Need ideas for cars wrecks

[Teardrop World]

Hi,

Actually working on a modern setup, a lot of specific scenery is needed. I plan to build element full of wrecks/junk/derelict. One of these scenery will be made from old cars wrecked and pile of tires. Tires are partially printed and cars were planned, but the motherboard of the printer has succumbed under the heavy usage made. I use cars fom HO scale, and while being cheap they are too expensive to be torn apart.

Could somebody have suggestions to steal?

- Wrecked cars, limited or no detail
- It must be quick and easy to make (need a lot of them)
- useable for small scale (15mm)
- for someone with limited modelling skill (me)
- for someone VERY clumsy (hum, me again) 

Thank you

[SBRPearce]

I read an article in a model railroad magazine on the construction of a large scrap yard that featured dozens of derelict autos. The author couldn't see buying HO scale cars just to trash them, so he got a couple of die-cast "master cars" and used them as a form.

Wrap the form in a layer or two of heavy aluminum foil and use a fine hard tool tip to force the foil into the creases and follow the contour of the metal car. Slice or pry the foil off to leave a "shell" of a car. Some of these he slush-filled with glue or plaster, others he semi-crushed.

Each final "car" doesn't look exactly like an automobile, but en masse and with liberal applications of rust effects, the whole picture was amazingly good. And, according to the author, amazingly cheap.

You could probably get a reasonably durable gutted chassis by lining one of these foil dummies with hot glue and then using a scalpel to cut out the window glass. And if they get a little mashed in play, it only increases their resemblance to a demolished car.

[Teardrop World]

Thank you,

Working on it since ten minutes. First impression:

- Only aluminium foil in stock: very thin and for a first try I only used one layer.
- Used a brush with hard hair to push the foil, better result due to the smallness and fragility of the car
- Difficult to retrieve the car: the side mirrors punch hole in the foil and are like nailed
- Inside coated with a coat of diluted white glue - drying on the radiator

I will do more tests tomorrow.

Cheers

[Supercollider]

I think this might be the origin of the foil mould idea:

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page423.html

And someone else posted about it:

http://combatzonechronicles.net/cozoxb/plastrex.htm

Good luck!

[Teardrop World]

I play often Combat Zone and missed those chronicle... 

Thank you for your kind answers.

Poured plaster in the "molds", result acceptable. Bigger models give a better result, as small foil crease are huge in HO scale. Must resist to paint before full drying of plaster 

Cheers

[FifteensAway]

If they have Matchbox cars on your piece of the planet and if you have a soldering gun then you can create some pretty cheap "crashed" cars.  Also, Woodland Scenics has a range of cars that I think includes a couple of crashed cars in the vignettes.  And then there are the "swap meets" if you have such things in Switzerland.

Don't breathe the fumes!

[Teardrop World]

If they have Matchbox cars on your piece of the planet

Used some of them (a SWAT truck and a truck) but  they are more expensive than the Wiking HO range!!!! a so prohibitive cost that the simple idea of crushing them empties my wallet. Nearly 4 or 5 bucks here but "only" the half with the bargain on wiking. By the way, I used to customize one Matchbox car when I was a child: impaled on a iron and slowly roasted in the chimney for an authentic burned aspect, and then a few hammer's shot. It was really realist. 

Result obtained yesterday with tinfoil, the orange/brown car is made with a plastiline mold. It give a crispy and clean result, but lacks the wrecked look.

Cheers

[dijit]

They look great. Nice work. Some secondhand shops have boxes of old cars that can bought very cheaply too. I think the plastercine one looks great actually and should be easy to dent/break up.