Tamiya 1:24 Vespa

[willimo]

This is a super fast WIP, and I am glad I was taking pictures with my phone along the way to share with Jay! since I wasn't originally intending to make a WIP thread.

A long time ago, I got a used Tamiya Campus Friends, with the friends painted somewhat, but the Vespa was completely untouched. Then I touched the heck out of it and bit off probably too much (Jay! and I were trying to hit a deadline). So forgive the crappy picture quality....

I glued the halves together and then cut off the seat, the front fender, and the handlebars.



I cut out the part of the cushion where your butt goes, added a piece of plastic rod to the handlebars for the steering. At the bottom of the body I added about 1cm of an aluminum tube for the shaft to go through. There wasn't enough body to drill all the way for the tube. I also added a piece of plastic under where the seat goes. I cut it roughly to shape and sanded it smooth. It's hard to see, but I also drilled out where the headlight goes. I added some Tamiya 2-part epoxy to make a smooth round headlight bucket and formed it with the other end of a paint brush. I sanded a headlight lens from... who knows what kit... to make a clear headlight later.



I sanded the spot for the horn flat, and then glued a piece of oval plastic for the top of the fuel tank (under the seat) before priming the Vespa.



Not the color I intended...



...so I brought back a new can from the hobby shop...



...and was much more satisfied.



Crummy, out of focus picture of the fuel filler cap, the Racing Mate! decal stolen from the Hasegawa Celica just for fun, and my taillight made from a reflector from a Camaro, I think.



And here it is incomplete but together. I later added brake levers carved and sanded from some sheet styrene, and made the metal horn from a MCG photoetched A/C vent that I smooshed the handle of a paintbrush into to make it convex.



Please see my one decent photo of my completed Vespa in the AFMOTY. Thanks, y'all!