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This week, Chris MacGregor brings us details on modifing
the Futura! Be sure to check out Chris's other models on the site.
This is the
Futura conversion I have been working on, and I got the ambition to write an article for the site. The model is almost finished, and I will include some finished photos when I take them.
History: Like many of you, every since I was a kid I wanted to own the Batmobile™, but the closest I could come was the Aurora model
kit.
Well to make a long story short I never did get that kit, and to purchase it now at the going rate of around $1000.00 I would wind up in divorce court. So I waited to see if one would pop up. Many resin ones did, but again I was not willing to shuck out the cash for one of these beauties (yup I am Scottish and as tight as they come). Finally around 1995 Revell re-released their 1956 model of the Lincoln Futura. I ran right out and purchased one for my very own, with all the intent to build that wonderful car, unfortunately I never did get around to building it and stuffed it in a box along with all the other models I never got around to build (you all know that story). One day I was scanning the SkyHook Models page for some needed parts for another kit I was working on and stumbled across their conversion kit. Bingo I was in business! So I ordered their kit and started to look around for other needed items that might work for the interior. That's when I found the mother load. A place in Italy makes some really great stuff for converting this car. The company is called Magnetic Model which produces many interior and exterior parts for the car both in resin, and metal which are the best I have ever seen. Believe me their attention to detail is incredible and the price it right.
Next I needed some good reference photos. The web is littered with them, but I opted to use the 1966 Batmobile™ site.
They had some of the best close ups of the various cars that have been built. After much debate and watching a few of the old reruns I opted to recreate a #1 Batmobile™. In a sense I am thrilled to create the Batmobile™ in this fashion because it sort of gives me a feel of how Geroge Barris created the original one. So grab a case of putty and let's get to work.
As with all kits the first step is to test fit the parts. I tested both versions of the customizing kits and decided to
use a combination of both.
Each one has its strong points and weakness. So as I explain what I did, I will try and let you know which parts came from which company. I would recommend that you built this car in the order I describe it. Also note that I will cover the major portions of the construction process, some details I left out due to size constraint of the article.
The Parts List:
- SkyHook Futura Conversion Kit ($17.00)
Magnetic Model: ($117.00)
- Futura Revell Kit Resin Kit with Metal Rocket Tubes
- 2 Figures (Batman and Robin)
- Photoetched Radar Antennae
- 4 metal Wheels and Rubber Tires w/ Photoetched Bat-Hubs
- 2 High Quality Door Decals
- Lever Kit
- Metal Bat Ram + Lever
- Metal Dashboard and Steering Wheel
- Front Chain Cutter
- Metal License Plate
- Decals for the Cockpit and Horns
- Compass With Bubble Cover
- Metal Extinguisher & Bat-Logo Sticker
- Batphone
- 4 Red and 4 Orange Transparent Light Stickers
- Mobile Tracking Scope
- Experimental Turbine Engine Metal Kit
- Super Glue
- Tamiya Putty (Lots!)
- Gel Super Glue
- Testors Clear Parts Cement
Model Master Paints:
- Silver Chrome Trim
- Flat Black
- Clear Coat Gloss Lacquer
- Italian Red
- Insignia Red
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The Upper Body: I first started on the side panels using the Skyhook door extensions (These were the only parts I used from the Skyhook kit, the
rest of the parts came from Magnetic Model). I glued the extensions on and then puttied the daylights out of them. After a great deal of sanding I managed to get them to blend in well.
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It is important to note at this point that you really need to be careful not to remove any of detail of the body or change the
contours. Next I moved onto the hood.
Here there was not really a great deal of trouble. Just remember to sand off the hood emblem from the hood before you glue on the scoop. Once you have the emblem sanded off go ahead and attach the hood scoop. Putty the edges and than sand it so it blends into the contour of the hood. Using a scribing tool I removed the hood so I could later view the engine.
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Next I moved onto the head light area.
I drilled a 1/8th -inch hole behind where the lights are to accommodate a yellow LED grain of wheat lights. Using my Dremel tool I opened up the headlight area to accommodate some scratch built headlamps. Then I attached the headlights to the hood assembly. Now I added the front bumper.
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Once it was aligned, it too was puttied and blended.
Once dry I sanded it down to match the curves of the body. Now when that is all ready I installed the grill covers on the headlights and the front air intakes.
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Once the hood assembly was completed I then moved onto the trunk assembly. I again drilled a 1/8-inch hole behind the
turbine to accommodate a red blinking LED.
I than attached the rear bumper to the trunk assembly. Once it is glued in place and it is level, run some gel super glue behind the seam to seal it. Now it is safe to putty the exterior seam, again keeping the contours of the body.
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The next step is to get the holes drilled for the three rocket pipes. I have enclosed a template to align the pipes
correctly on the trunk. Using the template I drilled three 1/8-inch holes in the trunk and test fitted the pipes.
Once I was satisfied with the fit I removed the pipes and set the trunk assembly aside with the hood assembly.
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Now its time to get a little creative with the tail fins (and develop a headache). I have tried to help you some by
including some templates I created for this section of the conversion.
Using the pictures of the Batmobile™ I managed to reproduce the scalloped edges of the fins. I used the templates on the model and covered them with putty than sanded it down.
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In retrospect I think I would use a powder resin like dental resin to create the scalloped edges.
Trust me take your time with this step of the conversion. For some reason this is a critical point and will either make or break the overall look of the car.
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The roll bar is pretty much straight forward.
I carefully drilled a 1/8th inch hole in the clear red beacon to accommodate a flashing red LED. After installing the LED I ran the wires through the hole in the roll bar and channeled out a section going to the back of the roll bar. I proceeded to paint the beacon edges flat back to block out any unwanted light, and than highlighted the raised area with Testors Silver Chrome Trim.
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Once the fit was good and centered I glued and puttied the beacon in place. I ran the wires in the channel I created and
puttied them in place as well. Now sand the section until level and prime the area.
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The Interior: The only part that needed to be scratch built were the round speakers that sit behind the seats and the little box that sits in the middle (I have no idea what this thing is called). Magnetic Model produces extremely accurate parts such as the Bat-Phone, Bat-Extinguisher, a complete dashboard, steering wheel, all the levers, Scope and compass.
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All these parts are made out of white metal and look incredible, and best yet is the price!
Each part was well under $20.00. A real nice feature of the dashboard is that they supply you with a green LED and colored screen for the monitor. The parts go in really well, so there is not much need to go into detail on the instillation of them. Simply look carefully at your reference photos and get to work. Once you have the interior finished set it aside. I would recommend that you prime the entire area, than paint the individual pieces before you install them.
When it comes to the canopy you have two options open to you. Option one is to by a vacuum formed canopy from Magnetic
Models or you can cut the one that comes with the Futura Kit.
Since I hate working with vacuum formed parts I went with the Futura canopy. Very carefully cut out the middle section of the canopy than gently sand till smooth. Once you have this completed get some really thin aluminum tape and trim the canopy and than polish to a high luster.
The Lower Body: Ok here is where your going to have some fun. You will need to scratch build four wheel wells, and align the tires. Again I used Magnetic Models for my tires. These are made out of white metal and rubber. Again this company out does itself in details. I compared them to the original Batmobile™ they were dead on. The only thing you will need to do is polish the daylights out of them to get the chrome feeling, or you can go to the automotive store and buy some Chrome Spray and hit the hubs with a coat or two of this stuff than buff it up good. The technique I used was Testors Aluminum metalizer buffing. I air brushed about four coats and when it was dry I used a Q-Tip to buff it to a high luster. I proceeded to air brush the bat emblems Testors Italian Red and once dry I glued them in place.
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Now I started to fabricate the wheel wells.
I created molds from another car kit and poured my resin. When they were dry I started to fit them in place. I attached the upper and lower body halves together using a couple of rubber bands and started to place the wells in their proper positions. Once I was satisfied with their placement I glued them in place and puttied any areas that needed it.
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I drilled out the area for the axels using my Dremel tool and slid the axels into place.
I used the Futura kit rims to make sure that the new wheels were in the right position and when the wheels were in place they looked like the disc brakes, so that turned into an added bonus.
Next
I created a battery compartment. I simply cut along the mufflers until I had the right size I needed to install a 9-volt battery. Once I got that all cut out I glued a small nut and bolt in place.
Once you all the putty is dry and sanded, remove the raised area that housed the axels.
You won't need to use these since the wheels come with a pin to attach them to the body. Again that is where the rims from the Futura come into play, more on this later. After I finished all this I sprayed the entire lower body with primer and set it aside to dry.
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The Engine: Magnetic Model offers two engines for the Batmobile™. The first one is the turbine engine and the second one is the
experimental turbine engine. When it comes to this portion of the model you really can choose what you want, sense the real car used a Ford V-8. I opted to use the Experimental Turbine.
This engine consists of approximately 18 white metal parts, and when finished looks really good.
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Once the engine is finished to your liking, put the upper and lower bodies together again using rubber bands and fit the engine
in place, make sure you have it in proper position so you can get the hood back on.
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The Final Assembly:
Ok here we go!
The first thing I should address at this point is what he heck is Fuzzy Black? I did quit a lot of research into this question and come up with this. Originally the car was painted flat black, than the studio wanted a shiny car because it did not film right. So Mr. Barris created a custom color called Fuzzy Black. Well I have no idea what he mixed to get this so I had to get a little creative to achieve the right balance.
I air brushed the entire car with Testors Flat Black than used clear coat on it, I used about 7 coats to get a good deep shine to it. This seemed to give it the look I was after.
Now I had to deal with the pin striping. I dreaded this part with a passion from the start. Than it came to me, I bought some pin striping tape at my hobby store that was about the right size I needed. I than air brushed Italian red on the areas that were to have red trim. Than I applied the pin striping tape along the areas I need and air brushed flat back over it. Once dry I removed the tape and viola I had perfect red pin striping.
Now just attach the rocket tubes, interior and upper and lower body halves together. Putty your seems and sand smooth.
Attach the side trim that came with the Futura kit and than mask off this area and prime. Once dry go ahead and follow the procedure described above to match the rest of the body.
Its now
safe to attach the canopy using the window cement, this stuff dries nice and clear without any residue. However, it does take a few hours to dry. I would recommend that you allow 24hrs to dry.
For the Ram and Chain Cutter I fashioned a pin in them and drilled a small hole in the front of the bumper.
This worked great so I could alternate which look I wanted for any given mood that struck me.
Now go ahead and apply your decals and seal them using clear coat. Now guess what? You're done!
Note: I did not go into detail as far as the electronics are concerned because frankly it would have taken up way to much room. I would recommend that you look around for a kit to do what you need it to do. In my kit I have working Headlights, Parking Lights, Flashing Beacon, Tail Lights, Dashboard Lights, and Strobing Turbine effect. So you can see that there was a lot of lights stuffed in there. Many really good lighting kits are available from various venders located on Cutlmans site.
Also for further ideas you should read the article by Hilber Graf. He wrote an article in Modeler's Resource® magazine (Oct/Nov '00 issue #36) entitled Futura to Batmobile. In his article he describes the process of converting the Futura from scratch. It is an excellent article with a great deal of tips and ideas some of which I used in this conversion.
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