The underside of the Pop’s chassis was blank, so I decided to build a whole new one. I wasn’t up to building a complete chassis from scratch, so I started with the underpinnings of a Cararama Morgan Plus 8. This was a longer wheelbase than the Pop, so the front and rear axles were sawn off and attached to a piece of plastic card of the right length. Some L-section formed length wise members and the prop shaft is actually the barrel of a 1:35th .50 machine gun barrel. The holes drilled out when separating the Morgan’s chassis from its body were filled and the whole things was painted.

Next up was the body. After much filing and sanding I’d removed some unwanted details, like the rooftop panel. I used emery boards and a board for buffing and shining finger nails to remove the scratches that were left over, then painted the car white as a base coat. I had decided to finish the Pop in nail varnish. It’s used by lots of modellers in larger scales, and a white metal body wasn’t likely to dissolve when attacked by acetone. The colour I chose is a little pinker than I’d hoped, but it was my first time buying makeup and I got a little embarassed and just grabbed the bottle that looked closest to what I wanted.

The metal body may not have been harmed by acetone, but the acrylic undercoat was, dissolving and streaking into the first coat. More buffing and shining followed, and the next two coats went on fairly well. I’d still like to have the space to use an air brush, but this method has got a fairly good finish.

It’s very nearly finished. Coming next- detailing the body and outfitting the interior.

Technorati tag: Scale Models, Custom Car, Ford Pop, Chassis, Nail Varnish