Postapocalyptibuggy [part 1]

The ongoing chronicle and my first attempt at posting Work In Progress shots, this is my entry for the Massive Voodoo Mad Max Car Competition. I'll list them all on my Step by Step page, or you can view the current WIP series.

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 First I'm building the engine, and spread all the parts out before me.

I'll end up gluing a bunch of them together, but not all. Just like when working on a larger miniature or vehicle, you want to leave parts unglued to make them easier to paint.

 Everything's got mold lines. They'll have to be removed.

You're going to have to be careful with a model kit. The plastic is usually thinner than the minis we're used to. If you use your normal force when removing these lines, you'll either ruin the model or cut yourself.

 Apparently designing model vehicle kits isn't an exact science. Maybe it's because the engine will be hidden under the hood, but I found a bunch of places that needed to be filed and cut to fit right. Always test fit before gluing, so you don't find this out too late.

Here I'm gluing the chrome part on because a lot of my chrome parts are going to end up being primed.

 Other times, parts didn't fit together AT ALL.

These will have to be filled with putty of some kind. (more on that in another post)

 Use tweezers to attach smaller parts.

When possible, glue them on right away so they don't go missing later.

 I figure this fan is old and worn out, so I go to town on it.

Areas get filed and cut off.

I use a knife to chip and stipple. By stipple, I mean repeatedly pressing the tip into the fans and their edges to eventually give it all a well worn look.

I also use tweezers to bend and twist some of the fans.

 The fan belt is probably worn and stretched as well.

I use a knife to stipple the edges slightly and wear the belt down, as well as some of the gears. Careful you don't end up cutting through.

Tweezers are also a good way to bend the belt. Again, be careful that you don't break the plastic.

 I use a manual drill to make this part more realistic and drill out the holes between the struts. Using a file and knife, I expand them some and remove some of the struts.

 The engine glues together well.

You can see blackened areas where I've used heated metal to simulate weld joints. More on this later.

Not much to do here, so I crack and cut away at the cover.