Modifying Large Scale Plastic and Metal Classic Car Kits.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

To this point I have built it pretty much straight out of the box and have added a tarp to conform with a storyline that I am developing for a diorama .The tarp also hides a pretty sparse cockpit and seats that look out of scale to me.If I was to modify this one without the tarp I would build the complete cockpit with wood floor,new seats and dash etc..as I have already done on some of my other builds.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Today I finished the painting and weathering .I think that if I had to do it over again though I would paint the rad black and then drybrush the perforated area with brass.Tomorrow I think that I will rework the area with more black pastel and see what happens.The tires also need a little more crud on them and they could be flattened a little.I wonder if they would be air filled or solid rubber ?

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Here is a much more complicated modification of a 1/18th scale metal car.At one time the diecast people put out a few metal models that you could build yourself.The green/black one is a bought diecast and the modified one is the same car bought as a metal kit and then weathered.

[Old Busted Hotness]

By the teens, only heavy trucks had solid rubber tires. So your Stutz would have air-filled tires, but if it sat for any length of time, they'd be flat.

Tires really sucked up until the 1980's.

[hot ford coupe]

I can imagine riding around on solid rubber tires. That would shake your back teeth loose.

[JohnReid]

By the teens, only heavy trucks had solid rubber tires. So your Stutz would have air-filled tires, but if it sat for any length of time, they'd be flat.

Tires really sucked up until the 1980's.

Thank you for confirming this,I didn't know about the heavy trucks,interesting !

[JohnReid]

When it comes to modification and weathering of metal or plastic the methodology is quite similar in most cases.This is an example that I happen to be working on right now for a diorama that I am presently building.There is nothing very difficult about it and in fact it can be loads of fun.It is one of my favorite things to do when working with any genre of modeling.I have worked in wood,plastic and metal over the years and really have no preference.Mostly I work with simple hand tools,acrylic paint and pastels for shading.All of my stuff is weathered and worn,I don't do shiny cars anymore as it is not a personal preference of mine.However I do enjoy taking pics of my shiny diecast collection using my dioramas as backdrops.Here are some in progress and finished examples.
I have already done tutorials about my methods in the past but if you guys have any questions please feel free to ask.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[hot ford coupe]

There is one question I have that may not have been addressed yet and that refers to times when you're modifying the die cast bodies. Can you solder the die cast metals or do you have to use CA or epoxy with some kind of mechanical retention? Thanks in advance.