Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 265: A Prime Pairing

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 265: A Prime Pairing

Now that I've finally completed the car that I've shown in my previous post in this series, here it is:

Above, from top: Meet the 1995 Trieste GT - a big, powerful front-engined grand tourer that has massive presence from every angle, inside and out.

The 1995 Trieste GT is my first attempt not just at making a fully detailed Automation build based on the '96 Kompact in any size, but also a fully detailed build with a 3D fixture roof and pillar set in place of the stock item on any body set. Built on an all-aluminum body/chassis with a front/mid-mounted 6.0-liter V12 delivering 480 horsepower to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential, its all-independent suspension (A-arm front and multi-link rear) strikes a balance between comfort and agility that covers all bases, from daily driving to track work. With a full luxury interior/CD and cassette stereo system, plus ABS-assisted large-diameter vented disc brakes gripped by multi-piston calipers, and dual front airbags as standard, it's not all brawn and no brains either.

Above, from top: Working with the door card and dashboard/central spine fixtures I chose for the Trieste GT was a real challenge, but I was able to puil it off, albeit with difficulty.

Inevitably, the Trieste GT is a top performer by contemporary standards, including a 198-mph top speed and 4.3-second 0-60 mph time, among others. But all that power and prestige comes at a price ($62,500 AMU when new in 1995), and besides, as a two-seater, even with its large trunk, it doesn't have room for more than one occupant other than the driver. So what would a customer for this kind of car have driven if they wanted to take more than one other person with them?

Above, from top: In anticipation of an upcoming Discourse challenge, I updated the HPG HL6 (itself originally intended for an earlier competition) by revising its mechanicals and making it more detailed inside and out.

The HPG HL6 (now revised to have both a model and trim year of 1995, with a matching engine family and variant year) could be that answer. At $50,000 when new, it was well-built for its segment, thanks to a hefty dose of additional quality points across the board - and more reliable than it was in its earlier incarnation. Crucially, though, as a five-seater, wealthy families can take themselves along for the ride in one go, although the basic ingredients (including a front-mounted V8 driving the rear wheels via a 5-speed automatic transmission and an A-arm front/multi-link rear) remain mostly unchanged, albeit beefed up to match its mission statement of combining contemporary luxury with surprisingly good reliability and build quality.

In short, there are few better suggestions for a mid-90s modern classic 2-car solution with a 20-cylinder limit - and this one fits that bill perfectly. Of course, swapping the Trieste GT for a Macale Imperia from the same model year could also work, but you'd struggle to use it every day, although if you save it for special occasions, you'll get an even bigger buzz out of it.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 264: Inset Roof and Pillar Linings under 3D Fixture Roofs

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 264: Inset Roof and Pillar Linings under 3D Fixture Roofs

I've been experimenting with the idea of placing inset 3D fixture roof and pillar linings under a separate 3D fixture roof, and after some trial and error, I managed to get the right size, shape, and placement for the upper interior fixtures on this build based on the '96 Kompact, (2.69m wheelbase) as follows:

Above, from top: An inset placement for these 3D fixture upper interior components (pillars and roof), combined with surface alignment and 2D conforming, helps them stay hidden under the 3D roof fixture I fitted to this build as a replacement for the stock roof.

Remember when I discussed using a 3D roof fixture on this body set in an earlier post? For those who somehow forgot about that, I'll explain: The stock turret is somewhat awkward compared to the rest of the car's shape - so why wouldn't I want to replace it? Of course, with the new roof in place, I still had to make the upper set of interior fixtures align nicely with its shape, so I had to push them inward by just the right amount to prevent them from clipping through the roof and/or pillars.

As for the rest of this build, it's still a work in progress - I should shrink or hide the transmission tunnel to prevent it from clipping through whatever floor fixtures I choose to place, and build the interior around the bodywork accordingly - but with all of the upper interior fixtures in place and appropriately sized, it's off to a decent start.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 263: A Sporty Daily Driver From 30 Years Ago

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 263: A Sporty Daily Driver From 30 Years Ago

As part of my entry into this Discourse Challenge, I made the EMR EL3 3.0 GT (an adaptation of an earlier contest submission) with the intention of positioning it as a sporty daily driver that was still comfortable enough for everyday driving. Here it is:

Above, from top: With its 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter straight-six powering the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential, the EMR ML3 3.0 GT is a potent performance machine, And expertly tuned 4-wheel independent suspension (strut front/multi-link rear) combined with high-performance tires surrounding 16-inch alloy wheels and vented anti-lock disc brakes keep it planted and exciting in the corners, Combined with a premium interior/CD stereo sound system, advanced safety kit, and a sportier (and functional) aero kit, it's as close as you could have got 30 years ago to a one-car solution for more than two people - especially at its $28000 AMU in-game price.

Although I have plans for lesser trims below this one, the 3.0 GT is a fitting flagship for this particular generation of the model line. In short, it's an ideal one-size-fits-all machine.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 262: Copycat Roof Swaps

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 262: Copycat Roof Swaps

I've recently spent some time investigating some additional possibilities for roof transplants on the '88 Copy Cat, and eventually I was able to come up with the following options as some of the best ones from an aesthetic standpoint:

Above, from top: A comparison of several 3D fixture roof fixtures transplanted onto the '88 Copy Cat (shown here in notchback configuration with a 2.64m wheelbase), shown in side profile.

Aside from the fact that the JAG_220 variant of the SHD 90s Euro Sports fixture set on the notchback is potentially better at making an XJ220 replica than using the supposedly more faithful fastback variant, my testing yielded a few surprises:

• The FER_F50 and FER_F50_GT roof fixtures can work surprisingly well, especially if you make the front and rear fascias (which takes you closer to an F50 replica, if you want to make one).
• The ASC_KZ1 variant of the SHD US 00s Sports fixture set gives even more cab-forward proportions than the JAG_220 fixture variant mentioned above.
• The DOD_VIP_ZBII variant (also from the SHD US 00s Sports fixture set) also provides a more dynamic cab-forward look, as does the AR_8C variant of the SHD Euro 00s Sports fixture - but the former has a more pronounced double-bubble roof.
• The CHE_C5R variant of the SHD US 00s Race fixture set may appear more static on paper than some other options, but in reality, it can be a great choice if you want a more minimalistic look.

I've also tried other 3D roof fixtures on this body set, but these are some of my favorite choices when working with it using a custom roof in place of the stock turret. The only caveat, aside from having to resize and reposition the fixtures accordingly to match the window line is that some of them can make the interior somewhat claustrophobic (if one is fitted at all) due to their small rear windows, but otherwise, they all work well enough.

Hotshot Tales, Part 21: Shadows of the Patriots

Hotshot Tales, Part 21: Shadows of the Patriots

In my previous post overall, I showed how the '86 Rosso could be given a two- or three-tone livery even after its stock roof was replaced, as follows:

Above, from top: A three-tone livery is possible on the '86 Rosso by choosing a different exterior color for the lower side bodywork (which in the case of this body set, is the Secondary Car slot) and bumpers in addition to specifying a third color for the front lip, and rear valance/side skirts (represented by the Misc. Paint 3 and Misc. Trim 1 areas, respectively) as an accent. If you wish to use a two-tone livery instead, you could use a single color for both the main and lower bodywork (including bumpers) while also applying a different color to the Misc. Paint 3 and Misc. Trim 1 areas; alternatively, extending that color to the lower bodywork places it in a foreground role instead of as an accent.

What intrigued me most about these exterior color areas, however, is that it's also possible to duplicate some of the liveries in Hotshot Racing using Aston's Drift car, the Shadow, and applying Skin 3 (which finishes the middle and/or lower bodywork in contrasting colors when choosing most palettes outside of the Special Set, whose palettes always apply a single color to the entire car), as follows:

Above, from top: Using Skin 3 on Aston's Shadow in Hotshot Racing, it's possible to get a 3-tone livery similar to what I applied to my test build in Automation - with some palettes displaying variations on the theme by changing the order of the colors and/or making some of them brighter or darker. Admittedly, the middle part of the front bumper is color-matched to the car's background color and not the middle horizontal band, but you get the idea. In any case, Alexa's 9th palette (which is one of the defaults for her Speed car, the Mirage) is the closest match, though, When combined with the Shadow's default wheel type (a red 5-spoke design - the Automation build has white ones, although they can be recolored accordingly if desired, unlike the wheels in Hotshot Racing), the similarity becomes even more pronounced.

This is, however, just one example of how Automation allows you to pay tribute to a car/livery combination in Hotshot Racing - but there are many others, and those, too, can be replicated (or at least approximated) using skillful use of body molding, decal, and exterior area color choice manipulation.

On the subject of customization, that topic, in turn, will be the topic for another post in yet another series of mine.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 261: Rosso Roof Retrofitting Revisited

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 261: Rosso Roof Retrofitting Revisited

As I've previously stated in this series, the '86 Rosso body sets (specifically, the notchback variants with their wraparound rear windows) are ideal candidates for roof transplant surgery, since their wedge-shaped profiles lend themselves well to this procedure. However, I haven't yet mentioned some of the possibilities I've just tried - until now, that is. This time, I'll be looking at two more options that suit the Rosso quite well - particularly in certain sizes. The caveat of having to resize the 3D roof fixtures accordingly to match the morphing settings still applies, however, so keep that in mind.

The first experiment shown here involves placing a 3D roof fixture from the SHD Euro 80s Sports set (specifically, the one marked FER_512_TES) on the mid-engined notchback variant with a 2.45m wheelbase. The result is as follows:

Above, from top: Placing this variant of the SHD's 80s Euro Sports 3D fixture roof set on this test build (shown here finished in a patriotic red-and-white-on-blue livery) built on a 2.45m wheelbase wasn't a truly perfect fit - I couldn't get the base of the B-pillar to align with the trailing edge of the doors - but it still worked well enough for my needs, due to the resulting car having an Esprit-like side profile.

In addition to this, I tried another variant of the same fixture (specifically, the FER_GTO) on a longer and wider (2.66m wheelbase) variant of the same body set, with the same body style, resulting in a more flowing side profile, as follows:

Above, from top: This alternate option on the '86 Rosso is less effective on the shorter, smaller variants by comparison, but works better on the longer, larger ones, due to its less angular rear half.

This leads me to conclude that proportions are the key factor in deciding on which 3D roof fixture works best for a specific body set. What might be a good fit for one particular body set may be less effective on another one (or even a differently sized variant of the same set), so you'll need to weigh up the pros and cons of each 3D fixture roof variant before deciding which one to install, if you indeed go ahead with the procedure.

As an aside, the three-tone livery on the first example ties in nicely to the next post in another one of my series.