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Project Notes

#652 Daihatsu Midget

Building the iconic 1957 Daihatsu Midget DMK from a Micro Ace/Arii kit with some scratch modifications. No electronics in this one.

Build

Notes

The Daihatsu Midget was introduced in 1957 and it is fair to say it became one of the most iconic vehicles in Daihatsu history. In total there were 317152 units produced

Build

The Kit

Paint Scheme

To the extent I kept track of this…

Feature Color Recommended Paint Used
upper beige   70.917 Beige
lower green   70.885 Pastel Green
seat brown   70.846 Mahogany Brown + 70.889 Olive Brown 4:1

Build Log

The kit itself is quite basic but a lot of fun for just ¥750.

build01a

I decided to discard the hard roof from the kit and refine the frame and tray. Later I’ll add “vinyl roof” like the original Daihatsu Midget DMK from 1957.

build01b

Using the classic pastel green and beige colour scheme.

build01c

Discovering for myself just how amazing a Molotow Liquid Chrome pen is

build01d

The build so far… I’m still working on a vinyl cab cover to replace the hard shell from the kit, and I’d like to put this in a diorama or at least a street scene from Tokyo in the 50s.

build02a

build02b

Adding a Custom Tarp

build03a

build03b

How it’s going - very happy with the tarp. Now back on the shelf and I’ll call this complete for the time being while I contemplate and collect ideas for a diorama.

build04a

build04a

build04b

build04c

build04d

build04e

Credits and References

About LEAP#652 scale modelsCraft
Project Source on GitHub Project Gallery Return to the LEAP Catalog

This page is a web-friendly rendering of my project notes shared in the LEAP GitHub repository.

LEAP is just my personal collection of projects. Two main themes have emerged in recent years, sometimes combined:

  • electronics - usually involving an Arduino or other microprocessor in one way or another. Some are full-blown projects, while many are trivial breadboard experiments, intended to learn and explore something interesting
  • scale modelling - I caught the bug after deciding to build a Harrier during covid to demonstrate an electronic jet engine simulation. Let the fun begin..
To be honest, I haven't quite figured out if these two interests belong in the same GitHub repo or not. But for now - they are all here!

Projects are often inspired by things found wild on the net, or ideas from the many great electronics and scale modelling podcasts and YouTube channels. Feel free to borrow liberally, and if you spot any issues do let me know (or send a PR!). See the individual projects for credits where due.