oldcarfan

I jumped in to building this one last year and almost instantly found several changes I wanted to make. It's now on the third and hopefully final version. Also, if you want to use the magnets like I did, make sure it's steel and not aluminum you're using behind the paper walls. I grabbed some metal signs without checking and got it all done only to find out it wasn't steel. I built another one during the lockdown that was easily disassembled so it would fit in a box. Ended up giving it away to a friend. Also, on eBay or Etsy there are lots of different printed brick, stone and even wood look paper sheets. They work well for the walls and there are plenty of G Scale fittings out there to add detail.

I originally built it on the fly so I never measured it. However, I just checked and it's about 20 inches long x 12 1/2 high x 13 deep. I was aiming for something small enough for a desktop sized that would still allow for any sized model.

Well, first of all, a weather report. we had clear skies today and the ground is practically steaming in the sun. It seems the rain has finally passed our area. It was hot and humid, but that's better than what we had the last few days. I did have a leak somewhere in the shop yesterday. I was working and looked down to find a stream of water at my feet. I think it probably built up outside and found an entry point. No damage really done except for a box of old magazines. With the A/C running full blast today, the shop was comfortable so I got a few hours work done on the van. Being the impatient sort, I had to do a test fit to see how things looked and am pretty well satisfied. The chassis is a simple flat casting with rudimentary drivetrain details cast in so it'll stay a curbside. I did raise the ride height to sit more like a 4x4 Sprinter. No big deal, just lowered the axles in the chassis. The wheels are a set of Pegasus Spiders found in a box and stripped of their chrome. They were painted white to look like something you might see on a rally car. The label says they are 22 inch and they fit perfectly on a set of off road tires from a totaled Maisto 4x4 diecast. The push bar on the front and the roof top cargo are about where I want them. I'll need to scrounge up a ladder somehow. By the way, the roof rack is a 3D print by Hooligan Scale Models from Etsy. They have some good products at a good price. The rear box is an Apple Airpod box repurposed. The auxiliary lights are made from a mold I made. I tried some UV resin and they aren't perfect, but not bad for a first try. Definitely need something stronger to cure it than a small UV flashlight. I hope to have the van finished soon. Still looking for ideas for the headlights, but everything seems to be falling into place.

A while back I stumbled across Etsy while looking for some 3D parts. I usually go through eBay, but Etsy seemed to offer several things I'd been searching for. The site is easy to use and I mostly just search 1/24 and whatever I'm looking for. Here are some vendors I've had good luck with. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeanMachineModels https://www.etsy.com/shop/HooliganScaleModels?ref=nla_listing_details https://www.etsy.com/shop/JackModelling

I wanted to share this idea because it's simple and seems to work quite well and maybe someone can use it or improve on it. Last year I wanted a place to take pictures of builds. I started a basic two wall and floor photo backdrop but was never happy with it, so I put it away and moved on. This weekend the weather kept me indoors and I began thinking about that backdrop again. I liked the basic layout but wanted to be able to change the scene. The problem was how to do that without messing up the walls. But first the base needed a few repairs. Version 1.0 was made with 1/4 inch foamcore but I soon found it flimsy. As I also found out, in areas with temperature and humidity variations, foamcore can warp. I added some basswood across the back to stabilize it and that seems to be adequate. With the base strengthened I moved on to redoing the walls. I toyed with various ideas, but none really felt right. This morning I wandered Home Depot for ideas. They sell thin galvanized right angle roof flashing. It's about 7 x 7 inches, folded in a V-shape and at about 80 cents, they were a good price. Once home I flattened out five pieces, which was more than enough. As seen in the picture, I attached them to the walls and covered the whole thing with a new layer of brick paper. Here are some closeups of it in action. The first is a steel rollup door I made a while back. A couple of tiny rare earth magnets on the back and it stays put as long as needed. To celebrate that success I made a couple other doors. I'll be making some signs and other things to add detail. So now it's basically finished with and I'm much happier with the look. It's not much, just a simple two wall brick scene, but it can be an alley or the inside of an old building in any time period with only a few easy changes.

I was just hit with a wave of memories with this kit. As a child I remember my dad getting the original version of this kit. He was an odd one regarding cars. He loved European racing, especially F1 and endurance racing. I remember him doing his Mustang up as something you'd see at Lemans or Sebring. I'll have to get one and do it as a tribute.

I need to look into this kit and one of the curing lights. I tagged the link you gave so I can check when they get more stock. I've used UV resin glues a few times but they always seem to develop air bubbles during curing and it only works for shallow layers. I've tried sunlight and a UV flashlight. I wonder if the curing light makes a difference?

Not much progress this weekend but I did find out something interesting, We had a couple hours of sun so I thought I'd try to paint. Shouldn't have pushed it as the humidity is super high. The paint went on well, but it clouded over within a few minutes and ended up looking like a 1:1 car's paint would look after a few years of sun exposure. I may keep that body without stripping the paint and do a weathered build someday. As for the weather, the rain has been relentless since Thursday, coming in waves every little while. It makes me lazy and a little achy. We are safe as we live on a high part of our town, but some roads elsewhere in town have been closed due to flooding. If you follow the weather, you'll know there's been some horrible flooding and casualties a little further down into the Hill Country. They've had steady rain since Thursday. In some places they got 11-14 inches of rain in less than 4 hours. My son's father in law is a police officer in the affected area, but he's safe.

Me too. Living 2-3 hours from the closest real hobby shop, I keep a list of things I need to buy. That way when I'm there I don't wander around wondering what it was I was going to get. For paint, I usually buy two cans at least. Same for Plastruct strips.

Maybe if they offered it in a Saleen version I'd be interested.

If they'd at least do their die-casts in 1/24th scale that would be something.

Looks like a fun build. I've been meaning to build one of these. Yours looks great!

My wife's family is in town for the holiday and she spent the day with her sisters, so it's been quiet around here. She just called and wants to go to the Fourth of July fireworks if the weather clears up. Since the rain put off painting any future projects, I started on parts for the Rally Van. Though not the best at casting, I managed to get a few decent sets of lights out of the open mold I made. The square lights look like they may have come from a Monogram F-350 kit and the round ones I have no idea. The only problem is over the last year I've developed an allergy to either the silicone or more likely the casting resin. Either way, I have a stuffy nose and headache. The bumper and winch are from an old Monogram Hummer kit. It should fit on the the front of the van as a sort of push bar. If the guys are going to be out digging up new project cars, they'll need a good winch to drag them out of the dirt. I scratched up a skid plate for the front underside of the van. Since the Tigres toy I started with doesn't have much chassis detail, a skid plate should help hide the lack of detail a little. I stole a decent set of offroad truck tires off a diecast truck that should make the van look tougher. I bought a bunch of cheap Jada, Maisto and M2 1/24th diecasts last year when our Walmart was clearing them for out for a reset. Some of them make good parts donors. The decals are from a project I made and printed for a failed Porsche and Volkswagen combo idea a few years ago. I found a free font generator and used a Porsche style which looks pretty good. The bottom letters are a grunge font style that's supposed to look distressed. I tested the decals and they're still good plus the blue should work well with the Citrus Green paint. It'll sure stand out at least! No picture, but I dug out a car trailer I started building years ago and got bored with. It should fit well behind the van or any other truck I come up with. On a personal note, I mentioned the rain and you may have heard that Texas has been hit by some heavy weather the last few days. Our town has been touched by it a little, but we've only had minor flooding. Nowhere near as bad as San Angelo, Kerrville and the rest of the Hill Country a couple hours south of us. If it's your sort of thing, spare a thought for those lost or injured.

While researching my Mercedes Sprinter rally van, I came across this van. Now I want to build something like it too. Any suggestions for this type of grill to go with the AMT Chevy van as I've got a couple of that kit. Were the vans the same except for the grill?

If I were more detail oriented right now, I'd rehinge the front and back doors as they are done diecast style rather than prototypically correct. However I meant this to be a relatively simple build so I'm happy to ignore that issue. I originally looked at an 3D printed kit, but the price was not in my range. I came across these toys by accident and decided to take a chance and am happy with what they are. I may buy another someday and do a camper van of some sort, or use just the cab and do a Class C Motorhome. Here's a shot of a Cab and Chassis setup.

In looking at the pictures on screen, I see some rough parts and some sink marks I missed but I don't want to start over. I'll finish polishing the paint this weekend.

I always like to create a backstory for my builds and this is no exception. I decided this would be the tow van for a small racing and car restoration team. I've also started a trailer for the team. Now back to the project. The original plan was to use Tamiya Camel Yellow, but I don't have enough. I did have Krylon's Sunrise Yellow and Citrus Green though. Plus, both are the old school quick drying type of Krylon. I went with the Citrus Green over white primer and wow! It's more yellow than green, and is close to the safety yellow of a worker's vest. It's also slightly transparent so it works best over white primer. Since the Citrus Green doesn't cover well, I used Duplicolor white primer over the pink Tamiya the other night. The next day I put in the sun to dry. This morning we were supposed to have light showers and clouds, but they held off and it was hot and sunny. I got impatient and made a rookie mistake. I shot the paint forgetting to fine sand the Duplicolor primer. That 'Sandable' in the name is more than just suggestion! Anyway I rushed the paint, put it back in the sun, and it was dry to the touch within three hours, right before the rain. That's when I noticed the paint was a bit lumpy due to the primer. After cooking in the sun I took a chance and broke out the Micro Mesh sanding pads. It's not perfect, but it'll do. Before taking these pictures, I masked the plastic side trim and reshot it in Duplicolor Hot Rod Primer because there was some overspray. The Hot Rod Primer is a dark gray. I like using this primer on plastic trim and on resin tires as it looks like rubber that's been used a bit. Anyway, this is today's progress, hope you like it.

Thanks, for the idea, I'll try ordering it directly. I do masking and painting in some cases, but I still like the look of BMF for some things.

I came across a few of these a while back and started planning a similar project. I did find that the body is a little shallow for a 1/24th engines to fit cleanly. I think a 1/25th flathead or similar should work nicely if that helps. If I ever remember where I put them, I want to put two together to make a longer version. I also found some 1 inch tall r/c aircraft wheels that looked about right. Can't remember the brand, but they were at Hobbytown and had machined aluminum centers.

Not sure, but I think it came out in 1996. I love rally cars!

Since Wild Bill's Hobby in Arlington Texas got bought out by Hobby Town some of the local Dallas/Fort Worth HT branches have started carrying some old stock kits. It this only a local thing? While in town today, I went to one in Hurst that I haven't visited before and came across this kit. It's something I've low-key been wanting for a while and for the price I couldn't say no. They also had some of the Doyusha Nostalgia Series kits that now I wish I'd gotten. They had the 73 Toyota Corona, a Mazda, and a 70 Honda 1300 99S.

Made a day trip to Dallas/Fort Worth today and saw a surprising number of Teslas.

I would so love to have one of those!

I need to get a new sheet of the black BMF, I know it has limitations, but I don't know of any better options.

I'm making small progress on the van. Last night I primed it in Duplicolor white sandable and this morning the primer felt a little soft still. No problem, our high today was 97, with bright sun and low humidity. A couple hours in nature's dehydrator and the primer was good and cooked. This afternoon with the primer dry I went ahead and did the gray side trim and started thinking of paint. I'm leaning towards a Marlboro scheme or something like the yellow van as I like yellow.