I initially bought a purple/blue pearl 77 dodge van because it has lots of sheetmetal to paint, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it as it is, in the packet, and I just couldn't make myself strip it. So, one night after work I did the rounds of shops on the way home, and managed to find 2 more purple/pearl blues, and 2 browns. I have no problem stripping the brown ones, but suspect that I will now have 3 purples which will never come out of their packets.

Here is the brown one I began this morning.
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_1.jpg
http://www.southtexasdiecast.com/hwguide/images/2008/2008_007b.jpg

The gold baseplate just didn't work with the new paint, so I painted it silver, but it looked awful and dull, so I wiped it clean and foiled it instead. Wheels came from a Track-T (which got cut into pieces and will become a T-Bucket instead)
The idea of the paint job is that the white is shattering, breaking up and flying off, revealing the purple and red candy underneath. I tried to add depth by spraying black shadows under the "fragments", but I don't think my airbrush is fine enough nor my spraying skills good enough to pull off that level of detail yet, but I'll keep practicing.
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_2.jpg
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_3.jpg
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_4.jpg
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_5.jpg

It has a nice interior with seatbelts and NOS bottles, so I am going to detail it, get rid of the brown glass and just make a new clear windscreen.... so there is still a bit to do on it.

Thanks for looking

Thorrr

Nice job. Looks much better in my opinion.

Good goin'!!!

I did see the shadows under the "fragments" and thought it was a very nice touch. Just a sweet job all around. I look forward to trying these types of paint ideas.

I don't belive I have ever liked those wheels before, but they really do fit this build very well. Thumbs up!

I love the paint job

I say you managed to pull off that breakaway effect very nicely, great job all around. :thumbsup:

great job. i love the paint job.

.Great job on it/

Amazing work! looks fantastic!!!

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I think you did a great job on it. the effect looks good.

Nice paint!

It has a nice interior with seatbelts and NOS bottles, so I am going to detail it, get rid of the brown glass and just make a new clear windscreen.... so there is still a bit to do on it.

First of all, thank you all for your nice comments.

Now, some progress has been made, the glass is still brown, but the interior has been detailed.

The interior bucket was black, but it was obvious that it was supposed to be alloy paneling. I also added one of the blown HEMIs from the "What-4-2" and wired it up.
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_6.jpg

I have not got any decal paper, but wanted some NOS lables on the bottles, so I did a "packing tape photo transfer" and stuck it on with supreglue, I think it worked out ok.
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_7.jpg

The HEMI was wired with a dist, coil and wires, and hooked up to the NOS bottles.
http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_8.jpg

Last 2 jobs is to make some clear glass as the brown stuff is just the wrong color and too dark for this van now, and to make an injector hat for the HEMI.

http://thorftp.googlepages.com/77dodgevan_9.jpg

Thanks for looking.

Thorr

WOW! That is awesome detailing!!!

IMPRESSIVE!!! nice work

ya got my vote...very nice job. i like working on vans also