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Posted
On 1/11/2020 at 11:33 AM, Dann Tier said:

Its looking GREAT, Bud!!!!, i too like to slightly overbuild, and shape it.

Thanks Dann,. Great minds and all, right?

6 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

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! :)

No worries Mattias. In fact, I'm quite impressed by your observations- the way you tie all the design elements together. As I was piecing this heap together, I honestly didn't give it that much thought. I guess my design plan came together on more of a subconscious level. Now that you point out the way the individual elements work together, I can see what you mean.

The rear wheels are actually supposed to be driven wheels. As I was building the chassis, it seemed to me that the propeller alone might not provide enough of the right kind of thrust to effectively move the vehicle, so I worked in a gear box between the radial engine and VW transaxle. The idea being that the radial engine is primarily used for driving the rear wheels and the builders decided to use the prop as a power supplement, an extra push if you will. That, and... well, it's a car with a propeller, does there need to be another reason? :D

Based on your idea, reducing rolling resistance for a solely prop-driven vehicle makes sense. I see the merit of your suggestion but I do like the mags as they are. Thanks.

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I probably should close up the gap between the radial engine shroud and the gear box.

6 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

Interesting build, some great imagineering.

Makes me think of the cartoon Wacky Racers I use to watch as a kid.

I think I remember that cartoon Luke. Was that the one with Penelope Pittstop and Snidley Wiplash? Thanks for the compliment too.

David G.

Posted
45 minutes ago, geetee66 said:

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)

Thanks Guy! I plan on putting a rivet strip between the sides of the front segment and main body just ahead of the doors. My intent is to help hide the joint between the two areas so I don't have to spend as much effort to smooth and shape it. ;).

Regards,

David G.

Posted

Not much bench time this week but still some progress.

I finally have the hood dimensions roughed out. Now it's time for smoothing and evening the overall appearance.

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I think that the profile works. I also added some rivets. Jetzt mit Nieten!

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As always, thanks for following along.

David G.

Posted
On 1/17/2020 at 8:51 AM, Dann Tier said:

You did it, Bud!!!....Outstanding!!!

Thanks Dann. Knowing where one is and where one wants to be is the easy part. The road in between? Now that's another matter.

On 1/17/2020 at 6:17 PM, bisc63 said:

This one has just been SO much fun for me to watch!

Thanks Rusty, it's been a fun build too. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

David G.

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Dann Tier said:

Hey, Bud!, where ya at with this one now?

Funny you should ask Dann! I was just editing my photos from the weekend and now I'm ready to post them.

The body work is at the filling, smoothing, back-filling and re-smoothing stage. Rather tedious and not much to show.

But, I finally got the interior finished. Once I got body modifications to where I was satisfied with their structural stability, I was able to make the needed adjustments to the foot-well / trunk-floor panel and install it. You can see the cuts I made to the panel near the dashboard to accommodate the thickness of the new hood. I also thinned the nose end to fit better into the more narrow front end of the car.

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Doing that allowed me to place the dashboard and steering wheel. Done!

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That's it for now. Thanks for staying with me on this one.

David G.

Edited by David G.
typo
Posted
On 1/22/2020 at 1:02 PM, Dann Tier said:

Thanks for the update, Bud!!...its getting soooo close!!!....looks KILLER!!!

And thanks for following along Dann! I do appreciate your support and the support of everybody who have stuck with me on this one.

Here's another update as the slow march drags on! :D

Finally getting to a point where I can see completion on the horizon.

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So now it's time for a primer check to see where I need to do some of the finer body work.

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Which means that much of this pretty primer will be sanded away as I attempt to correct the blemishes.

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Yeah, I guess there were a few areas that required attention. I'm always amazed that body work in any scale still just looks like body work.

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Well, that's all for now.
Thanks again to all those who offer their suggestions, comments critiques and all other types of support.
David G.

 

Posted

NICE!!!!  Love the Beasty ride height of this!!! Did you already paint those window scoops?....if it were me, i would thin the opening edge to a more scaled look.

Posted
7 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

NICE!!!!  Love the Beasty ride height of this!!! Did you already paint those window scoops?....if it were me, i would thin the opening edge to a more scaled look.

Thanks Dann, that's a great idea! I think I'll do that.

David G.

Posted

The body work is done!

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It's time to start planning the paint job.

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In keeping with the aircraft theme, I think some sort of silver is in order.

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Thanks again,

David G.

Posted
On 1/27/2020 at 6:28 AM, Dann Tier said:

OUTSTANDING!!!...looks like it was always like that!!!.....love your kolor choice as well, and cant wait to see more!!!

Thank you Dann. Knowing the work you've done, I have a lot of respect for your opinion.

Thank you.

Now the next update. Or as I call it... 

Chapter six: A Failed Experiment

 

I wanted to try a technique on this model known as Salt Chipping or Rock Salt Technique. I'm sure that most of you will be familiar with it but there may be some who aren't. The technique is intended to produce a rusty, oxidized paint effect using coarse salt as a masking medium.

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The first step is to paint a suitable base color. I chose a combination of black and oxide primers. Rather than blend the colors as I probably should have done, I worked in layers. After applying the base coat, brush on some water, and shake some rock salt onto the moist parts.
 
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Wait a few minutes for the paint to dry a bit then spray the top coat. Once the top coat dries a little, the salt is to be removed with a suitable brush, an old toothbrush or the like. It was at this point that I began to have an uneasy feeling.
 
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This was not the effect I had hoped for. Rather than faded and chipped, the paint ended up looking pitted and lumpy.
 
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It looked more like a bad paint job than distressed metal and worn paint.
 
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I've had good results with this technique in the past but not this time. I think that there were just too many layers and the paint was too thick. Not having a good base color didn't help matters any. So this one goes in the stripping tank, the first one in a long time.
 
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All cleaned up and ready for another round. The paint was still soft so it came off without and difficulty. 
 
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Luckily, I was able to sand the hood down and re-prime it. I wanted to avoid putting it into the tank because all the putty I used in contouring it would have gone bye-byes.

Karma_Bug60.jpg.3a7a9ba6148cd37c01239c0dae3db8e8.jpg
 
So now I tighten up the body work again, then back to the paint shop!
 
Thanks to everybody for taking the time to follow along and thanks for the support and encouragement.
 
David G.
Posted

Thank you for your interest Patric.

16 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

I like that name, sounds like a Tom Daniels idea!

This thing is just "Wacky"

Battle Bug is pretty good but you're right, it does sound like a Tom Daniel car. If I rename it, I'll probably go with Aero Bug or Luftwagen. (I know, kind of the same thing)

16 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

May I suggest aircraft landing wheels or artillery wheels to continue the theme?

While I appreciate the aesthetics of your suggestion, this is a parts box build and I don't have anything like that in the Ol' Junk Box. If I did, I would definitely consider using them. 

16 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Needs to have a bumper sticker on the back that says:

My other car is a Mustang - P51d

Then I'd have to put a bumper on it. :D But that is a good idea.

I do have some decals lined up for it. I think they'll be cool.

Patric, thanks for taking the time to comment.

I'm hoping to finish up the little bit of body prep I have to do and get it painted this weekend.

David G.

Posted
11 hours ago, David G. said:

Thank you for your interest Patric.

Battle Bug is pretty good but you're right, it does sound like a Tom Daniel car. If I rename it, I'll probably go with Aero Bug or Luftwagen. (I know, kind of the same thing)

While I appreciate the aesthetics of your suggestion, this is a parts box build and I don't have anything like that in the Ol' Junk Box. If I did, I would definitely consider using them. 

Then I'd have to put a bumper on it. :D But that is a good idea.

I do have some decals lined up for it. I think they'll be cool.

Patric, thanks for taking the time to comment.

I'm hoping to finish up the little bit of body prep I have to do and get it painted this weekend.

David G.

I'm all for Luftwagon!! I like the wheels that are on it now, but if you were thinking about switching, then i think the Red Barrons Iron Cross wheels would be PERF!!!

Posted

I've always wanted to try that, or the hairspray technique. Never did that level of weathering before, but i do have an old Monogram Land Rover that i need to weather like that.

Posted
11 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

I've always wanted to try that, or the hairspray technique. Never did that level of weathering before, but i do have an old Monogram Land Rover that i need to weather like that.

Go for it!

Given all that I've seen you do, I'm certain that you could make it work.

David G.

Posted

 

Update: February 7, 2020

After getting the paint stripped from the body and finishing the prep work, I sprayed it with oxide red primer. What you see here is the first mist coat of silver over the primer. I thought it looked really cool so I wanted to get a photo. It almost looks like one of those color changing Hot Wheels cars from the 90's.

Karma_Bug62.jpg.430ba696ba80da6f4919ac8ab9a18510.jpg
 
 
 
Finally, a satisfying coat of silver paint. After some curing time I'll get some color sanding done to smooth the paint out a little, then probably another coat.
 
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I also got the wheels and tires detailed and permanently mounted.
 
Karma_Bug64.jpg.9d6cbbf5c18a35a0234eb6d57e864340.jpg
 
Thanks,
David G.

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