Bumblebee, Autobot Transformer in car form [WIP - Assembly of the Volkswagen Beetle Interior]

After the tough challenge of having to paint tiny interior details, comes the fear inducing process of having to assemble a series of fully painted and fragile parts, components and sub-assemblies of a car interior. That all consuming fear soon became a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the process of building the car's interior, I broke the Stick Shift again, not once but twice more. In addition, I also broke the vehicle frame (i.e. chassis) on the rear. The former had to be fixed with a thin, low viscosity glue while the latter was put back together with a super glue and baking soda combo. This then are the photos and story of the assembly of the Tamiya 1/24 scale Volkswagen 1300 Beetle Interior.    

Painted sub-assemblies and components that make up the Volkswagen (VW) 1300 Beetle Interior

Small little details in miniature form, especially when they mimic real-life objects, have always held a strange fascination for me. I'm sure it's the same for you too, dear reader, for if it wasn't the case you wouldn't be involved in the miniature figurine/scale model kit hobby. So amidst all that tension of trying not to break fragile parts while applying more than enough force to do so during the interior assembly, I still found simple joy marveling at the Beetle interior. Hypocritically, I found myself both praising Tamiya's tiny, detailed parts, and cursing at its fragility. If you had been a fly on the wall, that scene of an old scale modeler oohing and aahing and cussing would've been downright weird.     

VW Beetle dashboard within the car interior; an isometric closeup view from above the right seat

VW Beetle dashboard within the car interior; a closeup view from an angled, top down perspective 

VW Beetle dashboard within the car interior; an isometric closeup view from above the left seat

So what then, did I break? Well, attaching the Front Boot Interior to the chassis was supposed to be an uneventful event. It was anything but. For some reason I had inexplicably ignored assembly instructions to glue the dashboard and front boot together before gluing the resultant sub-assembly onto the chassis. Feeling cocky I only snap-fitted both together before proceeding to glue them to the chassis. Lo and behold, the parts came apart mid-assembly and broke the stick shift into two. This I did twice before coming to my senses. I was lucky not to break the steering wheel as well. 

Front Boot Interior with the Fuel Tank, Windshield Washer Container and Brake Fluid Reservoir

Front and Back Seats of the VW 1300 Beetle, with the PVC covers painted in beige-like colors

Apart form the cover, the Front Boot is also missing the Spare Wheel which will be added later

Grooves on the Front and Back Seats were panel-lined using an oil-based, dark brown hue

Outer surfaces of the Interior were left mostly unpainted as they will be covered up by the main bodywork

When it rains, it pours. Getting the rear section of the interior to fit onto the chassis required quite an excessive application of force. And surprise, surprise, the rear bodywork frame also broke during assembly. If you look towards the bottom of the rear engine compartment (see below, fifth photo from bottom) you should notice what looks like a welded surface on the lower right corner where the yellow bodywork meets the black engine floor. That weld-like eyesore (painted over in black) is actually a byproduct from a mix of super glue and baking soda, used to create an extra strong bond.   

Tamiya 1/24 scale VW 1300 Beetle (1966 Model) Interior; an isometric, zoomed out view

Outer surface of the interior were mostly left unpainted as they'll be covered by the Beetle's main body

Note the light turquoise piece on the partially completed engine located at the rear section ...

... it's the only engine part that had work done on it at this stage (as in being painted further) ...

... and as you petrol-heads out there will know, that light turquoise piece is the Beetle's ignition coil.

Also currently missing from the Beetle's chassis are its four road wheels

All in all, putting the VW 1300 Beetle Interior together had been a rather stressful experience ...

... as it was plagued by the constant worry of fragile, painted parts being broken, which sadly did break  

In a zoomed-out view of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (1966 Model) Interior (see last eight photos), one gets an even better sense of how important the intricately molded interior details are to making the car look like a miniaturized slice of real-life. It is after all the prevalent view we'll all have of the car sans the artificially zoomed-in view of a macro lens. And with that I leave you for another week, with yet another unrelated quote, this time from legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov ... The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

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.

Bumblebee, Autobot Transformer in car form [WIP - Volkswagen Beetle Seats & Door Interior]

With a few screen captures of the Bumblebee Volkswagen Beetle interior in hand, I began to delve into little details that would allow me to closely mimic the movie car via paint. But before I even started I had already come to terms with the fact that I'll not be able to recreate a 100% accurate replica of the Transformer Autobot in car form. This was, unfortunately, due to the movie utilizing a 1967 model of the Beetle versus Tamiya's 1966 model I'm using. Sadly I was already mid-way into the project before I found the 1967 model by Hasegawa. In short it was already too late to change.     

Tamiya Volkswagen Beetle Work-in-Progress: Front/Back Seats and Door Interior

As always, before any painting began, I reached for my go-to primer (i.e. the Tamiya Fine Surface Primer) and sprayed on a few layers of the light gray coating. Previously I had tried three different primer colors - white, black and light gray - before settling on the latter most hue. Of all the primer hues I tried out, the light gray one seemed to provide the best foundation for the subsequent paint layer to look most like the Bumblebee yellow that I was aiming to achieve. 

Assembly stage of the Tamiya Volkswagen Beetle Front/Back Seat and Door Interior

My go-to product, the Tamiya Fine Surface Primer, was used to lay a strong foundation for future paint layers

Putting the front/back seats together was easy while the door interiors didn't require any assembly at all. The "issues", if you could call it that, only came into play when I needed to apply masking tape over certain areas of the parts before painting them. It was a cumbersome process. Before layering on the Bumblebee Yellow, I had to painstakingly mask off areas I didn't want to turn yellow. While I could've left everything unmasked, and then painted over the yellow later on, it wasn't an ideal thing to do. Why? Well, experience has made me wary of putting too many layers of paint onto a part. Over-painting almost always results in weak paint adhesion which may lead to peeling eventually.

Backseat, door interiors were masked with tape prior to layering on the iconic Bumblebee Yellow

As determined previously, Mr.Color Chiara Yellow was a close substitute for Bumblebee Yellow

Volkswagen Beetle seats, door interiors, etc. after being airbrushed with the yellow lacquer paint

Volkswagen Beetle seats, door interiors, etc. with the masking tape removed

A clear semi-gloss top coat was then sprayed over the yellow paint in order to serve as a protective layer. Following that, the masking tape was removed. After being left overnight to dry, it was on to yet more masking! This time it was the turn of the yellow sections to be masked. Then Tamiya X-57 Buff was airbrushed onto the seats and door interiors followed by another similar protective topcoat before being left to dry overnight. To create depth, both general weathering (on yellow sections) and panel lining (on seats) was applied using the same product i.e. Mr Weathering Color Ground Brown. 

More masking, this time involving the parts recently painted with Bumblebee Yellow

Tamiya XF-57 Buff was the color of choice for the Volkswagen Beetle's Seats and Door Interior 

Buff hue was matte in nature which was actually accurate in terms of the material it was replicating ...

... however a semi--gloss clear coat was applied after panel lining into to make the colors more vibrant

Seats and Door Interiors after the buff basecoat, dark brown panel lining and a semi-gloss clear coat

When it comes to painting small details by hand, I tend to revert back to using acrylic paint. Both the Vallejo Model Color and Citadel paints were used on the door handles and a pouch located on one of the door interiors. The black sections that you can make out in the photos below were actually a result of using a combination of Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 (Black) and Tamiya Weathering Master sets. Unfortunately I set the lighting conditions were too bright so the details on these black section aren't too clear in the photos below. In future post I hope to adjust the contrast to better show off its details. 

Some of the acrylic paints and washes used to bring out the details of the Seats and Door Interiors

Back seat and rear interior sections of the Volkswagen Beetle, after painting but before assembly

Tamiya parts rarely snap-fit together so the top half of the backseat and rear interior section had to be glued on

Back seat and rear interior section of the Volkswagen Beetle (front view)

Black sections actually have weathered effects on them but that did not show up under the bright lights

Front Seats of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (back view)

Front Seats of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (front view)

Interior section of both Front Doors of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle

Left Front Door Interior of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (closeup view)

Right Front Door Interior of the Volkswagen 1300 Beetle (closeup view)

Next up is the Front Interior comprising the dashboard, radio, glove compartment, steering wheel, as well as the Boot Interior. These parts require more finesse as the molded details are extremely tiny to the point it's almost indiscernible. Painting such parts are never much fun but the end results, if they turn out well, always makes the effort worth it. I'll leave you with a quote reflecting a recent injustice in my country where, for the same crime, a single mum is given a jail sentence while children of political bigwigs are given a discounted fine ... In theory we are all equal before the law. In practice, there are overwhelming privileges that come with winning the birth lottery. - Arianna Huffington.