Thanks Dave!!! I got it covered..(Literally :lol:) I might just have to make one of these for myself though once I get it all together.. The psychedelic paint job wasn't as I envisioned it, but for what I used it came out pretty good. Bic came out with a line of permanent markers and I spent most of the day coloring and decaling.. Trying to paint it with the airbrush would have delayed an already way overdue project, and the results I fear would have been really bad! The real treat will be in the dark anyway, so the paint really isn't the real appeal to it. New wireless service gets installed tomorrow AM. Crossing my fingers it works!!!

So happy to be back on my own keyboard!!!

OK, as promised... I got a few things to put on here.. First off, Stump City Water Dept. purchased the dump truck as soon as I got it finished!! The paint was barely dry when they slapped their lettering on it..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2548.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2549.jpg

The rear tandem is the rear clip from an XLerator. I was a tad concerned as the crown side flared a bit when I screwed it on, but it worked great. It has to be one of the smoothest running chassis I have, and I don't want to mess my luck fiddling with it.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2561.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2562.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2563.jpg

Mud flaps are made from iron on patches cut to size.. All in all a fun quick conversion. The bed dumps and gives access to the chassis for oiling. Now the cold patch brigade can go fill a few pot holes!! :tongue:

Stay tuned.. more to come!!!

Don't look Jerry!!! You'll spoil the surprise!!! I guess it's time to get started with the introduction of the magic bus. Sorry if I confused some of you. There are two bus projects on the bench. Jerry and I discussed quite some time ago the possibility of a freaky, far out, super shagadelic hippy school bus conversion. I have dragged my feet on this project for way too long, and it's about time I got off my butt and did something..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2545.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2544.jpg

Lindberg made this nice Ford bus back in the 70's and I think into the early 80's. I was toying around with the first 6X chassis I made and just for giggles measured up the chassis with the bus, and with the added idler and drive just happens to be the correct wheelbase!! I pulled the front drive and it's PERFECT!! That solved one problem. Next one to address was the hippie dippy paint job. I have accumulated markers, flourescent paint, glow in the dark nail polish and more trying to think up a way to make this bus look far out!! Masking all those colors would have been a nightmare. The airbrush wouldn't be precise enough to control what paint went where... So the markers came into play. I decided the day glo, and the glow in the dark stuff wasn't really needed, as this cosmic transportation will carry it's own light show.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2558.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2557.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2556.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2560.jpg

I did manage to get a good start on it. I still need to light her up. The bus interior will feature the same light show that the bar on my table has. Plus head and tail lights too. For some reason I've been avoiding the soldering iron.. It's time I got it fired up as this and the other bus are in need.. :freak:

We'll promote you to Super Genius if ya can pull this off Wile E. :thumbsup: Enjoy the day Joe... nd

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/wile6.gif

Oh, the transit bus!!!! How I love the transit bus!!!! Cruising right along with catch up, as I mentioned, the bus made her maiden voyage around town.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2553.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/transit%20bus/th_100_2568.jpg

I still need to secure the posts with something a bit more permanent that poster putty, but for the quick video, it was good enough!! LOL

Very Cool stuff! The dump truck came out excellent!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2558.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/100_2560.jpg
:freak:

The markers give it that perfect "We painted it at my bud's pad while we were high, man" vibe. A slick paint job wouldn't work for something like this so I think you nailed it.

Awesome job on that dump truck and the bus!! I love it!! :thumbsup:

Wes

Dude!!! You got paint on my joint!!!! :freak: Dude you got weed in my paint!!! :lol: Pass the brownies!! :hat::hat:

That's awesome dude. Can you make smoke come out of the bus windows?

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2561.jpg



That's a good looking dumper!!! That could pass for a Tonka truck :thumbsup: :thumbsup: RM

Joe I didn't look ...... well almost didn't look ....... OK maybe I took a peek ....

THE COLORS

Where was I ????? ....... OH YEAH ....... pass the brownies please .......

It looks way better holding on to it than in macro, Jerry!! I came across a discovery that I hadn't noticed until I did some testing. The LED in the bar flashes green, blue and red, and I thought it only did those 3 colors. When I put a white paper in front of the windows, I realized the quick succession of flashes were actually color combinations. This led me to a flashback from my youth... :rolleyes:

My oldest sister's first husband was a corvette driving hippie dude. He also liked fiddling around with my dad's tools out in the garage. Besides making his own chess boards, he would make these things he called magic boxes. A simple 1" X 10" X 3' pine box frame with a masonite + divider inside. The back was masonite, and the front was frosted plexiglass. Inside it he ran a string of Christmas lights (the C7 variety) with all twinkle bulbs. When first plugged in it would look kinda blah, but once the bulbs warmed up the flashing randomness would kick in and it was really cool. Color combos and the occasional completely dark section. I may have only been 4 or 5 when he made these, but the whole building design intrigued me so much it has been stuck in my mind for all these years, and one of these days I will have to make one for myself. A wall of these behind a band stage would be pretty awesome!!!! :thumbsup:

Your new dumper came out of the paint shop at the right end of beautiful, Ujoe. It's funny. I generally don't think of dump trucks as "beautiful".....but YOURS sure is! :thumbsup:

I enjoyed the heck out of the bus video. It scoots pretty good! Your on the right track with that one. heh! (go ahead...work out the pun. :lol: )

The hippy bus has me playing funny sitar music in my head. Blink-bloink-bloink, blink-bloink. Gonna oil it up with patchouli and make it smell like "dirty hippy"? :D It looks way far out, man. :thumbsup:

Wow, that transit bus looks great, and runs much better then I would have thought.

It didn't run good for the longest time Ed. The arm was on the tight side, and that chassis ran hot as heck. 2 laps and almost too hot to touch. I figured it out though, after I ran an exacto under the arm gear it loosened right up and runs sweet now. Thanks for the kind words guys!! Hoping to hit the solder today and get some lightage done!!! :thumbsup:

love it!

A little progress was made today with the Magic Bus. I did have to grab the most complicated one to start with.. Here's a preview of how the light show will look when it's done..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/th_100_2569.jpg

U-Joe,

Fantastic is what first poped into mind when I came here and saw your latest works of GENIUS!!

C'mon that dump truck is off the hook. I agree with Joez it is beautiful.

How about that hippy multi colored Lindberg bus...Crazy Kewl man!

Seeing that vidio of your bus moving around on your layout with ease is great news. Glad to see all the work and thought you put into it paid off BIG TIME.

Bob...busy, busy, busy & cool, cool, cool (you done good !)...zilla

Sltman, Awesome Dump truck and great work on both buses!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL

SIMPLY AWESOME!!!!! MAN I love what you did to the bus lights!! :thumbsup:

Wes

dig THIS magic school bus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furthur

http://www.nofurthur.com/historic.html

i think yours is actually a really good representation... :dude:

--rick

Thanks guys!!! I did run across the Further and No Further buses as I researched this project. The much smaller canvas made it hard to put any detail on the cosmic "paint job". Adding to the stress was the memory of someone's recent attempt of using a sharpie to color tail lights and having it bleed when the future hit it. I was hoping for a little bleeding and blending when I clear coated it, but had none.. But then I didn't use Future.. I misted it with decalset..

By the way, the link I put up last night of the interior light show was a dud, so here is the correct link. I fixed the other one, but going back a page and scrolling is a pain..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/magic%20bus/th_100_2569.jpg

Top-frack'in shelf joeLED.... Here you are tell'in us about you're being stuck in slow motion... I beg to differ. You pretty much finished these at will ! ! ! wtg :thumbsup::thumbsup: dm

Dude that light show is awesome!!!!

fireworks in a can

Those lights Rock! That bus looks so KEWL on your street under the street light. You sure know how to make some fun stuff.

Bob...blink, blink, blink...zilla

WOW


I'm having "flashing" backs :freak:

Finally made some progress!!!! The transit bus is done!!!! :D

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/transit%20bus/100_2576.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/transit%20bus/100_2575.jpg

Had a heck of a time with the tail lights. Had to replace them 5 times before it was all said and done!!!

way cool pics! I was running for it for about a foot and half then got winded and relzied it wasn't real...


Dave

DONE!!!.... great job.... I wish you'd post a vid or two or a few stills on the layout thread.... so what the whole deal ain't done... set up some of the scenes that are... like vignettes... its good examples for the guys. :thumbsup::thumbsup: nd

way cool pics! I was running for it for about a foot and half then got winded and relzied it wasn't real...


Dave

hahahahaha...Yeah Coach that Bus does look real but, what are you doing in out in a bad neighborhood like this after dark? Oh yeah I forgot you are a tough Texan with a pistol.

Bob...nice pics U-Joe ( very real looking indeed )...zilla

run coach run hahahahaha... Bob...nice pics U-Joe ( very real looking indeed )...zilla

Can a lighted Good Humor or other manor of Ice Cream truck be far behind? nd

Has to play the song!!!! :thumbsup:

Put one of those darn greeting card units onboard. Gotta find the right tune, but couldnt be too awfully hard given Ujoe's tenacity for installing the unique and the available space in the ice cream truck. ;)

BTW: Great buses Joe, try and enjoy them a little before ya start the next project we've Tom Sawyered up for ya! :devil:

Can a lighted Good Humor or other manor of Ice Cream truck be far behind? nd

If I can find one in the right price range I'd do it.. I missed the boat on the AW release. It'll have to be a yellow snow cone mobile though.. I got the slotrod65 decal set.. That AW release sold out way too fast.. :cry:

I should have a short video posted up shortly, I need to do a bit of editing.. It wasn't running as well as it was before I did the lights and had to keep it at full tilt just to make a lap. The dirty track didn't help. Neither did the dirty pick up shoes.. :lol:

If I can find one in the right price range I'd do it.. I missed the boat on the AW release. It'll have to be a yellow snow cone mobile though.. I got the slotrod65 decal set.. That AW release sold out way too fast.. :cry:

:wave:Joe I think I have a extra (well it could be an extra:D) AW light blue Good Humor Truck. I might be persuaded to part with it.

WAY COOL CITY BUS :thumbsup::thumbsup:

COOL BUS MAN!!! :thumbsup:

Your layout looks so real in the picture!

Wes

Amazing.... Stunning... I Want One!

Thanks again guys!! I did notice after getting it all together that it's a bit more top heavy than it was. Between the passengers, the LEDs, and the hot melt glue holding it all together it doesn't handle as good as it did in the original video. This is partly the reason why the 2nd video is delayed.. Once it warms up it does chug along OK, but at full tilt cold it gets tipsy. :drunk: I just picked up another one (red again :rolleyes: ) along with a couple other goodies to mess with last night.

I made a little progress on the 59 chebbie tail lights, got a new grill on it and redrilled the head lights. The black lacquer rustoleum I sprayed on it is holding up alright, but is prone to showing fingerprints and really needs a coat of future. I have been having a rather difficult time getting the trim painted silver ( the sharpies just aren't cutting it) so I'm not sure if I'll try doing it one more time.. If I wasn't so darn shaky!!! :mad:

The magic bus got tinkered with yesterday too. The posts have been figured out, and I started formulating a plan for the wiring necessities. Cleaning up the bench did help a little!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Feeling fairly good today so work will resume on both of these!! :)

Well, after the "dare ya!!", things happened. I'll refresh your memories, as mine is toast too. I can't remember what I did yesterday half the time, and this was months ago. I'll give you the abbreviated version...

1. Ed (Sethanddaddy) makes a sweet ghost rider hot rod and makes it his avatar.
2. Bob... I want that hot rod... Zilla somehow manages to aquire this same hot rod.
3. Bob... "It's good, but I'll make it better"...Zilla makes it rusty and super cool looking.
4. I see it and comment how super cool it is and say something to the effect "Didn't someone make a clear version of that body? I wonder if......"
5. Someone (RR I believe) says "Go for it!!!!"
6. Bob... I have one, well he used to have one... Zilla sends the body to me.
7. It sits in it's baggie waiting for TODAY!!!

OK, wasn't that refreshing?? :lol: Today, I started the preliminary work on the flaming ghost rider hotrod. (finally) ahem.. I started with a couple coats of adhesion promoter. I then shot 2 coats Metalcast yellow inside and out. Then I made a cute little flame mask from a sheet of paper and shot some flames in orange, red, and purple. They didn't come out as good as I was hoping, but the effect worked ok. I had done a little pruning on my buddy ghost rider so his rear don't get chewed in the gears, and since he is such a hot head I did a little surgery on him.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2632.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2634.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2636.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2639.jpg

The surgery looks like this.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2641.jpg

Believe it or not, this piece (including the motorcycle) is cast in clear and painted by what the heck process I don't know, but it has to be time consuming!! Since his head is a lovely fireball, and the rest of the car will be lit afire, I thought his head should be also. I surgically implanted a fiber optic pipe in him to feed the flames aloft!! Here's a really bad picture to demonstrate the fiber effect on his head.. This is with a green LED. The 2 midship flashing LEDs will be orange, yellow, or red.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2648.jpg

I plan on lighting the whole body with 4 or 5 flashers, and maybe 1 steady LED in the nose. I won't know until I try how this is going to turn out. As usual, I'm out on a limb and you're running through the process with me. If it flops, well... I'll look kinda silly..

Great looking flame work, Ujoe!:thumbsup:
I think your plan sounds really cool!

When I came here and saw this I just thought WOW!!!!!

Holy aPPLE pie CRUMbs U-Joe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :woohoo:!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not seeing Silly at all...( well I did giggle a little but, that was because, this is such a fun idea ) What I see is a very neat idea of painting a clear body and it looks great! These pics are burned into my brain now...KEWL!

Bob...that is like 5 Kazillion LEDs so far right?...zilla

SWWEEEEETTTTT!!!!! :eek: :eek:


Wes

That's a very cool effect. 4 or 5 flashers would look amazing!!!!!

Sweet HOT ROD

SCM,
Looks damn good to me! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

As I mentioned in the Model Murdering thread, here are a few shots of the Bill Hall Atlas hotrod that made it's way from Washington to my house yesterday. I was completely caught off guard when this parcel arrived, I failed to see who sent it, and only saw WA. Shock and awe were the results when I opened it up. This lil rat rod is perfect!!!! Thanks again Bill!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2666.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2667.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2668.jpg

I kinda gave away the something old in them pics. The green US1 dump was an early lighting project that was in sore need of new shoes. Thanks to Bob at slotcar central for having repops of those shoes!!! I snagged 3 sets at the Richfield slot show. It was a great running truck until the shoes wore away to nothing, as this truck was my "track cleaner". So glad to have it up and running again!! :)

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2664.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_2665.jpg

Gotcha!

Ya know I should probably mention that the windshield is a display item only.

It was a size bigger (taller), but I rolled it hard during testing and snapped the pegs offen' it. Naturally I just cut it down a size to pull the build off.

...and ya might want too at that. The "Ratlas" comes with a red devil arm and AFX magnets under the hood. I run at 22v here and she had plenty of giddy up. Problem is the Atlas Ford even in roadster form is a bit top heavy and wants roll over rover when ya get too greedy.

This was actually a redeaux car Joe. I was never satisfied with it and kept after it 'til I finally nailed it. Funny part is that the original down and dirty faux finish took 5 minutes to blow down...and matching the new rear fenders to it a year later took an hour....hahahahahaha!

She's one of my favs cuz initially it just fell together, then stalled, and roared back in the end. Still in all, when I looked at the Ratlas I knew there was only one suitable home for her and that was Stumpcity. :thumbsup:

I love the paint job on that car, I just hate that driver, he looks like he's bathing in a swimming pool.

Awesome Ratlas. Wheels,tires,wheel arches,worn paint! All perfect!!! Looks great on the track.

Nah, Ed!!!, the driver is perfect!!! He's laid back and chillin', because he knows he got what he got unner the hood!! Most won't figure that out until they face up with him at the line and race him to Dinosaur Curve... Exactly 1/4 mile from the Stump Theater. :cool:

Ran it for a few dozen laps today, Bill, and it's a strong runner. While I don't baby customs, I don't run them recklessly either. Them tires stayed firmly planted, and she ran like it was glued on the track.. Are those PVTs?? I need to get some if they are. I like 'em!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: