#052 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

The Kit

Paint Scheme

To the extent I kept track of this…

Feature	Color	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