OK, there is just enough time to open the Spinner and take some photos before I disconnect from the World at midnight. So, this post is just more on description on each pictures instead of my usual incoherent ramblings.
The Die-cast Body
The Spinner is quite heavy and I have to hold it very carefully. Since this is my first die-cast of such size, I have to make sure it does not meet the floor at 9.81 m/s2…
It is quite apparent that suddenly, after opening the Box, the Spinner is quite large and hefty. Too bad to those who sent theirs back due to the small dents on the outside box. You have not opened it, experienced releasing the magnetic cover of the actual box and faced the horrors of the die-cast itself.
There are no other items in the protective foam once you remove the two other black protective foams. That is a lot of protection.
What a difference! The Die-cast is about 272mm while the Fujimi plastic model is actually 215mm. And I think it’s time I get a new A3 self-healing cutting mat too.
The weight of the die-cast Spinner, which is 250g short of a full Kilo.
The Metal die-cast part
The die-cast (yellow) is more like a skeleton frame holding up the plastic parts. There is a theory that because of the heavy frame design, it might be prone to being twisted if subjected to external force. And so, this could also be the reason why they did not decide on the opening doors feature. Either that or it’s the manufacturing cost.
Underneath the Spinner is another story as this whole piece, is plastic. I do not have the time to open it but using the finger-joints knock test, it felt like plastic. So, my theory is true and I hope there are some screws inside to secure the interior. Anyway, for those who insist on the a pair of clear floor windows, the plastic can be cut away and replaced with some clear sheets. But you’d need to work on the interior’s flooring too.
I am not sure what kind of glue this is, it could be epoxy or industrial grade hot-melts. Alas, the rectangular exhaust is part of the die-cast metal body which would need a lot of work to open up the grilles for lighting.
Looking at how the static wheels are mounted to the chassis, it reinforces the need to not drop the Spinner. The surface details of the Spinner are mounted (and then glued?) by pushing into the pre-cut cavities.
This is going to be a lot of work if I need to cut out the panels as they are part of the details of the die-cast body. And I would not be surprised if there is nothing behind there.
Logo molded into the die-cast body, damn. I’d need to get those shiny reflective plastic mirror sheets for the side mirrors. In some other Spinner miniatures, there is a piece of detail fixed between the door and the mirror but not here. And I did not see it in the movie neither.
There is no escape on these thrusters as I would definitely need to drill out the five rectangular holes. The detail is molded into the die-cast body. The Spinner Logo is also molded in which, eventually, when someone comes up with a better logo, there will be a lot of sanding work to remove it.
Getting this area light up would be a pain in the ass unless I look into electroluminescene which is technically paper thin. However, their disadvantages lies in the rather dim output and that humming inverter. Another alternative would be some COB LED strips and I would have to accept its slight bulkiness.
Possible Lighting Plan
The main issue to lighting here is the bottom rectangular red/ blue lights which needs to be scratch-built. The same might apply to the roof rack if after removing the lens revealed insufficient hollow space. The six teardrop siren lens might have to be hollowed out and then glued to a makeshift teardrop base with the LED inside.
Thank goodness this part (yellow) is actually plastic and so, cutting out the holes would be much easier.
The details on the interior looks quite OK. I would not say it is accurate to what we saw in the movie but it is bearable. If you look at it from the top, the cabin is quite spacious compared to when I was test-fitting the seats on my 1/24th Scale Fujimi.
Although these lamps are hollow, I have yet to determine if it is deep enough to house a LED in there and if it does block the clearn lens or not. Speaking of which, I would need to find some coloured plastic sheets and cut them to size. Plus, the wiring would trail out and into the sharkfin just like the real car. This will make the whole assembly look ‘busy’.
The clear parts are glued onto the plastic stalk. I have to assume that the tip of these stalks are round and so, they got a pretty method to make sure all the parts are aligned (more or less).
More images of the clear part with signs of glue.
Same idea as Fujimi, the clear part does not have a base and it merely sticks on to the plastic stalk.
The rear Blue Lamp is missing from the passenger side. The yellow lens on the left does not match the ‘heartshape’ design of the actual car.
The four sets of bottom red/ blue lights are not the same as the ones above but is actually molded in one piece. Hollowing it out might take a lot of effort since I would assume that working on those plastics can be… unpredictable. The alternative would be to scratchbuild it since I do not have any 3D skills.
Remember the plan to make the floor on the passenger (right) being see through? This area (yellow) must be cut as well.
The Cockpit
As far as I’m concerned, the cockpit is either a hit or a miss. For me, unless there is someone who can create a more anally accurate replacement, I am happy with it. However, the Braun alarm clock cluster detail, dangling on top of Harrison Ford is not there.
Looking at the details of the interior, there are no signs of fingerprints although someone on FB did. This means somewhere, or rather, the seats could be super glued on. And this could be good news for those who wants to sculpt sitting figures that flows into the seat’s curvature. Looking at the black paint (arrows) it could be true.
The dark plastic canopy is fixed via the two tabs at the top and…
They could be using glue for the lower part. Because if using tabs, it might give a toy-like impression. The tabs would also be a great idea for if you want to remove the canopy time and time again. However, over here, I’d say it is not practical and wished that the doors could be opened.
