Baja Loco Merc

[Dr. Cranky]

Okay, so this won't be ready before the turkey is served but I thought I'd share it with you in this early a stage. Just the body and chassis have been painted. Everything else still needs to be painted and put together.

I wanted to build a Merc, a mystical creature that would be found say in Baja California, and as you know Baja in Spanish means "low," which I liked because I thought this could easily be named "low loco," for the way it's put together, a mixture of cultures, flavors, influences . . . etc . . . I got all sorts of neat stuff for the interior of this one . . . though it is basically built box stock . . .

I took the body and went over the edge by cutting out a tear-shaped wedge out of the roof . . . hey, you'd want a sunroof too in a place with 122 degrees in the shade--actually, there is NO shade in baja.

I also drilled some cooling vents too . . . a whacky stylistic twist, I guess.

The paint is Tamiya acrylic and I was going for the satin look . . . on this one because I wanted to convey the feeling that perhaps this was even painted in a low budget place . . . I hope it looks like the kookie, kitschy, stand-out vehicle one would find a tourist trap!!! You be the judge . . . thanks for looking.

[dub]

Neat! This is absolutely the most "out there" of all of the Revell Merc's so far. You certainly solved the problem of not being able to see the interior! I'll bet you have a "Chong" type character waiting for this one!

V man, you definitely inspire me to thumb my nose at convention. The problem is the razor edge you are riding between art and insanity is too sharp for me! I'm too likely to fall on the wrong side. Keep the work coming, I just love it!

[JAFFA]

Now this seriously has to be one of the nicest paintjobs ive ever seen on a model!! I LOVE this!!!!!

[Dr. Cranky]

Ah, you guys are too kind. I'm just trying to have fun with all these kits . . . and I've been salivating watching all the great Mercs being build around here, and I thought, how the heck am I gonna make mine different . . . we'll see how it will turn out . . . stay tuned in . . .

The paintjob, by the way, is not hard at all . . . Tamiya acrylics, in this case, fit the bill perfectly because I was going after a suede look on the paint . . . and the graphics were made with nail art stencils I picked up from an outfit in Puerto Rico through Ebay . . . they are neat little templates you can use over and over again . . .

[Robert81]

graphics were made with nail art stencils I picked up from an outfit in Puerto Rico through Ebay . . .

Is it just me or do those small leaves on the fenders and above the tail lights look like pot leaves? Ok, I said it. Don't shoot me.

Nice paint, despite the pot leaves. With all your other great builds I can't wait to see this one done.

Edited November 15, 2007 by Robert81

[hookedonplastics]

Hey Virgil,

I too have a bunch of little finger nail stencils with wacky patterns, but what about the zebra pattern you did below the belt line?

[cruz]

WOW!!! Pretty unique man.......

[Dr. Cranky]

I have to say I myself I'm surprised by how the paint job turned out .. . I was actually ready to have to repaint, but the Tamiya acrylics worked well (normally I use Floquil and or House of Kolors), and the templates for nail art also come in an animal pattern version . . . you just have to look around for it . . .

I really appreciate everyone's comments. Thank you.

[Dr. Cranky]

Okay, so here's picture of what I've been working on and then I will explain it . . . I'm trying to make some fringe tassels . . .

You take about 5 strands of different colored threads, you cut them to length, then you fold them to double them so you end up with ten, then you go making knots every 1/2" or so, making sure the knots are really tight . . .

Then with a sharp #11 blade, you cut them to size . . .

To experiment, I am going to glue some around the front windshield with tacky glue and see what that looks like. If I don't like it or it looks too out of scale, I will cut them down further . . .

I hope I am on the right track here . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

The other aspect of the interior I've been preparing for is all the posters, cards, and signs that are going to cover some of the headliner (don't ask me why someone would cover the headliner with graphics, but I think I have see stuff like this somewhere . . .

And also, getting some of the fabric ready for the seats and the door panels, etc.., some of the other accents that are going to make this build unique.

I decided to go with lots of Lucha Libre (Mexican Masked Wrestling, since it is a BAJA vehicle, afterall), the Loteria (Lotto/Bingo) cards, and a whole bunch of other cultural stuff . . .

I will probably not use all of it, but I am trying to achieve a particular kitschy feel to this, which borders on the Tiki/Tropical!!!