moparremco Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 nice build. Looks good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 We now have wheels, and they all touch the ground at the same time, Lights airbrushed  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 You're just knocken' those Trabants out of the park, another beautiful job.  Your flocking looks just like the indoor outdoor carpet in the kit I got for the boot of my Mini! (Major compliment!!)Where are you finding all your reference material?  The three Trabants that I've seen up close have more of a semi-gloss paint; love your glossy paint on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 You're just knocken' those Trabants out of the park, another beautiful job.  Your flocking looks just like the indoor outdoor carpet in the kit I got for the boot of my Mini! (Major compliment!!)Where are you finding all your reference material?  The three Trabants that I've seen up close have more of a semi-gloss paint; love your glossy paint on them.I have plenty of reference material on them, gathered up over the years before there was even a model kit of them, believe me, when they rolled out of the factory, the paintwork was very glossy, they did eventually go to robotic for the painting, but for years it was bladdered on with sprayguns and the people doing it didn't even wear respirator masks, the paint formulation is the same as what you would find in the paint you paint your house with, which is why the paint is labelled as "Weatherproof" not surprising after a few years every Trabant looked a little faded, I've just been contacted through my website to build one of these for a Trabant owner in Kentucky, usually my commission builds are either for model magazines or people this side of the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Interesting. Â The story we always heard was that the former Soviet block countries were so starved for new cars that they would almost take anything they got, not to mention the wait to get one. Â From what I understand there are a whole lot of Trabants here in the USA. Â Lots of Mini's too.Funny thing when I drive my RHD Mini, I almost always have some brilliant soul comment on they didn't think it was leagal to frive a RHD car where everyone else drives LHD cars. Â My stock answer is in the form of a question. Â We'll have you told your mail carrier that their mail truck/van is illegal to drive? Â (Most U.S. Mail carriers drive a RHD, makes it easier for them to place mail in the mailboxes). Â When they figure out that they've sorta made a wrong assumption they almost always get a little red around the edges! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGrowly Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016   I've heard it said the Blue Trabant were the most popular in East Germany because they considered blue to be a lucky colour, if that's true or not, I don't know, but a little blue Trabant in the display cabinet would certainly look good, My Sister lives in Berlin and has had me make her 3 Trabis. But she wants them all green, she claims that's a lucky color. I think you where just lucky to get one at all. Love you build, Great work! Go Trabi Go!  Jonathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Interesting. Â The story we always heard was that the former Soviet block countries were so starved for new cars that they would almost take anything they got, not to mention the wait to get one. Â From what I understand there are a whole lot of Trabants here in the USA. Â Lots of Mini's too. Funny thing when I drive my RHD Mini, I almost always have some brilliant soul comment on they didn't think it was leagal to frive a RHD car where everyone else drives LHD cars. Â My stock answer is in the form of a question. Â We'll have you told your mail carrier that their mail truck/van is illegal to drive? Â (Most U.S. Mail carriers drive a RHD, makes it easier for them to place mail in the mailboxes). Â When they figure out that they've sorta made a wrong assumption they almost always get a little red around the edges! There is a Trabant club in the USA, they had their convention in Washington DC area not too long ago. Â There seems to be a whole community that has cars, imports cars and parts, and generally help each other out. Â When I started building my Trabant postal van, I contacted them and they were friendly and helped me with photos of the engine compartment so I could get my wiring straight. Â One of the guys offered me a Trabbie ride if I came to that convention. Â It was the same day as another event so I couldn't do it! Â And as far as your RHD being legal question... Â people are idiots! Â Back when we bought a new house and kept our former home as a rental, my bro-in-law asked if it was legal to own two houses! Â Imagine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 And as far as your RHD being legal question...  people are idiots!  Back when we bought a new house and kept our former home as a rental, my bro-in-law asked if it was legal to own two houses!  Imagine!And on the other side of the pond, it's perfectly legal to import and use LHD vehicles over here, although the speedometer needs to be converted from kph to mph to pass it's MOT, a few members in the Cruiser club have imported a few PT Cruisers from the States, as we didn't get all the models over here I lived in ankeny, iowa for a short while in the late 90's and always wondered why the mail vans were RHD, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I thought you did get PT Cruisers. I was told you could even get a diesel engine in them.  Here's a photo I took in Manchester, UK in 2010, note the RHD I know they sold them RHD in Australia and South Africa.  Peter Thomas, who runs the South African NNL had the first one sold in that country.  He visited me in New Jersey and was awaiting delivery and  anxious to see what one looked like in person.  They were just trickling into dealers in the USA (all pretty much pre-sold) but I talked to a local dealer ahead of time and made a date for him to see the one car they had (which they warned us was sold!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 (edited) I think I've told this story before but bears repeating.  I once followed a Trabant and a two stroker SAAB 96 to a car show  in my Mini which was spotless before I left the house.  When I got to the show, following two two stroke cars it was covered with little spots of two stroke oil!  At least the 96 was running Castrol R two stroke oil whichever actually smells kind of good.  Definitely a better use for castor oil than drinking it a spoon at a time!!  For a couple years after there would be little bits of oil which would come out of the windshield gasket when the weather got hot!  Needless to say both guys helped me degrease the Mini after we got to the show, I also never followed those two again! Edited April 2, 2016 by Skip capital Y where it didn't belong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 I thought you did get PT Cruisers. I was told you could even get a diesel engine in them.  Here's a photo I took in Manchester, UK in 2010, note the RHD I know they sold them RHD in Australia and South Africa.  Peter Thomas, who runs the South African NNL had the first one sold in that country.  He visited me in New Jersey and was awaiting delivery and  anxious to see what one looked like in person.  They were just trickling into dealers in the USA (all pretty much pre-sold) but I talked to a local dealer ahead of time and made a date for him to see the one car they had (which they warned us was sold!). yes,we did get them over here, I bought my mk2 new in 2006, but we didn't get some of the dream cruiser series you had over there, and you couldn't buy a mk1 convertible in RHD at all, they were only built in LHD only, we didn't get RHD convertible until the Mk2 came out, and we never got any of the turbo models at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 (edited) Well after a 10 day business trip to Japan, I'm kind of back to normal, stick woke up at a silly time this morning, or should I say the middle of the night, but feeling 100% better, I've been told you don't get jet lag flying west, took me a few days to get functioning in Japan though, got a late morning flight from Frankfurt, just over 11 hours in the air, and I landed at just gone 6.30 in the morning, the next day ...... that messed with my mind a little and I still had a train journey to go on. Anyway I dragged my body into the hobby room this morning and got a little glue mixed up so the body and floorpan could go together  Edited June 14, 2016 by GeeBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 A few shots before the roof panel got fixed into position .... Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Coming along beautifully Geoff. The interior is superior! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 One of the worst cars ever made is coming along very nicely. It will probably be higher quality than the 1:1 car. Cool subject. looks like a nice kit too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike999 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 Great work!  Someday I'd like to build the Trabbi "convertible." As used by East German border guards:  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 (edited) Great work!  Someday I'd like to build the Trabbi "convertible." As used by East German border guards: Although they were originally built for the GDR Border guards, they were later on made available for civilian use, the bodywork past the A pillar are windscreen would have to be scratchbuilt, shouldn't be too hard as all the panels are completely flat, I have plenty of close up photo's of all the Trabants, if you need any of them, just send me a PM Here's the Blueprint of the Kublewagen Edited June 15, 2016 by GeeBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intmd8r Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 Not my subject of choice, but fantastic quality and attention to detail in this build. Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Black wash added to the C Pillar vents and fixed into place with 90 second epoxy Black wash added to rear light lenses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Not my subject of choice, but fantastic quality and attention to detail in this build. Keep up the good work!I wasn't a fan of the Trabant until I was asked to photograph an International Trabant meeting back in the late 90's, although it was work, I did have a great day and was made so welcome by all the Trabant owners, I knew I just had to make a model of one, I was so happy when Revell released this model, but I must admit, I didn't think I would make so many of them, and now I have just taken on another Commision from a Trabant owner in Kentucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Another fantastic Trabant!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 After sitting on the computer editing photo's for what seemed like a lifetime, this morning I actually managed to get into the hobby room, (To take a break from work) although not a lot of work got done, but the front & rear bumpers were masked up and airbrushed the satin black parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbike-shaun Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Hi Geee,can you tell us what colors you used for that interior,.Thanks,Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthsideous Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Really nice build up so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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