redfern1950s
Retro Guru
Hi,
Thought i would share some photo's of what i do in my spare time..
Im an artist/model maker by trade, and like so many of us, ive enjoyed lego since child hood..., and at nearly 48 years old, i still love it
I refuse to grow up
Any way, on with it..., I had been toying with this idea for a while, and not being too impressed with the one offered by LEGO them selves, thought i should make one my self..
After owning and restoring the real things for many years ( sold my beloved split screen pick up last year ), i know every detail of them for every year they where made...
My preference with these goes with the very early ones : known in the scene as the 'barndoor'.
Starting with the front panel, just messing around to start with..., i managed to get the design right for what i wanted, with the first attempt.... Knowing i didnt have all the lego shapes and colours needed, i pressed on... with in one week i had the basic shape and structure.
This first one for obvious reasons was a single cab pick up, in red and black, couldnt make it in green to match my real one.
Although not perect, i knew i had some refining to do......
So begins the search in finding the pieces required from as far away as argentina & australia via the interweb..
I soon had the contacts needed to supply me with the individual lego pieces needed, including a guy who can custom 'chrome plate' the lego bricks for me......,not cheap though, but so worth it.
Every model is as close as possible to the real thing, ( no working steering at the moment ) from its chassis with working suspension to the interiors..., even the pick ups and crew cabs that have a petrol filler cap on the body all have tubes leading from the filler to the petrol tanks !!!
Some of the vans are customized, having porsche engines and some having the front arches tubbed to take lower suspension...
In total ive made 11 so far, and have spent a small fortune in the process.
Most have been built using new lego, But some parts are no longer made by lego, some parts have been almost impossible too find..
For example, White lego goes yellow/brown with age, so making the ambulance version cost me the most and was the hardest to make...
Also to make the ambulance, i had to make a barn door bus first, then take it too bits and work out where to relocate parts like the petrol tank ( its in the engine bay on a barndoor van ) add an opening tail gate etc etc...., funny thing is, volkswagen them selves went through the same process when they made the real things...
To give you a better idea of how anal i really am..., the real vw ambulances had up rated rear suspension to ease passenger comfort, so the one ive made also has up rated suspension..
( i had to do this due the the extra weight of the ambulances interior )...
Line up of models made :
grey & white camper with fully working pop up roof with hammocks.
red & black pick up & crew cab.
grey & black pick up & crew cab.
grey & black airport/taxi bus.
hearse : based on a 62 single cab.
fire engine with water pump.
ambulance.
customized black van.
customized black & white pick up.
When i was a child i used to draw my own instructions, ive yet to this with these, im not looking forward to trying, these are so complex, to make the next one i have to take the last one apart, ive also been asked a few times if they are for sale.......,need to do instructions first i think..
Any way....... hope you like, and a thank you in advance for just looking..
Red.
my lego vw split screen hearse by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door ambulance by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen single cab pick up by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen barn door engine detail by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen barn doors & crew cab by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen double door barn door type 21f fire truck by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door panel van by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door vans & crew cab by redfern1950s, on Flickr
Thought i would share some photo's of what i do in my spare time..
Im an artist/model maker by trade, and like so many of us, ive enjoyed lego since child hood..., and at nearly 48 years old, i still love it
I refuse to grow up
Any way, on with it..., I had been toying with this idea for a while, and not being too impressed with the one offered by LEGO them selves, thought i should make one my self..
After owning and restoring the real things for many years ( sold my beloved split screen pick up last year ), i know every detail of them for every year they where made...
My preference with these goes with the very early ones : known in the scene as the 'barndoor'.
Starting with the front panel, just messing around to start with..., i managed to get the design right for what i wanted, with the first attempt.... Knowing i didnt have all the lego shapes and colours needed, i pressed on... with in one week i had the basic shape and structure.
This first one for obvious reasons was a single cab pick up, in red and black, couldnt make it in green to match my real one.
Although not perect, i knew i had some refining to do......
So begins the search in finding the pieces required from as far away as argentina & australia via the interweb..
I soon had the contacts needed to supply me with the individual lego pieces needed, including a guy who can custom 'chrome plate' the lego bricks for me......,not cheap though, but so worth it.
Every model is as close as possible to the real thing, ( no working steering at the moment ) from its chassis with working suspension to the interiors..., even the pick ups and crew cabs that have a petrol filler cap on the body all have tubes leading from the filler to the petrol tanks !!!
Some of the vans are customized, having porsche engines and some having the front arches tubbed to take lower suspension...
In total ive made 11 so far, and have spent a small fortune in the process.
Most have been built using new lego, But some parts are no longer made by lego, some parts have been almost impossible too find..
For example, White lego goes yellow/brown with age, so making the ambulance version cost me the most and was the hardest to make...
Also to make the ambulance, i had to make a barn door bus first, then take it too bits and work out where to relocate parts like the petrol tank ( its in the engine bay on a barndoor van ) add an opening tail gate etc etc...., funny thing is, volkswagen them selves went through the same process when they made the real things...
To give you a better idea of how anal i really am..., the real vw ambulances had up rated rear suspension to ease passenger comfort, so the one ive made also has up rated suspension..
( i had to do this due the the extra weight of the ambulances interior )...
Line up of models made :
grey & white camper with fully working pop up roof with hammocks.
red & black pick up & crew cab.
grey & black pick up & crew cab.
grey & black airport/taxi bus.
hearse : based on a 62 single cab.
fire engine with water pump.
ambulance.
customized black van.
customized black & white pick up.
When i was a child i used to draw my own instructions, ive yet to this with these, im not looking forward to trying, these are so complex, to make the next one i have to take the last one apart, ive also been asked a few times if they are for sale.......,need to do instructions first i think..
Any way....... hope you like, and a thank you in advance for just looking..
Red.
my lego vw split screen hearse by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door ambulance by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen single cab pick up by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen barn door engine detail by redfern1950s, on Flickr
moc lego vw split screen barn doors & crew cab by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen double door barn door type 21f fire truck by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door panel van by redfern1950s, on Flickr
my lego vw split screen barn door vans & crew cab by redfern1950s, on Flickr
