrees when pulled back. 


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

That's all for now Bat citizens! More to come before the final unveiling!


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## aussiemuscle308

awesome build. love seeing these built. You're doing great.

interesting fact: you can tell the original batmobile from the copies that Barris made by the speedo in the steering wheel, which was left over from the original Futura. most of the copies never had that feature.
Right:









Wrong:


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## Trekkriffic

Thanks aussiemuscle308. I have the steering wheel set aside for installation after I place Batman in his seat. It’s the correct one per your photos. The kit included the speedometer decals which I applied to the steering wheel hub. Looks great! Like your photo.


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## Richard Baker

This build is absolutely fantastic!-


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## Trekkriffic

Richard Baker said:


> This build is absolutely fantastic!-


Thanks! I appreciate your compliment sir! 

It hasn't been without its problems that can try a modeller's soul though. 
For instance, one of the (pinion?) pins holding the left front tire broke so I ended up having to cement it. The pin was delicate to begin with, a flaw in the kit design IMO. So now I have a car with front wheels that don't turn left or right (a small loss as they only traveled about an eighth on an inch anyway) but at least they still spin. 
This versus the kit instructions which would give you wheels that turned but did not spin. 
If I had to choose... I'd go with the former. 

The other thing that was rather major was a flex in the chassis. I had just finished gluing the cockpit into the chassis when I noticed the right back tire was about 1/16" off the tabletop when I set the chassis down level. It was level a week ago though so I'm wondering if during those three really hot days we had it had gotten in a beam of sunlight thru my garage windows and warped it? Possible. Or did my having to force the cockpit parts together with clamps and CA cause the twist? Regardless, I couldn't have that and trying to gently twist the back of the chassis back into level wasn't working so I ended up firing up the heat gun and carefully heating the plastic; not too long or it would melt of course. Gradually I got it to twist the way I wanted until the car sat nice and level again. 

Phhhhhhew!


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## alpink

almost hate to see you finish this.
it has been quite an adventure following along.
your attention to fine detail is amazing.
great job


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## Trekkriffic

Thanks alpink! I think getting the cockpit assembled really has given me the juice I need to get this over the the finish line.

Here's a small update...

I gave the tires a scuffing with a coarse sanding stick to make them look road worn. 
I figure the Batmobile's tires stopped looking like new after about 5 minutes the way Batman drove:



Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Then I gave the undercarriage another brush and rub with the black acrylic wash. Really adds to the realism I think with the tires:




Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr




Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr




Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Cockpit done. Gave her another brush with water-based Liquitex Matte Varnish. 
I also added the white buttons on top of the red circles I had dotted above the steering wheel yoke. 
So basically a white dot inside the red dot I had painted a week or so ago. 
Done with a pointy toothpick and thinned white paint ... Dot's all:




Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Next I think I'll paint and assemble the PE seatbelt buckles. Says to use black masking tape for the belts - hmmm. 
Then I need to assemble and paint the vinyl Dynamic Duo figures. 
Then I'll stick them into the seats before I glue the chassis to the body. 

Thanks for reading! Keep your Bat Monitor tuned to this Bat Channel for my next update!


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## Trekkriffic

Greetings citizens! Time for your next Bat Update...

Bat Ray PE parts painted and ready for gluing together.
I drilled a tunnel into a piece of very thin styrene rod to insert the end of the PE shaft into:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

PE license plate glued to kit license plate bracket. A decal will be applied at the end of the build before final clear coats:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

PE steel Bat Ray antenna glued into styrene rod. I'll paint the shaft silver. The grids should also be yellow not red so I'll repaint them to:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batman glued together and seams puttied:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Neck presents a significant gap. Will putty and sand smooth:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

After first round of PPP:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

This makes for much less of a pain in the butt to work on... for me anyway:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

The neck gap is filled and sanded:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

First primer coat brushed on. Tamiya white Surface Primer is lacquer based and goes on the vinyl real well. 
No observable stickiness after it dried either. I tested it out on the back and buttocks of the figures before brushing it on all over:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

After first primer coat before wet sanding with a narrow sanding stick:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

After first primer coat and light sanding:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

After sanding before second wet primer coat:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Dotting the eyes. With a toothpick:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Here I brushed white around the pupils to shrink them a tad. 
Then I brushed a mix of light tan and white to make flesh and paint the eyelids and faces. I mixed a little red with the flesh to paint the lips. 
Next I'll mix up some light blue grey to paint the body, arms, and legs:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Robin:


Batmobile 1966 - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

I applied liquid mask to face and head around the mask. 
Then I painted flat black enamel around the eyes and the rest of the mask. 
Here I am peeling the dried liquid mask away:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin by trekriffic, on Flickr

After applying a coat of light grey to torso, arms, and legs, I masked them with liquid mask. The parts that are meant to be dark blue will be painted Testors Sea Blue over a coat of black yet to come:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman by trekriffic, on Flickr

Robin after liquid mask removal. I think this turned out really well myself. 
Later, I realized the forehead was covered with too little mask based on the incised line in the photo. So I had to paint over the excess black with flesh tone. 
Will need two coats:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Milton Fox Racing

Wow! A very intense process yielding great results. :cheers2:


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## Notyourhero

The people figures look real. You got talent. :smile2:


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## Trekkriffic

WATCH! AS OUR CAPED CRUSADERS GET THEIR COSTUMES ON! 

Batman got a coat of liquid mask over his face and grey leotard.
I painted his cowl and cape black, gloves, shorts, and boots with flat black enamel. I will paint dark blue over the black once the black cures:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Robin figure is masked with liquid mask. Then I painted the cape. Next I'll paint his shorts black. Then there's the red waistcoat followed by the dark green shorts, boots, and gloves painted over the black. I also need to add 6 more yellow straps to the upper waistcoat. The figure only has three now. I'll paint his hair dark brown with lighter brushed highlights. Don't know why they gave him a pompadour though rather than a part on the left side like Burt Ward had:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

I'll make 10 uniformly shaped tiny rectangles representing the straps (?) on the front of Robin's waistcoat then paint flat red acrylic around them. If that works after removing the tape I'll coat with Future and apply a coat of red enamel:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin in Canary Yellow by trekriffic, on Flickr

And now for something completely different... seat belts...

The belts in the Batmobile movie I watched were red with a black stripe down the middle. I did a decent job recreating that using red masking tape and a black enamel paint pen. The width had to be about 3/32" wide or so to fit thru the slots in the PE parts:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Seat Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

Backlit like this you can see how I threaded the belt (tape) thru the slot in the PE seat belt buckle then stuck it down to itself. It should drape nicely over the character's lap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr 

The tape used to make what we call "seatbelts" (I think the DD referred to them as "safety" belts in the Batman movie) is stuck down to the cutting mat, the end is raised up just a little. Then it has to be threaded thru slots in the stainless steel PE belt buckles using tweezers, Then it's folded over to stick to itself on the lap side. Done. Trim to about a half inch long and move on to the next buckle:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

The Batman insignia is on the part you would pull up on to release the buckle. It is glued to the other two buckle pieces using Plastic Surgery glue, The red belts with black stripe down the middle match the ones I saw in a video showing the DD buckling up. The belts are made from red masking tape with a black enamel pen making the stripe. The tape had to fit thru slots in the two buckle halves then the end of the tape is folded about 1/4" and stuck to itself on the backside to secure the buckle. This is done four times. 
We used to have seatbelt buckles that lifted up like these in the old blue '66 Chevy Impala my dad owned and let me drive for my first car:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

Now back to the Dynamic Duo...


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## Trekkriffic

Robin got his straps. Or were they ties? Anyway, not exact, but pretty close- 
BETTER THAN THE KIT MOLDED STRAPS/TIES OF WHICH THERE WERE ONLY THREE!?
Robin has between 9 and 10 straps on the front of his waistcoat:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Gets His Straps by trekriffic, on Flickr

And Batman got his cowl brows...

Tiny bits of masking tape and thinned white enamel make the cowls "eyebrows". Then some work with thinner on a thin brush to clean up. Then retouching with more thinned flat black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman Gets his Eyebrows by trekriffic, on Flickr

All done...
I'll give them another coat of Future once the decal dries. Then a brushing with Liquitex Matte Medium:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Gets His R by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Set aside to dry after Liquitex matte was brushed on:

The caped crusaders were only too happy to stay out of reach, stuck high up on their metal poles, when they saw who was parked next to them!


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo Meets Christine by trekriffic, on Flickr


More to come as I experience the horrors of assembling the body to the chassis and what I had to do to make it work. Hint: Thin sections of black styrene sheet (I'd almost forgotten I had black in the Evergreen mulitcolor pack I bought years ago) and some AVES Apoxy Sculpt. Still working on touchups now. 

"Holy ill fitting Batmobile Batman!"


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## aussiemuscle308

i'm just wondering how you found red masking tape. i usually have to color beige tape with sharpie.

B&R figures came out looking good.


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## Trekkriffic

aussiemuscle308 said:


> i'm just wondering how you found red masking tape. i usually have to color beige tape with sharpie.


It's made by Scotch. Their line of Expressions masking tape. You can get it at Home Depot, Office Depot, Et Al.

I have a partial roll of it leftover from when I made the red and yellow checkered flag backdrop for my Speed Racer Mach V pics. 

Here's a link to the Office Depot page:

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...F0gmByv9bUKHh6k3jDMaAtM1EALw_wcB,gclsrc:aw.ds


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## Trekkriffic

Bat Update...

After soaking in purple Super Clean for an hour all chrome plating was removed from the police beacon. Then I sprayed with black Krylon before applying a coat of Tamiya Bare Metal Silver from a rattle can. Interesting note regarding the sprue attachment points on the lower rim for this part. Removal from the sprue left two flat spots where the rim was partially destroyed. This turned out to be by design I think because the two pins on the bottom are keyed to attach only one way to the mating holes in the arch. The flat spots lined up with the sides of the two horns that I am now about to attach. So the flat spots where the spruce attached allow clearance for a tight fit with the horns, the keyed pins tell me this was the intent of the model designers:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Beacon Dechromed by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit gives you two options for antenna bases - round or teardrop shaped. I painted them with Testors steel.
I may overpaint with Testors chrome... have to decide on that:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Antenna Bases by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit provides you with a short metal rod in its own bag for use with either of the antenna bases:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Antenna by trekriffic, on Flickr

More modifications...

The center arch pillar was too tall and had to be cut down to allow the chassis to mate flush with the bottom of the car body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Mods to Rear Deck Pillar by trekriffic, on Flickr

The rear canopy broke free from the "canopy" glue in the upper body frame after numerous failed attempts to get the chassis to slide flush into the body. It was then I decided to break the rear cockpit wall and deck free from the side door panels in the chassis and glue the deck inside the body instead using epoxy. You can also see the open slot meant to allow the "under the canopy" arch to pass thru and attach to the underside of the body. Since I am using the "over the canopy" arch I was left with an open gap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Deck from Underneath by trekriffic, on Flickr

To cover the gap I made a cover of styrene and photo-etch brass screen. The idea is this is a subwoofer Robin installed somewhat to Batman’s chagrin:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Rear Slot Cover by trekriffic, on Flickr

The photo-etch "subwoofer" screen was painted with Testors semi-gloss black. After drying I glued it into the unused slot in the underside of the rear deck using epoxy. Later it would get a coat of Liquitex matte varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - PE Screen Painted by trekriffic, on Flickr

Just to reiterate, with the rear deck and center console glued to the back of the chassis passenger compartment the deck would not slide flush into the grooves under the rear canopy which left visibly large gaps between the deck and the canopy. To solve this problem I broke the deck free from the chassis (I had used CA so it broke free fairly easily compared to styrene cement) and glued the deck into the grooves in the inside of the body using epoxy. This eliminated the gaps. The rear wall and console could then be slid behind and between the car seats during assembly of the body and chassis:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Deck After Rework by trekriffic, on Flickr

Check out the major center console gap. I knew this was coming when I had to alter my plan of attack for attaching the rear deck behind the seats. Will have to lay some sheet styrene over the frame at the base of the console to cover the gap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Major Console Gap by trekriffic, on Flickr

I had decided to protect the lower edges of the body with masking tape before gluing the edges of the chassis to the body. I'm glad I did considering how many times I had to pry the chassis and body apart trying to get them to fit properly:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Masking by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

With all the glue I had to use to join the chassis to the body I didn't want to risk any getting on my nice satin Krylon finish. I also needed to do a lot of clamping and didn't want the clamps scratching the paint. So I ended up masking most of the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Masked Crusader by trekriffic, on Flickr

Have I said how confoundingly ill fitting this kit is? Prime example... the passenger compartment dashboard fits fine with very small gaps between it and the front canopy frame; conversely, in the engine compartment, there is this 1/8" gap at the top of the firewall. Will have to fill it in somehow:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Major Gappage by trekriffic, on Flickr

Hard to see in this image but there is a slight gap about 1/64” wide around the front edge of the dashboard after assembly. This was easily filled in with AVES putty before painting with semi-gloss black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dashboard Gaps by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shaving Batman's ass... I think I may be the first modeler to ever say that...

The kit makers didn't account for the amount Batman sinks into his seat when driving. So he sat too high in the seat for my taste. To reduce the height I used an xacto chisel blade and knife to carve away at Batman's ass and hamstrings. The final result is much better as you will see:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Shaving Batman's Butt by trekriffic, on Flickr

To cover the console and firewall gaps I used this sheet of thin black styrene. It ended up being perfect for this use:


Thin Black Styrene Sheet by trekriffic, on Flickr

After gluing the black styrene in place I filled any remaining gaps with white Perfect Plastic Putty:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Firewall Gap Covered and Puttied by trekriffic, on Flickr

AVES worked well for filling this gap where the dash met the arch in the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Gap Filled with AVES by trekriffic, on Flickr

After separation of the rear wall and deck from the side door panels a slot remained which I covered with a piece of styrene sheet before painting it black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Wall Slot Covered by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batman test fit after assembling the chassis to the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman Seated by trekriffic, on Flickr

After covering and filling the gaps along the rear and side walls in the engine compartment the walls got a coat of semi-gloss black. Later I brushed them with Liquitex Matte Varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - After Touching Up by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

The Bat Beam was glued into the hole behind the hood:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Beam by trekriffic, on Flickr

Finally something on this model that fits! I noticed that the hood is darker than the rest of the car but this turned out to be alright once I brushed the whole car with Liquitex Gloss Varnish. 
Now the body is as shiny as the hood:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Hood Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr

Getting there. Need to finish adding the police beacon and horns then give her another coat of gloss varnish before applying the stripe decals:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Nice Angle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Working off actual photos of the real thing I used 28 gauge tinned solid wire to make the cables that release the bat chutes:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Chutes by trekriffic, on Flickr

After its first coat of Liquitex Gloss Varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Shiny by trekriffic, on Flickr

I painted the beacon lights red and glued it to the arch using epoxy. 
Left a few light scratches which I will touch up:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Police Beacon Glued On by trekriffic, on Flickr

After previously gluing the PE license plate to the kit part I installed it under the rear turbine exhaust nozzle. It still needs its decal. The fit was snug enough to not require any glue to hold it in place:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - License Plate by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next up is gluing the "horns" to either side of the beacon. 
Also need to install the mobile computer/radio antenna behind the trunk lid.


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## Milton Fox Racing

:thumbsup:


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## f1steph

Gee, I'm disappointed about all those gaps . Especially for a pricy kit like this one...... Keep up the good work..


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## Trekkriffic

f1steph said:


> Gee, I'm disappointed about all those gaps . Especially for a pricy kit like this one...... Keep up the good work..


Yeah. I would have really been upset if I'd actually had to pay for the kit. 
As it was it was a forum contest prize. Still, it's turning out pretty well, all things considered. 

Here are pics of the current state of the model. Just need to attach the rear antenna and the bat spinners on the wheel hubs but I'll do the decals first. 


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Hobby Dude

Gotta love the George Barris creation, the best bat mobile to me, Rip George!


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## Trekkriffic

Before launching into the decal phase I decided to fix a gap between the nose on the hood and what would be the hood latch in the body...


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Batmobile Rhinoplasty by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Hood Work by trekriffic, on Flickr

Should improve the Batmobile’s profile.

After redoing the nose I removed most of the old varnish before respraying with Krylon Satin Black:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Hood Finish Rework by trekriffic, on Flickr

I added some AVES to make a smooth curve from the hood to the body:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Rework by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear end stripes. The fluorescent orange decals tore or broke off in a few spots but I found Italian Red acrylic is a perfect match. After touching up with paint I will apply a top coat of MM fluorescent red “enamel”. I put that in quotes because the bottle claims it’s enamel but it doesn’t smell like it. Anyway, you have to put the fluorescent on over an under layer of red:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

Rear wheel well and lateral stripes. the kit decals had a pair of scalloped decals for each fin so all I had to do was paint the small gap along the edge of the fin between the decals:


Batmobile WIP - Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The decal wrapped around the sides of the headlight cowlings then down over to meet the top to the hood. I had to paint the front edges using Italian Red which was a perfect match with the decal color fortunately. Have to do the decals around the grills next. 
I used Italian Red to paint the stripes on the 1/48 scale “Aurora” Batmobile I think:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Trekkriffic

The hood got its decals:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Hood Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The hood in place:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The improved nose profile is a much smoother transition from the hood to the body:


Batmobile WIP - Nose Job by trekriffic, on Flickr

Some extra decals were included with the kit...

The instructions show no decal 35:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Mystery Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

The forward grill decals. And an extra set of wheel well decals:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decals by trekriffic, on Flickr

That’s it for now. Once I have the rest of the stripes on I’ll seal with Future before applying her finishing coats of varnish. Then a rub with some Novus No. 1 polish. 

Stay tuned Bay fans!


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## aussiemuscle308

how are you finding doing all these thin stripes? seems like a lot of work


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## Trekkriffic

aussiemuscle308 said:


> how are you finding doing all these thin stripes? seems like a lot of work


It’s going well. The decals are thick enough not to tear easily as I maneuver them into place. Once they are positioned I hit them with more Micro Set. Then I wait 10 minutes and brush with Solvaset. Any boob-boos or tears get touched up with Italian Red acrylic after I seal the decals with Future. I got a new liner style brush which makes nice thin stripes.


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## Chrisisall

Awesome detailed work, man!


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## Trekkriffic

@;


Chrisisall said:


> Awesome detailed work, man!


Thanks Chris! This kit has really put me to the test with all the fit issues.


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## Trekkriffic

Meanwhile in the Batcave...
Robin slams his fist into his palm...

"Holy Shucks Batman! Trekkriffic is charging us a fortune for all the work he's had to do on the Batmobile!"

Batman smiles as he raises an index finger... 

"It's a good thing I'm not just a caped crusader, I'm also a millionaire. 
I suggest ... a long, scenic ride in the countryside. 
It will serve to lift your spirits old chum!"

And with that, Robin flung himself into the passenger seat (remembering to fasten his seat belt) and the Dynamic Duo was off on another adventure...

Here are some quick pix I took until I can get my garage photo shop set up with all the pipes, lights, and backdrops. 
Then I'll have better lit pix to show everyone...


Batmobile 1966 WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


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## Milton Fox Racing

I always told my clients "It is okay if you talk to yourself."

"It's when you start answering back that the problems start...."


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## Trekkriffic

Bud Brewster over on All Sci-Fi shows my Batmobile in front of a popular local hangout.


Batman Needs a Shake by trekriffic, on Flickr

Parked at the local drive-in, Robin orders a Dynamic Duo, Mel's special burger and fries. Batman opts for a Caped Crusader shake.


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## Hobby Dude

That is the real Bat-mobile to me, love it!:grin2:


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## MartyS

Nice, reminds me that I need to build mine someday... I've got the non-deluxe version without the PE parts but it does have the option to build it with either the V8 or turbine engine. Just looked at my instruction sheet and it does say there are optional decals included.


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## Trekkriffic

MartyS said:


> Nice, reminds me that I need to build mine someday... I've got the non-deluxe version without the PE parts but it does have the option to build it with either the V8 or turbine engine. Just looked at my instruction sheet and it does say there are optional decals included.


Yeah. You get lots of decals and extras to boot. So if you screw one up you usually have a spare. You even get two sets of tires!
I opted for the turbine engine cause I always liked the flames that shot out the back and the sound of the jet turbine's high pitched whine as it flew down the highway. So I have an extra V8 engine now.


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