Ferbz Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 Thought I'd share one of my current projects. I'd been wanting to try this for years am finally giving it a go. I used two hardtops, some sheet styrene and putty to get it to this stage. One of the hardtops had a bow in the top surface for some reason and I did what I could to get it to work(including using more Plastic Wood putty than I normally like to use!) I think it'll work but progress will tell. Lots of work needed to get this to appear like a real wagon/delivery(interior cargo area work and some sort of functional looking tailgate). Plans call for a classic Larry Watson panel paint job in single stage colors(still debating which colors at the moment). I'll be sure to post more pics as I go.
PARTSMARTY Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 10 hours ago, Slotto said: very cool. I'll be following along X2
DumpyDan Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 Looks like it is sitting real nice, I will be there watching
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 Paint it black, put a landau bar on it & some graphics & you have a sweet custom hearse! Steve
GerN Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 (edited) Very good start. One problem with customs like this (and real vehicles) is that they tend to look tail heavy. A solution would be to slant the rear window more and do a split lift window and tailgate. You might play with the side view in GIMP (what I use) or Photoshop for fun. Just a thought. Another thought: looked at it again; maybe shorten the rear up to the top? Edited February 9, 2018 by GerN
ChrisBcritter Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 16 hours ago, Ferbz said: and some sort of functional looking tailgate Quickie photoshop I did while getting ideas for a '58 T-bird flower car/Ranchero, basically to see how a single-light setup looked:
Ferbz Posted February 9, 2018 Author Posted February 9, 2018 2 hours ago, ChrisBcritter said: Quickie photoshop I did while getting ideas for a '58 T-bird flower car/Ranchero, basically to see how a single-light setup looked: Nice idea! I was also looking at how some of the ford wagons' tailgates/tail lights look and work. Modifying the T bird to have a single tail light pod on each side makes sense and still keeps it looking like a Ford design. However, I have some ideas I want to try for custom tail lights that require the big oval spaces the T bird already has. I'll do some more head scratching......thanks for your insight! I think your idea could work nicely. Please post your progress once you start cutting into that plastic 18 hours ago, Dirty Dave said: I like it. Monogram kit? Yes, it's the old Monogram stand by kit. I was hoping they would have addressed some of the problems this kit has always had when they issued the custom version. Sadly, the poor fitment/alignment of the doors are still there, as are the sink marks in the sides of the front quarters. I spent some time attempting to improve these areas and hope the end result will be passable.
Ferbz Posted February 9, 2018 Author Posted February 9, 2018 3 hours ago, GerN said: Very good start. One problem with customs like this (and real vehicles) is that they tend to look tail heavy. A solution would be to slant the rear window more and do a split lift window and tailgate. You might play with the side view in GIMP (what I use) or Photoshop for fun. Just a thought. Another thought: looked at it again; maybe shorten the rear up to the top? All great ideas, thanks! I was considering slanting that rear window forward a bit, good call. I also like your split window/tailgate idea. I think that's how the real wagons work, yes? I was also considering chopping the top a bit more. I have about a 3" scale inch chop on it now. I'm just hesitant to cut that front windshield any more as I would begin to have some fitment issues with less glass to mount to the cowl. I did think of shortening the rear of the body like you mentioned, but I like the long length of the car. Whatever i end up deciding to do with that rear area it'll be(I hope)something that's believable and something that looks as 'factory' as possible.
Ferbz Posted February 9, 2018 Author Posted February 9, 2018 4 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said: Paint it black, put a landau bar on it & some graphics & you have a sweet custom hearse! Steve Haha! Maybe build it up as Evira's Hearse!
espo Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 You're off to a great start. I agree with some of the others about the rear overhang. A thought might be to look at the tailgate on say a '58 Ford wagon. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of the Ford design on the '58, but if you shortened the Quarter Panel sides about were the notch for the rear Bumper is and then brought the Tail Lamp area in so that it formed a Tailgate like a "58 Ford but with the Thunder Bird Tail Lights that might work. Ether way this is a great idea.
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Ferbz said: Haha! Maybe build it up as Evira's Hearse! I'm thinking maybe a salute to the "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" movie. Maybe a "Bring out Your Dead" graphic on the side. Steve
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 9, 2018 Posted February 9, 2018 I really like this concept! I'm not into customs at all, but this one has really piqued my interest. I'll definitely be interested in watching! My only suggestion........please stay away from the giant chrome wheels, & for God's sake, no bright greens or purples!! It's been done to death!! Steve
Ferbz Posted February 10, 2018 Author Posted February 10, 2018 2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said: I really like this concept! I'm not into customs at all, but this one has really piqued my interest. I'll definitely be interested in watching! My only suggestion........please stay away from the giant chrome wheels, & for God's sake, no bright greens or purples!! It's been done to death!! Steve Thanks Steve! Not a problem with your suggestions...I'm into old school traditional customs. The whitewalls and wheels you see in the pics are what I'll be using, and as far paint jobs go, I try to stick to what is usual for the style/era my builds represent. I also try to stay away from whatever colors are trending.
Ferbz Posted February 10, 2018 Author Posted February 10, 2018 3 hours ago, espo said: You're off to a great start. I agree with some of the others about the rear overhang. A thought might be to look at the tailgate on say a '58 Ford wagon. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of the Ford design on the '58, but if you shortened the Quarter Panel sides about were the notch for the rear Bumper is and then brought the Tail Lamp area in so that it formed a Tailgate like a "58 Ford but with the Thunder Bird Tail Lights that might work. Ether way this is a great idea. Thanks for the suggestions! I have indeed been looking at Ford wagons and trying to figure out how i can get a similar factory look while keeping as much of the T bird style intact. Stay tuned...!
Modelbuilder Mark Posted February 10, 2018 Posted February 10, 2018 Would not have considered this. Cool idea.
dino246gt Posted February 10, 2018 Posted February 10, 2018 That single tail light photoshop looks amazingly good, and so I'm surprised that it's never been done, at least I've never seen it in scale or full sized, but I like it and it looks like a natural!
Ferbz Posted April 9, 2018 Author Posted April 9, 2018 A little of progress on this: I shot a couple coats of primer just to see how the body work was looking(spot putty/block sanding I ended up deciding on keeping the rear window/tailgate/tail light area pretty much how I originally envisioned it. I really wanted to keep the big capsule shaped tail light openings as well as not make the top any longer rearward as I thought it might make that rear area feel too heavy. The rear window/tailgate surfaces closely match and line up with the angle of the rear bumper's licence plate area. I wont actually cut open a tailgate and make it functional, but will scribe in the tailgate lines into the 'deck' surface above the tail lights. In my mind the 'deck'/top surface of the tail lights and rear window would rotate upwards as a single unit. I think it looks cool/odd, sort of like a concept car from the era if you get my meaning I'll keep going on it and see where it ends up...
GerN Posted April 9, 2018 Posted April 9, 2018 It looks quite a bit better in primer! That rear hatch would be a beast, though. Good decision not to try to open it!
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