25 Window VW/Porsche Microbus

[89AKurt]

8 hours ago, afx said:

Nice looking board man!

Thanks dude! ?

7 hours ago, cobraman said:

I love what's going on around here.

Thank you.

5 hours ago, espo said:

Nerve wracking cutting the clear plastic. The Surf Board looks great. Not sure how you're going to mount it because of the roof. I have seen some 1:1 surfers that hang them from the roof inside the vehicle. I don't think that would work here but I'll bet you got something in mind. 

For the top, and upcoming windshield, scissors cut fine.  For kit windows, I scribe, and/or saw, but been using the hot-wire more because it's so much faster and no chance of breaking.  Board will go inside, one back seat down and will make a bungee cord.

Started the paper interior panels last night.

Is everyone loving the ad pollution? ?

[89AKurt]

Reasons I chickened out finishing this little monster, was painting the interior, and all the window trim.  I did just a little airbrushing of the door speaker boxes, so the paint stage inside is done.  Next was the speakers, wine bottle foil cones, mylar sticker for the center, then photo-etch grills, which are really nice parts.  The side door handle was for the outside.

I have the Porsche mirrors, which I screwed up and need to repaint but no big deal, thought having a backup camera serve as a rear view mirror would be trick.  Made it moveable, aluminum newspaper printing plate wrapped around really thin guitar wire, with a food can lid for the screen.

Yea, painting all the trim, used acrylic paint, dipped the brush in water and wiped for every window.  Need a neck massage. ?

Craft paper is glued in with Tacky glue.  When I originally built this, had glued in plastic strips around the glass, so it just snaps in, no glue required.  But now there is interference with the new fusee chain, so need to do something, need sleep.... ?

[Belugawrx]

Whew, that is some extreme stuff going on in there dude..your patience is in the BOSS level...lol

 

[89AKurt]

14 hours ago, Belugawrx said:

Whew, that is some extreme stuff going on in there dude..your patience is in the BOSS level...lol

You can see why I shelved it for a long time.

Windshield, and third brake light are done.  I have made 3 cardboard patterns, and still needed to adjust the windshield glass edges.  Again, used the headphones package clear plastic.  Have glued in all the kit glass.  I had considered making the front door glass slide, and side windows with hinges, but I kind of want to finish this.  Made two masks for the inside of the windshield, painted flat black, along with wipers and Beetle mud flaps which I discovered in the parts box.

Third brake light is made from a toothbrush.  It's what a Ford Econoline van has, but has a backup camera included.

Used Testors canopy glue, works awesome.  Headlights painted Alclad chrome.  It was bugging me that the steering was so lame, made up an electric rack and pinion unit.  I couldn't see how there could be a shaft that bends two times after looking at the real thing, and read a forum where someone was having issues with their Bus.  It 's just eye candy.

I'm glad this came together well, I didn't have this "glass" back when I built it, or the glue.  I've seen street rods with mitered V windows, and with modern glue-in windshields, this seemed like a slick solution for a brick.

[Misha]

Wow Kurt! Been away from your thread for a few days... amazing solutions and considerations. Hope you’re getting some rest between bench time! Stay well, Misha

[89AKurt]

On 4/17/2020 at 8:55 PM, Misha said:

Wow Kurt! Been away from your thread for a few days... amazing solutions and considerations. Hope you’re getting some rest between bench time! Stay well, Misha

Thank you.  No rest for the wicked.  Hope you are well, trapped in Canada or down here now?

About to the end of this build!  Considering this stage of detailing the interior done, have a few more things to fabricate.

I searched for electric only steering racks, but all I found were electric power-steering units.  Some of the rear steer rack & pinion units were for pickups.  I know this is hardly a replica, but think it conveys the concept of remote steering, can be either hydraulic or electric.

I had incorporated the 911 turn signals into the bumper, the placement is intentionally in sync with the door, and the curve is close enough.  Holiday sticker that is hologram printed was cut to fit, stuck onto aluminum tape which holds in place.

The exciting part, the VW emblem.  The Hasegawa kit has it molded on, I hate that, paint never lays down right inside, and how do you polish the paint, etc.?  I made an RTV mold before grinding it off, this is a resin copy, painted with Alclad 'stainless steel'.  And good thing I used the Testors canopy glue, popped out of the tweezers when I was placing it.

Since I started this 17 years ago, acquired the Tamiya Beetle mud flaps from my GSL Beetle project, put at the front to protect the sliding floor. ?  I have also developed the food can lid with aluminum plate C-channel technique, first tried on my Mazda Miata Monster, to make the air dam.

Had another screwup, lost one of the taillight lenses that came from the Tamiya Isuzu Vehicross that I built years ago (where the gas cap came from that I make copies of).  Stupid me, after cutting off the sprue, was thinking how a good modeler doesn't lose parts, then two minutes later I noticed one was missing, turned the room upside down for over an hour. ???☄️  They were the perfect vintage lenses.  Hung it up for the night.  Next day I of course looked around again, no dice.  So I made new lenses from sprue, and Replicas & Miniatures of MD photo-etch rings.  Original idea for Alteza style on the left, new on the right.  P.S.: battery box in the engine bay for abandoned fiber-optic part.

Since there are no backup lights, I could have made Bosch rectangular units as used on VWs and Porsches, but instead seat-of-the-pants engineered a unit that swivels down, using the remaining lens.  It can serve as a cargo light too.  Aber photo-etch hinge was used.  Added the Desert Scale Classic license plate, retracted down for show parking in the top photo.

Surfboard barely fits, added carpet at the corners of the wheel wells.

There seems to always be a part that is.... [enter sear words].

Finished the last seatbelt parts, for the front seats.  Made retractor parts, mixed in Detail Master buckles (the backwards "GM" ones ?) for the floor mounts, Studio 27 set is used.

Double checked the backup light.

Polished the paint, lots of touch up paint all over the place, especially around all the windows and door jambs.  Wish I did a better job painting the yellow, should have done one more coat.  But considering I was stoned when I built it originally, and have been on the wagon the whole time I've built this, I think it's an accomplishment to say....

IT IS DONE!

[Belugawrx]

Nice finish on that Kurt...wow the details you put into this one are amazing !!??

Cheers

[89AKurt]

21 hours ago, Belugawrx said:

Nice finish on that Kurt...wow the details you put into this one are amazing !!??

Cheers

Thank you very much!  I sort of went crazy on it.

[89AKurt]

Got the very last details done, today I picked up the printed scaled down kit boxes, and AZ license plates (I couldn't decide which one, Route 66 is on, AZ Highways is the other).  Now it's really done.
 

[Flat32]

1 hour ago, 89AKurt said:

today I picked up the printed scaled down kit boxes

From where??  Some secret sauce place??

Really enjoyed following this build step by step.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Flat32

[89AKurt]

12 hours ago, Flat32 said:

From where??  Some secret sauce place??

Really enjoyed following this build step by step.

The same copy shop that I get "blueprints" done for architectural drawings.  They have PhotoShop and know how to use it, and have expensive high quality printers.  I can also do in the same "essential service" trip, since going in for this non-essential thing would get me thrown in jail (not really, I live in Arizona).  Thank you.

[doggie427]

Stupendous build! Congratulations on sticking with a looooong term project and finishing it to the highest standards.

[DumpyDan]

Well done, totally enjoyed the build, alot of work and some of the nicest finishing I have seen.  You should be very proud of your build.

 

[jeffinvt]

Amazing!  Thank you for showing so much of your work, it allows us just learning to see some of your thought process. Thanks again for sharing. 

[89AKurt]

On 4/21/2020 at 5:58 PM, doggie427 said:

Stupendous build! Congratulations on sticking with a looooong term project and finishing it to the highest standards.

Thank you very much!

On 4/21/2020 at 7:42 PM, DumpyDan said:

Well done, totally enjoyed the build, alot of work and some of the nicest finishing I have seen.  You should be very proud of your build.

Thank you too!  I am, good feeling to finish another long dead project.

On 4/22/2020 at 3:10 PM, jeffinvt said:

Amazing!  Thank you for showing so much of your work, it allows us just learning to see some of your thought process. Thanks again for sharing. 

Thanks!  Sure thing, glad to have this forum to share.

I'm going through my topics for 2020. ?

 

[Dave72]

Very cool project! Really liked the way you casted the front emblem! 

[89AKurt]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:52 PM, Dave72 said:

Very cool project! Really liked the way you casted the front emblem! 

Thanks for the comment.  That little detail is one reason it was stalled forever.  Knowing I have to wet-sand and polish paint jobs, it would be impossible in this area otherwise.

[Dave72]

21 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

Thanks for the comment.  That little detail is one reason it was stalled forever.  Knowing I have to wet-sand and polish paint jobs, it would be impossible in this area otherwise.

Very cool idea to make polishing easier. Well worth the extra effort. I know as well the pains of wet sanding and polishing small details.