painting radiators and making fender dents

For the radiator, paint it black and dry brush some silver on the grill of it where it alwasy seems to get scraped up.

For the dents, depends on how big you want them.

for the dents, probably small to medium dents, like an abused offroad vehicle could get without going overboard. I even thought of denting the bumper as if a tree had been hit.

You could try heating the body up where you wan tthe dents , then use tweezers and other items to shape it how you want. That is how I did the ones on these.

http://www.lizardsworkshop.com/69pt2.htm

looks good, did you use an open flame like a zippo?

Chris-nice job! I'm not an auto modeler but I've always wanted to do a trashed car like you see on the back 40. I think you've inspired me.

Thanks. Going to have to build one again for myself one of these days. Those all went to family members.

That is how I did it yes. I basically moved the body over the flame, not to close though and you have to be sure to stop before it starts to bubble. Then took a pair if tweexers and pushe dit in and set it to where I wanted it. If you want more of a smooth dent rather than a sharp one use the rounded end of an xacto knife.

Now if you want to make more prominent dents on parger areas like a door, try this.

Step 1
Start by placing a sheet of aluminum foil over the part you want to copy. Using a Q-Tip, rub the foil against the panel until the the lines stand out sharply (a strip of tape can be used to hold the foil in place while you work).

Step 2
Using a new X-Acto blade, carefully cut out the new panel. Make sure you are using a new blade, or the foil will tear as you try to cut it. The finished cut should be a clean outline of the new panel.

Step 3
Carefully remove the metal panel and damage it. Most damage, can be achieved by simply pushing on the panel with any hard object (a bumper from another model kit can work great here). Remove the old panel from the model, and glue your new damaged panel into place with superglue.

If the back of the damaged panel will be hidden, you may want to add extra strength to the panel by applying a layer of white glue to the panel on the side that will be hidden. Once the glue is dry, you're done!

On the radiator: Try using some aircraft paints used on Japanese WW II aircraft. I think is usually called "Tempura" or something like that.
This stuff can be weathered and be given a "hard life " look fairly easily.

HTH, Cheers , Pete.

thanks for all the tips guys.