02-08-11 I added a bunch more cross supports to the frame, then trimmed all the supports from underneath to make them flush with the main ribs.

I fit all the main bones together on top of the miata:

I made filler pieces for the skeleton:

                                                 The skeleton with filler pieces installed:

02-02-2011

Here's a concept sketch of the final Batmobile: Bat-cowl in the wind, flames out the back.
Someday . . . .

02-02-2011
I printed out all the blueprints, cut them out and taped them together to make patterns.  I traced the patterns on eps foam, made a jig for a hot wire cutter and cut out all the basic pieces for the front half.

1-31-11 It will be a foam and fiberglass body kit that bolts on top of the miata. I'm making it removable so that I can transfer the kit to another miata if need be. The design concept is to make a 66 Batmobile shrunk down to the size of a Corvette Stingray - sort of a 'Wayne Roadster'. The final finish will be a bit rough - my goal is to have a daily driver Batmobile that will fool any five year old when I zoom by. So, I pulled contours off the Hot Wheels Batmobile with foam core and sewing pins. I then scanned all those contours into Photoshop and skewed them to fit revised miata Batmobile blueprints. The blueprints are life sized at 16dpi. Below are some shots of the contour pulling, samples of the raw contours and the different composite blueprint views.

1-20-2011 I don't have a Batmobile. I need a Batmobile. I think I'll build one. I plan to turn my 89 Mazda Miata into a 66 Batmobile. Here's what I'm starting with: my 1:18 Hot Wheels Batmobile, my 1:1 Miata, some preliminary blueprints and a logo.

'Looks Too Hard'

     Last week I was in the model car section of Hobby Lobby, shopping for some black lacquer paint.  A couple down the isle was browsing the model kits.

   "Here, you could build the Batmobile," she said.  (My ears perked at this.)

The man picked up the box and looked at all the pictures.

    "Looks too hard."

     I smiled, but kept my secret to myself.  The secret is that I am building the Batmobile - but no little model kit.  I'm building the real thing, life size, from scratch.

     I'm turning my 1997 miata into the 1966 Batmobile.

     I've been building it for over a year, and I'm almost half done.  What started out as a project has turned into my hobby (or ridiculous obsession, depending on which villian, butler, or wife you ask).

Here's what I have right now:

It's lumpy, it's crafty, it's made of cardboard and foam and hot glue.  (With some fiberglass resin and carbon fiber tape thrown in it to hold it together.)

In the following posts, I'll show you how I got here, and then I'll update as I finish the front half and construct the rear.  Eventually, I hope to share pictures and stories about driving, traveling and working in the Batmobile.  (I work nights as a Pizza Delivery Driver.)

In between, I plan to share assorted Batmobile miscellanium: other DIY Batmobiles, strange toys, bootlegs, ponderings, photos, and more.