I think I’ve finally finished the Custom Hot Wheels Junkyard Charger. This is my first attempt at using Woodland Scenics ground cover and I’m not totally happy with it, but for a first attempt, I’m ok with it. I’ll use it more with some upcoming projects, it just takes some practice. Overall, this has been a fun project. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated, but I haven’t had as much spare time to dedicate to it as I have with previous projects. I tested numerous new techniques for weathering, aging and blending, so it was a great learning experience. Now it’s time to kick around some ideas for the next custom project!

Had some time this evening to adding another layer of texture to the custom Hot Wheels Charger (Junkyard Charger). I started with a coat of flat brown textured paint. I think the textured paint adds the perfect scale of soil and fine gravel to the scene. After the textured paint, I went over the base with a maroon wash and then a light coat of brown grout, highlighted with black grout. I believe we’re ready for some plant material now. I have the next few days off, so I may fight the holiday crowd and pay a visit to Hobby Lobby to pick up some ground cover. I’ve watched some tutorials about making my own ground cover, so I may give that a try as well. I also printed and added a “for sale” sign to the back window of the Charger. I’d thought about doing that when I first started this custom and had initially changed my mind. Then it hit me last night that it needed a for sale sign to help tell the story. I also printed a “private property” sign and mounted it to a poll that will be part of the tiny scene. So far, I’m very pleased with how this is going. More soon!

I’ve been so busy at work and haven’t had a lot of time to work on this custom, but I did manage to squeeze in a little time this evening. The Junkyard Charger will be displayed in a regular 1:64 die cast display case, so there’s not a lot of room for scenic elements. I’ll manage to add something just to give the display a nice look, so I started with the base. Basically just building up the landscape to begin with. I use regular joint compound for this process. It’s easy to work with, easy to remove if you screw up and easy to shape once it’s dry. Once the scenic elements are added such as ground cover, I spray it all down with a mixture of white glue and water. So not much to update, but the ground terrain is starting to take shape.