Rusted Trailers and Smashed Up Lexuses

I would read the post under this one first, things will make a bit more sense.

1-27-18 (5)Did I spell Lexus right? Ahh who cares. Lexus. Eww. So why did I put a Lexus together. So I could smash it up. Remember that I want to make dioramas? The… you know, that thing… is one part of a three model diorama. The rusted truck and trailer are the other parts.

 

Remember also what I said a heat gun could do to a model car? Here you go.1-27-18 (7)

The bench helped. I like the headlight hanging out. Used a bit of string. I am waiting for a driver for the truck to come in the mail then I will assemble that.

The car…see how I got around saying “Lexus?” Aw damn.

It was pre-owned. Parts were AWOL along with the destructions. I had to fabricate the front tires on and a lot of guess work went into getting the rear tires on. I plan to stop at the second hand store and pick up some necklaces, that I will spray with rust color to “chain” the car to the trailer.

More to come later. It is Auto Arts second year anniversary! Here is to another year of hot rides, chicken wings and debauchery.

Model Cars, Trucks and Trailers

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Hey why not, right? If I can’t get the hot cars to come to me, I might as well build them myself. Budget constraints make it so they have to be a bit smaller. Like 1/24th-ish smaller.

I have not built a model car in like four odd years or so, and some of them have been around half assembled for seven or eight. The thing I found out is I am a bit rusty. Like this GMC pickup.

It was meant to look that way. This is the fast version of how it is done. First paint it rust color. While you wait for it to dry, get some sea salt, table salt and a spray bottle full of just water. Mist the body, sprinkle on the salt, and wait for that to dry.

Just walk away, trust me. Resist the urge to point a heat gun or hair dryer at it. Chances are you will warp something.

I did a trailer too because I want to do dioramas. I want the models to tell a story, not just sit by themselves in a display case.1-27-18 (2)

I bent the fenders and dented the deck plate with a body hammer before I painted it. I never see a brand new trailer without dents and rust around my native home of New York, so I found this fitting.

If you wish to know more about this process, I would suggest you get the book, Ratz, Rods and Rust: Building models Cranky’s Way by Virgil Suárez. It has a lot of tips for car building, not just rust.

https://www.amazon.com/Ratz-Rodz-Rust-Building-Crankys/dp/1500812420/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517096580&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=ratz+rods+and+rust+building+models+crankys+way

Just an Update

Back to work. I have sent 20 odd query letters to literary agents. Worked through the list in The Writers Market. I have to say sending one takes a great deal of time. I have gotten a few rejections, which doesn’t surprise me, nor do I plan to let it stop me. Moving on, I have applied for a NYS tax id to sell the books at shows and fairs.
I contacted a few comic cons and the ones in Canada thought it was cool to charge $700 for a small table. How do they expect anyone to pay something like that? I would expect things at a convention to be a bit pricey, but I can’t sell a book for $50 or more. Not only it is too much for the entertainment dollar, it is just ethically wrong! Most people just don’t have that kind of money. Guess where I am not going!
My next book, Lowe: Williamson’s Legacy, is in the works and soon I will start from the beginning and work my way through it, adding more romantic thought, and the main plot!
The weather has been so cold. Makes it hard to talk about hot rods this time of year, or life’s simple pleasures like motorcycle chicken wing tours. I am sure it will happen again, just be patient!