Mystery Machine Work-in-Progress

This is somewhat of a stop-gap posting to let you know I've been working on the Mystery Machine, but it's going slowly.  Too much non-gaming needs intruding into my gaming/modelling time.  Curse you real life!

The first and hardest thing was to find an A-100 Series van circa 1966ish in the scale of 1:48 or thereabouts.  I scoured the internet and finally found the following:

This "ZINGERS!" Super Van plastic model was cheap to get, it's in the right scale (1:48), and the van body is the correct type.  But it's got lot's of cartoony elements that I don't want (which is ironic, since I'm trying to replicate a cartoon van).

So I started the conversion process.  I ditched the cartoony tires, exhaust pipes and engine sticking out of the top (into the bits box!).  I had to fill the hole in the top with Plasticard and putty.  I switched out the tires with more size-appropriate ones from another plastic car model (which will end up as a burnt-out or stripped wreck - waste not want not!).  I had to carve two of the wheel-wells a little larger to accomodate the front tires, which required me to add couple of sheets of Plasticard to the chassis to block the line of sight past the front wheels.  Otherwise you'd see all the messy glue and markings and miscellaneous crap under the front.

I added wire mesh to the windows, and some additional Plasticard "metal plating" over one of them.  I've added Plasticard "metal" patches here and there, and scuffed and nicked up the body somewhat.  I glued some sand around the wheel-wells, as I intend to heavily rust these areas and want that corroded rusty-texture here.  Cut-up popsicle sticks form a luggage rack for the top, as I intend to fill the top up with gear and stuff.

I've added a few more fiddly-bits since these photos were taken, and have even started painting, but it's got a ways to go.  This won't be a nice bright and pristine Mystery Machine, it's going to be one that's seen battle and is beat-up and dented and somewhat falling apart...not unlike my Zombie Apocalypse Scooby Gang.

Oh yeah, my freehand isn't very good so the painting of the van won't be great, but it'll do.  Also, I decided to keep the van named Mystery Machine instead of Misery Machine, no real reason just liked it better.

It's going to be slow-going from here on out, but I'll try to keep plugging at it as time allows, and post occasional WIP pics.

EDIT:

I took a quick pic of the painting so far:

This is still VERY rough and in the early stages.  There's LOTS of work to do.  So far I've blocked in the blue and green areas, along with some orange text.  I still need to touch up everything; add curves where the green and blue meet; add orange flowers; paint the windows; paint the "metal" patches & back armor; paint the inner wheels; clean up the tires; paint "rust" along the wheel-wells and other places; hit the entire thing with Quick Shade; hit it with matte spray; add highlights; add weathering, and oil splotches and blood splatters....WHEW!  And I still need to assemble and paint whatever it is that's going on top! 

It'll probably be awhile before I can post another pic, but when I do there should be major improvements compared to these pics.