Vintage 68 VW Hover Car

[Daxman]

I started another hover car. It needs a clever name. I'm all ears if anyone has a good suggestion. Vintage 68 Hover Bug........

This started out as a hover race craft. I envisioned bright graphics like you'd see on a formula 1. If you guys have seen any of my other posts, you'll know that my finished models usually look quite a bit different than what I begin with.

Styrene shavings and cat hair for that " just finished a race look"

I added some fins on the top, cut from another VW Bug's rear trunk lid.

I wanted it to have a lowered stance while in flight. I had pictured a black, white and red racing graphics with racing numbers and sponsor decals. I imagined it as if it had just finished a race. Heavy soot from the turbines. Grease and oil on the engines. Maybe a little damage from other hover race craft.

The fins on the top, direct air into the rear engine cover via hinged vents. I remember as a teenager, the cool VW Bugs at my high school always had their rear hood lifted for air cooling. Similar thing here, except the vents lead to some massive air intakes on the back of the engines.

I got stalled at this point on the graphics and decals. I spent weeks trying to come up with race style graphics. Was I going to use decals? How am I going to get good paint lines with multiple colors? This was all out of my zone. So I started looking into vintage style......

 

I'll be painting the inner rims bright red. The center caps will be chrome. The front will have white painted similar to the rear white walls.

 

I will be weathering it. It's a daily flier! Slight rust. Slight paint fade. Dirt in the crevasses. Soot. Good stuff.

[DEL]

Now THAT'S some imagination combined with some dang fine fab work.  Excellent, sir!

[Brizio]

Looks good!

[Daxman]

Here's the progress from tonight. Also some pictures of the rear engine. Going to put fins or a throttle plate inside the large rear intakes. I hope to add wires and hoses everywhere in the engine compartment.

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Does anyone know what the two center intakes are made from?

The rear rim and hub cap will be set farther inside the tub. The rims will be red and the cap will be chrome.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Daxman
added photo

[afx]

Looks like another great build in the works.

[Daxman]

I painted the rims. Love the colors. I saw something in the photos that I didn't notice earlier. The white walls were supposed to have the same outer circumference. I see now that I shouldn't have painted the outermost ring on the front rim. It makes the front white walls appear larger. I'll need to paint the outer ring with gunmetal.

I need to clean up some of the paint lines!!

I want to add some white and red highlights. Not too much. I was thinking about painting the blades on the intakes white with a small red highlight line.

[bisc63]

Love your builds! A bug that hovers...Dragonfly? Skeeter? Oh, one of my favorite words from the old-timers around here; they used to call dragonflies " Snake Doctors", I have no idea why, but I dig the sound of it.

[GerN]

The air intakes remind me of bumper bits from a Cadillac, but my memory isn't good enough to be specific.  Another outstanding build!  Have you done a 2CV hovercraft yet?

[Daxman]

On 4/7/2018 at 8:50 AM, GerN said:

The air intakes remind me of bumper bits from a Cadillac, but my memory isn't good enough to be specific.  Another outstanding build!  Have you done a 2CV hovercraft yet?

You would be 100% correct! They are the bumper bits from a 59 El Dorado. I knew that bumper would come in handy someday. I have not tried a 2CV.

 

Since the Bug now has a So Cal style, I decided to go a little farther with the theme. What's more So Cal than a surfboard and roof rack? How about a jetboard and roof rack?

 

 

I started looking up places to buy a 1/24 scale surfboard. Decided it would be quicker to make it myself out of some thick Styrene. Good decision, it didn't take long and turned out fine.  I don't know what I'll be using for the Jetboard's turbines, but I've got some temporary thrusters in these photos. 

I need to buy some smaller diameter Styrene rod to start the roof rack. I'm not looking forward to starting that little project.

 

Thanks for the comments! They keep me motivated.

 

[GerN]

For the surf board's thrusters, you could check out the Hot Wheels racks - some of their wheels might work (and cheaply!)

[Daxman]

Just finished putting the roof rack together. Threw a coat of primer on it.  A smaller diameter Styrene rod would have looked better, but overall I'm VERY happy with it. I'll work on some brackets that'll hold it to the roof. Then paint. 

 

 

[afx]

Really like your paint finish, can I ask what paint you use?

[Daxman]

10 hours ago, afx said:

Really like your paint finish, can I ask what paint you use?

I started using Vallejo Acrylics 2-3 years ago. They're perfect for people like me who have no patience to wait for enamels to dry. I can airbrush a part and be handling it within a few minutes. The VW has been sanded with 400 grit.

 

I applied some color to the roof rack.

 

 

 

[Oldcarfan27]

On 4/8/2018 at 4:06 PM, Daxman said:

I started looking up places to buy a 1/24 scale surfboard. Decided it would be quicker to make it myself out of some thick Styrene. Good decision, it didn't take long and turned out fine.  I don't know what I'll be using for the Jetboard's turbines, but I've got some temporary thrusters in these photos. 

That's funny, a surfboard that never touches water! Next, how about a skateboard with no wheels.

Very creative project. 

[afx]

If you haven't seen Treasure Planet you should.  It might give you some build ideas and it's a great movie.

[mustang1989]

Very cool & very interesting build goin' on in here.

[Day 2 Muscle]

On 4/9/2018 at 11:47 PM, Daxman said:

J

 

 

 

This is way cool!! If I may, I'd like to remark on something that to me just doesn't look right. The rear fender arc looks at odds with the {wheel}? To me it needs the same arc. Just a thought.

 

Robert

[Daxman]

16 hours ago, Day 2 Muscle said:

This is way cool!! If I may, I'd like to remark on something that to me just doesn't look right. The rear fender arc looks at odds with the {wheel}? To me it needs the same arc. Just a thought.

 

Robert

I think I know what you're talking about with the wheel arch. When I took the previous photos, the body wasn't tight against the frame. I took some new photos tonight to show off the interior. The  body is a little closer and the wheel arch fits a little better.

Working on a fuel tank. I figure it would burn a ton of jet fuel. The stock VW tank isn't going to cut it. I'll add a fuel filler line to the exterior and might try to hinge the fuel door.

Lots of hinged things. Still working on these.

The rear intakes needed something interesting. I put in two throttle plates. I think they look really cool!!

 

I spend a lot of time putting my models into their final stance. Mocking up what it will look like when complete.  I'm sure that you all do the same. A few months ago, my wife brought home some Locktite Fun-Tak mounting tabs. She told me that it looked like something I could use. It works great for temporarily holding on parts that you're not ready to glue. It's holding the rear wings in the photos above. It does leave a residue, but seems to come off easily.

Thanks for looking!!!

 

[Daxman]

Almost done. That means I'll probably be another month before it's finished.

On 4/16/2018 at 9:27 AM, Day 2 Muscle said:

This is way cool!! If I may, I'd like to remark on something that to me just doesn't look right. The rear fender arc looks at odds with the {wheel}? To me it needs the same arc. Just a thought.

 

Robert

 

I took another look at the wheel arch as Robert mentioned. I carved away some of the fender flare and added some mechanical pieces to give the underside of the fenders more detail. It looks much better. Thanks for the suggestion.

Added a large fuel container under the hood with some wires and hoses. I need to clean up the seam on the gas tank.

In these photos, many of the parts are still not glued on. I hope to add black and chrome to the window trim. I need to make mounts for the roof rack. Lots of touch up painting and some slight weathering. I would like it to have road grime and grease. Some streaks of rust, but not too much.

I may paint the small detailed edge of the fins white. Been thinking about it since I first started fitting them to the car.

 I was hesitant to paint the interior red. I do not like red interiors on cars at all. Plus the car being blue, I just didn't think it would look good. My wife and kids talked me into it and I'm shocked at how well the red interior goes with the look of the car. I plan to add some window stickers and a medium tint to the rear 3 windows.

 

Thanks for looking!!!

[David G.]

Fantastic work!

I love the whole Dystopian-Retro-Future-Steampunk style.

David G.

[unclescott58]

A very cool bug! 

[Daxman]

Nearly done. I'm not 100% happy with the jetboard. It doesn't match the ascetic of the car. I've painted it a few times already. If I can't get it right, I may not include it on the completed model. 

 

I'll keep the roof rack if I decide to not use the jetboard.

[Ryansrust6]

Those are so cool great imagination I wanna build one so bad perhaps I will nice work

[Ich_Will]

It reminds me a lot of the hover bug my dad had when I was growing up. LOL.  I never would have thought to turn a Beetle into a hover car. Very well thought out, executed and extremely imaginative. I love the roof rack. I'm a 1:1 VW head so to me this is very very cool.