AMT Der Beetle Bus-OOB Version Completed

I picked this kit up a couple of weeks ago because it was IMO just too dang cool. This one will be a sideline build when I either get stumped on or waiting for paint to dry for my current aircraft project, in which right now I'm waiting on paint to dry and trying to figure out some fit issues with it so I figured I'd start this thread. I'm not going to get as crazy as I did with my '54 Chevy just because I don't want something that in depth. But I do want to have some fun with this one so here goes.

Der Beetle Bus:



Now when I opened up the box I looked at the body and knew right away that this body was not going to fly at all. The wheel base is ridiculously short for my tastes and it would look more like a cartoon van than an actual vehicle. Here's where we start:



and I just couldn't leave it like that so I bought another kit and went to work:



Cutting the bodies at just the right points yielded a wheel base that I could live with



Top view of the difference it made:



and the side view :



and so it starts. Here's the set up I want to go with. Slicks and skinnies with my favorite kind of wheels. The ol' Weld Draglites:

This..................is more like it.







Body work and smoothing things out will commence shortly. I have to lengthen the roof and the chassis to follow suit with the body so stay tuned..............