The Junkyard Shuffle
Everyone needs a place they can go to for the sake of retaining their sanity. A place where you can recharge your batteries, and possibly find a little inner peace. Alcoholics have the local bar. Religious people have churches, synagogues, mosques, gurdwaras, and the local bar. Me? I have the local junkyards.
I'm fortunate to live in an area with quite a few automotive salvage yards. And two of them usually get the interesting stuff. While the bigger yards are mainly late model wrecks, the smaller ones are more focused on scrap metal processing, meaning they get all kinds of stuff. Old vehicles pulled from overgrown lots and collapsed barns, long-abandoned parts and project cars, and the like. While a yard full of wrecked late-model Camrys and Explorers and such is likely more useful to more people, the yards that specialize in the obsolete junk are what grab me.
In addition to being fun places to explore, they offer quite a bit of inspiration and reference for model projects. The following are a few examples of junkers that I find inspiring. I've tried to limit this to vehicles that are represented in scale kits, or at least something close enough to work. In one case I've even included a photo of a model I built which was inspired by a real-life junk vehicle.
The Moebius '66 Flareside would be a great starting point for something like this unfortunate '65. This truck appears to have had several body panels replaced before it was repainted blue- hints of white, yellow, red, and red oxide primer are visible everywhere through the peeling blue top coat. The base white grille was also painted blue, but oddly, the bumper was left white.
The '58-'60 "Squarebird" is one of my all time favorite cars, so I have to admit it pains me a bit to see one in this state. Yes, this one is too far gone to save, and it has since donated a number of parts for several T-Birds being restored, but still. The old Monogram '58 is readily available and it would be quite a sight to see one done up as an abandoned junker. Or you could use an original AMT annual kit to draw the ire of kit collectors across the land! Or not... not even I am that twisted.
One of the old MPC C1500 kits would be great for this, or any of the more recent AMT versions. This one is actually alarmingly rust free for a 30-year-old Michigan truck. At some point it was fitted with aftermarket round-hole chrome wheels and a color-keyed grille, meaning a 1990's Kyle must have owned and accessorized it sometime back in the '90's. If this truck were still on the road today it would have fake beadlock wheels and one of those obnoxious LED light bars across the grille. And the cab would be littered with Monster cans instead of Mountain Dew bottles. What the hell am I going on about? Hey look, here's a first-gen Bronco...
To be fair, I didn't see this in a junkyard. But I did spot this unfortunate Bronco on my way back from the junkyard, so I'll include it. Am I the only one who's so used to seeing these with flares that seeing one with stock, uncut rear fenders seems odd?
It would almost be a shame to build the Revell Bronco in such a dilapidated state, but it would be a fun little project.
Here you can see the extent of the rust damage, the torn seat, and the general rundown "feel" of the poor old Bronc.
And all the removed parts? Just stuff 'em in the back. It'll help to disguise the screwed-up bed floor. Kind of. I hope this Bronco went to a loving home after being mauled this badly.
A Revell '56 F-100, Monogram '55, or AMT '53 F-100 would be great for something like this. Look at all the lichen and moss! Ever tried your hand at flocking the exterior of a model? Now's your chance! Also take note of the paint.... this (kind of) white truck left the factory painted red.
Really... I don't know what to call this. This PT Cruiser seemed to have some some kind of "Picasso by Bob Ross" thing going on. I've had car bodies I've used for paint tests end up looking like this... so if you have a body you've been using for airbrush target practice, why not put it to use? Revell did make a PT Cruiser. Two actually... the sedan and the convertible. But really, any vehicle could serve as the base for a spray gun acid trip like this.
For many years Dodge trucks were mostly made of rust. Up until I was about ten years old I just automatically assumed that they came from the factory with rust and mismatched body panels, because I saw so many like that growing up. This is one of the rustiest examples of a Second Gen Ram I've seen in quite a while. While Rams seem to rust quickly, it also seems like the transmissions always crap out well before the rust gets horrifying. This one actually did inspire a model project for me....
The real red one inspired this scale blue one, based on the AMT snap kit. I also added a smashed front fender and simulated rusted out rear shackles. Yes, it's rough, but at least the tires have tread! I also tried my best to simulate the end results of that famous peeling 1990s Chrysler paint, with large patches of surface rust and exposed primer. It's not a replica of the red Ram, but rather, the red one inspired the look and feel of the model.
The old AMT '72 Nova would be perfect for this, but the nicer Revell kit could work too. I'd probably start with the AMT kit because it's a junky kit anyway, and represents a less desirable model year to boot. (Here come the angry e-mails from Nova enthusiasts...) It seems like rusty chrome wheels were a must on stylized beaters before directional alloys became a thing. I didn't peek under the hood of this one but I'd bet five bucks it has bright yellow Accel plug wires.
GM produced the G-Series van from 1971 all the way to 1996, so even though this Beauville is about a decade and a half newer than the AMT Rescue Van kit, it could be used to model something similar. Take a look at the rockers, or lack thereof. That's pretty much how these things looked after a few Michigan winters. And when the vehicle sits in muddy grass for who knows how long, that certainly doesn't help matters. Note the chunks of rocker resting on the running board, as well as the loose windshield gasket.
This battered K1500 must have quite a story to tell. It either donated it's roof to a Blazer truggy conversion, or Bubba decided he wanted a convertible. Judging from the lift, tires, and bull bar, you can tell that at one time some bumpkin really loved this truck. But apparently that love faded and here it sits. Any old MPC or Monogram square body GM truck kit you had laying around, incomplete or a glue bomb, would be a perfect starting point for this picked-over pickup.
It wouldn't be a rural junkyard without at least one Camaro. Strangely, this was the only one there when I visited that day. Usually this yard has at least three. This one seems to have donated it's front clip for a street rod project before being used as a scrap metal dumpster. Being a Michigan car, naturally the rockers are toast. The bumper is also a good illustration of the fact that, yes, you can weather nonferrous car parts.
The next trio is for the AMT 1950 Chevrolet pickup.
This heavily dented dump truck is a 1-1/2 ton, but the overall condition would work just as well on a pickup. Or you could use some resin wheels and tires and a scratchbuilt dump body if you wanted.
This one appears to have spent a great many years in a swampy forest clearing. Whenever I see damage like this on a scrapyard vehicle, I wonder if it was damage done during the vehicles' useful life, or by the salvage yard loading/unloading or moving the vehicle.
This is a fairly typical old Michigan farm truck. In other words, it's been repainted at least eighty-seven times and fitted with a body not original to the truck. In this case it's a gravity-feed grain box. Note the remnants of door lettering from a previous owner. Even though it's rough, compared to the majority of Advanced Series Chevrolet trucks I've encountered in junkyards, this one is comparatively well-preserved.
Although this is a four-door, the MPC Nova would be a nice place to start for a rundown old econo-beater. Note the loose trim, peeling top, and dull paint. If you are just trying to get started with beaters and weathered vehicles, simulating something like this would be a good starting point. Focus on just making it look shabby, then worry about things like dents and rust damage.
AMT's Ford Tilt Cab Stake Bed kit would be perfect for this, or how about the delivery van? Just don't add rust to the van body if you go that route! Also check out all the lichen on the cowl! This would be another relatively easy look to achieve if you are just getting started out with weathering models.
This is a 1969 Chevrolet, but the '70 Impala kit could work just as well. Or you could go ahead and use a rare annual AMT 1969 kit if you really wanted to cheese off the kit collectors. I love the bent Michigan Bicentennial plate on the front bumper. This was likely the old family beater that coughed up it's engine for a dirt track car. The naked brake drums would be fairly simple to fabricate, or you can get them in resin from Scenes Unlimited.
Any of the AMT '65 Pontiac kits could serve as the basis for this used-up Catalina. I think I'd go with the Bonneville because it hasn't been reissued in a while. If you really want a sedan you could probably convert the 2+2 into a four door, as from what I'm told it's a pretty inaccurate rendition anyway. Subtle rust, fading splotches of paint, and a kinked rear quarter panel are the stars here, but the skewed hood hinges give it that little something extra.
