Der Beetle Bus XL-426 Hemi Build Up Complete-12/23

[mustang1989]

I picked this kit up a couple of weeks ago because it was IMO just too dang cool. This one will be a sideline build when I either get stumped on or waiting for paint to dry for my current aircraft project, in which right now I'm waiting on paint to dry and trying to figure out some fit issues with it so I figured I'd start this thread. I'm not going to get as crazy as I did with my '54 Chevy just because I don't want something that in depth. But I do want to have some fun with this one so here goes.

Der Beetle Bus:



Now when I opened up the box I looked at the body and knew right away that this body was not going to fly at all. The wheel base is ridiculously short for my tastes and it would look more like a cartoon van than an actual vehicle. Here's where we start:



and I just couldn't leave it like that so I bought another kit and went to work:



Cutting the bodies at just the right points yielded a wheel base that I could live with



Top view of the difference it made:



and the side view :



and so it starts. Here's the set up I want to go with. Slicks and skinnies with my favorite kind of wheels. The ol' Weld Draglites:

This..................is more like it.







Body work and smoothing things out will commence shortly. I will have to lengthen the roof and the chassis to follow suit with the body so more on the way.............

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2016 by mustang1989

[Psychographic]

It's an infectious little kit isn't it? I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this. It's funny looking at your pic with the ruler, you added about as much as I took out of mine.

[cobraman]

Cool project. Looks like that kit has a lot of potential. I see one in my future. : )

[mustang1989]

Dave: Thanks and yes sir it is a catchy lil' kit. Hopefully I'll be able to follow suit with the chassis and roof about as easily as the body. lol

Ray: Thank you as well and ............go for it! Seems like a lot of folks are building this one.

[mustang1989]

Started on the chassis this morning. Here's what we had to work with OOB:



A couple of cuts and some trimming later yielded the correction:



Again, clean up will happen soon but I've gotta make sure this all works before any cosmetic work gets done. I did, however, get rid of those bumps for foot pedals. I think I can come up with something better than that.

 

[DumpyDan]

Cool project, gonna be watching

[KWT]

Uh oh... Joe is at it again...

Let me say this, I am intrigued....

[mustang1989]

Thanks Dan and Jeremy.

Ok. That extra long rectangular opening in the floor is gonna mandate an engine that'll fill it. Don't think I haven't "been there" in thought. I'll be turning to Rick Dobbertin's blown, turbo'd and nitrous fed small block 350 for this using the Revell Pro Street J2000 kit. Now I just need to get one:

The engine looks somthing like this:

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2016 by mustang1989

[mustang1989]

SNAGGED IT!!! $22.00 off of ebay!! Looks like we're movin' forward with that engine build!!!!

.

 

 

[Yo Jutt]

This looks wild!! Like that you decided to lengthen it!

[Intmd8r]

SNAGGED IT!!! $22.00 off of ebay!! Looks like we're movin' forward with that engine build!!!!

 

Sounds like you got a deal!

I don't think I've ever seen a complete, unbuilt version of this kit for anything less than $65

[mustang1989]

Thanks Justin.

Steve: I know right??! On ebay these things go anywhere from $55 to $120!!!!!!!

[disconovaman]

Nice! I'm so glad the door has opened up for these kits... loads of potential.  Initially I was afraid these would get overlooked agian and either get discontinued or be real expensive in the future. But everyone seems to be taking a shine to the kit now. 

I heard that Dobbertin's J 2000 was getting repopped, can anyone confirm that?

Lovin what I'm seeing already And I can't wait to see more.

[mustang1989]

Thanks Anthony. I don't know about the J2000 getting released again but I know that the engine that's in the J2000 kit will be in the re-release of the 1988 Beretta Pro Street kit coming in November. It'll be short on turbo chargers though from what I understand.

[mustang1989]

Don't know what happened with that last post....................weird..

Edited September 30, 2016 by mustang1989

[mustang1989]

Let's try that again

[KWT]

Awesome score.. I remember seeing that one years ago, but let it get away... The beretta too... gonna snag the rerelease for sure.

[OldNYJim]

What a cool build!  So many Beetle Buses on here lately!!

[Psychographic]

Nice score on the J2000. That engine should look pretty wild in the bus. You should make a side door that opens to see it.

[mustang1989]

Jeremy: Go for it!

James: I noticed that. At first I didn't like 'em at all and then somewhere along the line they grew on me and then I got an idea. The rest is in the WIP. lol

Dave: Thank you sir. I would but there's so many dang windows and then the opening in the top. Believe me..........it's gonna be seen.

[mustang1989]

Posted by mustang1989 on Friday, September 30, 2016 4:37 PM

I'm going to try something out here. I was brain storming for a different look than the vehicle being "jacked up" in the back. I want more of a lowered looking stance so I've got this spare '54 Chevy Panel Wagon body and decided to check something out. What if I cut the rear wheel opening out like so,

and then trimmed the bottom up so that it evened out at the body line on both sides of the wheel opening. I think I might be able to flatten this out a bit to get away from the body curvature, thin it out some to where everything is flush on both sides and graph this in because l like the way this is lookin' so far.

[OldNYJim]

Looks GREAT!  What a cool idea!  Is the rear end a lot wider than the body currently?

[crazyrichard]

dude , cool , now it relly looks like a shorty van instead of a funny proportion .. still hort but i like this way better :).. love the wheel well in the rear as well ! keep it up

[Psychographic]

Those rear wheelwells look great. I think you'll need to square up the fronts to match, just my opinion.

[mustang1989]

Thanks James, Richard and Dave.

I've given thought to that Dave. I'll see how it all pans out and I'll make a decision from there. And this was going to be a lightly modified OOB build................whatever!!! lol