Monster beetle alternative livery’s

[Toolmaker72]

I’m looking for a bit of inspiration as an alternative livery to the red box art monster beetle.  I’m keeping the standard gold wheels and tyres with a black chassis but not sure whether to build a sand scorcher type body or a variation in colour to the monster beetle version? 🤔
pictures would be fab! 😊

thanks in advance 👍

 

[Frog Jumper]

dang...  stupid links...

i found a Mad Max beetle that would look awesome...

 

[J@mes]

A big challenge to have original thought on bug aesthetics, not impossible though. Most opt for variation on a theme, like you suggested already.
 

Have a look through the showrooms, this is a good start:  https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=134930&id=49381   Fresh ideas and inspiration to be found there 👍

[Toolmaker72]

my monster beetle has been built with a mix of vintage second hand and new parts, no box or manual so thought make its colour a little unique.  The body I’ve just ordered is a sand scorcher set but I’ll fit the triple front spot lamps as well.   My intial thinking colour wise is a metallic bronze to go with the gold wheels. The little man inside might get the head left over from my Subaru brat or a more modern grasshopper 2 head rather than the open crash helmet original,  If I put on the scorcher decal sticker set. Not sure 🤔 at the moment 

[jonboy1]

you'll want a Monster Beetle front panel if you want the spots there, unless you intend to get creative with plasticard.

Bronze and gold together might look a bit 'Mr.T wearing a coordinating shell suit' 

Black and green go really well, as evident by @Re-Bugged awesome scheme, not sure the french blue of the scorcher would look right though.

[jonboy1]

always happy to be proved wrong of course:

 

[Toolmaker72]

Lol at mr t look 😊, that made me smile.  I was gonna say brown and cream but changed it to bronze and gold.  I’ve looked at the black and green car and it’s very good but I’ve actually made a plain metallic black buggy version earlier in the year. I like Orange which goes with the gold wheels, yellow looks a bit toy like if that makes sense.  I sold this grey version last year but it’s obviously not on big gold wheels, I could do a two tone silver grey version?
 

[Re-Bugged]

Like you @Toolmaker72 I considered a Scorcher type livery first but with different colours (although a bit of resemblance on the roof of my MB is evident). I have also done a Scorcher livery 2CV and gold wheels look great with it.  I just felt the MB needed something a bit bolder on the sides to enhance the Monster theme.

I did try my Brat Body on the chassis which is painted in Holden Prussian Steel, (Subaru have a similar colour) and thought  the colour + Brat gold/black stripes sat really well with the Gold wheels and dark ORV chassis.

 

Hope that gives you some ideas 😉

[Toolmaker72]

The brat colour works well with the dark chassis, yellow dampers and gold wheels 👍.  

[Toolmaker72]

Yesterday I rebuilt the chassis using what I thought was the  black version but when delivered is actually a dark grey colour chassis 🙄.

The difference a colour makes though.  Couple of pictures below 

[Toolmaker72]

Below shows the base chassis I used the parts from.  It all cleaned up well tbh.  A little trick I’ve learnt is use a hot air paint stripper gun to warm up the white stress marks in the plastics to get rid of the white marks and also pulls the plastic back into its original shape.  Obviously too much heat will melt and distort so be careful

[Toolmaker72]

I tried my blue Subaru brat body on the chassis earlier.  Looks quite good I thought as it’s wearing mudblaster 2 decals 🙂

[Re-Bugged]

4 hours ago, Toolmaker72 said:

Yesterday I rebuilt the chassis using what I thought was the  black version but when delivered is actually a dark grey colour chassis 🙄.

 

Yeah they are Dark Grey chassis, the same one is used on the Blue Edition Brat too. As you say though they do look good 

The Black Edition MB is more to do with the body as its moulded in black.

[Toolmaker72]

26 minutes ago, Re-Bugged said:

Yeah they are Dark Grey chassis, the same one is used on the Blue Edition Brat too. As you say though they do look good 

The Black Edition MB is more to do with the body as its moulded in black.

Is the black edition mb body finished in a metallic black paint also?

[Re-Bugged]

17 minutes ago, Toolmaker72 said:

Is the black edition mb body finished in a metallic black paint also?

No mate, just a normal black plastic moulded finish, same as a Blackfoot.

I sprayed mine a sort of Metallic Black (Ford Petroleum Mica) which has a very slight greeny blue tint to it that goes better with the green and silver than the straight black I compared it to at the shop.

I kept to the to near black so I didn't have to paint the inside of the shell. 

[Toolmaker72]

1 hour ago, Re-Bugged said:

No mate, just a normal black plastic moulded finish, same as a Blackfoot.

I sprayed mine a sort of Metallic Black (Ford Petroleum Mica) which has a very slight greeny blue tint to it that goes better with the green and silver than the straight black I compared it to at the shop.

I kept to the to near black so I didn't have to paint the inside of the shell. 

Oh right, so it’s technically a blitzer body other than the nose cone. 
Good choice of colour that you used though 👍, I’m still waiting for my scorcher body set to arrive.
 

 

 

[Re-Bugged]

1 hour ago, Toolmaker72 said:

Oh right, so it’s technically a blitzer body other than the nose cone. 
Good choice of colour that you used though 👍, I’m still waiting for my scorcher body set to arrive.
 

 

 

Yes thats I believe thats right 

Just bear in mind you my have to drill another hole in the bonnet, as the MB shell has 2 holes for the post, the original like the SS, and one little further back. The MB kit comes with a sticker to cover the original position hole. I opted to glue a piece of sprue tree in there, sand and fill, hence the other reason I painted it. I also filled the holes where the metal clip above the back window goes on the SS too. The holes that the posts come out the side for the MB & BB will need drilling out as well. there is a small dimple on the inside where they need to be.

[Re-Bugged]

This is the Sprue glued in what would be the Scorchers body post hole...

This is it sitting on the MB chassis with the actual body post sticking out before I’d filled the front one...

[Toolmaker72]

I had noticed the different mount locations on ss shell.  These shells I’ve previously fitted to grasshopper 2 chassis and frog chassis. I’ve used the existing front hole and slight variations on the side mount holes.  The other thing is rubbing down the die marks on all 4 wings before paint. I’ll probably blend in the nose cone also once I’ve done a natty little mod to fit the mb triple spot lamps.  Devils in the detail as they say 🙂.  

[Toolmaker72]

New scorcher body arrived 🙂.  Mounting holes simply drilled out shown by the depressions in the body 4.2mm diameter drill

[Toolmaker72]

As we all know the scorcher nose cone doesn’t have the facility to bolt on the monster beetle spot lamps.  I’ved used the rear roof mount spacers included with this body set as the bolt locations to hold the spot lamps.  I’ve roughly filed a half diameter where there is a little strengthening gusset in the nose cone.  The measurement between those gussets is perfect to align the spot lamp holder and hence glue those bolt guides on

[Busdriver]

On 3/20/2020 at 5:52 AM, Toolmaker72 said:

I’ll probably blend in the nose cone also once I’ve done a natty little mod to fit the mb triple spot lamps.  Devils in the detail as they say 🙂.  

Its up too you. Are you going to run it or a shelf queen. If the former my experience is that it will crack! There is a method of using plastic rod spinning at speed to melt into the join (forgotten the name of it) that may work as it melts the plastic together.

[Toolmaker72]

Picture above looks a bit wonky due to perspective. The tubes are glued on straight. The length of the tubes are as straight off the sprue. Basically hold the nose cone on a flat surface and then introduce the tubes into the filed grooves with the base of the tube touching the same plane as holding the nose cone on. I’ll leave the glue to cure overnight and possibly add a bit of epoxy putty on the rear for a bit of extra strength.  Once painted all will look original 🙂

 

[Toolmaker72]

7 minutes ago, Busdriver said:

Its up too you. Are you going to run it or a shelf queen. If the former my experience is that it will crack! There is a method of using plastic rod spinning at speed to melt into the join (forgotten the name of it) that may work as it melts the plastic together.

I’m thinking the same tbh how strong the join will be? 🤔 The model won’t be used much as I enjoy the build from finding the new and used parts.  Thank you for the tip though 👍🙂

[Toolmaker72]

Bolted the spot lamps on this morning.  The spot lamp bar I tapped using an m3 tap rather than stress the plastic with a self tapping screw.  The polystyrene cement glue has worked well and created a strong bond.  I’m happy with the strength.  Today’s coronavirus lockdown day task will be fill the roof holes and the extra bonnet hole. 🙂