Dr. Cranky

Anybody else out there making progress?

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful masterwork! Keep it going, please.

Pure eye candy. Beautiful job!!! Congrats.

Thanks for the comments . . . A couple of friends pointed out that those rear wheels are a bit vulnerable . . . so I scrachtbuilt some guards for them . . .

To wild, here we go . . . Zombie killing spikes, laster cannon, and hanging boom!!!

And then we kick it up a notch from mild . . . Rocket launchers and all, it's still pretty mild . . .

Everything is painted now and with a few coats of Future clear to safeguard the basecoat before the impending oil washes . . . but I decided to mock up everything to see how it's looking, from mild to wild! Goody! Here's the mild: Nothing fancy yet . . . just a hatch and standard kit grill . . .

For those of you interested in the rusting and salting technique, you can check out a how-to here: http://www.migproductionsforums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3115

Wow, Brian--that's a great idea . . . you gotta keep working on that build . . . that track is an attention getter . . . very cool. Keep it going.

Table salt is best for smaller pitting, but I also use kosher salt which has medium to large grain . . . In this case, I apply the paint after the salt has dried . . . if you want the paint to have a bit of a fade you can apply the paint while the salt is still moist, but you have to let it air dry over night . . .

Wow, what a great collection . . . here are a couple more . . . OLD RED LUCKY SEVENS

And the look of the chassis and frame so far . . .

Here are all the weapons options . . .

Here are all the components fresh out of the salting and painting process . . . The wheels and tires . . . they still need lots of weathering . . . The front end components . . . one scratch and you'll need a tetanus shot!

One of the plusses of always keeping around a couple of kits is that you can use one for mock up while you paint the other . . . just an observation . . . I continued to work on the engine, gizmofying it a bit with watch parts and wire, and then suddenly I panicked thinking it would not fit . . . but it does and that put a big smile on my face . . . here are some progress shots . . .

Thanks, Jeff. For a foundation of rust color, I use a Floquil acrylic mixture of 50% Roof Brown and 50% Rust, and then after that dries, I patch in a bit of Tamiya orange and Tamiya yellow. Sometimes a little bit of Tamiya Hull Red is good too . . . The basic idea is to create a spotty looking color surface for the salt . . . stay tuned in for more . . .

Well, I put a call through to the Department Of Gizmology, and this is what the Cranky team put together . . . I think it's going to look just right in the bay . . . and of course, it's still missing a few bells and whistles . . . If anyone asks what type of engine this is, it's a hydrogen-double-defribulated-turbo-charged-cataclismic-noiseless-low-carbon-footprint model, just a perfect post nu-kleer prototype! Thanks heavens the basic Caddy engine that comes in the 49 Merc kit could provide such a nice platform . . .

One of the techniques I used to acheive the effect of paint chipping and rusting is SALTING. For those of you who are interested and who have not seen some of my other threads on the subject, you can look around . . . also MCM published an article on the technique a year or so ago . . . which you can read here: http://modelcarsmag.netricksmedia.com/ You apply a coat of your rust color, allow it to dry, then wet the surface and sprinkle salt . . . the process looks like this . . . The chassis: The rear components: The front components: The weapons choices: The wheels: It's really easy to do . . .

Speaking of rust and weathering . . . the process has started for me . . . I've applied three medium coats of Future clear to the body for the impending oil-based washes and weathering . . . it helps protect the basecoat paint . . . You can see the gloss sheen . . . While the clear coats dry for a couple of days, I will turn my attention to the other components. Stay tuned in . . .

Some wonderful progress, chaps . . . The whole business of rusting and weathering should be fun . . . and low stress, which is why anyone in their right mind wanting to build one of these should focus on the NO STRESS rule . . . no mistakes . . . or well, no mistakes you can't correct . . .etc . . . I hope everyone gets cranked up about going all out . . . Or the TOOTHLESS ZOMBIE HUNTER might come get ya.

Thanks, buddy. I'm amazed by the builds in progress here on this thread . . .the boys are all doing great, inspiring work. I hope everyone keeps it going . . . it's a blast.

Sure, Harry . . . I am working on the book though, and an article for a Czech magazine . . . Thanks for the welcome back!

Hi, Harry--I had surgery at the beginning of the year, but all is well now . . . and I was finally able to sit at the bench for prolonged periods of time. Thanks for the comments . . . I hope more folks join in this build. It's really set up to let your imagination run wild!!!

Here's a bit more battle damage: And a bit of color to draw attention to the front . . . and the rear . . . Stay tuned in for more progress . . .

Okay broke out the airbrush and started to lay down the rust coats . . . Then after adding salt and masking liquid, this is the result: Most of the vehicles I build are desert, post-nuke inspired (TERMINATOR SALVATION & DEATH RACE style)so chipped paint is a must: