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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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VW Beetle Custom Build
The VW Beetle – or just ‘Beetle’ as it is most well known as – is a global icon.
There are no doubts about that. Ever since its introduction in 1938 it has grown to become one of the biggest selling cars of all time.
However, the car took a sudden leap forwards in the ‘60’s in America when the younger generation were looking for something different to the ever size-increasing cars of the time. Indeed, one American manufacturer even made a point of advertising the fact that their car ‘can sleep four in the trunk’. (Boot)
Not only did they buy the Beetle by the ship load, they wanted to be different so they began customising their cars.
Custom cars were nothing new in America at that time but it was certainly different to see a little German car with a wheezy air-cooled engine being given a makeover.
Now, Enter DeAgostini and the new VW Beetle kit.
This model is certainly crying out to be modified.
In this build, additions will be made in the engine compartment most certainly but it will also receive a new custom ‘paint job’ and interior.
Nothing will be done that is beyond the average modeller and no special tools or anything will be needed.
There will be several custom options explained and described so at the end, there could actually be lots of different custom Beetles in the completed gallery.
The build will follow the packs and part in order, so that you can make any alterations and additions as we go.
So, buckle up, and get ready for the ride…
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Registered
Joined: 25/02/2017 Posts: 337 Points: 1,010 Location: surrey
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Will be following you on this one Roy . When my Samba is finished this is the next one for me so very interested to see your customising and any ideas you give. Andy.
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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The picture below is to give an idea of the custom paint scheme I will be using by making waterslide decals. Don't worry - I will provide full size art for anyone to freely copy and print their own decals if they wish. There will also be a much simpler two-tone colour scheme in case anyone doesn't want to go too wild... roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/07/2014 Posts: 4,269 Points: 12,713 Location: Scotland
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Will be interesting to see what you come up with Roy  regards Phil  COMING SOON =1/72 Italeri diorama`s Battle for the Reichstag and Stalingrad battle at the tractor factory 1/16 Trumpeter King Tiger with loads of extras ON THE GO= refurbishment of 1/25 Tamiya tiger 1 , amt Star trek kits and space 1999 models
So Much to Build,But What a Hobby!
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 19/06/2013 Posts: 4,588 Points: 13,553 Location: West Yorkshire
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Look forward to seeing this get the Roy treatment Al
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Looking forward to seeing this get the treatment. Any room for some fury dice? Mark
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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If you can make them at 1/8 scale, then bring it on... 
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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During this build I shall be using proprietary ‘off the shelf’ automotive car spray ‘rattle-cans’ throughout, except for small details which will be painted using model paints.
This will be made clear during the build.
STAGE 1
The build begins with the bonnet as we call it, the hood over the pond. (When you think about it, both things are hats, and as it isn’t fitted yet, I suppose it’s ‘hats off’…)
Anyway, the assembly of this part is very straightforward but the pack comes with the front lights which aren’t needed yet.
For safekeeping, once the front panel is assembled, put it back in the original package.
I’m going to make some water-slide decals to replicate a custom paint finish later on but I’ve shown the artwork below.
I will be posting full size art for anyone to use a bit further along.
roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Now this is going to be fun to follow and look forward to seeing your skills bring this together... Good luck with it Roy..... Regards Alan
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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STAGE 2
Pack 2 contains the front wheel, tyre and hub/brake assembly with the disc or rotor (a ‘pond’ thing again.)
The first thing that can be done here is to paint the wheel a different colour if you are going for a customised look.
Frequently, wheels were painted either white or gold as it was a far cheaper option than buying alloys or mag wheels.
The wheel part can be primed with a good automotive white primer, followed by an auto gloss white. The details can then be picked out in silver.
To fit the tyre, soak it in boiling water for around 5 minutes. Dry it, and you will find it goes onto the wheel with no bother whatsoever.
The brake caliper was painted bright red and then the hub was assembled.
Custom car fanatics don’t only ‘trick’ up the visible parts. Very often pieces not often seen will also get a makeover so I painted the rear of the hub assembly a darker graphite silver.
Then, the wheel and hub were assembled together.
As before, store the parts in the original pack for safekeeping.
roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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STAGE 3
This set contains the engine cover parts.
Again, assembly is very straight forward but I decided to make the lamp cover a bit more interesting by spraying it a ‘sunburst’ red/yellow.
It was done very easily by sticking the part to a wood strip using sticky-tac. (A kind of adhesive chewing gum, but don’t eat it)
The part was primed white first, and then the yellow was sprayed on at a very low angle from one direction, meaning that it was painted predominantly in one area and not that a certain musical crowd had anything to do with it.
The part was then sprayed red from a similarly low angle but this time from the opposite direction.
Result – a nice sunburst effect that will go well with my later body colour scheme.
The licence plate was covered in real aluminium adhesive foil which can be bought in large rolls from any bargain shop. My 10m roll cost a whopping 99p.
The engine cover was then assembled according to the instructions and was again, stored away in the original packing.
roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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STAGE 4
This pack contains the engine compartment floor and the exhaust system.
All of these parts go together easily but you might want to remove the mould seam lines on the chrome tailpipes as they do notice.
A light sanding will do it and then the pipes can be wrapped in metal foil and polished.
Now – a subject that many people shy away from.
Weathering.
I do not intend to go overboard with highly realistic weathering, washes, oil effects etc as the purpose of this build is to make a custom model that anyone can manage so I intend keeping the weathering simple, yet hopefully, effective.
When building large model cars you really can’t do much better than giving certain areas a light misting of spray red oxide paint.
Please note that the photos below tend to make the effect look very heavy and dark. In reality it is not like that at all. The misting is quite light.
Of course, those of you who wish to fully weather the parts will no doubt be well aware as to how you can do it.
For now though on these parts, the red oxide is enough to give the appearance of dust and surface rust.
Store these parts carefully as there is no moulded packaging to keep them in.
roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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STAGE 5
This stage contains the first parts of a front seat.
The seat parts can be left as-is, or they can even be painted with special vinyl paints that you can find on the net.
I shall be trimming my seats in fabric although you could use very thin leather – the method is exactly the same.
I shall use what is known as ‘Baby needle-cord’ as it is extremely fine and looks in scale for 1/8 models.
Also, I’m not sure that many Beetles would have had real leather trim – correct me if I’m wrong.
I will also show later on, how custom bucket seats can be used to good effect on the model.
First you will need to make paper templates of the seat back/sides, and another for the seat face.
This is done by simply drawing around the parts onto plain paper. Don’t forget the seat sides, as part of the back template.
Apply a very good quality double sided tape to the back of your chosen fabric.
Use GOOD D/S tape. You don’t want it starting to come apart in a few months’ time.
Lay your template on the back of the fabric and draw round with a biro.
Cut the fabric out with a new blade so you don’t get stray ‘fluffy’ edges.
Stick the seat back to the fabric and then cut the material as shown in the pictures.
Fold the fabric into place, again following the pictures.
Cut away excess fabric on the seat face with a new blade but leave about 2mm overlapping the seat front.
Make a similar template for the seat face, allowing about 3mm each side wider, and around 10-15mm longer.
Transfer this to your fabric as before.
Peel off the backing paper from the tape and very carefully fold in the long edges by around 3mm.
Apply more D/D tape strips to the newly folded and ‘bare’ fabric.
Peel off all the tape backing and starting at the very top/rear of the seat face, stick the fabric in place.
As you work down the front, apply the fabric in the centre first, pulling the edges out tight as you go to remove any creases.
When finished, stick the end of the fabric under the bottom of the seat part and cut off any excess hanging at the rear.
Use the back of your nail to press the material into the seat detail.
Later on, I will show you how to cover the head rests but I won’t be using them on my build.
Tune in soon for the next part of the build and please, comment, ask questions, offer ideas and suggestions and even post any pics of your own ‘custom’ build – no standard builds please. Let’s all make this a great, fun project.
roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Semi-Pro Level 1 Groups: Registered
Joined: 15/01/2016 Posts: 59 Points: 177 Location: US
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What type of double sided tape are you using? The strips seem much wider than the normal 3M/scotch tape kind
Rich
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Very impressive start Roy, the chord material on the seat look fab.  Keep it coming. Mark
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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rjfk2002 wrote:What type of double sided tape are you using? The strips seem much wider than the normal 3M/scotch tape kind
Rich The tape I use is from a local hardware store. It's 2" wide, heavy duty but still very thin. PM sent...
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,504 Points: 13,672 Location: ipswich
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PACK 1 Head rests. These are trimmed in much the same way as the seat base. First, make a template of the face of the headrest but then enlarge it by about 2mm-3mm larger all round. Transfer the template onto your chosen fabric which has been backed with D/S tape. Cut the part out x 2. (Front and back) Apply the parts to the headrest, making sure it is pressed down really firmly all round. Now make a template for the upper edge and sides of the headrest. It really does not need to go underneath as that part of the headrest will never be seen. Cut the fabric part out in the same way as all the other pieces and apply it to the headrest, starting at the top centre and fixing the fabric in place down the sides as you go. Voila…! Headrest sorted. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite   Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
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Roy That looks a fun build you have on the go there. Love the '60's take you are putting on this one. Its sure to look very good once its all together. Tony Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
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Great work Roy, looking excellent. Mark
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Going to be a really fun build to follow judging by what you've done so far Roy, all looking really good....  Regards Alan
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