Wanted something different in the way of a "Red Baron" so I've started this...my Red Baron II. A deal's wheels Van kit with the body top altered to resemble a helmit. I'm debating to add machine guns or not...and if so, "where".

Too cool!

As for the MGs, how about parallel with the door tops, above the location of the side mirrors? IIRC, the original kit had them mounted this way, on either side of the passenger bucket. Maybe recessed into the turn signal mounting areas up front? Or leaving the passenger side windshield glass out, and mounting them there?

Ok, ok...I was kidding about the last one. No "SAS Jeep" style mounts for this odd rod.

-YL

Your using the bodys profile in a great way for this project. Some big wheels as for a off-road vehicle would look great.

Options for the machineguns could be on the passenger seat or in the headlights?

Cheers

Hi Bob, if the machine guns are molded in two halves, you could mount one half of one gun on each side of the 'Helmet', just behind the windows. You could mount the other gun in the back window as a 'Tailgun'. Just a thought. Al

Welllllllllllll, the machine guns may be an issue! Bot the kids were downstairs in my modelling room the other day{I was there too} and somehow one of the machine guns went missing...searched everywhere and can't find it! I may have to improvise.......

What ever happened to your Red Baron TIE Inteceptor? This van looks pretty cool.

Jim

Sitting on the shelf with an open space next to it....
Thanks - Got the figure nearly redone...I'll post a pic of it soon.

More progress-
I wanted the figure to more readily look tha part, so off went the sunglasses. The monocle is in the clip. I'll need a tiny chain or something I think for that. I don't know if I like the lips...thoughts?

The chassis is ready except for the fan belt-


I don't much care for the kit bumpers{wooden} so I'm going to scratch some new ones and alcladII them like the roof and other chrome that I already rechromed.
"Red Baron II" will be decaled on the sides and I'm shootin for "Von Riky" on the plates.
Oh...I have to retweek the tires...you'll see.....

Sweet.

Can't wait to see those license plates!

-YL

I made the lips little thinner and drew in the teeth...just clear coated the pencil lines for the teeth...alot better.
Now for a "stogie"...for him....gotta have a "tude"!
The plates will be done, most likely, on the computer and printed out simply because I don't want to try and hand paint those on. The lettering on the tires was enough...I used acrylic becuase the 1st time I applied enamel even after two weeks it was still tacky!!! Cleaned it all off and redid it in acruylic and was fine...I did stir the enamel well...I don't know what would have caused that but it's not an issue anymore.{bad paint?}

Great ideas so far. I don't know what happened with the enamel on the tires. Weird.

Vinyl tires + enamel paint = problems.

I'm not sure exactly what the issue is, but I do know that - in my expereience - enamels applied over the vinyl used for model car tires will almost never dry completely. The paint seems to get to a point where it is tacky, and then never goes anywhere from there. I'm guessing it has something to do with the oils (or other chemicals) from the tire material leaching up into the paint, keeping it in a forever undry state.

Lacquers seem to work on vinyl tires well enough, and acrylics certainly do the job. I've found that it helps to lightly sand the areas of the tire (like the raised sidewall lettering) and washing the tire as you would any other kit part before painting.

-YL

Thanks for the compliments guys...just rrying to have some fun and be different{why be normal -huh}
Yoni...I'll buy that! I used that same paint the other night and it dried just fine, but I used it on plastic, not vinyl. That's odd...add one for the books!

Here's where I'm at with the driver-

Alittle disapointing note here...the last coat of transparent red paint I applied never really dried. I had a layer of pearl red followed by two coats of transparent red..since the time I put the pics up it has always been tacky. I tried heat lamps and everything! Finally had to strip it all down to start over again last night...it was just like the white paint on the tires deal...never fully dried. As a precaution I'm switching to another brand of paint!
It can't always be easy I guess....

Man, that sucks! What brand of paint are you using? I've had reasonable luck with Dupli-Color & Krylon.

Jim