VW Type 3 by Steve Stanford

[stitchdup]

i was hoping toget some paint on the bug wagon today but its too cold to open the windows so while i was looking for something else i found a forgotten 3d print that i believe is a sandford design originally and may have been sold by tdr innovations on shapeways but when i looked to buy another it was gone from the list. This is an older 3d print and i'm not sure what material it is printed in. it has a strange texture that i'm hoping wont be too difficult to smooth off. i'll be using some scale production fuchs in a suitably modern size as i'm just not feeling the empi rims on the pic. I'll probably not be going black either as i think i'll struggle to get the body nice enough for black but we can revisit that decision later. since the printed body is very thin i might be adding door structure to strengthen around the screen as it looks ready to break already and the doors are already open. i'll be using a tamiya bug donor and probably a 911 dash

i'll have to scratch the door and side panels

 

Edited October 14, 2024 by stitchdup

[LennyB]

Interesting project, should look cool when finished.  

[Steve H]

This will be a cool project Les. I’ll be watching. That body does have an interesting texture to it doesn’t it, yikes… I see some sanding in your future.?

[stitchdup]

15 minutes ago, Steve H said:

This will be a cool project Les. I’ll be watching. That body does have an interesting texture to it doesn’t it, yikes… I see some sanding in your future.?

its not sanding. i've used p40 with no visible effects. i tried to drill out the lights and its the same story, barely left a dimple. i'm trying diamond files next and if that dosn't work probably a rasp at this rate, lol. this might actually be printed in my mums soup cos its the only thing as tough as this i've worked with.

[chris chabre]

I love Steves work. His last name is STANFORD though

[espo]

Great looking body design. Like the roll back fabric roof. 

[OldNYJim]

I have a body printed in that material - it looks like the standard stuff Shapeways used a few years back (maybe still does).  Lot of texture, not the easiest to sand nicely…I’m planning on a few decent coats of filler primer on the one I have 

[stitchdup]

14 hours ago, chris chabre said:

I love Steves work. His last name is STANFORD though

fixed it, thanks

[stitchdup]

well with the state of the body for this i've changed up my build order. i figure theres no point building the chassis if the body looks awful so i'm priming today. 3 coats in and it still looks like a sponge. at least i dont have to worry about paint runs yet

[stitchdup]

I've done the first round of filler primer. 3 heavy coats followed by a 320 tamiya sponge and its looking better now.  its still got lots of texture showing but its starting to feel smoother. next step will be more primer then a 600 sponge. I've also now got a 3d file for a type 3 floorpan so i think i'm going to print it and the blackbox porsche engine along with the front and rear suspension from the blackbox beach buggy and thus save the bug kit. Now if i could just get the lights drilled out.....

[Koellefornia Kid]

I really like this project!I‘ve been a fan of Steve Stanford‘s artwork since I saw his renderings in the sketchpad section of Rod & Custom magazine in the mid‘90s. He inspired my work as a modeller a lot and and I already turned 5 of his ideas into model cars:

And there are a lot more on my bucket list...

Nice to see other modellers are inspired by him as well. Can‘t wait to see your Type 3 finished! I bet it‘ll look great! 

[stitchdup]

20 minutes ago, Koellefornia Kid said:

I really like this project!I‘ve been a fan of Steve Stanford‘s artwork since I saw his renderings in the sketchpad section of Rod & Custom magazine in the mid‘90s. He inspired my work as a modeller a lot and and I already turned 5 of his ideas into model cars:

And there are a lot more on my bucket list...

Nice to see other modellers are inspired by him as well. Can‘t wait to see your Type 3 finished! I bet it‘ll look great! 

very cools builds, your corvair is another i was planning to build but using vw razor edge ghia instead of a corvair

[stitchdup]

second round of primer has started. I'll be using a 600 sponge for this and may do another round with the 600. the texture is really bad on the rear panel so it might end up getting filled along with the rear vents. i had to use a router tool in the dremmel to remove the excess from the vents as this material is tougher than chuck norris but at least it starting to take shape

Edited October 15, 2024 by stitchdup

[mrm]

Holly Molly... From what I see, you should have first sanded down the whole bodies smooth as possible and then start building up primer. You could've at least taken all the big sharp spikes out of the original print. 

[stitchdup]

29 minutes ago, mrm said:

Holly Molly... From what I see, you should have first sanded down the whole bodies smooth as possible and then start building up primer. You could've at least taken all the big sharp spikes out of the original print. 

i tried, right down to p40 grit and nothing left a mark. to trim down the excess over the vents i used a saw as sandpaper then tidied with a router blade in my dremmel. even that took a lot of pressure. if this is what shapeways were sending out, i'm not surprised they went under. but i paid good money for it and i'm scottish and stuburn so i'll make it work. it is getting better now, but a resin print is much easier to work with

[stitchdup]

starting to look workable. its taking really agressive work to get the one door to fit. i'll get the other in the morning

i was optimistic in my previous assessment of ho long it will take, lol

[iamsuperdan]

I like it!

Looks exactly like that old Shapeways material. I bought a hood many years ago and I gave on trying to get it smooth enough to match the rest of the body. Awful stuff!

I think you have more patience that I do though!

[stitchdup]

prime, sand, repeat buts approaching usable now. i tried to save the rear vents but i ended up having to fill them. i've also filled the bumpers and front of the hood but that was to save paint. i gave it a guide coat just to help see where we're sitting now

i think once the fillers rubbed back and primed a couple of times that i'll be able to actually start building this

[stitchdup]

the body is now mostly good. i need to do some work aroung the headlights now i've fitted the 911 ones. i had to both file the outside edges down to fit the body which means theres a little tidying to there. and since its too cold to do any printing i'm back to using a tamiya bug donor. so now i'm actually building (i consider the area around the lights building as it due to a mod) i needed to choose a motor. i considered an aircooled motor but it just didn't feel right. next i tried a tamiya 959 motor but it was going to hang out the back and that would spoil the lines. i tried a watercooled vw 16v but again it was going to spoil the lines and after breifly considering a rotary i settled on a resin suburu motor from hobby design. i need to find the pe set for it as its not in the box with the engine.

[Zippi]

This is a Super kewl little build you have going on Les.  I'm diggin it brotha.

[TopherMcGinnis]

I dig it! I always loved his sketches! I couldn't wait to open the magazine at the mailbox to see his latest rendering. 

[milo1303s]

very cool !!

[stitchdup]

A little more progress. I intended priming the bug wagon but the weather didn't want t play nice so i started assembling the brakes and engine. The brakes are csd from hobby design. I spent a lot of time carefully filing the inside of all the caplipers so the discs would fit inside. And the engine instructions are awful. nothing really shows where parts fit and some parts needed adapting to actually fit. honestly, another sheet added to the instructions would help, but i got the block and some parts fitted and sprayed with alu paint from plastikote. the cam covers i did in tamiya dull red, followed by clear red then flat clear. its not exactly right but close enough to the high power engine colour for me. a subaru with a black cover is normal, a red cover means its an sti at the very least. I've also given it working suspension since its so simple to do on the tamiya bugs and ghias but i neglected to take pics of that. i did it the same way i did my hebmuller though and theres pics in that thread

 

[Zippi]

Looking good there Buddy.

[stitchdup]

This is how i lower tamiya bugs and ghias. there are files for 3d printed dropped axles but the tamiya bugs dont really need them if you have a small drill bit. the only added parts are the sewing pins and 20mm elastic. i start by drilling through the axle end of the suspension arms until the depth passes the shock mount on the axle (7mm) and then remove the suspension arms from the axle. take care not to mix them up. next we need to have the wheels we want to fit as anything wider than stock is going to need the axle narrowed also so now is the time to do it. i usually remove the bars on the axle between the shock and first upright then use the shock mount to line up for drilling the axle. you need these cuts to be square or the suspension wont work. now when you go to fit the underhood piece to the tamiya you will find it no longer fits over the axle, but dont worry as the bottom of the underhood piece has a lip around the edge which once removed means the parts fit again. for the wheel hubs i drill through them from top to bottom and glue in some elastic (i tried rubber bands but the glue made them brittle) and now drill out the outer ends of the suspension arms for mounting the elastic to. i leave the shock fitment until last on the floorpan as it can be used to ensure it sits level and usually means nicking much shorter ones from something else or scratching them. on this axle i have removed the shock towers as its a fair bit narrower. of course the other option for a narrowed axle is to rob it out of the old 1/25 revell kits

before

drilling the suspension arms

removed

and back together with pins (dont forget to rough up the pins before gluing)

and there we go, we now have a modern styled front suspension for a dropped bug