Modelling > Informal Lockdown/COVID-19 GB

Smuggler's runabout - FINISHED

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Frank3k:
The The AMT 3 in 1 Customizing Boat Kit is an old, but very nice 1/25 scale kit that can be built as a 19 foot Chris Craft runabout, a sea dragster or custom speedboat.

The original inspiration for this build is this Chris Craft (?) runabout from the 1946 serial "Lost City of the Jungle":


I decided to rescale the boat to 1/35, which makes it a 26 foot / 8 meter runabout. Almost all of the runabouts this length that I've seen online have the rear passenger area and the engine compartment locations swapped... I'm not motivated to do extensive plastic surgery on this kit, so I've turned it into a smuggler's boat.
Two songs to get into the mood for this build are Warren Zevon's Lawyers Guns and Money and Glen Frey's Smuggler's Blues

This is what I have so far. The engine doors are glued shut - I didn't add an engine. The main changes have been the dashboard, which has a 1/35 scale truck steering wheel - I'll add an instrument cluster later - and I replaced the molded on engine compartment handles with wire handles:



I've also removed the chrome and underlying barrier layer from the chromed parts. Most of the parts have details that are lost under all that material!

The boat has the basic paint on, which is a combination of Badger Stynylrez primer red with a clear coat tinted red.
Nigel Fitz-Lloyd Smith is at the wheel; if it weren't for Larry Manspread next to him, a third person could fit in the middle. I'll probably redo the rear passenger area and turn it into a cargo area and add some contraband:



I'm currently testing my latest resin printer (and Elegoo Mars Pro) in my modelling area so I probably get to this for a few days, so if you guys have any suggestions, let me hear them. The kit also comes with a trailer, two engines and a deck for the dragster.

Dr. YoKai:
 It is a neat kit - I found one for three bucks at the Austin show about five years ago, and another at Hobby Lobby remaindered for about the same. This was the basis for the 'Tim Fleet' build I did for 'Floaty things' not too long ago.

Suggestions, well...maybe some subtle pipes along side the engine bay to suggest a larger motor?
Small arms under the front dash, for sure, and maybe some large, suspicious bales in the backseat?

Oh, I recently cut the fenders off one of the trailers to make a pair of truly heroic spats for...something. (I really don't know what yet.)

Buzzbomb:
Well this could go anywhere.
Looking forward to see where

Frank3k:
Thanks, guys!
Craig - I may use the exhausts from the dragster engine. The trailer's spats are pretty epic!

Frank3k:
I think I've printed all the parts I need for this boat.
This has been an iterative process, but finally got what I wanted. First, I made steering wheels - not just for this project but for others. I now have about 20, with 2, 3 and four spokes:



Some more steering wheels, instrument panels, small scoops and a small marine radar:



Out of focus image, but here's a couple of instrument panel copies. The holes are 0.5mm in diameter. I'll add some Eduard PE switches:



The final print includes navigation lights (lower left) cleats (to the right - I copied them from a runabout image), handholds (middle left), another copy of my marine radar (middle) BIG scoops for the larger engine that Craig suggested and at the top, no-skid pads for the boat. If you look closely, they read "Smug", which is the name of the boat. These smugglers are very smug - and have enough money to pimp their boat.



The letters are 0.8mm tall. They're much sharper than this photo:



My favorite is the marine radar I drew up. All it needs is a flat styrene bottom and a styrene rod to go in the holder.

I also redid the body for my Morris-Ford Quad Commercial which is a long term project. I had to print three versions of the body; the first had some fit issues (measure once, cut twice? What's that?) the second ran out of resin with less than 5 mm to go. The last one finally worked. Each print was 7 hours:



Removing all the supports took a while - I still have a few in place to provide some stability.

The varying colors of the prints isn't a lighting effect - I'm using waste resin. It's a combination of green, gray and clear from previous prints. I want to use it up.

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