Part 3 - Final Assembly and Detailing

Now we get to see how the whole thing turns out! I bet the suspense is killing everyone… Now the interior tub was put together with the seats going in first, followed by the door panels. Finally, the dash is carefully glued into place. The steering wheel was glued in after the body is installed over the interior and chassis. This prevents the steering wheel from getting damaged or broken during installation of the dash. The most precarious step of the assembly of this kit is to carefully fit the painted body over the chassis and interior parts without chipping the paint anywhere. I carefully pulled the body sides out a bit and slowly settled the body over the rest of the assembly. Things fit like a glove and no paint was chipped in the process. Finally, the headlight covers, steering wheel, rear valence, windshield and everything else were glued on. The roll bars were installed. Notice the small Z8 logo between the seats. This is the decal made on the ALPS printer. The front licence plate was painted black, the decal applied, and then dullcoated to protect it. The rear lights were detailed and the exhaust tips were painted in with matte black; see the difference here:

The windscreen was added and the wipers were carefully glued on. Pay attention to the directions about which way the wipers go, as they do not both point in the same direction like most American cars.

Here the model is completed:

And with its spiritual predecessor, the 1959 BMW 507.

Click here to return to part 1 - Parts Preparation and Basic Painting

Click here to return to part 2 - chassis and interior