VW model build topic

[Second Air Force]

Here is a finished photo of the front compartment of the big kit. The spare tire bracket was attached to the crossbar instead of being glued to the front beam support so I could repeatedly test-fit this to the body. The brackets for the tire holder are glued to the axle and it all meets up during body installation.

Revell's kit parts didn't work well with the Tamiya engine so some new tinwork was required. I just made it out of Evergreen sheet and used a little more styrene for the bumper brackets. The way Revell designed the inner fenders and apron on this kit isn't really perfect, but I decided against major surgery to change it. So, the bumper mounts sit at this goofy angle.

_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[jack1448]

[jack1448]

[Blue Baron]

[Second Air Force]

I'm really liking how you're proceeding on this one!
_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Second Air Force]

On the 1/16 sedan I'm stepping back a little in the chronological order. Here you can see the front bonnet in the open and closed positions. It was important to be able to fit all the opening doors and hoods properly and still be able to open everything for display. Revell allows for opening hood, but the hinges are nothing at all like the real car. With that in mind I fabricated hinges and a hood prop from Evergreen styrene and Tamiya parts.

The door hinges, on the other hand, are not too bad and work well with careful fitting.

_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Blue Baron]

I love the hood ratchet!

I can tell you're very familiar with the details of the early cars.
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Second Air Force]

Thanks! The hood prop is 1/2 Tamiya and 1/2 Evergreen strip. Originally all this stuff was going to work as it does on a real car but there just isn't enough room between the front quarter panel and the glove boxes to fit a proper hinge in there. I had to fabricate hinges accordingly and they didn't work as the geometry was impossible to achieve. I had to go to the fallback of non functioning hinges. The lid still opens and closes, just not like the real thing.

As to the details, I spent a couple of years planning this build in the early 1990s and had most every document I could find on prewar/wartime/early VWs. Then the whole thing sat in a box for over twenty years. Now we have the internet, The Samba, and many newer publications to help fine tune this old project.
_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Blue Baron]

Here's my update.

I ordered an etched stainless steel detailing kit for the Superbug Gasser.

_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Second Air Force]

Very nice!

I've been away from car modeling for a while--whose product is that? It's excellent.
_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Blue Baron]

[Second Air Force]

Good to hear that Detail Master is still with us. I've been out of the aftermarket world for many years and just yesterday found out that Don and Carol Holthaus had decided to retire last year.

When we had our little resin casting business we went to quite a number of model shows and knew the people behind a lot of the aftermarket companies.
_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Smoothgateguy]

The Detail Master photo etched set is awesome! It's nice to know that there are so many detailing options available when planning a model build--whether they're etched parts, resin cast, custom decals or hand made pieces. I know Blue Baron puts a lot of clever thinking into every thing he does, so I'm sure the Superbug Gasser still holds a few surprises.

I'm also really digging the the attention to detail Second Air Force is putting in to his 1/16 Kdf project. I like to think I pay a lot of attention to detail on the kits I build, but the work going into this project knocks me out. Good Stuff!

I see that Jack/Don is correcting the proportions on another cool kit. I admire that kind of talent--it's really something that's just not in my skill set. I look forward to seeing how this kit progresses as well.

My latest project, the 1965 issue Revell Deluxe Station Wagon kit is taking a lot longer to build than most of my other projects, but it's finally about to come together. I just want to thank everyone for their kind support and advice!

It's true that every model kit built is really one of a kind.

P.S. When is a scale model Barndoor kit going to come out? I would be first in line for one of those.

[Blue Baron]

[Second Air Force]

Here are a few photos of earlier items, starting with the footboards. I just used the Tamiya Kubel parts as a guide and constructed a set from Evergreen styrene. Then the seats were built up using wire for the seat frames. Revell's seat frames are somewhat over-scale especially at the hinge points for the seat backs. I also added the thumb screws for adjusting the seats fore-and-aft.

Also a while back in the build the ride height was adjusted and here is one photo of the process. This was pretty simple on the rear since I used strictly Kubel components, but the front spindles were modified to get the right height.

_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[Blue Baron]

I've been busy with life lately, so I haven't found much time for my build, but here's a quick update.

I never cared for the tiny seats that come with the AMT Superbug, which are closer to 1/30 scale than 1/25, so I opted for a seat
from a Revell VW. My contrasting color is red, so I decided on red seat belts.

Keep in mind the length of the entire model will measure from the Z through the M on your keyboard.
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Second Air Force]

Excellent!!
_________________
1956 Standard Sedan

[volkaholic1]

wow - super nice build, love how the seatbelt turned out
_________________
Volkaholic

[Blue Baron]

Thanks for the comments!

Today I addressed my biggest complaint about the Superbug kit. No self respecting VW that calls itself a gasser should come with
the wimpy dual carbs that this kit provides. AMT should be ashamed. To fix the problem I added these Weber 48 IDFs.

I had to notch the body a bit to make them fit, but now I should have no trouble making those sub-12 second e.t.s!
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff

[Long-roofs]

Spotted at local car show;

_________________
---
I have been on a treadmill drinking vodka, maybe more than once.

"No, I do not own a bleepin' leaf blower"

--