Hot Wheels Elite modifications

[andy-kitt]

One of the seats on my model would not latch in place, so I decided to strip the model to investigate. As you can see the catch was not even hooking over.


To rectify this I trimmed off the inside ledge of the slider/release handle so that it would sit at the right height for the hook on the underside of the seat to catch.


This helped but the catch on the seat would only just hold against the edge of the catch under the seat, it looked like the slider could not move outward enough for the catch on the bottom of the seat to hold properly, so I trimmed the hole in the floor so that it could move out further.


This worked.

[DiggiDiDuck]

Thanks for these helpfull pictures!
When you got your modell stripped, can you also post some pictures of the other parts inside - like the Scanner LED or foglight grills?

[MID KNIGHT]

One thing I noticed is the seats actually retract forward and back...very cool!!!

[andy-kitt]

I have now put my model back together, but here are some pictures of it seperated for you.



I didn't release the roof lining was two-tone until I took it apart

[DanielB]

Does it come apart easily, and can you access the tail lamp and fog light grilles ones it's apart? Might try and fix those flaws if it's not too difficult.

[andy-kitt]

It is the easiest model to take apart I have worked on because the steering coloum stays with the base, this means you don't have to mess about with getting the steering column back into the rack for the working steering unless you remove the interior/seat assembly.

All you need to do is remove 8 small cross head screws. Once removed carefully seperate the body from the base and you have the two pieces as shown above.

I am not sure about access to the tail lamp panel, but the front nose grilles are attached to the inside of the body, so once seperated you can adjust as required.

[MR2NR]

Thanks for the pics I was kinda curious if the scanner was one unit or two .

They really should build cars like this lol!!!

[andy-kitt]

It is a shame the LEDs point upwards instead of forwards, but I think its like this due to the limited space as the headlamp cross-bar runs across the front also. Perhaps micro LEDs will be a better option?

As someone on here suggested I did at some tin foil to act as a reflector along the back edge, but make sure you insulate this with celotape to stop the circuits shorting on it.


I then angled the LEDs as forward as possible and used some tape to hold the circuit board in this position (H/W accutually give you some flexibity in the wiring length which helps).


Before:



After;

[DiggiDiDuck]

@andy
Nice work - looks much more realistic.
Have you also seen any option to push up the red scanner plastic element more up to the bonnet, to let the upper edge of the scanner disapear or is it glued?

[DiggiDiDuck]

Here are my first modification on the Hot Wheels elite model:

In my opinion the tow bar belongs to KITT and I decided to make one, because it is also shown at KITT in the Intro of Knight Rider. Furthermore now it even covers the ugly squarebox underneeth the model.

This is just the prototype and I will probably going to make another one which is more thin.

[imranbecks]

Terrific job both of you!

[andy-kitt]

@andy
Nice work - looks much more realistic.
Have you also seen any option to push up the red scanner plastic element more up to the bonnet, to let the upper edge of the scanner disapear or is it glued?

The whole red scanner lense is fixed to the body. If you look at the first picture of my previous post where the screwdriver is pointing, this rectangular block is the lense assembly, held in by the round fixings either side. So no the lense cannot be moved higher, or the LEDs any higher than I had them.

Love your modification.

[davejames]

Awesome, love the addition of the tow bar! Count me as another one who just doesn't think KITT looks right without one.