Harry P.

Remember how I smoothed out the gas tank and removed all of the molded-in external details so I could create a more realistic tank? Well, obviously once I got the tank smooth I had to re-create all of that "lost" detail. If you look at the photo I posted of the painted tank, you can see those circular mounting pads on the sides of the tank. I was trying to figure out how to create them. First I thought I'd use thin slices of Plastruct or Evergreen styrene rod, but the LHS didn't have anything nearly big enough, diameter-wise. So I went with plan B. A while ago I bought a bag of "googly eyes" at Hobby Lobby because I needed a dome-shaped piece for a model I was working on, and the "lens" of the googly eyes was the perfect solution: Anyway... I have a bunch of the eyes left over, and after going through my stash of miscellaneous stuff it dawned on me that the "pupils" of those googly eyes would be the perfect thing to recreate those round disks on the side of the gas tank! The moral of the story: Detail parts can be found in the strangest places!

Thanks, guys. Skip, not quite sure on the headlight stone guards yet. I'll figure it out when I get to that point... First I have to create the external fuel lines and all the various mounting straps around the gas tank. More phots as they become available...

Man, all of this vintage race car stuff makes me feel like reposting my 1907 Fiat!

I hope the giant KISS rubber band isn't part of the final body work... B)

Most Americans don't buy "bare bones" cars. They don't sell well here, so very few are available.

Yeah, but remember, your whole country is about the size of New York City! Americans do a lot more long-distance commuting and long trips in general... and they expect cars with a lot of creature comforts. For better or worse, the American market expects things like automatic, fancy audio system, power everything, etc. as pretty much a given. The way Europeans like their cars equipped would never sell here in the states. It's a completely different mindset.

Ok, this may sound like a stupid question, but I'm serious: How do you build so cleanly? When I look at the photos of the engine and chassis, the execution looks literally flawless. I know that you had to have handled the chassis a lot while you were adding all the detail. Whenever I do a lot of detail, I inevitably wind up with scratches, smears, fingerprints, etc. How do you avoid it? Do you wear gloves wheile you build? Do you use some sort of jig or gizmo to hold the chassis while you build? I don't see a blob or smear of glue anywhere! What do you use to apply glue? I think a few tips on how you manage to build so cleanly would be a great help to a lot of people here. I don't mean the actual detail or aftermarket parts, but how you manage to do it all so cleanly.

No, I think he meant literally going back to the old Beetle. As far as that Nissan, too bad they put such a grotesque body on what, according to you guys who are into Japanese cars, is a great car underneath. Some of the current Japanese styling trends remind me of those cheesy Japanese anime monsters and robots...

Yeah, but I tnink Boreham was sort of saying that the old Beetle should make a comeback. That'll never happen, of course... automotive technology rarely progresses backwards! I don't think the marketing guys at VW see a big future in a redesigned Beetle with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine and manual roll-up windows! What next? The useless heater, too???

If the Beetle has gone a bit "upscale" as Boreham suggests, this seems like the perfect car to step into the Beetle's old marketing slot.

Too late... it was already blown when I got it... Anyway, a little progress. Front and rear axles and shocks are installed. I added most of the external gas tank details, still a few miscellaneous mounting straps and brackets to make. The blocks on the top of the tank are where the fuel lines will mount to. I heated the seat cushions over a candle flame and then used my finger to push down on them and give them a little "sag"... the seats were then assembled and painted with darkish green craft paint acrylics that I mixed, then I added a black wash to give the seats a little character:

I remember just before Segways first came out... there was a huge amount of hype and "teasers" and all sorts of pronouncements on how this was going to be the biggest thing ever! It was going to completely revolutionize the world! The hype was so overblown, we all thought we were going to see some sort of life-changing reset of reality or something. Turns out it was an electric scooter.

Not into Japanese cars, sorry.

Ha ha! He said upchuck... That Suzuki is definitely a girly car (in fact it would also make the perfect clown car), but that other car (Mazda?) is just plain ugly!

I was going to post new photos today but the model is currently propped up in a sort of "unphotographable" position while certain parts dry. New photos tomorrow for sure!

What a deal! There are a couple on ebay right now going for a lot more than that!

Hmmmmm... you sound like you'd be a lot happier living in a different country...

So you guys are both into NBA players?

It does bring up some interesting questions and possibilities.

If driverless cars catch on, will you need a license to "drive" one? I mean, you'd basically be a passenger just sitting there. I wonder how they would deal with that question?

Ok, at nearly FIVE YEARS OLD, this definitely wins the "Most Ancient Thread Bumped Back Up to the Top" Award for today...

From John Stossel/Fox Business: Nevada Legalizes Self-Driving Cars By John Stossel Published June 25, 2011 | FoxNews.com I reported earlier this year about a cool new technology: cars that drive themselves. Google already designed one, and it drove more than a thousand miles on public roads using just a computer chip and a sensor to detect other cars. It only crashed once, and in that case it was rear-ended while it was stopped at a red light. So why can't you buy one yet? Because they're illegal. Outdated government rules in every state require a driver always to be in control of the wheel. But today, Nevada – at Google's urging – became the first state to pass a bill that allows driverless cars. Wow--a government that actually repealed a law. It could have a big impact. According to transportation expert Randal O'Toole, self-driving cars could safely drive close together at higher speeds, since computers have better reaction times than people. About 6,000 robot cars could drive on highways that currently supports 2,000 regular cars – and that means fewer traffic jams, less congestion and fewer idling cars wasting fuel. We should stop wasting taxpayer money on high-speed rail and move to this cleaner, more convenient technology, that's just around the corner. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cars that can drive themselves! Good or bad? What do you think?

I agree with that statement 100%! And I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the members here feel the same way. Commenting on the model itself isn't the issue. The issue (at least as I saw it) was the personal attacks aimed at John (both obvious and "disguised"). Statements like (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I thought you took more pride in your work than that" or "I think this model is nothing but an excercise in self-indulgence" are clearly aimed at the builder personally, not commentary on the model. That's what the controversial issue is here... not the comments regarding the model, either pro or con, but the snarky personal jabs some people were so eager to add into their comments. Again, let's not confuse the issue here. We all agree (well, most of us...) that everyone has the right to freely comment on any posted work here, no matter how big a name in the hobby the person who posted may be...and the right to point out flaws or mistakes if they want to do that. But do we really need to add the petty personal jabs, too? I don't think so.

The flower vase (which was also a feature of the first Beetles way back when) is history.

I think it's a nice progression from the previous design. Still looks like a Beetle, but a little more aggressive.