Making realistic dirt track models.

      Car model building has been an addicting hobby to me. I build everything from classics and rat rods to race cars. I am also vary into dirt track racing. There isn’t many race nights were I do not attend, so naturally I have combined both hobby’s together.

      There are a few diecast dirt track modeled cars out there, most are sprint cars, modifieds, and late models. Depending on the brand you get some are vary basic , some are vary accurate in detail.


      You can fined some 1:24 dirt track resin kits on line or in hobby stores, but most are modeled after classic dirt track. There are almost no dirt track car kits out there ware you are building the same car as you see on today’s track’s. I like the classics, but who that likes building models and the dirt track wouldn’t like a dented, dirty, just raced, extremely realistic looking stock car on there shelf with there collection?
      
        In the last two years Dirt is all I have been building. I build hobby stocks and stock cars from monte carlo resin kits. I also build modifieds out of brass. I have many tips and ideas I want to shear and as a builder I always love getting new ideas from others.

        Making a stock car or hobby stock from Monte Carlo kit is easy. I have made some that turned out great and some that have turned out really great all depending on how much time you put into it. The first thing you want to do is get an idea of what kind of car or in some cases who’s car you want to build or replicate. Most of these cars are built relatively the same but with different paint schemes. I get lot of my ideas from going to the races and if your local track is like mine, you are allowed to walk the pits after the races are done so you can get an up close look at the cars. When I am there I take note of pant schemes, damage, how the dirt is sticking or laying on the car after its been raced, and how the drivers put different rock screens or blockers in front of there cockpits.

        Getting the stock body from a Monte Carlo resin kit to look like a dirt track car is simple if you have the right tools. I use sand paper, a dermal, and if you really get into it you can start casting your own parts, or buy special parts from resin shops on-line or hobby stores to enhance the realistic outcome of your hobby stock or stock car.

         The first thing I do is drill out the key holes on both doors and the trunk. I then sand the spoiler down on the back because I don’t see spoilers on any cars at my local track.
To get the front bumper to look right I fill all the detail in with plastic resin and sand smooth, so it has the shape of the Monte Carlo noise piece but with no head light openings or grill. Some I drill holes in were the grill would be, all depends on the look you are going for. After all that you have your basic race car body and from there you can decide if you want to put dents in or not.

         If you want dents in the body there are tons of ways of doing it. Just search 1:24 car damage on you tube and you will get tons of ideas. One way that I like and seams to give you a look like the car has been dented, pulled out and dented again and again is to use tin foil. Glue the lightly wrinkled tinfoil on in the body panels you want beat up before you paint , then paint the hole car like you would regularly.
The frame is almost all striped down. Leave just the frame rails that run the length of the car and the cross members. Look at pictures to make a realistic roll cage but make sure the body fits on right
( don’t build the roll cage to high). I have used round balsa wood, plastic tubes, and my favorite is using brass tubing. With brass and solder you can get extremely detailed.

       After you get started your ideas run wild.