Dann Tier Posted December 5, 2019 Posted December 5, 2019 I think it will flow, and look better than George Barris's RR version......cant wait to see more!!
David G. Posted December 6, 2019 Author Posted December 6, 2019 23 hours ago, Dann Tier said: I think it will flow, and look better than George Barris's RR version......cant wait to see more!! Thanks Dann. It's funny you should mention the Rolls Beetle, I actually had that one in mind when I thought about the Cord nose. And since you asked, here's more! I got the nose trimmed down for a better fit to the Bug body. You can also see the air intake ducts that will be fed by the side scoops. For such an unholy mash-up, the profile seems to work fairly well. This is probably one of the more intimidating (or silly) VW Beetles I've seen. I have to find a way to widen the hood at the back for a better fit. I'm considering three options. 1. Cut it in half down the center and add a wedge of plastic in between the two halves. 2. Cut each of the sides and add the material there. 3. Build the sides out by adding additional material without cutting anything. Yes, I do realize that the width at the back of the nose piece doesn't allow for complete steering travel of the front wheels. Maybe it's just a straight-line drag race exhibition car. Maybe it's a Barris show rod, just kidding. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.
Dann Tier Posted December 8, 2019 Posted December 8, 2019 I thinks its working GREAT!!!, if it were me, i'd split the sides at the top corners almost all the way to the end, then fill in the space with styrene and filler.
bisc63 Posted December 16, 2019 Posted December 16, 2019 Hope you haven't given up on this fun project!
David G. Posted December 16, 2019 Author Posted December 16, 2019 On 12/7/2019 at 11:20 PM, Dann Tier said: I thinks its working GREAT!!!, if it were me, i'd split the sides at the top corners almost all the way to the end, then fill in the space with styrene and filler. Thank you Dann. The Cord pieces that I'm working with came in a model car junk yard that I bought through E-bay in 2009. The newest contained in that lot was the AMT Thunderbolt One monster truck from the early 80's, so I'm guessing that the original Cord kit may be as old as forty or fifty years. I've been fiddling about with some of the other pieces from that kit and they do seem rather brittle. In any case, I've decided that once I get the nose in a fixed position, I'll try to build out the sides of the hood rather than cut it. It may be more work in some ways but there'll be less chance of a catastrophic failure that way. 9 hours ago, bisc63 said: Hope you haven't given up on this fun project! Thanks for checking in Rusty. No, I haven't given up on this one. At least not yet. Mostly I've been working on making some techno-clutter for the interior and getting the front bodywork into a fixed, stable position so I can get it mated to the rest of the body and blended together. That's about all for now. Thank you for your continued interest. David G.
David G. Posted December 22, 2019 Author Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) On 12/16/2019 at 11:47 AM, Dann Tier said: Still lovin it!!....looks GREAT, bud!!! Thanks Dann! Here's another update. I made some backing plates for the side air scoops. These will help direct air into the collector tubes for engine cooling. I needed to add some structural integrity. Happily, with a little bit of grinding... ...I was able to adapt the trunk floor to fit into the new nose section. Now I'm off to finish up the interior and start on the body work. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please always feel free to comment. David G. Edited December 22, 2019 by David G. typo
Claude Thibodeau Posted December 22, 2019 Posted December 22, 2019 Hi David! Well, it certainly redefines the word "mashup". And to say it started during a sleeples night! Keep on, interesting and funny at once... CT
bisc63 Posted December 22, 2019 Posted December 22, 2019 As much as I love the body mods, it's almost a shame to cover the interior up now! I like the tube-buggy look of you pic above. Kool stuff!
espo Posted December 23, 2019 Posted December 23, 2019 I think the idea of adding the material to the sides of the hood will make for a stronger hood. You have put a lot of planning and effort into the air intakes, but as Rusty (bisc63) mentioned it may be a better idea to keep the engine and interior details more visible. What if the actual intakes connected to a scoop just below the rear window and the standard glass were left in the sides ? That way all of your interior work is visible.
David G. Posted December 24, 2019 Author Posted December 24, 2019 Thank you all for sticking with me on this project. Finding the will to work on it is a bit easier when I know that there are people who are interested in what I'm doing. Dann and Claude, thank you for your encouragement. David and Rusty, I'm pleasantly surprised by your suggestions regarding the interior. My original intent was just to throw some clutter in there to have something more to look at than a seat and steering wheel. I didn't worry too much about it since I figured that most of it would be covered by the body anyway. Now I'm thinking of ways to modify my plans for the body to reveal more of the interior that was originally intended to be little more than a suggestion. That's why I enjoy builds like this one. They tend to be stories that write themselves as one goes along. I do want to keep the scoops as they are. There's a kind of schlocky seventies custom look about them that I like. Also they kind of fit in with the whole aircraft theme I'm working toward, at least in my mind. My first thought, in keeping with the aircraft theme, was a sort of cockpit canopy. I quickly realized that that was way more work than I wanted to put into this pile of spare parts. And honestly, a bit on the overkill side. The next idea was a rat rod style slat top but that doesn't fit too well with the direction I want to go. That lead me to a VW factory sun roof. It would be a fairly easy modification, have a justifiable explanation and wouldn't detract from the theme of the build. That thought also lead me to a Herbie style cloth top but there again... More work than I want to do, and would probably reveal more of the interior than I want, causing me to feel the need to add more refined detail. So, here's the final version of the lightly weathered, detail painted, chassis portion of the Karma Bug interior. As always, thanks for the support and suggestions. David G.
espo Posted December 24, 2019 Posted December 24, 2019 21 minutes ago, Stef said: Loving where this build is going... I don't think that Spoopy would be flying the Red Barons plane, just saying. Other than that it's a quite idea.
David G. Posted December 24, 2019 Author Posted December 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Stef said: Loving where this build is going... That. Is. Awesome! Thanks for making that Stef. It's just too cool! David G.
Stef Posted December 24, 2019 Posted December 24, 2019 3 hours ago, espo said: I don't think that Spoopy would be flying the Red Barons plane, just saying. Other than that it's a quite idea. You know what they say about "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain", heh.
Stef Posted December 24, 2019 Posted December 24, 2019 2 hours ago, David G. said: That. Is. Awesome! Thanks for making that Stef. It's just too cool! David G. My pleasure, David. This BUILD. Is. Awesome! I want to build the same; the Cord nose is just too perfect on this battle bug. Fantastic imagination, creativity, and execution. Can't wait to see her finished!
David G. Posted January 2, 2020 Author Posted January 2, 2020 On 12/26/2019 at 12:31 AM, Dann Tier said: Perfect subtle weathering, Bud!!! Thanks Dann, it's one of my favorite model-related things to do. That and detail painting. Now it's on to one of my least favorite model building tasks, filling, filing, sanding and painting. The actual work of it is really not too bad, it's the waiting for materials to cure for the next round of filing and sanding. This is usually where I start another project to fill the wait times. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.
David G. Posted January 11, 2020 Author Posted January 11, 2020 (edited) Not much progress to report. I'm still working on shaping the hood and it's a slog. I'm spending almost all my time on the hood because without this, nothing else works. I tend to over build then reduce to fit. It's getting there. Thank you all for your support and kind comments. David G. Edited January 11, 2020 by David G. The type size is doing weird things.
Dann Tier Posted January 11, 2020 Posted January 11, 2020 Its looking GREAT, Bud!!!!, i too like to slightly overbuild, and shape it.
Cpt Tuttle Posted January 12, 2020 Posted January 12, 2020 This is an absolutely amazing and lovely build, no question about it. And I love Cragars and your build will look awesome on them too, so don't take this as any criticism or like if I was telling you about how to do as a builder. But, given that this has a Beetle body, with its origins in the 1930s, with a Cord nose (about as close as you got to "the car of the future - today" in the 30s, and I guess that I don't have to mention why), and is powered by aircraft technology from the pre-jet era, and you also mention that you're aiming for wastelandish looks, I can't stop thinking that this has very much of a dieselpunk vibe. Considering that, I would have thought about something older if this was my build, maybe some tall and skinny wires or something like that, just to complete the looks. It's not like you need the traction of wide wheels and slicks when you don't have driven wheels anyway. Narrow wheels will also have a positive impact on air- and rolling resistance. But if you like the Cragars, go for the Cragars, I am not bashing them either and it is your build and you are the one that should be satisfied. It will look ace either way!
Cool Hand Posted January 12, 2020 Posted January 12, 2020 Interesting build, some great imagineering. Makes me think of the cartoon Wacky Racers I use to watch as a kid.
geetee66 Posted January 12, 2020 Posted January 12, 2020 Fantastic custom kitbash LSD trip of a build, David.! I love it. are you going to rivet some panels? Archer fine transfers, do 3D waterslide strips of rivets, welds and louvres (but you probably know that already)
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