Bumblebee, Autobot Transformer in car form [WIP - Volkswagen Beetle Boot Interior, Dashboard, etc.]

Of all the details in a scale model car, I personally believe the dashboard comes a close second to the engine in terms of the 'wow' factor. Granted that if the car's exterior was painted badly, then no one would give your scale model kit project even a second glance. But assuming you manage to do a reasonably competent (or even average) job on the external paint job, then both the dashboard and engine are the two key areas that would allow neutral observers to attune to the wonders of having the real world replicated in miniature form. And that's why we do what we do, right?

VW 1300 Beetle (1966) work-in-progress: Dashboard (with steering wheel, etc.) and Front Boot Interior

And of the two sections mentioned above, it is the Dashboard with its inherent details together with the Front Boot Interior that is the focus of this blog post. Currently, the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle's engine is about three quarters complete. There are still detailed sections of the engine such as the Air Cleaner, Distributor, Heater Hoses, Warm Air Pipe and Ignition Coil to paint. These parts will be worked on only after the Beetle's interior has been fully assembled, which is next on the to-do list. For now, what's in the spotlight is the assembly, painting and weathering of the dashboard and boot.

Assembly and color guide (Tamiya acrylic paint codes) for the Beetle's Front Boot and Dashboard

In terms of the assembly process, things could not be simpler nor easier. There was the Steering Column and Wheel as well as a handrail that needed to be glued to the Dashboard while the Front Boot Interior only needed a small chrome-plated cap to be glued onto the Fuel Tank. Any difficulty that arose was soley caused by having to manipulate extremely tiny parts with clumsy, larger-than-average hands. Thankfully unlike my recurring nightmare with the Stick Shift, which since my last post have been broken again ... twice, I didn't cause any damage to the aforementioned parts.

Molded parts of the Front Boot Interior as well as the Dashboard and its inherent details

In painting the Dashboard, I paid extra attention to what I felt were points of interest such as the Speedometer and Radio. Because the molded parts were too small, for me at least, to effectively paint clear and sharp details on it, I had to resort to some optical trickery to sort of imply realworld details. For example, I drybrushed the numbers on the speedometer to varying success and painted some green bars to simulate a radio's digital display. If you look closely at the horn at the center of the Steering Wheel, you can just about make out a face-like design that seeks to mimic the Autobot logo. As for the regular stuff, I tried to ensure panel lines and other painted bits were done 'cleanly'.

Scale comparison of the Beetle's dashboard, steering wheel and column, etc. vs. a paperclip and coin

VW 1300 Beetle dashboard sans the steering column, steering wheel and handrest/handrail

Volkswagen 1300 Beetle steering column, steering wheel and handrest/handrail

Overall color scheme and paint details was predetermined by a screen capture of Volkswagen Beetle as seen in the Bumblebee movie. For a myriad of possible reasons ranging from the use of a color filter to the lighting conditions during the filming of this scene, the dashboard yellows on the screen capture have a more earthy, ochre-like tint to them. However, the brighter yellows was seen on most candid shots of the car outside of filming as well as in some scenes of the movie. As such, I believe the brighter hue was the more accurate choice. Going forward, I expect the final colors to fall somewhere in between, especially after some weathering with umber hues that I plan to do later.

Screen capture of Bumblebee's Volkswagen form dashboard details

From the outset, total movie accuracy was never going to be an achievable target. The reason for this had been discussed at the outset of the previous blog post. So if you compared the screen capture above with photos of the painted dashboard below, you will find knobs located in places they aren't supposed to be, and not being found in places they should be. Despite this little hiccup, it wasn't a deal breaker for me as the differences are relatively minor. Moreover if you look closely during the Bumblebee movie, you would notice at least two different models of the Volkswagen Beetle was used for filming. This makes any quest for complete movie accuracy a waste of time and effort.

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle dashboard [closeup angled view from the right]

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle dashboard details [closeup front view]

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle dashboard [closeup angled view from the left]

 
For the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (1966 model), the boot is located at the front of the car. What I have finished so far is the interior of said boot sans the spare wheel and tire. The latter will be completed together with the four main wheels/tires of the car. In the Front Boot Interior, the only details that needed painting were the Fuel Tank (large black rectangular tank), the Windshield Washer Container (large white container) and the Brake Fluid Rersevoir (small white container). As for the chrome fuel tank cap, which already came molded in a chrome-like coating, all I did was to apply a black wash.

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle front boot interior [closeup angled view from the left]

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle front boot interior [closeup front view]

Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle front boot interior [closeup angled view from the right]

So with the dashboard and its inherent details (steering wheel/column, radio, handrail, etc.) as well as the front boot interior of the Volkswagen Beetle completed, the inside of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (1966 Model) is essentially done. I can now start strategizing how to put all those fragile, painted parts together without breaking them. Or I could just push the parts together as hard as I can and hope for the best. More likely it'll be a bit of both, with the added drama of lots of hair pulling and cussing. Maybe I should start a YouTube Channel of a grumpy old scale modeler who just cusses from start to finish. Wouldn't that be a sight for sore eyes ... not! Well, that's it for now ... until next week.