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Most model salvage yards contain old rusted autos but few contain
wrecks. Why? Because other than Alloy Forms, no one offers them
commercially and the ones from Alloy Forms are not wrecked, they just didn't
come out of the mold cleanly. Today's clinic offers some alternatives to a
salvage yard filled with cars that were only junked.
1. Materials
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Aluminum Foil |
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Plastic Resin |
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Hydrocal or Molding Plaster |
2. Making the Auto Form
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Cut out a piece of foil large enough to press over the
original auto shape. Press the foil over then shape making sure to press
it tightly against all the detail of the auto. While the foil is still on
the master, use your hobby knife to cut out the window areas (if desired.)
Gently remove the foil from the master and trim the excess with small
scissors. Paint the car with the desired paint color. Distort the foil
shape to indicate a point of impact. Add rust using chalk pastels (if
desired.) |
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Make a mold of the original auto using either RTV Rubber
or Modeling Clay. After the mold is made, mix about � oz of each part of
the resin giving � oz of material. Fill the mold about 1/3 full with
Plastic Resin (Alumilite, Micro Mark, or Smooth-On.) Use a cheap
disposable paint brush or a toothpick to work the material into the small
details if necessary. While the resin is still in liquid form, rotate the
mold so the resin flows onto the sides of the car and all of the auto body
shape has resin on it. Continue rotating the mold in your hands until the
resin hardens.
You now have a "hollow" casting of the auto that you can
"wreck". Allow the resin to harden slightly but before it
becomes fully hardened, gently remove the auto casting from the mold. Use
a hobby knife to cut out the window areas (if desired.) |
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Hydrocal or Molding Plaster
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These are VERY inexpensive and effective wrecks. Following
the method described for Plastic Resins above, make a mold of the original
and mix a small quantity of Hydrocal or plaster (Hydrocal cures much
faster) and is my favorite. You can cast the auto either as a solid block
or make a hollow casting as described above. If you choose to make a solid
casting remember, the glass in autos of the pre-1960's was not as good as
the glass of today's autos. Moisture would seep in between the layers of
the safety class and turn the glass a milky white color. Be sure to
simulate this on some of the older autos. I have cut off the front fenders
of old coupes leaving only the portion of the body from the firewall back
and using a round file to file out a "transmission tunnel" in
the firewall. This makes a very convincing model of an old car that has
been partially dis-assembled as scrap. You can use styrene to make the
exposed part of the frame if you wish or just use the body as if the frame
was removed. Old engine blocks and debris lying around the old auto add to
the scene. |
3. Making the Wrecked Car -
My personal favorite way to simulate a wreck is to press the front of the the
auto against a metal ruler or a large screwdriver to represent a car that has
hit a tree or a light pole. This MUST be done while the resin is still soft so -
WORK QUICKLY! Most of the resins will cure to a workable state in about 2 to 3
minutes and will be completely hardened in about 10 minutes. Another favorite is
to cut out the windows and use a block of wood to mash the casting to create a
"roll over". If you use the foil method described above, you can smash
the painted auto into small squares to simulate autos that have been through the
crusher.
Materials
Plastic Resin - Available from many Hobby Shops (Avoid the casting resins
that have a STRONG odor that lasts for days. If your shop does not carry the
resins, check the Yellow Pages in your area under Plastics or Resins. You can
contact these sources on the Internet.
Alumilite - http://www.alumilite.com
Micro Mark - http://www.micromark.com
Smooth-On - http://www.smooth-on.com
Reynolds Advanced Materials - http://www.moldmakingmaterials.com
For Hydrocal contact
U. S. Gypsum - http://www.usg.com
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