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markbt73

WR02 - CARToons / Dave Deal style Corvette

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Time for something less serious, I think... I still love the WR02 chassis, but I've gotten tired of the Wild Willy body. I wanted to try something different. The Comical buggies are cool, and I may yet get one someday, but I wanted to try my own thing.

So I stuck some Pro-Line drag wheels and tires on it, and immediately thought, "That looks like something out of Car-Toons, something Dave Deal would draw."

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Which, really, I think, is where a lot of the original Wild WIlly vibe came from anyway. So let's run with it. Checking sizes of various bodies online, I found that a Sabula Tech/Bolink Greenwood Corvette had about the same wheelbase as the WR-02 in its "C" configuration. Yep, fits nicely:

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Naturally, this style requires a gigantic engine sticking out of the hood. So I printed a comically-large blower and bug catcher.

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You need a driver too, and there is no other choice than everyone's favorite hydrocephalic Jeep driver. One problem: his big noggin won't fit inside the tiny Corvette body. Oh well, open T-tops it is, I guess...

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So that's where it sits right now. The plan is to have Willy looking out over the windshield, with his right arm raised grabbing a gignatic gearshift lever (also a crucial part of the style), and cut a hole in the hood for the blower. I'm thinking about mounting the blower to the chassis rather than the body, maybe on a spring so it has a "shaker" effect.

Paint is still up in the air; I want to do a full-on tacky '70s stripe package, but not sure if I can pull it off. If I chicken out, it will just be bright orange.

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I am absolutely loving where this is going :D

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Great idea 👍🏻 
When I see a Wild Willy Jeep it always reminds of a poster I had as a kid of a Jeep that was in the  style of Dave Deal’s drawings, it had the slogan ‘4WD’s Do it in the Dirt’ The Driver had massive sunglasses and teeth, cheesy grin and long hair. It was also complete with black velvet around the edge too.  

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CARtoons imprinted on me pretty significantly as a kid. I even subscribed. Then it was gone, and Peterson Publishing replaced it with Car Craft. Oh well.

So your build is hitting all the right feels for me. It's gonna look great, I hope you've started the new RC trend. Maybe a CARtoons class for No Prep? Concours awards could be awarded for best Trosley, best Kerri...

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Lots and lots of promise and potential even at this early stage! I eagerly anticipate your work :)

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This is great! Looking forward to the end result.

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8 hours ago, GermanTA03Guy said:

Agree, great stuff. I'm just not sure whether I might like it more without a driver (tinted windows)... 

You know.... that is something to consider. I'm not thrilled about the idea of cutting open that roof. And thinking about it, the "Zingers" models from MPC never had drivers, and they looked pretty cool too.

In fact, looking up photos of MPC Zingers has given me an interesting idea for a Lunchbox build...

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Love the concept! I have fond memories of the CARtoons, I had stickers of them everywhere in my youth, haven't thought of them in years. Looking forward to see how you finish it off!  

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Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. Now I just need to not screw it up... no pressure, right?

Got the blower assembled, with a few add-ons left over from an old Parma Hemi:

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Just needs a little paint, and it'll be ready to go. I'll tape that flat plate to the unerside of the hood after it's painted; the "shaker" engine isn't going to work, because the blower scoop is too big to wiggle through the hood hole every time I want to take off the body.

I also have the "zoomie" exhaust pipes from the Hemi kit; I think they're a must...

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And I am leaning towards no driver, or maybe a smaller driver than Willy. I really don't want to cut the roof open.

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19 hours ago, markbt73 said:

And I am leaning towards no driver, or maybe a smaller driver than Willy. I really don't want to cut the roof open.

If you go with a driver, you could mod one of these and go totally meta:

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Personally I think without a driver would look much better. You can always cut and add a driver later. Blacked out windows would look great.


Personally it's not an art style I really like, but I think that what you've got is a cool tribute that has some of its own style. And it's just good fun, which we all need.

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Really digging this project!

I think you could go 2 ways with the driver: One is the Dave Deal/Cartoons style where the driver is fully inside the car but still larger, sat in the center and squished up like the car is too small for them. I think this would work better for your Lexan body and the style you're going for, but you could also do Rat Fink/Ed Roth style where the driver is fully exposed hanging out the car and you can see the interior. This style would probably lend itself more to a hard plastic modeling job so you could really detail the interior and driver, but wouldn't be as quick and perhaps not as much fun! (to drive)

Also I have been wondering about those Proline drag wheels but aren't the fronts 12mm hex? How did you manage to fit them to the WR02 front axles?

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2 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Also I have been wondering about those Proline drag wheels but aren't the fronts 12mm hex? How did you manage to fit them to the WR02 front axles?

Yes they are 12mm hex. Just install the TL01 style front uprights (leftovers in the kit anyway) and a couple of axles from just about anything, and pop on some hexes. I used the WR02 rear axles on the front, and some extra-long axles I had (I think they're actually Kyosho, but don't quote me on it) in back to widen it all out. I also flippped the front arms over to lengthen the wheelbase. All of this essentially converts it into a WR02C, like the Honda City Turbo.

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Test-fitting the engine before paint...

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(And yes, I'll trim down the body posts, don't worry.)

Going driver-less for now, with clear windows, until I figure out what to do. It'll still look pretty cool even like that.

Color is an easy choice; in my mind, there is only one color for a mid-70s Vette...

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Painted!

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Still need to add a few details to the body. Not going to go crazy, because I want this to be a runner, but it does need a few things.

Weather and time permittiing, I'll get some outdoor shots later today.

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