KONG "Up Top" 2.0 (or ... OH NO HE DIDN'T!!!)

[bucketfoot-al]

[bucketfoot-al]

Despite the relative "TRIUMPH" of my recent Kong bash (modesty does become me, don't it? ), I had one regret: that I didn't make the tower tall enough ... well, encouraged by the "Re-doing Vice of Barad-Dur" ) ... I'm gonna do it ... EXTEND it, that is ... so that the final product is FORTY (40)!!! inches tall ...

Just got the "missing 6" piece" that I had the seller cut off the original PVC pipe ... I'm going to add another row of lights, RE-ARRANGE the color patterns (!) and add some wide styrene strips at the bottom ...



Tonight I "filled the gaps" on the (new) bottom of the tower to even it out - (hey, the seller doesn't exactly "laser cut" these, so they come out a little "wobbly" ) - the look of the putty don't matter because one of the wide styrene strips will cover the area completely ... I ordered all the additional styrene rods I need for the light frames, and I will add balsa wood extensions to the bottom of the winglets ... also ordered new ladders with cages ...

[Tim Fortuna]

This is going to be exciting! Vlad, you god darned nut, you are fabulous. Now you got me thinking how I can wrap a Kong nameplate on that pipe, the madness is contagious.

[barad_dur]

Hah, well, if a kit is worth modifying once, it’s worth revisiting and modifying a dozen times…

Good luck with the additional mods!

Good news is it looks like you can add this section without having to repaint the top sections or change kong

[tay666]

Hah, well, if a kit is worth modifying once, it’s worth revisiting and modifying a dozen times…

[bucketfoot-al]

This is going to be exciting! Vlad, you god darned nut, you are fabulous. Now you got me thinking how I can wrap a Kong nameplate on that pipe, the madness is contagious.

Well, the pipe is 8.5" in diameter, (and its ROUND ) if that helps!

[bucketfoot-al]

Hah, well, if a kit is worth modifying once, it’s worth revisiting and modifying a dozen times…

Good luck with the additional mods!

Good news is it looks like you can add this section without having to repaint the top sections or change kong

What do you think about the "Redoing Vice of Barad-Dur"? I thought it was rather poetic myself.

[bucketfoot-al]

BTW, just in case anyone still doubted that I, (along with Wile E. Coyote), am indeed a SUPER-GENIUS, I submit the following photo from this morning's battlefield. Improvised "on-the-spot".

Note in the photo:

1. One ACME scroll-saw;
2. One ACME industrial-strength garage vacuum-cleaner;
3. One ACME clear strip of tape holding the nozzle firmly secured to the scroll-saw "action deck";

Result: None, as in ZERO, NADA wood chips anywhere in sight, despite just sawing 4 balsa wood "winglet extensions".

Marvel at my ingenuity. (And make sure to take notes).

[barad_dur]

Hmmm, I don’t know, …Is redoing a “vice” or is it a “strength”….

[bucketfoot-al]

Hmmm, I don’t know, …Is redoing a “vice” or is it a “strength”….

[bucketfoot-al]

Paint slinging was in full swing yesterday, with additional "light panels being prepped .... note that the bottom row of light panels has been removed as the color pattern will be staggered with the upcoming addition of the third row of panes ... and ...

*HEY* - what's that thinner 12" PVC pipe in the rear there for?!?

Heh-heh, well ... that's a story for another day, and another build ...

[Tim Fortuna]

...
*HEY* - what's that thinner 12" PVC pipe in the rear there for?!?

Underground drainage/plumbing?

[bucketfoot-al]

...
*HEY* - what's that thinner 12" PVC pipe in the rear there for?!?

Underground drainage/plumbing?

Well, it DOES have "sewer pipe" (unused!!! ) stamped on it .... do ya really wanna see what its for???

[Tim Fortuna]

...
*HEY* - what's that thinner 12" PVC pipe in the rear there for?!?

Underground drainage/plumbing?

Well, it DOES have "sewer pipe" (unused!!! ) stamped on it .... do ya really wanna see what its for???

Of course I do. You can't stop the insanity, you can only roll with it.

[bucketfoot-al]

*SNIP*
Of course I do. You can't stop the insanity, you can only roll with it.

OK. Now don't get TOO excited, it will be a bit before I get going on this one ... this is the "grandaddy of garage Kong kits" ...

[Tim Fortuna]

Nice, looking forward to it.

[bucketfoot-al]

Finished painting up the light panels yesterday (took all week because I had to wait for more paint to arrive) ... so last night I cut up the frames ... today had to work, so got back to the workshop at about 3:00 PM.

And worked. And worked. Til now (10 PM). Wasn't feeling my best (been chilly the past couple of days which always saps me - you know, 50-60-something degrees ... I need HEAT dammit (its back to the 80s this week with one 90 degree day projected later in the week - WOO-HOO!!).

Anyways ... the going was slow ... I put the finished half of the kit on top of the unfinished part and carefully lined it up for the best fit - then started gluing the frames so that they matched up ... except the cross frames were all too wide, which I didn't figure out til some were glued, had to rip 'em off, trim 'em, re-glue after scraping, straighten out some of the new vertical frames the same way .... a real mess ...

... after THAT was done, I decided to try and line up, then glue, the winglet extensions tonight .... this I have been dreading since starting on this expansion project ... but surprisingly, it took just a tiny bit of sanding to get them to line up, then Gorilla glue them (there it is again. On a KONG kitbash. Can't make this stuff up, eh Spike? )

Its drying now. I still have to add a couple of cross-strips of very wide and thick styrene on the bottom tomorrow ... then remove the finished half and paint the bottom half.

Then I will "marry them up" with wires, Gorilla Glue and putty, when all that is done and the paint touched up, the light panes will be inserted as the very last step.

I wanna see this thing in my tall display alcove. I bet its gonna be TALL enough NOW!!!

Here's a photo for ya ...

[Tim Fortuna]

Looking great!

[barad_dur]

Way to hang in there after the framing setback!

[bucketfoot-al]

The bottom is taking shape ... those big thick styrene strips broke left and right so I settled on just one line of them for the bottom ... just need to putty it all up and then into the paint shop she goes ...