# My Beatnik Bandit



## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Another build that doesn't exactly fit the normal posts for this forum. I haven't done a car in quite a while but finally put this one back on the bench today and basically finished it up. I think I will go back and fill in a couple of small details, like a speedometer which they don't include a decal for, but for the most part it is complete. I always liked Ed Roth's cars and built a couple when I was a kid so now I have all of his car models, and Rat Fink models, and will set aside a shelf for when I build them. Here's some pics:


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

We have a forum for Cars.Oh,I just notice that you posted this in the car forum.....so you think you are So special that you can post wherever you want,and all the rest of us have to follow the rules........


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

falcondesigns said:


> We have a forum for Cars.Oh,I just notice that you posted this in the car forum.....so you think you are So special that you can post wherever you want,and all the rest of us have to follow the rules........


Are there such rules, seriously? If so I certainly didn't know about that. A forum called "Models" seems to be a catch all. If it is giving you heartburn I'll ask the moderator to remove the post.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thats cool. I see Revell hasn't fixed the decals. The stripe that goes front to back alongside and behind the engine should go around the rim of the bubble as well. The stripe also continues inside the car down the transmission hump, which should be the same color as the stripe. Oddly the Hotwheels car did pretty good with the body stripe but Revell got it wrong 50 years ago and never fixed it. These are hard kits to build and yours came out great. Don't pay attention to the trolls.


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## Rotwang (May 25, 2011)

Yeah, what djnick66, said. I always thought the way BDR sculpted/formed his bodies was cool. Using the assembled chassis, he would use a ton of plaster to form the body, then 'glass over that. Then using mallets, he would knock out the plaster form leaving the shell. They say on some of his cars, there is still some plaster in them where he was just too lazy to get it all out. Sweet....


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

rkoenn said:


> Are there such rules, seriously? If so I certainly didn't know about that. A forum called "Models" seems to be a catch all. If it is giving you heartburn I'll ask the moderator to remove the post.


You're good, Bob. You can cross post if you like - lots of other folks do it, too. Don't let anyone let you think otherwise.


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## fire91bird (Feb 3, 2008)

Excellent! Great job on the decals and the tricky body/fender join.


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## Jimmy B (Apr 19, 2000)

Great job on the BB. I eyeballed this kit a few times at my LHS and I think you just convinced me to pick one up. Thanks for posting. I would have liked to see the ones deleted. I hope they're not deleted as a result of the ignorance of the first reply.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Thanks guys for the comments on the car. DJ, I did notice from pictures I got off the web that the brown pattern went around the cockpit. I wondered if there was a good way to do it but kind of gave up and left it as it is. And I fixed the pics! I don't know what happened to the links so I just did an edit with all new links.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I was going to scan the kit decal and try to expand it to match the actual stripe and print out an extension but said screw it and built it as-is. I did substitute new tires and added some plug wires. I may have added some carpet to the floor pan. IIRC the original kit came with a piece of fabric and a template for that. I built a reissue kit but using a set of instructions from an original kit.

Did you re-chrome the engine parts? My fan cover was pretty gnarley and I used some Bare Metal foil on it. I might have built mine before the reemergence of Alclad II. The chrome was pretty rough. 



I notice the "issue" has been resolved.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I did redo chrome parts with Alclad chrome. I've been doing that with most of my models recently. I've never been too fond of the chroming of model parts.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Another Ed Roth fan here. Nice clean work as usual Bob! The Bandit has always been one of my favorite Roth designs, and yours is one of the nicest build-ups I've seen. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

Like everyone says, that's a sweet-looking build-up, a pleasure on the eyes! Thanks for showing.


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## bigdaddydaveh (Jul 20, 2007)

Nice job indeed. The re-chroming looks much better than the kit's original finish in this scale too. Fine looking build. Thank you for sharing here!


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## Aurora-brat (Oct 23, 2002)

Bob, nice job on a very fidely kit! I for one am always happy to see a Big Daddy Roth model, be it monster or machine.

As for the troll, any forum that can't appreciate Ed Roth's work is forum I have no use for.

Tory


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

rkoenn said:


> I did redo chrome parts with Alclad chrome. I've been doing that with most of my models recently. I've never been too fond of the chroming of model parts.


I think the Alclad looks way better than the chromed parts. Gives it a more realistic look. And thanks for posting this. It brings back a few memories.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

I agree - the Alclad looks tons better than the original "chrome" parts. 


Aurora-brat said:


> As for the troll, any forum that can't appreciate Ed Roth's work is forum I have no use for.
> 
> *>SNIP!<*


I'll ask that you not indict an entire forum for the actions and comments of one or two of its members. Remember that we're not all cut if the same cloth.


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## dklange (Apr 25, 2009)

Beautiful build-up, Bob!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I built a bunch of the BDR cars and Rat Fink kits back as a kid, and always loved his work!!

I want to remember to ask you about the Alclad re-chroming when I see you at WF.

I really enjoy seeing your work on these older kits!!

- Denis


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Thanks again everyone, you guys are great. I ended up liking this one so much that I put the Mysterion on the bench yesterday. I stripped the entire sprue of chrome and will build the frame up prior to painting it with Alclad. The Mysterion has lots of chrome in the engine and frame so a goodly part of it will be painted with Alclad. Now, back to the bench.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

More kudos - and yep, the alcad does have seem to be better, scale-wise.
What method do you use to strip the chrome?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yeah on the Mysterion you will want to strip the chrome off first thing, otherwise just building the chassis etc is a pain. The Orange Crate is about the same. Strip, build, rechrome...


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

ChrisW said:


> More kudos - and yep, the alcad does have seem to be better, scale-wise.
> What method do you use to strip the chrome?


I used to use bleach but yesterday I used Easy Off and I didn't even have to scrub the chrome, it completely disappeared. The plastic underneath almost looked like glow plastic. I have the primary frame glued together. As DJ said, those Roth cars have some intricate and a bit difficult frames to glue together. They are very fragile when gluing.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

Thanks Bob.

_As DJ said, those Roth cars have some intricate and a bit difficult frames to glue together..._

I remember thinking that about a few Revell car kits.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

I'm not a vehicle man myself, but that is one sweet looking model. I look forward to your next built-up. 
Thanks for the share.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

rkoenn said:


> I used to use bleach but yesterday I used Easy Off and I didn't even have to scrub the chrome, it completely disappeared...


I've had the exact same results using Purple Power to strip chrome plating--soak the parts overnight, and the chrome is gone with no scrubbing whatsoever.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Purple Power works as does Simple Green. They just take longer. I use Super Clean and, depending on the brand of kit chrome, it will remove it between 1 second and 5 minutes, with no scrubbing. 

Revell's old car kits were very well designed and engineered, but suffer from limitations on molding. Those Roth kits came out in the early 60s and the kits were really pushing the limits of what could be done as far as small parts, intricate assemblies, complicated shapes. I can't imagine building those kits "back in the day" with just some tube glue and a tooth pick. They are quite hard to build with modern glues and paints. I suspect the quality of molding and chroming was actually better back then (before 50 years of mold wear) but they still would not have been a walk in the park in 1963. Nowdays the chrome sprues are pretty ragged and rough with a lot of flash, mold pin marks, etc. It's much better to just strip it all off, clean up the parts, build up the clean plastic parts, and then rechrome.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

DJ, I am doing the Mysterion now and besides the fact that I like the Alclad chrome finish better than the kit chrome plating, having stripped the chrome sprue gluing that frame together with bare styrene surfaces is much better than trying to do it with a chromed part. As most here know, styrene glues do not still well to the chrome surfaces. The Mysterion frame is almost totally chrome and joining those chrome parts would have been a pain. There are some really small alignment rods and various assembly parts for the suspension that make even the BB look easy. But I remember as a kid thinking the Mysterion was so cool and now I'll have one on my shelf soon. I also have managed to dig up most of Roth's creatures and will set aside a shelf for Roth models sometime in the future.


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## Jimmy B (Apr 19, 2000)

Since the Boothill Express was re-released I've recently gotten a Jones for picking up the Monogram show rods for cheap. In the past month & 1/2 I stockpiled BHE, Bad Medicine, T'Rantula, Red Baron, Sand Shark & Lil Coffin.

Like you I hate dealing with Chrome Parts. You can't really detail them and when you trim them off the sprue there's always a bare spot that you just can't hide.

I'd rather Strip with Easy off and repaint on my own.
The Alclad you used on the BB, is that this stuff here?:

http://www.megahobby.com/chromelacquerforlexan3ozcanalcladii.aspx


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Just slipped in here to say nice work. I'd like to try my hand at a car model, but getting a smooth glossy coat seems pretty challenging!


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Jimmy B said:


> The Alclad you used on the BB, is that this stuff here?:
> 
> http://www.megahobby.com/chromelacquerforlexan3ozcanalcladii.aspx


That is from the same company but what I use is the small bottles of airbrush lacquer. Here is a link at Mega: http://www.megahobby.com/alcladiilacquersforairbrushingonly.aspx

I will warn you that you have to apply an undercoat of gloss black lacquer, they sell a larger bottle of the black lacquer but you can also use Testors or any good can lacquer, before spraying on the Alclad. They make a number of metal colored finishes and I've used a few of their colors. Also to note is that they have to be airbrushed and cannot be applied by hand.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Since I don't own an airbrush, I really wish Alclad would produce a version in an aerosol can that's suitable for use on styrene. I've read online that some modelers have tried the Lexan formula that Jimmy B linked to, but most of them reported disastrous results because a) it's too "hot" for styrene, and b) it's supposed to be applied to the _inside_ of the Lexan RC car bodies and doesn't yield the chrome finish when applied to the outside.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

There is another brand of spray chrome that you can use on plastic. I forget the name. They sell it at Hobbytown.


You really want to use an airbrush for Alclad for a variety of reasons. The jar stuff is a lacquer too. You mist it on at a fairly low pressure. It's super thin and you need a good brush and variable air pressure to get the best results. You lightly mist the stuff on until you get a solid coat. Then you STOP. Alclad sticks to primer (and bare plastic) but it doesn't really stick to itself so if you put too much on, unlike regular paint, Alclad just starts to rub off as a silvery powder. More isn't better and you get a dull, powdery finish. 

You do not need a gloss black base coat. Most Alclad paints except polished aluminum and chrome can be applied over bare plastic. They dry instantly... I do use Tamiya gloss black spray as a base coat, but Tamiya FINE white or grey primer are just as good, if not better.


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