VW Dave

....why do you think I have a spare 356 body laying around? Got my 550 from Jimmy at the NNL East.

If it was all in one day I could probably swing it....the two days of travel or overnight stay are a problem. Maybe next year.

That was 'Hammer,' a '70 Road Runner built by Steve Strope at Pure Vision Design: HAMMER

If it was a model I'd lay odds that Juha built it .....but I'ma say it's real this time. It looks like a brochure photo to me.

Unless you slide a similarly-sized metal rod inside, it can be hard to get decent bends without kinks. An alternative I've found to solder is 'armature wire,' which is available at Michaels or A.C. Moore craft stores. It's aluminum, so it's lighter than solder; it also bends very easily, and can be polished with minimal effort(it looks pretty good as-is IMO). It's available in 3 or 4 different sizes, and they have it in straight sections as well as on the roll. Here's what one of the rolls of bigger stuff looks like on the hook at the store: And here's the first set of headers I made out of the smaller stuff(with aluminum tubing for the outlets):

I hate to tell you this, but that's not the trunk Seriously? I agree with the above posts that it's too far gone. I may have a spare body in much better shape that that one; email me and we can work something out.

Like others have said, it's hard to pick just one favorite....this one was, however, very high on my list: Ever since I put together the ceramic tile/deck railing/tripod & macro setting combo, I've taken much better pics of my models.

Merk - I'll put your buggy pics up for free in their own album in my Fotki if you'd like; just drop me a line and we can arrange it. I'd hate to see you bail out on us over a lack of pic space.

Check your local Agway or Tractor Supply store, as I know they sell diecast tractors; you can either pirate the nose from one, or simply make a mold and cast a copy to use. The swap meet at any rural car/truck show might yield a decent selection as well, as many vendors handle diecasts.

Can't say why, but it looks pretty real from here.

At this point you probably should consider opening a Photobucket or Fotki account to host your pics; I know Fotki does a 'freebie' limited-size one, and I did that until I needed more space.

I have yet to try it myself, but my buddy Matt used Detail Master wire on his deuce's interior with great results IMO:

Looking good, Merk; please keep us all posted as you get more done on it. If you're looking for a scale 'flake' paint for it, I can highly recommend the new Testors 'One Coat' lacquers....I'm after one of those Revell Imp's, as the 'Fiery Orange' paint just screams buggy to me. Jody - I usually make the Goodguys show at least one of the two days, but I have yet to bring the Manx there....maybe some year, as it is old enough to get in now(based o the Meyers serial number, the body turned 40 this past April). Drop me a line as you plan to head back to the northeast, and we can hook up for sure. Nick - I wish I had a better pic of the blue gelcoat on my buggy, as I'm sure you'd like it even more in person; it seems to get 'washed out' in most sun-shiny pics due to the flakes. The flakes really 'popped' in this pic I shot last fall:

Color me interested - I'm looking forward to more on this build for sure. The yellow & buckskin combo sounds like a winner on that little car, although I'm known to be partial to blue and gray : Please feel free to drop me a line if I can help out at all on your buggy build.

I say it's real

I missed out on the Landy release, but I got one of the new 68's as soon as possible....those steelies and caps are a very nice addition, and I like that I'm not the only one who sees it loking nice in MM bronze lacquer(must be the box art pic).

After I voted, I tried to pin the year down....I had guessed it was a '59-61, based on a few little things I saw. I then hunted for pics of it on another site that I frequent, and found the classified ad: '61 BUS FOR SALE Thanks again for keeping the 'RoM' going, Harry!

You've got a PM.

I say 'real,' and have no reservations about it.....except that it's not in my garage The secrets to highway driving in an early Bus, which I learned from my '66 Deluxe: *Hold on tight to the wheel, and be prepared to countersteer when passed by big trucks. *Don't be in a hurry to get anywhere(pedal-to-the-metal on level ground in mine was about 68mph )

Amazing job on that GT500, Bob; looks downright gorgeous!!!

I like the front wheels here....Ruf wheels by Fujimi, no? Pretty sure I have a set of those in my stash. Those OZ Futuras are pretty slick too, but the Ruf's would be my choice. Please keep us updated on this one.

My wife is a long-time scrapbooker, and I can ask her if she knows of any books that big.......it's well past her bedtime tonight, so I'll wait and rattle her cage tomorrow.

When I worked for a VW/Audi dealer a few years back, I used genuine paint on a couple of models....they sold it in sprays as well as the touch-up bottles that could be thinned and airbrushed. This Tamiya Golf was shot with 2000 VW 'cosmic green' factory spray, topped with Tamiya clear:

I say 'model.' The trees and pool look real, but something tells me the car isn't.

Thanks for sharing those pics, Albert; I'm kinda partial to the blue one, although they're all cool. Ever since I saw this light yellow one last summer, it has haunted my dreams: It's got a stinger hood, Motion valve covers and decals, but I have no clue if it a real MP car or not....either way, I'd love to have it.