JULY UPDATES - 2019
Hey Everyone! Thanks for stopping buy for the latest updates on the DeLorean build. I have 30 new pics for you to check out. This month the components were very easy to add to the interior section of the car. There are a few things in this car that I never knew where in there including a couple of speakers that fit behind the seats. Unfortunately, they don't function, otherwise I'd be cranking a cassette tape of Edward Van Halen music whilst doing this project. There are a few more "Live wires" that are now in this build and I've also added the main circuit board to the passenger side bulkhead piece. This assembly was very quick. The wires are all pre-numbered and they all plug into corresponding numbers on the circuit board. I was also able to plug into the board some of the components from the dash board. If they really work, I don't know as of yet. At least not until I can power this baby up. But it's starting to come together little by little. Best of all the Flux Capacitor box assembly was included with issue 58.
So, as of July 25 it will be 1 year since I began posting this build on my site. The time has seemed to fly by very fast. I wish that darned capacitor would work so I can move into the future to see this thing done though. Oh, well. I can't afford the Plutonium or a real Mr. Fusion anyway. I'll just have to wait. To kind of celebrate all that's been accomplished with this build I've posted the article below with the 14 progress pics, including this months pic and a small review of the build and it's components over the last year. Hope you enjoy seeing everything come together. Keep checking for updates and we'll see you in the "FUTURE"!
Mark
1/8 Back To The Future DeLorean Build - The First Year - Issues 1 - 58 Build Review
To review, The Back To The Future DeLorean is a car that has always intrigued me and I recall the smaller all plastic model with instant hover mode which was availible with the sliding of a lever located underneath the car's chassis. A good friend of mine began building this version of the car but never kept up with it, so he passed it on to me. However, the model fell into oblivion at some point never to be seen again. Just last year, I received an advertisement to build this car again in 1/8 scale on a subscription bases. I've never tried building anything like this before, but a highly detailed version of the car was irresistible to me so I began the subscription. At first what I received with Issues 1 - 6 did not seem very impressive, but I began what will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 years to build this awesome vehicle with working lighting effects and many other details that make this build a wonderful experience. On July 25, 2018 I posted my first pictures of my Back to the future DeLorean Build. This is a review of all of the 13 Overall Progress Pictures so you can see what was entailed in this thrilling model. The first picture is from Issues 1 - 6. All that was received was the driver's side front fender panel which was made out of metal, one of the wheel assemblies, the front end suspension assemblies the top and bottom rear bumper assemblies, the "Plutonium" Chamber and the Mr. Fusion assemblies. These Issues were extremely easy to assemble
Issues 7 - 10 where also very easy to put together. The chassis frame was made from metal which gives the model quite a bit of strength. I also received the second front wheel assembly and the anti-roll assembly as well as the steering mechanisms. What I've really enjoyed about this build is that everything is pre-painted to the appropriate color. All you have to do is assembly each issue as instructed. Some minor issues are that most of the metal parts are not pre threaded and the screws don't appear to be self threading. When putting this kit together you do need a solid Phillips screwdriver that can torque the mounting screws all the way in, otherwise there will be some wiggle with some of the assembled parts.
Issues 11- 14 include the engine support brackets some base panels and connecting rods as well as the two rear disc brake assemblies the left rear wheel assembly with springs and shock absorbers, left and right radius arms and the two track rods. Very easy assemblies for these 4 Issues. This pic shows the wheels in hover mode.
Issues 15- 18 Include the right rear wheel assembly. It also includes the beginnings of the transmission as well as the pieces for the bottom of the engine assembly which includes the transmission case housing the engine bottom with sump pan and the starter assembly, the left and right sides of the engine, engine backing, manifolds oil and fuel filters. The engine block is made entirely of metal except for some of the add-ons. This assembly does require that you torque down on some of the screws otherwise the pieces will rattle a bit. Another thing to add into the seams is some hot glue or some other form of caulking to block out any holes that might be visible.
Issues 19 - 22 include the engine top water pump and hoses, The air intake and manifolds, The cylinder head covers a/c compressor assembly and mounting brackets, Oil filler cap, a/c compressor connector, intake manifolds, fuel injectors throttle control assembly and injector hoses. These four Issues have a lot of tiny detailing work to be done. For most of this assembly I used some locking tweezers to hold some of the pieces steady while adding them onto the engine. The hoses for the injectors were a bit of trouble, but once I got them on they were okay. A small bead of hot glue can help out a lot, too.
Issues 23- 26 include the distributor assembly, the oil dipstick, which you should cement in place. It has the tendency to pop off if you accidently bump the engine assembly. Also you get the pulleys for the alternator, water pump and A/C compressor as well as the drive belts for each of them. You also get some mounting brackets and two of the exhaust pipes, the muffler or silencer, other connectors and 2 rubber boots for the track rods. Most of these pieces are very easy to assemble. After these assemblies are complete the engine is mounted onto the frame and then you are pretty much finished with the engine assembly from this point forward. At one point I was going to weather the engine up a bit, but this kind of fell by the wayside as I realized that most of the engine won't be seen after everything is finished. I might do some light weathering to it later on after I get farther along on the build. At least to dull the engine down a bit. But, I thing the engine looks pretty sharp the way it is.
Issues 27 - 30 have parts for the radiator backing with fan blades mounting brackets and horn, the radiator grill, front and back with mounting frame which is a very quick assembly. Then you finally get to add the bottom chassis plate which will hold the floor of the interior. You also get all of the water pipes that run from the radiator assembly back to the engine. Some of these pieces are bent in such a way that it takes a bit of fishing them through the engine framework to get them into place. These run mainly underneath the chassis so you can't see them in this update picture.
Issues 31 - 34 start the process of sealing the chassis in from the outside you get the rear chassis plates the fuel tank which holds the batteries to power the future electronics that will go into the car. You also get the fuel tank cover which holds the batter cover in place as well. The last and largest piece of these issues is the upper front chassis cover and the reservoir for the washer fluid. Very quick assembly time because the parts a very large and easy to work with.
Issues 35 - 38 have some very easy things to add onto the car as well. You get the front wheel wells, the right and left pontoons with mounting brackets, the rear wheel wells and finally some of the first bits of wiring for the electronic effects for the car. They also give you some brackets to allow the car to rest on while in hover mode. I don't know if I'll use them, because I think they are a little too short. I might make some of my own to hold the car up a little higher to make it appear to be floating above the display stand.
Issues 39 - 42 finally allow you to start working on the interior of the car. You get the floorboard along with some more wiring for the electronics which assembles together in no time at all. You also get the firewall with gas pedal, clutch and working brake with a lighting switch for the brake lights. The other two pedals are static and don't move. Then you get to work on the center console which includes highly detailed A/C heat and fan dials, gear stick with rubber shroud which allows the shift to move around a bit and also the beginnings of the time display box. This includes the time circuit keypad, stereo, heat sink and compass which when assembled looks pretty amazing.
There are also some electronics to install for the lighting effects of the time circuit display. The wiring runs underneath the center console.
Issues 43 - 46 include more wiring for the switch button board, the time circuit activator with Y-handle as well as a power supply box and various other buttons. This wiring is also fed under the center of the console. Next is the dashboard and shelves for the odometer display and other dials seen on the passenger side of the dashboard. You also get the LED lighting panels for each of the dashboard displays. Very quick assembly on these issues as well.
Issues 47 - 50 Start you off with the steering console, with steering column and levers for turn signals and wipers that actually move. The steering wheel itself Is made from metal. Next comes the most time consuming Issue of the kit thus far. You are supplied with a lot of GNDN or dummy wires which make the DeLorean look like its just packed with electronics and power cables. The hard part is straightening all of these wires out and to make them bend where you want them to go. It can be done but you need a lot of TLC for this to happen. I even split one of the wires by accident when trying to contour it to the dashboard. Fortunately where it split was in an area that will not bee seen. You have to feed some of these wires into relay boxes and power units and then secure them to the dash. The only thing I really didn't like about this part is the zip-ties are way out of scale. I'm currently looking for smaller ones, which I have seen inside some electrical units like stereos and dvd players. These are micro ties that are way more accurate in scale. As soon as I can get a hold of them, I'll cut the old ones off and put those on instead. You also get some heavy duty power cables and the connector part of the seat-belts and finally the driver's side seat which is made of a soft, leather-like material. It contains a metal framework along with padding for cushions. I think I was able to put this together in less than 5 minutes. It even can lean and pull forward to get to whatever electronics and wiring are behind the seat. Very cool feature.
Issues 51 - 54 start off with the passenger side seat assembly and again was put together in less than five minutes. In fact, I don't even think I used the assembly instructions. It's that easy. But, with the rest of the issues you get the left and right door sills as well as the hand brake and more cabling and zip ties. There is also a huge pipe that runs from the dash on the passenger side to the soon to be added rear bulkhead panel. This will also contain some short piping elbows as well as what looks to be like a compression cylinder will be added to this bulkhead piece which fits behind the driver and passenger seats. There is also a small junction box for more wires So there's more bending to do, but not quite so tedious as the dash wiring.
And finally Issues 55 - 58. There are two, what look to be like 12" audio speaker that go behind the two seats. There is also a bulkhead hatch which is behind the passenger side seat which holds what seems to be the main circuit board for all of the lighting effects on the entire car. Most of the wiring that was fed from the dash through the center console is connected to this board. After this is in place, the upper bulkhead and it's details can be assembled which include the light board and other panels, some socket boards for the larger cable connections as well the Flux capacitor box and LED wiring and also some piping that will connect to the Flux capacitor box. So, this a year and a half's worth of work putting together 58 Issues to this point. At Issue 65 I will be at the half-way point of this build so there is a lot more to come. There are over 870 pieces assembled together so far and this includes all of the fastening screws for the components. I really enjoy this build and I do think it's worth the expense for all of the issues. I've had very little problems with any of the components and the ones I did have trouble with Eaglemoss promptly replaced the missing or defective parts. So here's to another year and a half or so of building this awesome car and I hope that everyone will continue to visit my website to see the 72 Issues that I will be adding to this amazing replica of the Back To The Future DeLorean Time Machine. See you in the future and thanks for visiting.
Mark
http://www.NemVia.orghttps://www.nemvia.org/apps/photos/photo?photoid=205803410
