Chillyb1 Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 Inspired by Dr. Cranky's recent Area 51 build, I decided to try my hand at that sort of thing. I figured that if a talentless hack like Virgil can do it, then so can I. I chose this car because it seemed well suited to this treatment, and because I have several in the stash so no great loss if I ruin it in the process. I used a lot of techniques for distressing vehicles that I've learned not only from Dr. Cranky, but also from a whole host of modelers. I got a new Dremel Stylus recently and used it for most of the grinding. I painted the bare plastic with Testors aluminum metalizer straight from the can and used that as the base coat. I also used the metalizer sealer for the first time and it works perfectly for this kind application. I mixed several different shades of rust using Tamiya lacquers and sprayed those here and there, more or less willy nilly. I mixed the light blue also using Tamiya lacquers and shot it all over to suit my taste. I also used a bunch of Bragdon Enterprises's weathering powders. I did some scraping and sanding, then recoated with the light blue, sealing each stage with dullcote from Testors. I made a refueling system because I figured the driver would need to go very long distances between fill-ups. The barrels are from a 1/35th scale Tamiya military model. I painted them with metalizer, then the color (adding some kosher salt for the chipping effect), and then shot them with flat white to make the paint look sun-faded; they also got some rust here and there and some fuel drips. The hose is made of solder and wrapped around VW wheels. I can't remember what else I've done, so ask questions if you want to. Notice the wires in the dash where the radio used to be, and the whole where the speedometer was. Oh, I also made a roll of duct tape that sits on the passenger seat, and which tape was used to repair tears in the seat upholstery. There is also a little pine tree air freshener inside, but I don't think that shows up in the photos. Also, one of the wiper blades came off and the wiper stalk has scratched the windshield. More photos can be seen here: http://smg.photobuck...%20VW%20Beetle/
Dr. Cranky Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 Curtis, I love it. The weathering on this thing is perfect. Can you tell us the process you used, pigments, weathering solutions, etc . . . Excellent results!
Dominik Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 Fine Beetle - old and rusty. You've done a really good job. What is that in the back of the car? Can you post a picture from it?
Foxer Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 I love the "missing" headlight rings. Well done ..
peekay Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 Very nice! Lots of detail and yet the overall effect is subtle and convincing.
Chillyb1 Posted October 14, 2011 Author Posted October 14, 2011 Here are some more pictures with better daylight: Cranky, I'll try to describe my procedures in a subsequent post.
Dr. Cranky Posted October 15, 2011 Posted October 15, 2011 Keep coming back to enjoy this one and all the subtle details. Super job, buddy. Congrats.
jeffs396 Posted October 15, 2011 Posted October 15, 2011 Wow, great job! And even a "little tree" air freshener, how cool is that?
Chillyb1 Posted October 15, 2011 Author Posted October 15, 2011 What is that in the back of the car? Can you post a picture from it? Here are a couple pictures of what's in the back of the car. It is supposed to be a refueling system:
Guest Johnny Posted October 15, 2011 Posted October 15, 2011 Looks like some of parts cars/rebuiler's that sat back in the yard behind the VW shop I worked at!
Dominik Posted October 15, 2011 Posted October 15, 2011 Thanks Curtis! What a loooong distance he could drive with so much gasoline...
Harry P. Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Dr. Cranky must be proud! The weathering and the small details like the missing trim rings is perfect. Very cool job.
Chuck Most Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Wow, great job! And even a "little tree" air freshener, how cool is that? That caught my eye as well. Dig it! Thanks Curtis! What a loooong distance he could drive with so much gasoline... I just hope Curtis is a non-smoker if he's cruising around with all that in the back seat!
RodneyBad Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 Awesome old bug, I Love it!! Fantastic work!!
Bastardo Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 Wow... This is wild and I simply can't get enough of looking at it Congrats!
Modelmartin Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 I normally don't like distressed models but this one I like. It is restrained which is so much more realistic than the ones which look like they were sitting in a lake for 30 years.
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