Revell Samba Bus - WIP

Tom ...
It's been a long while since I've had the mojo (or energy) but finally got the urge to build the samba bus.

Damir Mejric
Keep in mind that the assembly of the front panels (front, doors, roof, door frames and hinges ...) requires patience. At least it was like that in my case. In the end I decided to glued the doors shut to prevent a mess and to keep the shape of the car.

Kyle DeHart
Hopping in to watch Tom.

Bozzer
I'll hang out for this, too 🙂

Tom ...
Welcome, guys. It's been a while. I need to catch up on what y'all been doing...

Damir, I've watched a few builds and the construction does look somewhat challenging. I may well glue the doors too.

Kyle DeHart
Glad you're back at the bench Tom!

Bozzer
Echoed Kyle!
Don't worry about catching up Tom, just get in the groove and show us your thoughts? 😉

Ben M
👀

Bill Newcomer
Following. My aunt and cousins has a VW microbus.

Villiers de Vos
Booking my seat.

Bozzer
I gotta admit, windows are my least favourite part of the build. I've tried enamel and acrylic paint, but it just doesn't work for me. So I tend to use the Sharpie method. I have several different tipped, permanent markers. They're great for getting into the awkward gaps. If you make a mistake, then a simple wipe with some IPA, removes the mistake. I also found that the glue adheres better than it does to the paint. Obviously, we all do different things, so whatever works best for you. Man, watching you guys building, is getting my juices flowing again! I need to now concentrate on getting my cave finished and get in there! Winter is fast approaching here, and I gotta have something to do at night!

Tom ...
Bozzer, it was definitely a lot more work than using a sharpie. Maybe I need to experiment with different permanent markers to find something that works for me.

Same goes for other colors and areas where a thin line is needed, like detailing a dash. Still can't get over Bill's latest dashboard and interior trim he did. He's in another league.

Kyle DeHart
Windows look great. I also lean towards the permanent marker method as I also hate doing windows and trim. I also have many different tips just like Bozzer. A lot of mine are Molotow blackliners which I really like.

Tom ...
Anyone know how to paint white walls on rubber tyres? I thought enamel would work... but boy was I wrong. Maybe use Tamiya's lacquer primer first?

Ben M
I've painted rubber tank tracks with tamiya acrylics

Damir Mejric
Guys, just keep in mind that "sharpies" can start bleeding through paint or melt-and-run when touched by the cements we use for modelling. Be careful when gluing the windows to the painted model in the end. I'd go for white wood glue or something else that is not aggressive to sharpie paint. Testing on a scrap piece would be a good exercise.

Bill Newcomer
Tom, for white letter tires, I have used a Gelly Roll pen. I have not tried it for lines and I am not sure it would work as the application technique is kind of a short light touch drag method. I have recently made some red line and gold line tires using enamel paints, However, I had the great advantage of there being a natural groove in the sidewall. With all that said, I would probably use white wall decals that come in some kits or parts box tires.

BTW thank you for the compliment on my recently completed dashboards. The detail I had decided to go for made me procrastinate doing them all Summer. But for the most part turned out reasonably well.

To Damir's point, I would use Canopy glue. Testors Window maker (my choice), Mod Podge or Elmers glue to install the windows. Take your time and only do one side or even just one a day. The glue must be water based and most of those do not dry quickly.

Jv
Wow lots of work on those windows
Fantastic work

Kyle DeHart
I also only use some sort of white glue for windows. Mod podge or testors or the like. Surely takes some time to dry but no worries on that.