Paul Vinton Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Hello!I have been away from model making for a while, well, a brief foray into smaller wargaming scales like 1/72 and 1/48 with Historicals and some SciFi Warhammer models. I recently bought an MPC model, their 1960 Corvette, and started base painting the parts on the sprue. Had some neat bits to weld on there, and then I realized.....OOPS!Didn't the 1960 Corvette have a fiberglass body like the rest of the line? So how the heck could I weld anything to it. Maybe the front and rear bumpers maybe, some protective or offensive weld on attachments, but probably nothing to the actual body.Am I right with the all fiber body?Then I looked at the scale. There seem to be very few 1/24 or 1/25 scale figures out here to fit in a diorama in that scale, well, none that seem to fit a post-apocalyptic era. I might have to use lots of green stuff or putty to make mods to the bodies of current ones. Are there any good lines out here for figures that might match, without much conversions needed? Then I looked at the tires, might some wacko road warrior put some bigger say dune buggy or off road tires on his Vette for when roads are few and far between? Is there a good parts line somewhere with that kind of tire?I've started looking at a couple of distributor stores, but nothing seems to really "click" yet for additional parts. I'm sure I'll have more questions for you guys, I'd appreciate any advice getting this off the ground. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Since you seem to be building a fantasy car from an alternative reality, don't get hung up on accuracy or details. Do it whatever way you want, as nobody can really say you're "wrong." Maybe Corvettes were made out of steel on your planet! And so forth. Just have fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyLvr Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Since you seem to be building a fantasy car from an alternative reality, don't get hung up on accuracy or details. Do it whatever way you want, as nobody can really say you're "wrong." Maybe Corvettes were made out of steel on your planet! And so forth. Just have fun with it.I seem to recall that someone once posted photos here on the Forum of a weathered and "rusted" Corvette. It was very well done, and got a lot of comments, until someone pointed out that fiberglass doesn't *rust*?Anyway, I agree with Snake; go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spex84 Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I'd say this could be a great opportunity to depict aged fiberglass (it has a distinctive appearance, just google "abandoned corvette derelict" or similar) and maybe some brackets and bolts to hold on the pieces that are attached to the body. In reality, it would probably have holes cut in the body so any heavy metal additions could be welded to the frame. Or, just don't worry about it...many people won't even know that 60s Corvettes aren't steel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muncie Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 (edited) I seem to recall that someone once posted photos here on the Forum of a weathered and "rusted" Corvette. It was very well done, and got a lot of comments, until someone pointed out that fiberglass doesn't *rust*?Anyway, I agree with Snake; go for it!yep, it was a cool model, very well done and looked good. I remember the custom license plate said "I know"Welded parts to a Corvette body - no problem here. just needs a good story about a very rare steel bodied Corvette or something like that.I also say go for it!more - Jimmy Flintstone has some figures that may be appropriate - an alternative parts source for interesting tires would be the toy section a the local Walmart, K Mart, Target or wherever toys are found Edited August 16, 2017 by Muncie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amar2300 Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Hi. For 1/24 scale figurines try take a look at this link.. https://www.shapeways.com There have alot of zombies/girls/soldiers and so on.. a really cool site if you are building dioramas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Vinton Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Good call Spex!!! Look what I found under the "Abandoned Corvette"!!!! This is EXACTLY what I had in mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Vinton Posted September 3, 2017 Author Share Posted September 3, 2017 (edited) Been a little while! I was wanting to get the right car built for the picture in my mind. As if I wanted to make this car in real life, from the model kit I am constructing. I realize I'm no mechanic, some of the conversions I'm doing on this Corvette are not legitimate, not right mechanically, but they work on the model. They will NOT work on a real car project! This is one model I was wanting to paint while on the sprue and then, paint while building so everything is matched up and I don't miss any spots. My vision of the body is to have larger off road type tires for the occasional trips off the black top. The trunk will be full of gear and probably a 55 gallon drum for all the fuel we're going to need out there between fill-ups. So first the body. This may not show but I have started to hollow out the rear wheel wells, to fit the larger tires. The trunk hid was cut and sawn loose using an Exacto and jewelers saw. Tedious and I need to find some new blades! The chassis was base coated flat black, found the proper tires for the car, even if I do not have the proper suspension for them. I may need to go back to some research on big trucks for suspension additions. I can tell I've only done military kits in the past, this chrome engine.......well......I'm definitely not used to big shiny engine parts! Doesn't look to bad from this angle. I think I may have to do some wiggling with the manifold and exhaust for proper venting from the engine compartment to the sides of the body. So here are the two pieces together, the front wheel wells have not been hollowed yet, just started trimming the rear ones a bit. Dremel for that task probably? I hate to mess with the body at all, but those tires are BIG! Edited September 3, 2017 by Paul Vinton add pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwdave92 Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 Looks like a fun project! Where did you get the wheels? If the chrome engine parts are too shiny hit them with some flat clear; it will dull them up nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 The wheel base looks like it is a little short. This may have happened when you lifted the suspension for the off road tires. I would suggest looking at changing the wheel base to center the tires in the wheel openings before you cut open the wheel wells. This will save you time opening the wheel wells and the suspension is already altered so anything you do there will really be unnoticed. This is a very interesting concept and I have enjoyed watching your build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Vinton Posted September 4, 2017 Author Share Posted September 4, 2017 Luckily here in Florida there are tons of swap meets. You can go and buy some cheap toy cars and trucks, various scales, and rip, tear, cut, saw, generally get the pieces you want. Just like at a real junkyard! So I think those tires came off a monster truck model. 10-4 on the wheelbase advice, I can jiggle the rear tires back a bit so they fit the wheel wells much better. Still might need some putty around the edges, or maybe add some side skirts too. Thanks for the comments gentlemen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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