Yesterday I started on my latest custom, a Hot Wheels ’52 Chevy pickup. I already had a plan for this casting when I saw it on the pegs and I think the end result will be awesome. If I wasn’t in to vintage VW’s, I’d probably be in to vintage pickups. This will be fun! Removing the paint on this casting was challenging. This is the toughest paint that I’ve ever dealt with. It took hours of soaking in industrial paint stripper to finally have the paint ready to remove from the casting. There was a lot of flashing to address in the front of the truck before I could prep it for painting. So far, it’s had 2 coats of white primer, 2 coats of gloss white and 2 coats of landscape green. Initially I hadn’t planned to use the wheels that came with the casting, but I think I can make them work and look really nice. I’ll be using the head of a nail to create center caps for the wheels to give it that vintage look! Stay tuned as this custom starts to take shape, I think you’ll be happy with the end result.
Archives for March 2019
Custom Hot Wheels ’52 Chevy Pickup
Custom Matchbox VW Fastback Finished
I was able to finish the custom Matchbox VW Fastback this past weekend. Basically it was just a matter of adding my hydrogen peroxide/fine steel wool mixture to areas that I wanted the rust to remain and let it dry in between applications. I finished by adding details to the exterior such as headlights, tail lights and faded chrome to areas that needed it. The display for this one is pretty simple, just some terrain and a little ground coverage. The idea was to make this custom look like my very car that I got when I was 15 and I think it turned out pretty good. Be sure to watch the video for more details. Thanks for visiting.
New Die Cast and Mabel
We picked up a few new Hot Wheels to add to the collection that we didn’t already have. Been looking for the 50th Anniversary Camaro and Mustang for a while, but only recently found them on the pegs at our local Walmart. I really love the detail on these cars. Also picked up a Delorean that I’ve been wanting, but my favorite find is this Matchbox 50th Anniversary VW Bus. The detail on the bus is second to none, it really is a great casting. I was also able to get our own ’68 Beetle “Mabel” out and about for an early spring drive. After sitting for most of the winter, it was great to get her out for a drive. She’s still driving like a top! We’re looking forward to many more miles with her this spring and summer!
Custom Matchbox VW Fastback
When I was 15 years old, way back in 1983, my brother-in-law gave me my very first car! It was a early VW Fastback. We spent days working on the car to get it to run and it eventually did! However, the body of the car was shot! So much rust that we determined that it wouldn’t be worth trying to fix. I ended up selling for scrap. I’m going to try to replicate that old VW Fastback in 1:64 scale! Unfortunately, I never took any pictures of it, so I can only base the look from memory! Luckily, I have a pretty good memory! We’re going to start with this Matchbox 1965 VW Fastback. It’s a nice casting, but it’ll need some work! You have to take your time when drilling, especially if you’re dealing with a plastic chassis. Keep in the center of the post. Painting the interior black. I use cheap paint for this, no need to use the good stuff. Remember, use what you have. Now it’s time to remove the paint from the body! Apply the paint stripper thoroughly then walk away for about 10 minutes. I use compressed air to remove the paint and stripper. Anything left over, I use a brass brush to clean it up, then give it a good wash in soapy water. Now it’s time to remove the European license plate holder on the front and rear of the body. The Dremel and small sanding roller should do the trick. I’ll refine this with my diamond files and sand paper later. The Dremel removed the bulk of what needed to be sanded away. I won’t be using these wheels, but I’ll hang on to them for a future project. I’ll be painting the chassis black. Again, using the cheap paint for this. Once the paint is dry, I’ll give the chassis and the interior that I painted with the same flat black paint a couple coats of clear matte. Now I’ll use the burr tip on the Dremel to roughen places on the body where I want to indicate rust. This is a different than I used on the Charger custom and the Golf custom. The markings won’t be as prominent. Then I’ll prep the body for a couple coats of red primer. I let the primer dry for at least 24 hours, then coat the body with a mist of water and apply the table salt. Some times I’ll add some larger Kosher salt as well. I’ll let it sit and dry for at least 12 hours before moving on to the next step. The Peekaboo paint is close to the Diamond Blue of the original Fastback.
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Custom Hot Wheels VW Golf Finished
I finished the custom Hot Wheels VW Golf by customizing the display in which it will live. I wanted it to look like a backyard driveway where the owner works on his car. I started by spraying the base with a textured paint. Once it was dry, I have it 2 coats of flat black. The walls of the driveway are constructed out of cardboard then I use joint compound as a covering to give it an aged stucco texture. The top rail of the wall was created using a wire/zip tie. Once the wall was completed and test fitted, I painted it a concrete color. Once I was satisfied with the look, the wall was secured to the display base then given a coat of matte clear. When the clear was dry, I added some ground cover to represent weeds and grass. I also added a water hose and a bucket of water. The owner likes to keep his car clean! I hope you enjoy this custom, it was fun to do. Hope to have more in the near future.
Custom Hot Wheels VW Golf Update
Due to some very nasty weather the past couple of days, I’ve had more time to dedicate to the Custom Hot Wheels VW Golf! I began to highlight the areas designated for rust and corrosion. For this custom, I did this in a three step process. First, I painted the bear metal with a flat tan color. After the paint was dry, I added darker brown pastel chalk dust. I use a hobby knife or sand paper on the pastel chalk to create the dust, then dry brush the dust to the area that I want covered. Once all of the areas are covered in the pastel chalk, I give everything a light coat of flat clear. I only do this to secure the chalk dust. After the flat (matte) clear is dry, I begin to add my solution of hydrogen peroxide and steel wool. I always have a batch brewing. I’ll add this process to the final video once I’m finished with the custom. Since this solution is applied wet, I have to let it dry completely in between coats. Usually, two coats is plenty. The finished process looks and feels exactly like rusty metal. Once again, when the solution is completely dry and I’m satisfied with the results, I give everything a light coat of matte clear. I use the same solution on the base of the car as well. It’s also time to highlight and detail the body. I want it to look like the hood and left front fender have already been replaced. I painted the hood with a gray primer and the fender with a red primer. I didn’t want to keep the interior black, so I painted it a darker tan color. I did not weather the interior on this one. The rest of the body was wet sanded with 800 grit sand paper to give it a weathered and faded look. I added the body color to the lower rear valance and lower front clip that was missing and molded black like the rest of the chassis. This really made the car look a lot more realistic. Next I began to detail the front grill and bumper with the appropriate lights, turn signals, etc., then I painted in the tail lights and license plate. I want the front of the car to look much cleaner than the rest of the car because that’s where the work to restore has already started. I have a few more details to add to the body, then it’ll be time to start on the display case. So far, so good.
Starting A New VW Golf Custom
I saw this Hot Wheels Golf hanging on the pegs and immediately came up with a good back story to go with it. This custom will be based around a high school student that works evenings after school at a local grocery store. He’s been working there for about 8 months now and saving money along the way to purchase his own car. With a little help from his parents, he was able to purchase this old VW Golf. She needed a lot of TLC, but he’s persistent and he’s already been working on it in his spare time. He’s got great visions for all of his hard work and time and it’s starting to pay off. More updates to follow soon!
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