Day 28/84: A pretty significant reengineering effort went into turning my three-door Saab 900 into a five-door Saab 99 GLE. The 99 has a shorter wheelbase and front overhang, and in the nose job the model was simplified by eliminating the opening hood (just after I'd perfected it, no less). So there's some shared modeling geometry, most significantly the roof, A-pillars, and hatch, but there are no common parts between my 99 and 900 models. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 29/84: Another fastback four-door, though unlike yesterday's Saab, the Lancia Beta had a trunk, not a hatch. I modeled this one with the bumpers as separate pieces—they slot in through the body, then are held in place by pegs coming up from the base plate—to leave open the option of someday doing a version with the more attractive (but far less rare) European bumpers. My grandparents had a ’79 Beta, one of roughly 330 sedans sold in the US that year. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 30/84: When I opened my Shapeways store, I released models in themed groups of four; this is the third in my group of late-’70s fastback sedans, the ill-fated Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. Like the Lancia yesterday, it had a trunk, not a hatch, plus the indignity of rear windows that didn't roll down, though the quarter windows did vent, I believe. Only lasted from 1978-80. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 31/84: A couple of months after I'd added this Toyota to my Shapeways shop, I noticed the listing had disappeared. I put it back up, then a few weeks later it happened again. Finally, I figured out that selling a model with "Corona" in the name in 2020 was causing some weird problems—I suspect Shapeways was simply shutting down anything with that word, in case it was related to some quack treatment or something. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 32/84: Corvairs incoming! I embarked on a project to model every Corvair bodystyle that hadn't yet been done in 1:64 scale, which, spoiler alert, was most of them. I started with the late model four-door hardtop, painted in authentic Willow Green touch-up paint. The interior was modeled in two pieces so that I could replicate the two-tone effect; this one has a gold dash, door caps, and carpet, and Fawn seats and door panels. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 33/84: My second Corvair is identical to the first from the A-pillar forward, but after that, things get wild—this one's a ’65 Fitch Sprint, complete with "Astroroof." I was pleased with the Hands alloy wheels, my two-tone paint job, and most of all with the steering wheel, which I gave a wood-tone rim and silver spokes, barely visible in the second photo. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 34/84: I noted a few days ago that morphing my three-door Saab 900 into a five-door 99 had been a relatively complicated endeavor; having done that, this three-door 99 CombiCoupe is kind of a half-step back, a much more straightforward hybrid of the earlier two. This one wears the trim of a ’78 EMS, the sportiest non-Turbo 99. Back to Corvairs tomorrow. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 35/84: A pleasingly nautical color scheme for this ’67 Corvair Monza convertible. I don't do a ton of convertibles; making sure the windshield frame is sturdy enough to print is always a bit challenging. In this case, having the additional support of the vent windows helped. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 36/84: Another dang Saab? Another dang Saab, the debut of my four-door 900 body. This is a twin to one I made for my buddy Kyle, who has since passed away, after I helped him buy a teal ’93 900S sedan. Don't tell anybody, though—the paint on the models is actually a Volvo color. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 37/84: Can you believe there *still* hasn't been a 1:64-scale Corvair Greenbrier van? Me neither, but in the meantime I'm pretty pleased with mine. Still the only van I've done. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 38/84: In the years since I made my Corvair Rampside pickup, Matchbox has come out with a version, also with working ramp (because how could you not?), that is very good. So this is one of the rare cases where my model can go into retirement because an alternative is now available. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 39/84: Another authentic paint color, this time Aztec Bronze, for this ’66 Corvair Corsa coupe. The late Corvair coupe was done in 1:64-scale in the ’60s by Mego as part of their Jet Wheels line, but it's extremely rare; otherwise, there was a mid-engine V8 version done by Hot Wheels in the early '00s and a nice premium HW Yenko Stinger came out after I made this coupe, so a nice standard version of one of the prettiest cars ever seems warranted. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 40/84: We've seen late model Corvairs and forward control Corvairs, so it must be time for early model Corvairs. First on deck is the ’61 Lakewood wagon; it's a cutie, isn't it? #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 41/84: I finished my batch of Corvairs with the last version of the first bodystyle—that is, a ’64 sedan, in Monza trim. Amazingly, considering how influential it was, the first-gen Corvair sedan has never been done in 1:64-scale, though larger models were made in-period and many times since. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 42/84: Mercedes E-class wagons are well-represented in my 1:64-scale collection, including the S124, but I'm a completist, and nobody's ever done the *facelift* S124. So I adapted my existing coupe into a wagon, which is a fair bit of work, since the wagon's wheelbase is longer. This is my only model to date with a rear-facing third row seat; additionally, all my W124s have asymmetrically-sized side view mirrors, because they had to. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 43/84: Another variation on the Mercedes 124 E-class theme, this time the A124 cabriolet. Base, dashboard, steering wheel, wheels, and tires are all shared with my E320 coupe; body and interior are new. Not quite at the level of some of my Saabs, but I got a few good variations out of this basic design. I wouldn't have to design any new pieces to make a pre-facelift cabrio. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 44/84: I based my exterior color choice for this Seville on the color of Betty White's ’77 Seville, which she called "Parakeet." Hers had a white vinyl top and white interior, though; I prefer the "sheer look" uninterrupted by the break at the base of a vinyl roof. Most of my bodies are asymmetrical due to the fuel filler cap, but not this one—like many ’70s GM cars, the filler was hidden behind the rear license plate. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 45/84: Today and tomorrow are kind of retreads. After I opened my Shapeways shop, I adapted several of my pre-Shapeways designs to sell, and had new copies printed up to test the adapted designs for quality control. I gave most of these new prints away, but kept two. This one is a maroon copy of my Peugeot 505 Turbo wagon with opening doors. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 46/84: Like yesterday's Peugeot, today's Mercedes 300CE is a duplicate of an earlier car, printed to test the quality of an updated version designed to be sold in my Shapeways shop. I don't usually paint cars black, but in this case I think it works well with the two-tone, and helps make the red interior really pop. I'm still delighted by the headlamp wipers, too. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 47/84: My gazillionth Saab, but only the second one designed completely from scratch—not too far off from the story of the real Saab 9000, which was the company's third clean-sheet car. Matchbox did a nice first-generation 9000 Turbo in the ’80s, so this is the second-gen Aero version. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 48/84: Besides being a quirky choice, this ’78 Volvo 262C Bertone is a landmark in my design history: the first of my cars designed to snap together, requiring no additional materials or adhesives to assemble. No more cutting axles—the wheels snap onto spindles on the base. And no more screws attaching body and base together. All of my subsequent cars have been designed this way, and a few earlier ones retrofitted to these methods. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 49/50: probably the most outlandish proportions of any car I've modeled, but the sharp Giugiaro lines also made this Maserati Quattroporte a fairly straightforward affair. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 50/84: For my 50th car, I had to do something very special, and I still consider this one of my finest. It is also the largest car I have made to date. This is a replica of the 1960 Bentley S2 LWB that my grandparents owned for many years. The two-piece whitewall tires were a neat touch, I thought—one that I haven't used again since. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 51/84: I love that Mercedes kept the hardtop bodystyle alive for decades after everyone else gave up on it. This C123 300CD was designed with the bumpers as separate pieces—not because I ever expect to make a small-bumper version, just to make them easier to paint! #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 52/84: This one's probably best described as a prototype, as there were design flaws that required pretty major reworking, but I was able to assemble this Saab 96 anyway, and it's a real cutie. A reworked version will show up again in a few days. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 53/84: My Saab 900/99 repertoire continues to grow...this time I backdated to a 99 two-door sedan, which is essentially new (or old, depending on how you look at it) from the B-pillar back compared to the three-door version I showed back on day 34. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 54/84: An opening hatch is the big party trick for this Saab 9-3, but I also designed it so that the same body could be used to make a 1993-98 900, or mix and match bases, hatches, and bodies to do three-door versions as well. For now, however, this is the only version I've had printed. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 55/84: A couple days ago we saw the first iteration of this Saab 96; this one was revised to make the rear fenders integral to the body rather than the base, as on the first version, which made assembly more or less impossible. This one went together no problem, and by keeping the body forward of the firewall as part of the base piece, I still have the option to someday do a version with the post-1965 nose as well. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 56/84: this Saab 9000 Aero is familiar, externally identical to the blue one I showed on day 47. But while that blue version was the last car I designed before switching to snap-fit assembly, this red one is the first pre-existing design I adapted to the new method. Not as simple as it sounds; nearly every piece had to be altered, even the wheels and tires, which need a deeper hub to fit securely onto the spindle axles. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 57/84: Way back on day 23 I showed a blue E39 wagon and mentioned that it was the only one of my cars I'd significantly modified after its initial build. That wagon donated its original wheels and interior (repainted beige) to this one, which became a replica of my first E39 wagon, a 2001 525iT, which I bought 17 (!) years ago. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 58/84: This one's an anomaly in my repertoire: a modified car. This pre-facelift E39 wears M-Technic bumpers, just like one of my old full-size ones did, even though this look was only available Stateside in the final, 2003 model year. Other than the bumpers, it's a standard Sport-package 2000 540iT. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 59/84: For this 1990 Ford Probe GT, I attempted a set of switch-operated pop-up headlights, which sadly didn't quite work, and designing for them led to the nose maybe being a little too squared off. But, if you look closely, you can see the big "GT" embossed in the rear bumper, so it's got that going for it. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 60/84: Folks in other parts of the world will know it as the Piazza, but the bottom of this one says Isuzu Impulse. Somewhere under that Giugiaro bodywork is a GM T platform, meaning common ancestry with the Chevrolet Chevette (Vauxhall Chevette, too, for that matter). #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 61/84: This Nissan Pulsar NX was not only my first car with interchangeable body parts, it was also my first T-top. How's that for rad! Painting it red was a bit of a cheat, because there was no way I was going to be able to separately paint the awesome diagonal stripe taillights. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 62/84: It's always been a little shocking to me that the DiamondStar triplets were overlooked in 1:64-scale in their early ’90s heyday. I went with probably the most obscure of the three; since I made my Plymouth Laser RS Turbo, Auto World has come out with a very nice Eclipse, so now we just need an Eagle! #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 63/84: The next few days will be about experimenting with color printing, with the most colorful car out there: a Volkswagen Harlequin Edition! This first one was my proof of concept, with a few rough edges I needed to work out—note the blotchy black trim, and I had to paint over the head and taillights. Note also that there are four different wheel designs! The body is composed of seven separate pieces that slide and snap together like a puzzle. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 64/84: Today's Golf Harlequin looks a lot like yesterday's—it has the same color scheme, with a red unibody, but if you look closely, you'll note that it has a full set of Golf GL hubcaps. You may also note that I corrected the color problems with yesterday's prototype; everything you see here is designed-in and printed, which allows for a pretty impressive level of detail. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 65/84: Today's Harlequin wears a Pistachio base, and a set of VW "Flying" alloy wheels. I noted before that the body is made of seven separate pieces; the rear doors are one piece, connected across the bottom, as are the front doors, with the front bumper attached. Both sets slide into the unibody from the front, then the interior slides in as well. Front fenders snap on, then the hood, which has a post that goes down through all the layered parts to clip into the base. #WeirdCarMastodon

Day 66/84: Harlequin Golf, variation three, with a Ginster Yellow unibody and "Rondo" alloy wheels. Ginster Yellow was usually exclusive to the GTI in the US; Pistachio was otherwise not available at all. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting

Day 67/84: The final Harlequin Golf wears the only set of aftermarket wheels I've ever modeled, but how could I not: the iconic Ronal teddy bears! They're a perfect fit for this car. Color printing has some drawbacks—you can't get a true black, and the material's not quite as strong—but the level of detail you can get is pretty intoxicating. Check out the VW roundel; the strokes of the letters and the ring around them are probably each about 0.25mm wide. #WeirdCarMastodon #164scale #3dPrinting