FrozenPlastik49

Thank you all for the comments and compliments...much appreciated...put a coat of primer on it tonight to see how many fleas it had...pretty happy with the outcome...still, lots of filler and sanding in its future...starting to capture the spirit of the thing, though.

Claude...thanks! I did re-contour the front fender wheel openings slightly and added more plastic to the lower lip to meld the transition between the fender and the chin spoiler.

Thanks everyone! Quick update...got the hardtop roughed in and slathered with body filler.

Time for a new build! Always liked the lines of the Auburn and thought it would look even better as a hardtop. As you can see, the hardtop will be integrated into the boattail. Windshield and partial roof courtesy of Testors' Aluma Coupe. Engine, suspension, undercarriage, interior, rear exhaust, and front chin spoiler come from Tamiya's Lexus LFA. Color to be determined, but leaning towards copper, grey, or silver with black rims and black trim. Wish me luck!

It's a wrap! Got this bad boy finished just in time for the 2018 Winterfest/Fur Rondy Model Contest. Happy to report it took first place, but don't get too excited...my two entries were the only ones in their division. What you see before you is the Jimmy Flintstone 1950 Ford Bus resin kit with donor parts from the Revell '50 Ford F-1 Pickup kit, all turned into a musher's transport to the start of the Last Great Race. It is a nod to the polarizing 'Into the Wild' Bus #142, made famous by the infamous Christopher McCandless. Scratchbuilt roof rack includes handmade dog sled, jerry cans, and boxes. Wheels are EightyOne's Brixton R25s (21"). 3D dogs courtesy of Shapeways. Weathering is a blend of Lifecolor's Liquid Pigments and Tamiya Weathering Masters. Pictures courtesy of my uber-talented photographer wife Amanda (www.morningdewphotography.com).

Time for a new build! I had so much fun building the Iditarod Rat Rod Bus I figured I'd stick with the rat rod theme. Had the London Taxi in the queue, did some research and determined the Revell Ferrari 599 GTO kit has the same basic dimensions as the taxi. I'm in the midst of slicing and dicing the engine bay and interior to get it all to fit while trying to retain the taxi aspect. Not sure yet what tires and rims will be tucked under the wheel wells. Paint will probably be flat black, though I'm unsure how much weathering to commit to...may consider Dremeling some rust holes...we'll see. The license plate will read 'No Fare.' Wish me luck!

Final update! I may do a bit more weathering, perhaps on the windows, but this thing is all but done. Just in time for the Fur Rondy model contest too, which commences in less than 48 hours! Really happy with the way it turned out, having never weathered or scratchbuilt too many things before (roof rack, jerry cans, and dog sled all handmade). My cell phone pics are pretty crappy, but you get the idea. I will repost 'Under Glass' once my photographer wife has gotten some better shots...perhaps in the snow, even. Wish me luck this weekend! 20180221_191555.pdf 20180221_192237.pdf

Thanks Wolfman, espo, Chuck, mustang, and Intmd8r...much appreciated!

Weathering update! Using a combination of the salt technique and LifeColor Liquid Pigments, I set to weather the underside of the bus. I first put down some rust, then grey, then the green body color around the edges to simulate overspray. Once that was done, I moved to the body, first adding some yellow in spots as the actual bus has some yellow showing through the white and green. Then I added LifeColor to that and added dry transfer numbers. Last were the rims.

Thanks Wolfman!

Paint!!! With my new (and first) airbrush, I laid down some Vallejo paints. 71.001 White for the top part and a mix of 70.972 Light Green Blue, 70.970 Deep Green, 71.050 Light Gray, and the 71.001 for the bottom. Pretty happy with the result. Rims were painted in same colors. Next will be the undercarriage and on to the weathering.

Thanks espo! Yes, windows will be mounted just inside moldings. Time and skill limits will dictate not being able to set them back as they probably should be.

Quick update to start 2018! After dissecting the plethora of photos of the McCandless Bus, it seemed prudent to scribe panel lines on the Flintstone school bus. To continue my insanity, I also decided to form window frames out of .015" x .020" Evergreen plastic strips (a few are evident in the photos...all are done as of posting). All windows (not shown) are now cut from.010" clear Evergreen sheet and will be sprayed with Tamiya smoke. Also not shown are three scratchbuilt jerry cans that will take residence on the roof rack. My lovely wife bought me a Paasche Talon TG airbrush and compressor (my first!!!) for Christmas (thank you Amanda....and Anchorage House of Hobbies!!!), so I'm moving towards paint as soon as I'm comfortable with the whole airbrush experience. Vallejo Model Air and Model Color will be applied in the coming days and then weathering can begin!

Thanks Imaeechew!

Exactly MeatMan!

Thanks vintagercr...much appreciated!

I agree Curt...might just break out the Molotow chrome pen and add some studs to those tires!

Thanks Mark...hope so!

Thanks Jonathan, Foxer, RRR, Modelbuilder Mark, Espo, MeatMan, Dumpy Dan, and Cab Driver!

Time for a new build! Trying to get this one done in time for the Anchorage IPMS Winterfest/Fur Rondy model contest in late February. Using the Jimmy Flintstone 1950 Ford School Bus (and donor Revell Ford F-1 pickup), I plan to turn it into a dog musher's bus styled after the 'famed' McCandless bus. The side windows will be converted to dog kennels. Already scratchbuilt the dog sled and roof rack (the one pictured was re-done for a lower profile) and ordered a handful of huskies from Winup Scale Models at Shapeways. It will mostly be a curbside, though the undercarriage will be detailed and the bottom half of the motor will be used. Wheels are EightyOne's Brixton R25s (21"). Been testing several alternatives for weathering, including the salt technique and Lifecolors Rust Wizard and may settle on using both. Wish me luck!

Thanks Curt...much appreciated!

Thanks Modelbuilder Mark...I agree!

Thanks bbowser...it was!

Ha! Thanks Foxer!