oldcarfan

Two weeks ago I ordered the world's largest model kit from online. I've been wanting a place to put all the lawn tools so my shop isn't so crowded. Well, it arrived and it's not quite the slap it together fun ride the ad made it seem. Not all the screw holes quite line up so you have to improvise. Still, not too bad for a full day. I was trying to get it finished while the temperature was in the 50s. Didn't quite beat the cold front as the wind has changed around and it'll be in the teens and twenties the rest of the week. Got everything together except the doors and trim and I'll finish that next weekend.

A lot of cars deserve to be kitted, sadly, I guess the companies couldn't make a case for investing the money. That's why I'm following 3D printing with interest. It seems every year they get more sophisticated, requiring less and less cleanup work. I'm guessing in not too long you'll be able to download a program and print the more obscure cars we love. When I was little, my dad used to talk about a 34 Plymouth he had as a teen that he loved. He said he sold it because the principal at his High School told him he couldn't park it on school property. To him that was the car that he always wanted to find again.

Someone even sells lift kits for them.

A few years ago there was thing about turning small cars into off-roaders. There were a couple of Priuses that they jacked up with RAV4 springs and stuff. Supposed to be pretty good out on the trails.

I'm not great at small details, but I finally buckled down. With help from some Dollar Store reading glasses I started working on the console and dash. Since the car is Golf, it just had to have a golf ball shifter knob. Looks like I still need to clean up the paint details but it's taking shape. I now have a CB radio and added some switches to the passenger side dash. Since every self respecting speeder in the 70s needed a radar detector, I'm building a Fuzzbuster based on a 1975 Car & Driver ad. I've been working on a back story for my entry. I've been doing some research on early Golfs and it seems a couple of early production cars were taken to be made into racers. So in my story, a couple of Volkswagen engineers obtained one straight off the assembly line in April of 1974. They then started experimenting with tuning. Borrowing some bits from VW's siblings, Audi and Porsche, they set about building a car capable of competing in America's last great open road race. In my parts stash I have some Porsche 911 and 914 parts so I may add some of those. I want to add a turbo, so that's on the to-do list soon.

Made some 'tiny' progress. I'm not great at small details, but I finally buckled down and did some work with help from some Dollar Store reading glasses. I started working on the console and added a golf ball shifter knob. I now have a CB radio and added some switches to the passenger side dash. Also built a Fuzzbuster based on a 1975 Car & Driver ad.

I've never seen one in resin or 3D. If it helps, M2 Machines Diecast has issued several variations of their 1/24 VW vans with a Cyclops light. I bought one from Walmart last year. I don't know if they are currently available in stores, but you can still find them. https://www.ebay.com/itm/165934349555

I ordered a set of Charlie's Angels van decals from STS Decals and they look great. They do a lot of repro stuff. You might give them a call.

No worries, it's a well known fact that bears can't tear through shrink wrap! lol

I've shown her before, but this is Fia again. She's got a lot more affectionate since it got cold. Here she is hanging out under the table lamp, and then in her happy place, cuddled up close to me for head rubs. The third picture is from our trip to Key West. This is one of the many six toe cats that live in and around Hemingway's house. Of course he's sitting in the chair with the sign that says don't sit in the chair.

Here's my haul for the week. I had to make two trips to Austin and stopped both times at HobbyTown. I love these Tamiya rereleases. I mostly do curbside stuff now and the prices on these is great. Also got a can of Camel yellow for a future Range Rover project and the last good can of Model Master Green Go. And finally, after pirating the body out of the AMT Rabbit for Cannonball project I splurged and ordered the VW Caddy truck to go with the leftover AMT parts. I did a quick inspection and it looks the two will go together okay.

I love what you're going for! Those are such cool cars.

This has to be a first! A taxidermied Alaskan Brown Bear being taken somewhere.

My thoughts too, I may try some dull coat on it and see how that looks. I found a good photo of an original issue set of VW floor mats and may try to print those.

It's been a week since I posted any progress, as we had the grandbaby for 5 days. The weather was great the whole time but this week it's showing it's range. We went from mid 80s to 50 in one day, and now we're looking at below freezing and possible sleet by the weekend. Whatever, I'm glad I insulated my workshop before finishing the interior. I can keep it warm with just a small electric heater. As for progress, the new body's paint is dry. If you remember, the original body became a casualty of domestic doggie terrorism. I replaced that body with one from the AMT release of the ESCI kit which is molded in yellow plastic. I did the usual prep, washing, and sanding before priming. I primed with the usual Duplicolor grey sandable and sanded that. I had just enough Go Mango to respray and it looks nice. Now for the bad: I'm not sure what the issue is, but the yellow plastic doesn't seem to like paint. I'm having to be extra careful because I can chip the paint and primer with even a fingernail. I prepped the body the same way I did the ESCI white molded parts and those turned out fine, so I'm wondering if it's something in the yellow plastic. If anyone has built the AMT release, and wants to chime in, I'm curious. I think I can work around it with caution, so fingers crossed. In other news, I made progress with the interior. The roll bar is in place and looks good. It's a combination of kit parts and some stuff I had left over from another project. I bought a pack of textured foil on Amazon last year. It came in a bag of 20 sheets about 1 1/2 x 3 inches each. It's the same thickness as BareMetal foil and looks like the stuff used in cigarette packs. If painted black it would probably look like vinyl roof material. Not sure why I got it originally, but it works as heat/noise insulation used in old race cars. I applied it with white glue but something more sticky might work better. Still on the fence if I like the look or not. Chime in if you have any ideas. Just got the fire extinguisher done and in place and I'm working on the dash. I found a CB radio in the parts stash and a few other 70s pieces. Now I just need a tiny Fuzzbuster!

I tried something last night. Last year I bought a bundle of textured foil last year. It's basically little sheets of cigarette pack foil. Anyway it looks like the heat proofing stuff that my dad used when he was a helicopter mechanic back in the day. I do remember him bringing home scraps and using it in his Mustang project around 1976. He said it made the car quieter and cooler. I'm not sure I like it so I'm looking for opinions on if it's too much. If I keep it I'll probably add a couple of floor mats in the front.

I bought some organizing bins and found a few supplies that I forgot I'd bought.

I'd love to see the Corvair! Also, the 60-63 Falcon 65 Fairlane and the 61-62 Buick Special wagon which I think used the Nova chassis.

This is my 'project'. It belonged to my dad and when he passed I took it to keep it from going to the scrap yard. It's nearly rust free and it would probably start with a little work, but everytime I go out there I feel overwhelmed. I don't really know much about starting a vehicle that's been sitting for a few years and it also holds a lot of memories.

I'd go with the teal/white or the black if it were mine. The black would be cool in a moonshine runner kind of way.

Apparently that rule about China keeping everything applies across the board. My FIL has an old Honda generator. It broke down and the guy told him to go buy a Predator engine from Harbor Freight. It seems that engine is the Honda one that they copied part for part. He said it bolted in place exactly like the Honda one.

Even though they are inaccurate, these kits can be a fun kitbash. Combine one with a Tamiya Datsun 240Z and you have a kit car!

Some of these re do kits aren't really my thing, but I buy them to encourage them to keep it going. I do love the Nova wagon, and I'll be buying the 60 Chevy wagon too. As for other releases, I wrote to someone at Round 2 years ago about backdating the MPC Camaro into the 75, and the Chevy Impala, Dodge Van, Pinto and Vega among others into their pre-big bumper versions. They were nice enough to reply and said something along the lines of it wouldn't be feasible to restore the molds. Maybe new tech will make it possible. I've got some of the 60 and 63 Ford trucks waiting in the pile. And you are right, it's nice being able to get old kits without paying eBay prices. Even though the fan base for modeling as a whole may be shrinking, the new technology and other developments is for sure ushering in a golden age.

I got nothing model related today, but I did unload 72 12x12 red cement pavers from a trailer to the back yard. A lot harder than my model building!

I suppose the tooling for this is gone now, but I'd buy a couple of resin repops if someone did one.