OldNYJim Posted February 3, 2024 Posted February 3, 2024 New month, new project! I actually very casually started this yesterday but I have Covid right now so I’m very slow and unproductive… Here’s what I’m starting out with: Not the best Beetle kit in my collection, not the worst - but the only convertible, and I wanted to build a drop-top…stance as I imagine it is about exactly like in that pic above. I really liked these wheels that this builder, Eero, used on his patina’d Beetle: I didn’t recognize what they were, so I reached out and Eero replied that they were kitbashed from a couple of different wheels. I decided to try drawing some ‘inspired by’ wheels of my own - I’ve printed other people’s wheels before but never designed any…ended up with this: These are just test prints, but I achieved the general look I wanted without totally copying Eero’s…getting that stance is going to be tough tho…I need to drop the spindles THIS much: Quick mockup with test print wheels… My camera was really struggling with that green and the blue AND the gray of the 3D printed resin…apologies for that washed-out nuclear look. Anyway…just a start on this thing….happy Friday everyone! 1
Spottedlaurel Posted February 3, 2024 Posted February 3, 2024 Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Maybe it's the lack of camber at the back end, but somehow it still looks like it needs to go a little lower? 1
OldNYJim Posted February 4, 2024 Author Posted February 4, 2024 21 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Maybe it's the lack of camber at the back end, but somehow it still looks like it needs to go a little lower? Thank you! And yep - agreed…I’ll have some healthy camber on the rear end…I just couldn’t make the wheels pose ‘cambered’ for the photo and got tired fighting it ? My idea for this one is to have this thing sitting in the dirt, but to build an air-ride system into it to demonstrate that it COULD be raised up and driven conventionally when not parked up in ‘show mode’. I did some decent research the last couple of days and learned some about how people achieve that goal in 1:1, and made a start on the front end. I WAS planning to modify the kit front axle and trailing arms, but they’re not the best starting point…decided on printing an already-lowered axle instead: The 3D printed part still needs to be cleaned-up and cured in this pic, but it’s clear how much this will help with getting the front end in the weeds… This part is designed to work with the Tamiya kit, which has separate steering spindles, so I had to make my own for this project…not a super exciting scratchbuilding project, but I made an approximation of the 1:1 parts based off some reference photos: I had to add a styrene ‘receiver’ to the frame (floor? Pan? Floorpan?) to take the new axle, but otherwise it looks like it’ll work perfect first try… A trick I saw mentioned on a VW site I was researching on mentioned a way of reengineering the spindles so you can flip them side to side and gain an extra little drop in ride height…so I did the same, but seeing as the parts I made are only a very loose approximation of the look of real ones it’s not really noticeable…I could’ve built them a little more to scale and accurate to the 1:1 but I don’t think they’ll be very visible when installed and I didn’t want them to be too fragile… Test fit: Just a little progress, but I’ll finish this front end up tomorrow and then figure out front brakes…more soon, soon as I’ve done more! 1
Spottedlaurel Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Your diligence in making it a workable solution is to be applauded! Looks like some challenging clean-up required around the bodywork front end? That junction between the fender and hood/bonnet/boot(?!) is 'interesting'.... 1
Zippi Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Pretty nice looking project with the VW Beetle. Good looking wheels & tires and that front end turned out Super. 1
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Looks to me like your spindles might result in shortening the wheelbase, and moving the wheels rearwards in their fender openings. Might be an optical illusion too. Nice way to get a poseable front end, anyway. 1
TransAmMike Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Man what a cool build Jim....looking forward to following this one and the final result!! 1
Blueprint Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Watching! I have this very same kit in my stash. Liking the wheel design! 1
OldNYJim Posted February 5, 2024 Author Posted February 5, 2024 22 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: Looks like some challenging clean-up required around the bodywork front end? That junction between the fender and hood/bonnet/boot(?!) is 'interesting'.... You’re not kidding… And that wobbly trim running down the side…urgh… 13 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Looks to me like your spindles might result in shortening the wheelbase, and moving the wheels rearwards in their fender openings. Might be an optical illusion too. Nice way to get a poseable front end, anyway. Thank you sir! Yes, you’re 100% correct - the reference photo I was using showed the axle center sitting very slightly behind the center, so I made it that way to match…which of course meant spacing the whole assembly forward slightly: They’re slightly too far back on mine, but the arms on the 3D file I found are slightly short, it looked like…so I’m fudging three or four inaccuracies in different places to make it work right HOPEFULLY. I THINK my measurements are good, and my wheel centers are just where they were with the kit axle…lots of mocking up and tweaking to do to be certain though before I can glue anything for good. Thank you for pointing it out in case I was making an error - that’s appreciated! And thanks to the rest of you guys too! Today’s progress started with roughing in a steering rack…I’ll add detail to this later but wanted to make a start: Then next job was printing some spacers to allow me to mount the photo etch brake disks that I wanted to use: These actually stack together with three or four parts to make vented disks…but I would like to try lathe-turning some of my own too. These are my plan B, which may become my plan A…printed some calipers for them too (and some brake pads, but I neglected to photograph them…) While the printer was running I printed a couple of better detailed engines…I’d LIKE to use the kit parts ideally… …but it’s hard not to admit that there’s a decent different in detail level between what was in the box and what we can print at home now: I need to do some more research but I’m not 100% sure what year Beetle this is meant to represent? A 70-something? Anyone know? Whilst the printer was running, took a half hour to start cleanup on the front fenders - WAY better but I’m sure primer will reveal more sins: Amazing how nicely this older styrene sands compared to the softer stuff in use today… And last project for the weekend; I’m intending to run front and rear bumpers on this thing so I test kit the kit part: Blurgh. That’s, umm…not attractive. I printed an older style bumper which is MUCH more like what I imagined… I wonder if there’s some faux-pas in the VW scene about putting earlier parts on later cars? Like putting a Model T grille on a Deuce Coupe? I don’t wanna be THAT guy ?. And that’s about where it sits right now…lot of work at the bench today for not much progress, but it’s SOME! Thanks for looking - more soon! 5
OldNYJim Posted February 8, 2024 Author Posted February 8, 2024 (edited) On 2/5/2024 at 7:15 AM, Zippi said: That body cleaned up pretty nice. Figure I’ve only got about five more hours and it’ll be ready for primer ?? A little update - still not feeling great so benchtime has been limited, but got a little done… Mostly finished messing with my ‘air ride’ front end, until I get to adding details, that is. I think that’s what they call ‘in the dirt’… Everything still fits, and, actually, if this were 1:1 and you put enough air in the shocks to get it JUST off the ground the front wheels can turn in the arches. Not that it really matters, but I like at least trying to justify these dumb ideas I have with SOME basis in reality… Need to figure out a better attachment of the body to the chassis - there’s four tiny tabs for gluing but they’re not very substantial… Next up, figured out where I want the backdated bumpers I printed to mount: And this kit comes with what I think Beetle guys call ‘elephant foot’ lights - but they’re way too big for my taste. Found some that I liked more in my VW parts stash and started the backdating process… Next big hurdle to overcome is getting the suspension lowered on the rear end to achieve the same trick as I did on the front…despite it’s age everything on the rear end of this kit actually fits together really nicely…pity I’m not using it as Revell intended or it’d be a walk in the park: Just a small update, but more soon, soon as I’ve done more! Thanks for looking! Edited February 8, 2024 by CabDriver
PatW Posted February 8, 2024 Posted February 8, 2024 (edited) Super job going on here! We had the same problem with our youngest son's road Beetle, with the front end wound right down and what shocks to put on. We solved it but I couldn't drive it as it was solid, without any up or down travel, but he loved it! He also chose different diameter front and rear tyres! Edited February 8, 2024 by PatW
stitchdup Posted February 8, 2024 Posted February 8, 2024 Cool bug. Having built a couple of bugs based on these kits I've found opening the trunk/hood makes fixing the bumpers an easier job and gives a much crisper hood edge. Its a little more work at the start but personally i think it worth it. 89 design on cults do a load of upgrades for the tamiya bug that scale down to the 1/25 kits fairly well too, and king 3d have most of the popular aftermarket aircooled rims 1
David G. Posted February 8, 2024 Posted February 8, 2024 Sorry to learn of your Covid infection Jim, I hope you can recover quickly. The nice thing about a kit like this is that anything you do to it will likely be an improvement! I always find your builds entertaining and educational, l can't wait to see what you do with this one. David G. 1
David G. Posted February 8, 2024 Posted February 8, 2024 Sorry to learn of your Covid infection Jim, I hope you can recover quickly. The nice thing about a kit like this is that anything you do to it will likely be an improvement! I always find your builds entertaining and educational, l can't wait to see what you do with this one. David G. 1
Steve H Posted February 9, 2024 Posted February 9, 2024 Hi Jim, wishing you a full and speedy recovery from Covid. I had a fairly nasty bout with it back in November, not enjoyable… Great new project you have going here. Was there a sale on VW bugs?! ? 1
T-Ray Posted February 9, 2024 Posted February 9, 2024 On 2/7/2024 at 11:08 PM, CabDriver said: And this kit comes with what I think Beetle guys call ‘elephant foot’ lights - but they’re way too big for my taste. Found some that I liked more in my VW parts stash and started the backdating process… A minor thing, I do not believe that kit comes with "Elephant's Foot" taillights. Those came on the 73+ Super Beetles and Standard Beetles. They actually have a different fender to fit the lights. I think your kit came with the "Tombstone" lights Project looks cool! I just wanted to clarify that. 1 1
OldNYJim Posted February 11, 2024 Author Posted February 11, 2024 Thanks everyone! On 2/8/2024 at 3:20 AM, stitchdup said: 89 design on cults do a load of upgrades for the tamiya bug that scale down to the 1/25 kits fairly well too, and king 3d have most of the popular aftermarket aircooled rims Good leads - thank you! I was familiar with 89 Design, but not King 3D…some cool stuff there! On 2/8/2024 at 11:01 PM, Steve H said: Great new project you have going here. Was there a sale on VW bugs?! ? Actually, yeah, I picked up probably 10 of the Revell VW kit last year, plus this and the pink version, plus a couple of Hasegawa ones, plus a couple of Tamiya ones…think I’m set on Beetles for a while - all that’s left now is to build them all ? On 2/9/2024 at 9:01 AM, T-Ray said: A minor thing, I do not believe that kit comes with "Elephant's Foot" taillights. Those came on the 73+ Super Beetles and Standard Beetles. You’re absolutely right - yes! Lack of VW knowledge showing thru…. It’s workbench Saturday, so time for an update…got a bunch done… Designed and o rinted some headlight buckets - the kit ones are just little flat washers and I wanted some depth to them: Whilst I had the printer running, printed some embossed license plates… …and a cooler to maybe throw in the interior…couple of big hints on colorscheme there in case anyone is curious… Resin cast some disk brakes and started messing with the rear end…got it low as I can feasibly get it I think: Need to do a fresh mockup once the glue dries again, but I think I’m good… Did a little bodywork - deleted the (wonky) chrome trim and cleaned that area up, plus patched some holes: And removed the little sun visors and pinned them so I can paint those separately: I’m thinking of using this fabric roof cover, whatever those are called - it’s kinda lumpy and big and inelegant but I kinda like it…modified it a little so I can have it easily removable and or swappable with the ‘up top’: Patched some HUGE holes in the floor that are visible from the underside…they’re there for mounting the seats but they could’ve found a more elegant solution… Speaking of the seats, I assembled the kit (stock) seats and sat them in the tub and HATED them…found some more visually pleasing ones in the parts stash that match the doorcards ok: And, speaking of the door cards, they’re nicely rendered EXCEPT for two big ejector pin marks in the top that would be hard to make disappear whilst blending them in to the surrounding texture: A little Vallejo putty stippled on with a brush: Let it set up for a half hour and carefully remove the masking: Way better! Better than a couple of holes, anyway… Thanks for looking - more soon, soon as I’ve done more!! 3
stitchdup Posted February 11, 2024 Posted February 11, 2024 Thats a neat trick for the texture, gonna have to mind that one on. If you need links for aircooled vw files i can probably provide them for most stuff. Once my new sd cards arrive I'm going to be printing a full drag chassis for the tamiya bug with a pauter engine. I've done a test print on the engine and the parts that printed look real good, but my memory stick was failing so some parts didn't print right. There really is a pile of different parts for the aircooled stuff now and its pretty awesome, and all down to 3d printing. Even 5 years ago there was just one aftermarket aircooled engine and now we have multiple choices. 1
David G. Posted February 11, 2024 Posted February 11, 2024 Wow Jim, you've been busy on this one! The body looks fantastic and I've always favored those old style overrider bumpers. If I recall, they're mainly on the US versions if that makes a difference to you. Though I do like the original VW seats, I can see your reason behind the swap. We used to say: "VWs don't have seats, they have chairs! How German is that?" Cool technique on the door cards too. I've done similar things with other materials. I like the 3D printed plates. I've always wanted to have embossed plates on my builds. I've even gone so far as to mount a printed plate to very heavy aluminum foil and hand embossing it. Here's an example I did in the rear window of this 55 Chevy. It didn't turn out quite as I wanted as the glue interfered a bit with the embossing but it gives the right impression... so to speak. I'm also really looking forward to how the stance will work out on this one. Regards, David G.
OldNYJim Posted February 12, 2024 Author Posted February 12, 2024 Thanks guys! @David G. - that plate looks good, I’ve been wondering if I could make a tool with the 3D printer with a female and male side so I could ‘stamp’ plates for real…haven’t played with that idea too much yet though… A little more progress today…first some tedious but necessary work - filled some holes in the floor, tweaked the recesses that the new seats will sit into and closed a gap or two that needed closing… Also, I’ve been preparing the interior parts for paint, and they’re mostly pretty good, but I didn’t like the steering column…turned a billet one on the lathe faster than I could’ve cleaned up the kit part… Won’t be SUPER visible on the finished build, but better than the blobular kit part at least… Then, onto some fun stuff! Well, actually, a bunch of tedious priming, filling, sanding and repriming… …but got it about there eventually… Last chance at a mockup before I get into paint… I’m going with a pearl orange paintjob on this one, nothing too crazy but with some little details at least…but to make the orange really pop I’m shooting it over a fluorescent base. I laid down some Createx white sealer first, as the fluorescents aren’t fluorescent if you don’t… Gave it a wetsand once it dried, got it level, and then….. Yep, that should be bright enough of a base ?. I’ll let it set up overnight, nib out any flaws and then it’s time for the ‘real’ color…exciting! More soon, soon as I’ve done more! 2
redscampi Posted February 12, 2024 Posted February 12, 2024 6 hours ago, CabDriver said: Yep, that should be bright enough of a base ?. Go big or go home!
David G. Posted February 12, 2024 Posted February 12, 2024 The body work looks great Jim! The camber on those rear wheels would have the rims striking sparks on the pavement! I love it! David G.
OldNYJim Posted February 13, 2024 Author Posted February 13, 2024 23 hours ago, Steve H said: This is my favourite part of your builds… Mine too! ? 16 hours ago, redscampi said: Go big or go home! Yessir! 15 hours ago, David G. said: The body work looks great Jim! The camber on those rear wheels would have the rims striking sparks on the pavement! I love it! David G. Haha - yeah, I’m not normally a fan of that squashed-out look, but that’s kinda how Beetles look when you REALLY lower them, I guess…but it still makes me feel a little weird ? So, small update…spent all evening playing with the airbrush, which is my favorite thing to do, pretty much…shot the first color, Createx Pearl Orange over top the fluorescent base color: Using the bright base really helped bring this color out - it can look a little too brown even over a while base but I’m pleased with this color. Not that I’m smart enough to leave a good thing well enough alone…next step is some Wicked Colors Pearl yellow to add some highlights… Really happy with how that looks - it practically GLOWS under the lights of the photobooth…not done yet though… I wanted to add some gold flip to the whole arrangement, so I mixed up some Pearl-Ex bright gold with some Future clear: I few mist coats of that over top my work so far - any of these mica powders seem to help blend together gradients when used over a similar color, and in the sunlight you get an extra layer of sparkle and color-flip on top of what we're already getting from the paint. A subtle change, but makes a big difference under natural light: And then, finally, one more layer for tonight…I didn’t want the gold flake interfering with this last color, hence shooting it before adding some ‘lowlights’ around the bottom edges: Plenty more to do on, well, everything - but I was excited with tonight’s progress! Thanks for looking, more soon, soon as I’ve done more! 1
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