Dr. Cranky

This thing is almost ready to go into the field and rustle up some Zombies! Stay tuned in for more progress.

Here's a bit of progress for tonight . . . thanks for tuning into the ###### Cranky's Workshop . . . Wow, this is an extreme closeup of the engine . . . but it shows all the Gizmology at work . . . . Here's a normal shot . . . after which I realized the right headlight bezel had come off revealing that there's really not lights in there! Boy, that ###### Cranky sure knows how to cheat building these things . . . it would probably drive contest judges crazy!

Good, you got spared. You don't want General D. Cranky of the Toothless Zombie Hunting squad to mistake you for a Zombie, now do ya?

Freakin' fabulous. So far so good. It's a stand-out model, that's for sure!

What? Nobody is making progress? Will Cranky have to craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack the proverbial workbench whip?

LOL! See, ideas begin to circulat and once you start building one of these machines, you can't stop. I can see already a Zombie Hearse picking up the dead and cleaning up the streets! Love it. Hope more people are making progress. Keep your builds going, please. We need more more more . . . more eye candy on this thread! Let's make this thread explode!!!

Yeah, kill them Zombies!!!

Keep it going. I likes it! Great stance.

Brian--part of the fun of this kind of build is to kitbash. Remember also that the look you want is that "cobbled" look, using all sorts of different parts . . . don't be afraid to think outside the box . . . and have fun . . . I really like the way this vehicle is looking, high up on the tracks, etc . . . plenty of room for all kinds of parts. The roof of that thing is a great canvas. Go crazy, buddy. Have fun. Keep us posted with progress.

You betcha! US Gov. approved!

That one is easy, Harry . . . there's a hatch . . . I will take a picture of the vehicle with the hatch on . . . I thought of that one before you'd catch me!

What's in a name?

Wow, that's a great idea. Keep it going. You are going to have a great-looking model!

Thanks, Jeff . . . I really appreciate it . . . I'm making slow progress, but part of the fun in building this type of vehicle was to play with the different components and really have a blast when it comes to taking pictures, so here go a few more . . . I'm still weathering and trying out different looks for this thing . . . I dusted the whole model with the orinal buff color from Tamiya and a little white just to bring it all together . . . and also bring the sheen way down to a matte level . . .then used a few more powders . . .

Got everything else washed . . . and added a bit of detail here and there . . . Also wanted to add a bit of color to the tank . . .

Well, here are a few more pics of the frame . . .

Here's how the frame and engine are turning out . . . After the washes dried, I hit it up with lots of powders . . .

Thanks, buddy. Here are a couple of pics of Cranky's "gunking" station: I have to confess washing a model is about one of my all-time favorite things . . . After the wash, here's the drying station . . . that's a little desktop fan I picked up on the internet for about 9.99. It works. Two speeds . . . dries everything within a couple of hours . . .

LOL! Technicalities like that are the reasons why the Zombies have taken over the world!!! Stay tuned in for more progress. The weathering fun has begun . . . now it's just a matter of getting the right look to all the components.

Thanks, James . . . yeah, come on, everybody, let's have some more progress with your builds . . . these builds are always a hoot, ain't they?

No sanding . . . also, make sure the salt does not go on wet paint or else it is going to stick on there . . . you want the paint dry, then you wet with water, sprinkle the salt, dry it with a hairdryer of let sit overnight, THEN you spray on the next coat . . . use a toothbrush under cold water to brush the salt off. Good luck.

I think it should work, and the times I've tried it I've used Plastikote brown primer, then I've misted a little orange and yellow on there, then you salt, and then you can spray the aluminum . . . please if you try it post your results. Thanks.

I am also done painting the engine . . . so I decided to mock it up one more time before the weathering process begins . . .

Here's some progress . . . Got the fender and wheel guards installed . . .

Thanks, Jon. Stay tuned in for more progress . . .