VW Dave

I say, congratulations indeed!! It's been 15 months since we made one of those models, but it seems like only yesterday. Enjoy your time with the little one, as they get big awful fast...it's the speed of life.

UPDATE: I'm home, I'm wired shut and I'm medicated; life is pretty good. I've already made a bit of model progress around here; I trimmed and mounted my own photoreduced license plates to 4 of my models....seeing as I made those plates(and a whole bunch more) sometime last year, I figured it was high time they get where they belong. Next plan of attack: doing more decals on the racing Rabbit tonight/tomorrow, and mailing stuff out on Saturday. Thanks again for the kind words and support, all.

Thanks very much for the kind words and advice, guys; I'm just popping by to check my messages this morning before 'go time.' My sister-in-law is picking me up at 9. I realized there is an upside to my impending down time....with a mere 8 weeks until the NNL East, and at least 2 weeks out of work, I may actually get some stuff done for the show. Thanks again, everyone. I'll keep you posted how I'm doing as soon as possible.

I just wanted to pass the word, as I have a few folks waiting for me to mail stuff out: I fractured my jaw the other night and will be delayed a bit due to having it set/wired tomorrow, but I will get everything out within a few days. Thanks for hanging in there with me, guys.

Not necessarily - Over time, like any other plastic, fiberglass can become brittle if exposed to the elements....chipping right down to the base material is possible, especially if you are making a model look like a 40+-year old 'barn find' car. I'd say try a little of both, and experiment. Not every inch of a vehicle endures time and mishandling the same, so it's possible that you can see both forms of decay/damage on one car.

Instead of primer, I'd say use a base coat of a cream/yellow; 'raw' fiberglass is about that color, and many times the worn/overbuffed areas are down that far. Here's a worm's eye view of a 60's dune buggy body, showing the raw finish underneath. The red peeking through is the topside gel-coat color, but bear in mind that a factory-assembled car that received a paint job would not have gotten a colored gel finish..

I generally do my tire sanding by hand, with dollar store emery boards.

If his screen name over there is 'krassandbernie,' that's Ed from Drag City. His parts and service are top-notch IMO.

Thanks for the kudos, brother Dave, and I agree it is easy to overdo weathering. A bit of advice I picked up from a model RR builder was "when you think you can do a little more to make it perfect, stop."

Another thing to keep in mind is that the gray stuff is still paint, so it can be stripped quite easily if need be. I agree that it does keep rusting, and my rusted models also have 'matured' over time.

My favorite panel thinning tool is a ball-shaped milling bit in my Dremel, and I periodically check my work with a light; once the plastic gets thin enough, I use a small dental pick to pop open small holes. Once you've practiced a few times, you can make larger holes with the Dremel bit on its own. Here's a few small holes in my '55 Chevy truck, prior to Instant Rust paint application: And here's a holier than thou Monte quarter panel: For dents, I use a candle for heat application - hot water takes too long IMO, and a propane torch works waaaay too fast. A quick pass over the heat source, and I press a solid object into the surface(usually an X-Acto handle or dowel). Dusting with pastels after paint & detailing can really accent the dentwork too. I gave the Monte's roof a few wrinkles:

Nope, not me. I'm pretty sure that's Keith Ross, who goes by the screen name 'modelcarjedi' here and there.

Dave - The red wheels you have are most likely from the old IMC kit. Mike - The resin copies I sent you were made from one of the Gunze kits' wheels.

Sophisticated Finishes is the brand name; the product is called "Instant Rust." I'm another big fan of it, and one of the first to post on the boards about it, after discovering it on a routine trip to Michaels. Here's a recent thread with pics: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26078&st=0&p=247252&hl=rust&fromsearch=1&#entry247252 And one of my Fotki folders with a few pics as well: http://public.fotki.com/VWDave/my_model_cars/model-railroad-projects/

If you have a Michaels craft store within reach, I'd recommend this product above all else:

It's totally off-the-wall and cool from where I'm sitting; the mudflaps and 'little tree' caught my eye as well.

Took the words right out of my mouse, brother.

Ironically, we got nothing up here....and we're better equipped/conditioned to handle it than most of you guys. We call 6-8" a dusting up here.

I agree that it depends on the individual build, but I voted for paint. Ever since I tried Tamiya's masking tape, I'm a big fan of painting them on; sometimes, however, decals are the better choice.

I agree with Harry, nice photos, and a great looking build. The blue/white color combo is a winner IMO.

Wouldn't miss it for the world! It's just a day trip for us, no hotel room needed.

A 'quick and dirty' method might be one of the hammer-finish paints(by Eastwood or Rustoleum), followed by a misty coat of DullCote

I'd use the Dremel as well..much more control and less pressure applied(if you do it right).

The pre-'55 "barndoor" Buses had flat footwells, however...at least there's one thing I don't have to change on mine.

I agree, you can never have too many Buses...maybe this will inspire me to get back on my own Type 2 projects. Good idea on the pedal fix, and they look pretty accurate to me. I'm really looking forward to updates on this one.