Pack 12 - Stage 100. Final assembly.

[Mark, The Master Modeller]

Stage 100 gives us the final details such as the wipers, license plate, remaining logos, etc.

We will fit the bonnet (front body) first.  Turn the bonnet upside down and flick up the hinges.  However, don't tape the wires like this, tape them to the outside of the bonnet.  Learn from my mistakes!!!

Put the bonnet in place on the car, turn the whole model upside down and screw the hinges to the front chassis.

Here's a close-up of the hinge screwed in place.

You may find that the bonnet doesn't close properly.  Don't panic, there's a simple fix.

Remove the bonnet, and then remove the radiator.  It's only held in by two screws.  Refer back to Pack 9, stage 70 for details.  You will also need to pull the two radiator pipes away from the radiator.  See stage 71 for details.

Once the radiator is out of the way, remove the paint from the two mounting posts.  A small file or sanding stick is ideal, or you could even use an emery board for finger nails.  This will lower the radiator a little so the bonnet can close properly.

Here's a close up of one of the posts.

Now replace the radiator and bonnet and it should close nicely.  If not, it may be the Tank tube support that is standing a little too high.  Refer to Pack 9 stages 68 & 69.

Sand the top of the tank tube support so that it is flat.   This can be polished with a nail buffing stick to get a nice shiny finish.  The observant amongst you may notice that the tank cap is missing!  I didn't notice until after the photo was taken 🤦‍♂️

The front body/bonnet should close nicely now.

Now you may find that the doors don't close securely or line up with the bonnet.  Again, this can be fixed.

Remove the door; you will need to unplug the switch cables from sockets 14 & 15.  Pull on the plug itself as you may pull the cable out if you pull on the cable.

Take a 4mm drill bit and use this to remove any burred from the hinge mounting holes in the body.

Remove the paint from the hinge.  Be as thorough as you can and pay attention to removing the paint from around the bottom of the locating pins.  

Also remove the paint from the edge of the hinge where it lands against the door.  The thickness of the paint may stop the door closing properly.

The doors should close properly now and be aligned with the bonnet.  However, I couldn't get the bottom of the doors to line up with the bonnet perfectly.  The door holds closed, but doesn't close with a definite click.  However, if the doors don't hold closed properly, it is likely that the spring plate of the hinge isn't tight enough.  Refer to Pack 1 stage 5.

You will need to disassemble the door to fix this.  Here's an example of the plate that isn't properly tightened.  Note that there is a gap between to plate and the door, and the screws aren't down tight.

You will need to remove the door panels.  These just prise off, but they can be a bit tight, so be careful not to damage them.

Then remove the door frame which is held with screws.  Now you can remove any burrs around the holes with a large drill bit.

Apply a little lubricant to the holes, then replace the hinge and spring plate.  The spring plate must go down tight when the hinge is in the door closed position.

Now the door should hold itself closed.

Now the bonnet and doors fit nicely, we can continue with the rest of the stage.  

Next we connect the headlight wires.  Turn the model over then feed the headlight wires under the wishbones.  

Then easy up the radiator pipes and push the connectors under them.  Push the radiator pipes back down afterwards.

Connect the wires to sockets 9 & 10.

Take the bottom floor panel and align it so you can plug in the power connector.

The power connector fits in socket 5.

Fit the bottom floor plate by sliding the tabs at the rear under the rear sub-frame.

Here are the tabs, aligned and the floor plate is ready to be pushed backwards into position.

Note how the screw holes align when is it in the correct position.  Now fit these two screws.

Fit the two screw that go under the side skirts.

Finally, fit the two screws at the front.

Now is a good time to insert some batteries and test the electronics.  You have to switch the power on under the car, and then insert the key in the centre console.  You can't just leave the key inserted, it has to be inserted after the power is switched on.

Brake/rear lights.

Instrument lights.

Headlights.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot of the interior light.  I just couldn't get a decent angle on the camera.

Next up is fitting the side skirts.  These are a bit awkward to fit, but you can make it a bit easier by using a large drill bit to chamfer the location holes.  You're just trying to make a small chamfer, so just give the drill but a couple of twists by hand.  DON'T use a power tool!! This gives the pin a bit of a lead into the hole.

Locate the side skirts and push them into place.  I found it easier to locate the tabs at the top first, but this may have just been luck!

The chassis plate is fitted next.  However, there is an ejector pin just where the chassis plate is located, which needed filing smooth.

Now stick the plate in place.  You could touch up the scratch marks with satin black paint if you wished.  However, they were very inconspicuous to the named eye.  

Stick the license plate to the support frame, noting that the pins go to the top.

The just pushes into the holes in the bottom of the forward body.

Remove the backing paper from the logo template and stick it to the side of the model.  Align it carefully with the edges of the panel.

Take one of the pieces of double sided tape and stick it to the model in the aperture of the template.

I found that the back of the logo was a bit rough and needed filing smooth.

Now stick it in place.

The "B" logo should have the double sided tape stuck to the logo first, simple because it peels off the backing paper easier that way.

Now stick the "B" logo to the car.

Push the two logos down very firmly, then gently remove the template.

There are two shims which helps the door switches operate more reliably.  Stick the shim to the small disc of double sided tape.  The photo shows just one shim and one adhesive tape disc.

Then stick the shim to the door latch.

Take the remaining sheet of double sided tape from stage 99 and apply it to the inside of the windscreen surround.  The pieces of tape are all cut to size, and the instructions show where each piece is fitted.

Remove the backing tape and push the windscreen in place.  Note that it is held by both the tape and pins.

Push the washer nozzles in place.  These are fiddly little blighters!  I used tweezers and a strategically placed finger to make sure that they didn't ping off into hyperspace!

Push the windscreen wipers in place.  They are handed, but they are obviously wrong if you get the left and right wiper blades mixed up!  They are a bit fiddly and I needed to remove some flash from the locating pins.

 

The last step is to apply the transfers to the back of the car.  Helpful tip.  Remove the front licence plate before tipping the car onto its nose, or you'll likely break it off!  

Apply the templates carefully.  Try to get them right first time as they tear if you try to pull them off.  See the left hand template!  However, it's not the end of the world as these are only a temporary part.

 

Take the transfers from stage 1 and trim them fairly close to the lettering.  It doesn't need to be too close as the plastic sheet is removed later.

Remove the backing paper and apply them to the model using the template as a guide.  Make sure that the black of the logos is stuck directly to the car and not on the template.  It doesn't matter if the clear plastic sheet overlaps the template.  Rub the transfers down firmly.  Use a cocktail stick or a pencil to burnish them down.

Carefully peel off both the clear plastic sheet and the template.  If necessary, you can place the clear sheet over the template again and rub the transfer down if the edges look like they haven't stuck firmly.

This completes the car.  I hope you've enjoyed following along with the build, and if you're building the car yourself, I hope it's been useful.  Here's the finished car, and it looks absolutely fabulous.  She's doing a ton while standing still!!

Some more beauty shots will be taken soon!