Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Recommended Posts

Posted

Fabrication on the rear arms and mounts are done. I need to go to the hardware store to get some O-Rings so I can convert the kit shocks to a set of Shockwaves.

 

 

Unfortunately to get this to lay pan, I needed to notch the back wall of the interior to clear the shock mounts. I could have reshaped the mounts, but I really liked how they looked, plus they are done.

Posted (edited)

I painted some more parts and screwed up the wheels. To get the paint even and to flow out, I had to give them some heavy coats. They came out darker than I wanted, if you look at them in direct light they are a really nice shade of green. Unfortunately they get very little light are almost look black when mounted on the car.

 

PA251015%20Medium_zps0bssipwz.jpg

 

PA251014%20Medium_zpsbhxtkbcf.jpg

 

I also painted the valve covers, pulleys, and oil pan. Does anyone know what the belt is supposed to represent on this kit? The area inside the belt was solid and raised. A cover maybe? I cut it out so it's just a belt and pulleys, I still need to paint the belt black and touch up some green on the block and oil pan..

 

PA251016%20Medium_zps5lgzqteo.jpg

 

Edited by Psychographic
Posted

On the belt cover, this would probably an after market add on. This was common on a modified VW. OEM's didn't have a cover. With the Turbo setup you might not even notice that the cover is gone, or even if it would be needed. I see what you mean about the wheel color. The one picture you can just see that it is green and not black. The body modifications are very well done and give a very balanced look to the body.

Posted

I added some flanges to the header, this really made it look better as the plastic is somewhat tapered and rounded on the ends of the kit part.

 

 

The additional height I added to the body made the seats look tiny. I added to the backs of them to start out with.

 

 

In this pic you can get an idea of just how green the wheels are by looking at the front wheel.

 

 

 

Posted

It was time to get the roof to fit the body properly. I laid down two strips of aluminum flashing tape, put a liberal amount of styrene bondo on the bottom edge of the roof, set it in place and left it alone to dry.

 

 

Once it's dry I work an exacto knife between the tape and the body and carefully pry it off, it usually pops right off.That leaves you with an almost exact fit to the contour of the body.

 

 

I let this dry another day and sand to shape.

 

 

Hey look at that, an opening door. It doesn't work properly, but it does open and close.

 

 

The backbone and pan are one piece and ready for a little bondo.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted

It was time to get the roof to fit the body properly. I laid down two strips of aluminum flashing tape, put a liberal amount of styrene bondo on the bottom edge of the roof, set it in place and left it alone to dry.

 

 

 

Once it's dry I work an exacto knife between the tape and the body and carefully pry it off, it usually pops right off.That leaves you with an almost exact fit to the contour of the body.

 

Clever idea! If you'd put a little mold release agent or wax on the tape, your roof would have popped right off even easier. And if you'd used BMF instead of aluminum tape (thinner), the shape would have been even closer. But your principle is sound. I've recently been thinking of trying something like this myself--good to see that it works! Model on! B)

Posted

The tape trick works with crepe masking tape also, but the styrene bondo sticks to the the crepe tape much stronger than it does the aluminum. Foil would give a slightly better fit, but the cost of BMF to a roll of flashing tape makes it a better choice for me.

 

I'm going to finish hanging the other door today, then I'm going to have to take a break on this build and finish the last one. The last build needs to have the interior finished and I've been putting off dealing with the PE seatbelt hardware, but it needs to be done before I damage something  as I have a very small area I'm working in.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Now this is my idea of true model building, it's all about creating art & improvising - almost anyone can slap a replica together, with a little skill, & 1000 pics; but this kind of stuff comes from passion & a vision - looking great so far - thanks !  

Posted (edited)
 

 

Any idea what color you are going to paint this?

Green. What shade(s)of it? I have no idea right now.

Looking very cool!Are there pix of the yellow custom posted anywhere?

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/116287-der-beetle-bus/

 

 

Thanks for the comments everyone.

 

Work has been slow in this as I got a bit sidetracked on a pretty wild (well, I think it's pretty wild) looking 68 Corvette.

 

When the door opened it would ride up the curve of the bottom edge. I decided to cut a notch into the bottom for clearance. The minute I had it all pieced back together, I looked at it and said "You fool, why not just make the cut higher and follow the curve". As blind luck was with me, I opened the door and the notch fit into the fender perfectly. For once, one of my screw ups was for the good. I then cut and hung the other door.

 

PB231099%20Medium_zpszhbdbpg2.jpg

 

I added the bottom corners from the Vette along with some strips of half round to fill in the back a little more. I also made a frame for a back window along with a pattern for a clear window, and a lip over the engine shroud.

 

PB231100%20Medium_zpsezc6nfo7.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by Psychographic
Posted

I like where you are going with this.  Just not sure about the front tire width.

I agree...... but not my project ...just my 2 cents

It's an Awesome idea and very well done...!     I'm interested in the outcome...!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...