Dr. Cranky

Styrene addiction is a wonderful thing, ain't it?

Shoot, it sounds like the troops are getting nice and riled up! Just what the Doctor ordered!!! Bring it on, lads!!!

Thanks, folks, most of the morning has gone into mixing up paints, just to get a few variations from light to dark . . . which is why I use 1oz bottles with York tops. They allow me to mix the colors accordingly. Yellows, khahis, sand, light brown . . . and white to lighten . . . Here's a shot fresh out of the paintbooth: The salt is used for some subtle speckling and chipping . . . I've also added a few scratches here and there, again nothing major . . . .

I was not happy with the hue of the rust, so I put a bit more orange into it . . . After the paint dried for an hour or so, I brought out Mr. Masking Sol and my salt, then started adding both (Mr. Masking Sol first--wait for it to dry!) and then a sprikling of salt here and there. We'll see what happens when the final body colors go on . . . as I will try to fog the basic colors over everything in order not to lose the shadows nor the rusting in certain places . . . but I want the pockmarks of body damage to show through, thus the mask and salt. Stay tuned in for more!

A-rusting we will go:

I like the choices you guys are making for your vehicles and I cannot wait to start seeing some progress . . . get revved, get movin'!

Here's the tool I used for making the welds . . . It works very well and runs on batteries . . . I believe it was not that expensive, certainly less than 20 bucks . . .

Here are some nice shots of the suspension, wheel wells, and chassis . . . The idea is of course NOT to leave any white areas to the naked eye . . .

All right, my friends, I just finished spraying some NATO black as a way to really cover all the areas to shade . . . stay tuned in for some pictures . . . This is an old trick I've used time and again because it does help cover all the white spots everywhere, plus it helps shade the panels and other elements . . . Here's another angle . . . the black really helps cover mistakes, etc . . . it's like a nice curtain falling over the whole piece . . . It really helps highlight areas of interest . . .

One of those pocket pen solderers you can get at Home Depot. It's best to practice first until you get the hang of it before you turn it on to your build.

I decided to glue everything in place before I apply one more coat of primer, and since the engine is not going to be visible but from the underneath, it's just going to be painted , weathered, and muddied in the same way as the rest of the chassis, of course with a few details here and there . . . Some mufflers and protective metal . . . . I like the beefy look of the exhaust . . .

All right, here's what I got in primer so far. I glued everything in place, including some undercarriage details . . . The primer really brings out lots of the surface detail . . . It sure does remind me that although the painting is going to be fun, it is also going to take some time . . .

Oh, and BTW, my friend Hollywood Jim has been collecting reference pictures of vehicles that have already been build, and or vehicles that can serve as an inspiration to others and could be built . . . . Here's the link: http://public.fotki.com/shrimpee/misc_mode...ff/world-war-3/

I love the idea of the calendar. And yes, between August 22 and March of next year, I plan to build a couple more of these vehicles, so PAINKILLER will not be the only one.

Sure, I'm in on it . . . and I think these progress pics speak of my commitment to pain killing! Hopefully if it stops raining in Florida long enough, I might be able to primer the parts I have ready. Here's a closeup of some of the damage this sucker's taken in skirmishes . . . And some chain keeps the meat tenderizer up front from falling off . . .

Funny this popped up recently and caught me in the middle of a new build, which I guess would fit this theme. I think . . . This is something I'm calling PAINKILLER, and it started with these: Then I got carried away and did this: And THAT lead to this: There are plenty of in-progress shots in my Fotki, if you follow this link: http://public.fotki.com/vsuarez666/voodoo-...kys-painkiller/

I get mine through Amazon.com a place called Midway. And yes, you can buy it by the case in three different colors . . .

Man, J, I only wish I were back home with my tools and my kits, I'd be posting some progress shots on mine right about now! Don't box yours up. Some of us thrive on your energy and enthusiasm!

Watson, buddy, you never cease to amaze me. What a great (classic!) how-to! Bless your generous soul, buddy!!! Thanks.

Holy malangas, J!!! That's a great how-to, and a great way to take your own medicine in the build. Those zoomys are about the best I've ever seen, and they can't be any cheaper to build. Gotta try that! Thanks for shairing! That's what makes the forum world go around!

My car? My vehicle? Shoot, you guys are getting me all revved up to start it when I get back home, which should be mid-August.

J--it looks like you are on fire, making all this progress . . . you must have cleared all your slot cars for the time being! It's great to have you back in the world of glue & styrene!

Very interesting. Some of you are hitting that bench running. Beautiful! Keep it going.

Good work, J--keep the progress comin'. Can't wait to see more!

I'm really into the apocalyptic, post World War III, Steam Punk--you-name-it--stuff, so I am hoping my builds will show some of that, as well as my general ###### Crankyness, not to mention the fact that I believe mostly the universe is chaotic in nature . . . We'll see what happens . . . but it feel cool to be thinking about a new build here. Thanks, gents!