randx0

Hey this is a very nicely built F1 model ,why wasn't I warned? Now my eyes are burning.

this started out as the valvoline vw golf racer. I started back in the early ninties when it was new. I always wanted to get good at custom body work and this was a first step. the plan a simple turn it into a pickup. as I was cutting off the roof I discovered the rear bumper/tail light section looked cool turned upside down .after adding some plastic to the rear window area and the pick up bed I trimmed up the interior the rear package shelf became the back of the interior tub these boxy cars sure made me feel like a customizing wizard. everthing was lining up perfectly then I got cocky and tried to customize the front grille. the headlight bezels got melted and the project was halted for the first of many times. at the time I wasn't in any club the internet had yet to become a reliable source and it never occured to purchase a second kit . after a few years I took it out again and tried to do something with the front end. I had a junk mercedes 190e that looked good so I cut out the hood and slapped it on there intending on using and modifying the entire grille bumper parts well the hood fit I tried building up the headlight area with plastic and quickly realized it was above my talent level. and there was just no way to get that bumper to fit.back in the box it went this time for quite some time .I would occasionally take it out and see if I could do anything but nothing materialized. I always knew that this thing will fall together as soon as the front end problem was solved so it remained on the to do list . recently I pulled it out and tried again to use plastic for the front bumper it just did not work then I recalled the balsa foam I had I figured why not give it a shot .after very little trial and error the front bumper was shaped into something that would look good enough to get this thing finished. so here is where it is at now. I will post up more later questions comments and criticism welcome.

Balsa foam and other materials like it are basically a foam that you can cut and sand to shape similar to wood but much easier to work with . you can get it at art supply stores like Blicks. it comes in sheets like I have pictured or in cubes about 3 or four inches tall. there are other companies that make higher quality and more specific hardness and less pinholes. the major drawback to the balsa foam in this instance is the pinholes but it isn't difficult to rectify.

For those of you who don't know most if not all of these are Jairus Watson art.I have built most of them and they are an easy build no need for paint and great for kids because they are so tough.

looks great!

Welcome,hope to see some of your builds soon!

Neato, welcome to the nuthou....glad you joined us.

I love it! great concept and execution.

Thank you for your suggestions,I started with the high build primer and followed it up with glazing putty that should do the trick for this project. however after trying it out I think I will be making use of this stuff more often and the sanding sealer stuff sounds like just the ticket(also sounds like it will be smelly). I have to say the front bumper was the number one thing holding this build back and would have been next to impossible to get the same results with plastic and what ever other fillers/putties I have on hand . I think just getting it shaped and carved out then sanded only took about an hour.I will add some more pictures later so those who may be interested can see the results. thanks again!

I am fabricating a front bumper for a Vw golf I got the shape I want but am worried about using glazing putty to fill pinholes. the balsa foam sands so easily I am worried about losing some of the finer details. any other related tips on working with this or other similar products will be appreciated. I will post pics later. Thanks in advance.

Harry this is not real . It is a model. Great build but maybe you need to include a periscope/Harryscope.

I sure wish the police would use those here! nice build, great weathering. How do you like the mig powders vs chalks?

alot of stuff is based on what looks right so leaving sizes of tubing and wire out of the discussion basically for the coil portion you simply wrap wire around something round (a pen, tubing,sprue ,etc) until you get the length you are looking for. for shocks a piece of wire or rod slipped into a slightly larger piece of tubing. well I know this is very basic but hopefully it is helpful and gets you pointed in the right direction. I know there is an awesome tutorial out there on building resevoir type shocks but I cant recall where I saw it.

I also would love to see the other builds.I thought this was really fun and eventhough mine is just a curbside it was challenging trying to get the stuff on the paper into the third demension. after being plagued by last minute snags I will go back over this and refine some areas that got shorted due to time constraints. man that was fun!

Very nice. too bad they never raced it sure would be nice to have some action shots of this one.

That's cool! I love parts box builds especially when they turn out so nice.

That's CrazyJim. Seriously though if you take a deep breath and think about the goals of your build and how you want it to turn out the frustration should subside when you realize that you want this to work or if you decide that stock set up is just fine. either way it only depends on what you want out of the build . I don't know about you but usually I do better the second time especially after I discover what I did wrong the first time. Keep pushin' your personal envelope and you will be happy with the results eventually!

Not sure if I got in on time or that the picture is good enough but here is where I ended up . I had camera problems ,I hope to rectify that and take some better pictures.

Another great build. I don't believe you have built a model I didn't like. keep them coming and don't worry about "incorrect" details, you have a good eye and most details that end up on your models look good!

That is sweet ! excellent scratch building! I love this build.

I like the looks on this one .I think it captures the zeitgeist.nice work!

it looks great .way to stick with it and get it done after such a long time. i have always liked this kit and the camaro,i am sure it wasn't ignored and I bet some younger guys have never seen this before .

heres a mock up ... getting closer! just a few more things like mirrors and front fins brakes etc.

heres a little more progress