- November 16th, 2024, 6:10 pm#5001440
In TRG, Janine had several cars in several different colors (red Bug, yellow Renault LeCar, pink Bug, and a dark gray Bug) but the pink Bug with the tan interior was in the most episodes and to me, it screams "Janine"! I've wanted to do this project forever, but I needed a donor. I have my Highway Haunter from when I was a kid, but I didn't want to mod that one. Then I found one on eBay for like $8, but when I got it, it was in MINT CONDITION and I couldn't bring myself to mod that one either. Well, a few weeks ago I found one at Goodwill and man, was it ROUGH. Broken windshield frame, broken bumper supports, numerous broken chassis parts, missing the engine, terrible discoloration on the plastic, ratty decals, and two rear bumpers but no front bumper. I swear this thing sat underwater for a while considering the filth, discoloration, and rusty screws! But for only $10, I wasn't gonna argue! It was perfect for this project! I disassembled everything, thoroughly scrubbed it, removed what was left of the decals, and sanded the doors smooth (they have molded in circles to assist with decal placement). I repaired or replaced the broken parts. The undercarriage mechanism is surprisingly complicated! There's 12 different pieces, 5 springs, and numerous screws and clips! After I made sure everything functioned properly, I disassembled it again and got it ready for paint! My daughter chose Krylon Hot Pink, Krylon Nutmeg for the interior, and Project Source Bright Purple for the Mantis. I got beautiful reproduction decals from Zac Paris (although Janine's "GB-7" license plate decal was custom made) and I got a replacement engine from eBay. I hand painted the Mantis's face with Testors model paints. I didn't want to over-detail it, I wanted to try to make it look like it would if Kenner made Janine's pink Bug. I think I've nailed it! I'm very happy with the way it turned out and I'm glad I was able to save a Highway Haunter that was almost beyond repair! I hope the link to the photos works, I'm not great with computers and it always takes some fiddling to figure out how to post photos to GBFans.
zeta otaku, Ecto-1 fan liked this
- By lukes86
- By mrmichaelt
- By tbes50203