Recently Ashley blogged about how crafty I am (I prefer the term handy). That reminded me that I've never bragged, I mean blogged, about my projects.
This past spring, three nights before the annual Boy Scout Pinewood Derby competition, I decided to craft a scale model 1973 BMW from an official Pinewood Derby kit (actually it took 3 kits). Here's how I built my official rules-conforming car:
- Drive to Hollister to take measurements on the real car that will serve as my model.
- Create scale model drawing of car (top / side) to be used as template for wood cut-outs.
- Drive to local hobby store and purchase: 3 pinewood derby kits; 1 spray can of white primer; 1 spray can of red acrylic paint; 1 bottle of silver acrylic detail paint, 1 bottle of flat black acrylic paint, 1 bottle of paint thinner, 3 paint brushes
- Drive to local paper supply store and purchase 5 sheets of full page label paper (peal-off sticky paper).
- Cut out copies the scale pattern and glue them to blocks of wood.
- Cut out basic car pieces: fenders, passenger cabin, roof.
- Glue fenders to body.
- Shape body with belt sander and wood file. Sand.
- Shape passenger cabin with belt sander. Sand.
- Shape roof with belt sander. Sand.
- Prime components with white spray can. Let dry until next morning.
- Apply first coat of red paint with spray can. Let dry until evening.
- Apply second coat of red paint with spray can. Let dry until next morning.
- Create decals with Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Print decals onto white label paper using color printer.
- Paint wheels with silver paint.
- After car paint is dry, glue roof, passenger cabin and body together.
- Paint bottom of car black. (In retrospect this should have been done after priming and before painting the car)
- Apply decals.
Race day. My car wasn't fastest.
But I could tell the Boy Scouts were totally jealous.
But I could tell the Boy Scouts were totally jealous.
4 comments:
Handy is a much better word to describe you. Jill is the wolf den leader and their Pinewood Derby night is coming up again early next year... do you and Adam want to show off the cars again? If you agree, I'll build one too. Bring it!
Of course I would love to show off my car. I also have a couple ideas for another car this year. I'm sure Adam would want to show off his car too.
I just wanted to let you know that your Pinewood BMW car came up in a Google image search my son and I did for a pinewood derby template. We were just looking for an uncut block, but your project caught our eye and all we can say is "WOW!!" What a cool idea. He's busily interpretting Speed Racer's MACH 5 onto the block template we finally found but I'M inspired to make some "extra-curricular" cars for myself later! Thanks for your account, it is inspiring. One question though-- was the car REALLY under the weight requirement?? We added wood to a kit one year and had to hollow it out so much to make weight that it was near paper! You can see it on www.youtube.com/msimmons (btw).
Matt, thanks for the praise. It was a fun car and I was quite proud of it. And you're right about the weight. I made it to rules conforming dimensions, but forgot to hollow it out for weight. The thing was really slow so I didn't worry about racing it.
I think I could have got it under the weight limits by hollowing it out, but never tried.
Last year I made an Audi TT. http://tylerbcarter.blogspot.com/2008/01/another-year-another-derby.html
The decals didn't wrap around the round edges like I wanted them to (since they were just printed on sticky paper, not actual decals), but it was still fun. Not sure what I'll build this year. I'm thinking about doing my '73 Karmann Ghia.
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