Saturday Film Club: Barnfind VW Beetle. Can We Get It Moving After A Decade?

Hmmm. I wish my Beetle looked as good as this... 

Beetle, done

 

Back in January, I mentioned I'd bought a battered Matchbox VW Beetle, mainly because I felt sorry for it. At the time, Paul B pointed me in the direction of repro engine bay covers. I bought one, and it then sat around for months, until I got around to finishing the project. 

Drilling though the rivet, the model came apart, and I decided to try to strip the old paint off, before a respray. Well, half an hour in full-fat Nitromors didn't shift it. That stuff was put on properly!

In the end, I sanded what I could and then sprayed the car with Halfrods paint. Anoyingly, I didn't have any satin black, but the matt isn't particually matt, so that would have to do. I'd reached the stage where I wanted to finish this more than I wanted it perfect. If I change my mind, more paint won't be hard to do. 

The whitemetal engine bay lid isn't a bad fit. Not worse then then the Lesney original. I don't pretend this is a full restoration. If I wanted that, I'd find the proper plastic polish, something else that has hidden itself. A quick go over with Brasso improves the glazing a lot, but (again) it's not perfect. 

What it is, is back in one piece. As Voltaire said, "Perfect can be the enemy of good" and in this case, it doesn't help that the camera is a bit cruel. The model looks OK, and most importantly, is finished. It's easy to end up with half-built projects because they aren't going to be perfect, but sometimes, ir's better to push on and get the job done.Well, that's my excuse. 

Saturday Film Club: Build a Dune buggy

I've always wanted to build a kit car. Probably a dune buggy. 

Of course, it's very unlikely I ever will. And even if I did, the mean streets of Leamington Spa aren't the idea home for it. And I'm not nearly cool enough to drive one. 

But it doesn't do any harm to watch the film and dream...

Driving in my car

 

Last weekend, I was helping a friend with some video editing for a conference she's working on. Something a bit different, and I enjoyed the task. The end result of all this is to be a series of videos on Instagram. 

All this got me thinking about a fun little film. The challenge being that it would have to be shot, and edited on my mobile phone. If I were 12 years old, this would be the easiest thing in the world. I'm not, so some thinking was required, but I managed it. 

Quite pleased with the result. Maybe I need to play with this stuff more? 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Phil Parker (@practical_phil)

Sunday morning exploring

 

Since the Festival of British Railway Modelling doors don't open for exhibitors until 8:30, and I tend to get up early, last week, I found myself with a little spare time to do some exploring. I love this on a Sunday before a show. A period of quiet before the busy day ahead, and since I'm in a strange town, the chance to check out a few sights. 

The sight that had fascinated me most as I drove between the show and hotel, was a late VW bay window pickup sat on top of a shipping container. It's very visible on a roundabout, helped by the headlights working at night. 

Sneaking into the little industrial estate it lives on, I was able to get up close and take some photos. Working around the front, it was unnerving to see a couple of realistic dummies in the cab looking at me!

While it's an eye-catching advert for Adrian Welch Glazing, it seems a shame that a rare vehicle is sitting out in all weathers with the tin-worn doing its worst. At a rough guess, there's £10,000 of Volkswagen here, crying out for restoration!

In the same yard, there is a K6 telephone box. 

Also in need of restoration. Mainly paint and glazing admittedly, and they can probably handle that. 

Behind the yard is a huge cemetry - Hyde Park Cemetry to be precise. 

With a better than normal memorial bench - very appropriate for a train-themed weekend!

1/4 scale VW engine - the video

Here we go, the 1/4 scale VW engine in all it's full working glory. 

Press the button on the base, and the model turns over for 40 second, while making some very unconvincing noises. 

Trill as you can just about see the pistons moving! Be awed by the light-up spark plugs! 

Actually, I love this. It's been a great fun project with not much I would change for the future. Maybe some screws that look more "enginey" like hex-heads. Perhaps a bit more painting. But basically, this has been great fun, went together well and I am pleased with the result.

Go on then, what did you buy?

Tradition demands that after a trip to a show, everyone posts pictures of the stuff they have bought all over social media. If you don't believe me, just watch any model railway Facebook group this time next week as it fills with "I bought this at Warley" stuff. It's the hunter-gatherers returning to the tribe and showing off thier spoils. 

Anyway, I went to two big shows and didn't come away empty-handed. 

Starting with the classic car show. 

I didn't buy a car. Unless you count a Hot Wheels Baja Bug for three quid. There were plenty of stalls selling model cars, but none could furnish me with a Peugeot 206 sadly. I'd love a model of my old car. There was a possibility of a rally version, but aside from the amount of work required to turn it into a road car, the price was £40 more than I sold my real one for!

The blue box is a 1990s (I think) plastic case for a set of space light bulbs. It's a genuine VW thing and only cost me a tenner. One day, when one of my cars gets back on the road, it will be used to house the correct set of lamps that I always like to carry in the car. 

Moving on the IPMS show, things got a lot more serious. No-one treks all the way to Telford without plans to carry at least one box out with them. Looking at the crowd, it seems many were stocking up for a years worth of modelling, which makes sense as there's plenty to choose from. 

I had decided that a "proper" kit would be coming back with me. There was nothing specific in my head, a little impusle buying was in order. As you know, I like all sorts of modelling, so a railway kit wasn't on the cards, but anything else was. 

The proper purchase is a Mini-Art 1/35 scale kit for a Bulldog tractor. Lots of reasons for this - for a start, a Bulldog plays a pivotal role in my first novel. This was inspired by the prototype being part of the tractor collection on the farm my model boat and railway club are located on. Importantly, this is the sport version, as used in the book. Also, Mini-Art are based in Ukraine, and so this is a little bit of support. And many years ago, they sent me a load of building kits for mag projects. Oh, and they are really cracking kits too. 

A more random purchase is the ARII Ghost Box, and obselete (I think) operating money box kit. I've never built one, but it looks fun. There's a motor in there, so some operation is in store. 

And then there is some weird stuff. One stand had some huge boxes of Japanese Manga (I think) kits for four quid a pop. I've never built anything like this, but you know I love the unusual, so I came away with three. They are completely useless to me, but hopefully, fun. That's what it's all about. 

Interestingly, I found myself in conversation with someone who jokingly suggested that the show was responsible for vast amounts of the infamous plastic waste we are all worried about. I reasured him this isn't the case. Plastic yogurt pots are a problem - used once and they end up in the bin after a life of a few days. Plastic kits are lovinly built and displayed, generally not being thrown away. And anyway, quite a lot of them end up on lofts acting as insulation...

Apart from this, there are a couple of whitemetal kits for a mag feature, a free aeroplane card kit from a blog reader (Thank you!), several boxes of knock-off Lego models for fun Christmas presents and a pack of Non Metalic metal paints for me to try. All good fun!

Waste not, want not

From the same event that brought me yesterdays starter switch, a radio control toy VW van. I quite like the shape. Not quite right at the front, but not bad for a toy. I only paid a few quid for it. 

Of course, I get it back home, put some batteries in, the lights come on, but nothing moves. Booo. 

A quick look inside and I spot a couple of loose wires. The both appear to come from the same place, I so I resolder them. No good, so one is replaced. Still no good. A bit of poking doesn't show any obvious dry joints. 

So, it looks like money wasted. Oh well, no crying over spit milk. 

Instead, I'll get a couple of useful on/off slide switches, several LEDs and a motor and gearbox that could well power a garden railway loco. The front steering unit looks interesting too and I'm wondering if it could be used to operate an animation on a model railway. At the very least, the motor will be worth saving. 

Even though I'm disapointed not to be cruising around the floor with this (yes, I'm a big kid) I reckon I can salvage enough bits to just about cover my loss. I just need to file them where I can find them again as required. That's the difference between salvage, and hoarding. 

Mind you, put some rail wheels on and I could have a 32mm gauge DB Inspection railcar....

Saturday Film Club: Failed VW Beetle replacements

The history of the VW is fascinating, and one aspect that is of interest to nerds like me is the huge variety of potential replacements Volkswagen looked as as potential replacements. 

Having a world-beating car on the books is a good thing, until your company leans on it too hard and for too long, and the rest of the industry moves on and you are left with something odd and obselete as your main product. 

History tells us that eventually the Golf came along and was another major success, but it's interesting to see what might have been.

Saturday Film Club: James May's Beach Buggy

Just as I was posting photos of my completed Beach Buggy, this video pops up on YouTube showing James May and a buggy he has just bought. 

It's a fun little film and confirms that I'd quite like to own a full-size version of the plastic kit. Actually, I'd like to build a full-size version of the plastic kit. Only lack of time, money and space are stopping me. 

And I've been to Kingfisher Kustoms many years ago and met Dave. I can't remember what I bought for my Beetle (not the worst car in the world Mr May) but there was a train trip to Brum to do it. 

If you enjoy the film, there's a behind the scenes one too.

Beach Buggies compared - Airfix vs Revell

 

I suppose we ought to compare the recently finished Airfix beach buggy with the Revell version I built three years ago. The web loves this sort of thing after all. 

Both are the same scale, and fortunately, not the same prototype. Revell is slightly cheaper, but Airfix uses stiffer plastic. Revell give you rubber tyres, but I think the Airfix wheels and tyres look better. You get figures with Airfix and not with Revell - and in this sort of car, I think that's a big thing. 

Around the back, Airfix has a Type 1 engine, Revell, Type 4. Another win for Airfix here I think. Interestingly, the British kit is right hand drive, the German left hand drive. I can see arguments for both as this is a vehicle you'd mainly associate with the sunnier climbes of America. 

I'd give a small win to Airfix, mainly because of the engine and figures, but both are fun builds. 

However, all this got me thinking. While I'm not big on customised Beetles, I do have a soft spot for a Baja bug. 

 

So, I wonder if I could take the buggy wheels and engine, plus the Airfix Beetle kit and make one of these? There would need to be some scratchbuilding of course, but that would be a big part of the kitbashing fun wouldn't it? 

Something to think about anyway...

Airfix Beach Buggy - ready for the surf

 In odd minutes over the last week, I've finished the Airfix Beach Buggy kit. I know the project has jumped some steps, but I'm sure you don't need all of them. 

Anyway, the body is stuck to the chassis, seats and figures added and the clear parts fitted with Glue'n'Glaze. Told you it wasn't exciting.

There were a few interesting wrinkles. The roll bar is on the clear sprue, and is glazed. Not sure why this is as you wouldn't have a honking great window behind the seats, it would act like an air-brake for a start. carefully opening this up with a razor saw looks better, and makes it easier to paint. On balance, I should have replaced it with something thinner, but it's OK. 

 

Both figures are nicely sculpted, but a little laid back. They looked odd until I painted their eyes in (I don't normally bother with eyes on 4mm figures and sometimes not on 7mm, but these definitely needed them doing) and she is still staring at the sky rather than forward. I'm out of practise on skin tones too and think I could have done a better job - but every project is a learning exercise. 

Overall, I'm pleased to have had the chance to revisit the kit and enjoyed the build. Aside from a few issues, the model goes together well. 

 

If you want to do a really top-notch job, I'd recommend buying two kits and building the first to get a feel for the model, then making the second the exhibition job. There's plenty of scope for customisation too - the nerf bars on the front could be changed, and the rear cage is a bit basic too. That fan belt cover would be nice in mesh with visible pulleys too. 

But then that's the joy of plastic kits - so adaptable, and so much fun to adapt.

Yellow shocks

 

It's been a busy week, so progress on the beach buggy had been limited. I have managed to fit the  engine into the chassis and add the suspension. 

At the back end, like the exhaust, there's a bit of gluing things and having them hang in mid-air. If you have four very small hands, you'll be in a better position than those of us with only two large ones. The trouble is, you can't line anything up and hope it's right. Worse, until the wheels go on, you have no idea if they will all touch the ground. 

The observant will notice the shock absorbers are bright yellow. Airfix didn't specify this, it's a tribute to the time I decided to replace those on my bug with gas filled ones rather than the "boring" oil filled version. 

The result was a somewhat bouncy ride as they react faster than the standard items. A ride, I didn't really like, but had to put up with as the car was my daily driver. A lesson learned that you shouldn't believe what people in Volksworld tell you is cool - it might be, but they lower their cars and endure a terrible ride as a result. 

Adding the wheels and I think I've got away with things. There is a bit of slop so they all touch the ground. The back ones even rotate, but the fronts defeated me. Mind you, I didn't put up much of a fight as this isn't something I worry about much. It makes photography easier as the model stays put anyway. 

Really sharp eyed people will notice rubber parts (tyres, gaiters) are painted Revell Anthracite black , while metal bits are Humbrol black. No, of course, no-one cares, but it's my model and I'll have some fun!

The future is orange

  

There was only one colour for this car - orange.  

That's the colour it is on the box lid and that's the colour my Beetle is. There simply is no better hue. 

I'm spraying the body with Tamiya X-6 orange. Sadly, I couldn't get an aerosol, so the paint was thinned with car windscreen wash (it's what the military modellers recommend) over Halfords white primer. Trying to spray without the primer saw the paint puddle on the plastic surface, but while gives a better base than grey, so it's worth the effort. 

The result is pleasingly matt. Not dead, but not shiny. I'd accept satin, but gloss always looks too toylike. 

If I could have found a can of touch-up spray for my car I'd have used that, but since the aerosols I had mixed must be well over 20 years old, I suspect they might not be in the best condition. 

1/32nd aircooled engine

  

Airfix has kept the Beach Buggy engine pretty simple. Sadly, in the days it was designed, they didn't put in many positive location aids, so while most of the assembly is easy, the dual-cannon exhaust pipes sort of hang in mid-air while you assemble them with only half-lap joints to hold them to each other. 

The technique of using plastic cement for the initial grab followed by some solvent once they are tweaked into position seemed to work OK for me, although the tweaking went on for a while until the joints were solid and I was happy. 

Detail is sparse because (as I later found) you can see so little when the unit is fitted in the car. 

My bugs' engine is a bit different but was a useful guide. The air cleaner (missed out of the kit) is much larger than a mushroom version you'd have in a buggy. It's also more hemmed in by the tinware, something mostly missing on a buggy. You don't need those big hoses from the doghouse to the heat exchangers for a start. 

I've never detailed and engine before, but it looks like fun when other people do it, so I added a distributor and plug leads to fill the space. Pedants will point out I didn't include the vacuum advance canister, but I assume the buggy owner has replaced the stock VW unit with a 009 version which only has centrifugal advance. It's a popular mod, although one disapproved of by people who point out VW didn't spend millions fitting this stuff for it to be replaced by people who think cheap chrome makes their car go faster...

The dizzy is a piece of plastic tube, and the wires 15amp fusewire. The air cleaner is a bit more tube, which has since been altered to fit under the body. Main silver is Dark Star "Molten Metal" Old silver, a better match for a magnesium alloy crank case than the silver suggested. That's limited to the exhaust tips and pulley cover. A quick wash of black Citadel weathering ink finishes the job.

Airfix Beach Buggy

It was a great pleasure to read that Airfix planned to re-introduce the Beach Buggy kit earlier this year. I put my pre-order in as soon as I saw the model advertised, and last week, a box arrived. 

When a young modeller, I remember building this kit. The results probably weren't very blog-worthy, but with an interest in VeeDubs, it was always going to be on my list for another go. The trouble was, unbuilt kits on eBay were in the region of £65, and like an idiot, I passed up the one I saw at £15 at Stanford Hall VW show a few years ago, and the Revell version didn't satisfy my desire for the kit.

The 1/32nd scale kit isn't large, but it's pretty comprehensive. Mind you, there aren't that many parts to the real car. At least some suitably 1970s figures are part of the package. 

Everything looks nicely moulded. Presumably the moulds were refurbished as part of the reintroduction process as I can't believe they were this good after all the time, the kit first appeared in 1972 so it's nearly as old as me!

Saturday Film Club: Building a 1/4 scale flat four engine

 

I remember seeing this range of plastic kit engines for the first time at the London Toy Fair a few years ago.At the time I was happy they didn't make a VW engine. But now it seems this has changed, and this video doesn't reduce my desire to build one.

 Must resist...

(Get yours from Amazon)

Saturday Film Club: Draw a VW camper van

 

Time for me to remember that as well as a Beetle, I own a VW campervan - I just don't know where it is. The guy who did mechanical stuff for me was supposed to be selling it, but moved to Bloxwich (I think) taking it with him, and I've never chased it up.I still have all the registration documents, so I assume it's just sitting. 

Anyway, while my van is a bay window, let's learn how to draw a splittie, courtesy of Shoo Raynor.

Rockin' VeeDub

 

 

A random photo from the archive of shots still to be filed from my hard drive crash a few years ago. Thousands of images that live in a folder and await sorting out, I look in occasionally and have a go, but it's a long job. 

Anyway, I can't remember where I took this photo, but it is brilliant. A handbuilt, wooden VW rocking "horse". The workmanship is amazing and I wish I'd had one of these as a child!

Saturday Film Club: Fly drive in the 1960s

 With summer now behind us, let's load the VW Beetle on an aeroplane and head off the continent to enjoy a bit of sunshine and swimming in this old cine film.