SURF BUS by Dave McGowan

The S'urf Bus came about after the purchase of a S'cool Bus kit and the announcement of the Beach Bomb class in the KKKKooks Kontest. The first step was the woody conversion. The flat body panels between the impact beams were removed and replaced with .030 sheet styrene which had been textured on its long axis using 60 grit sandpaper.

The impact beams and surrounding "wood" framing were also given a wood grain texture using the same method. The wood was painted using acrylic washes and dry brushing, then the "wood" panels were masked before the body was given a coat of gray Tamiya primer. The roof panel was masked, and the body was given three or four coats of Tamiya Bright Orange spray - a perfect match for the school bus "yellow" I remember from my youth.

The monocoque chassis was assembled per the kit instruction, though the front suspension was trimmed slightly before installation, lowering the nose a touch to place the front fenders down over the 20" Goodyear radials from a Revellogram Expedition. The wheels and some engine chrome was stripped and replaced with paint, though important bits were left shiny for "glitter factor".

Final details included surfboards personalized for online model-building buddies and the, "Whoa, Dude!" stop sign. One of the decals I made corrected somebody's addition error at Monogram. Last I checked, 426+426=852, and not 854. The sunset mural in the grille opening was a highly edited digital image I found on a public domain wallpaper website, and I think it's my favorite touch on Wild Willie's S'urf Bus.