Bobby Labonte's 2000 Interstate Batteries NASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix - (built 2001)

I built this replica of Bobby Labonte's 2000 Interstate Batteries Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR race car using the pre-painted Revell kit. Rather than just simply build it out of the box I thought it might be fun to try and add some of the racing weathering and damage that typically occurs during a short track race.

A friend of mine that builds military dioramas told me once that weathered models should tell a story in some way. I've always thought that was good advice. So, the story I imagined for this Pontiac was that somebody hit it in the left quarter panel which then caused it to brush the wall and then had to come into the pits and get some quick duct tape repairs so it could get back on the track.

First, I modified the body by heating it over a candle to soft them plastic. I carefully bent in the passenger side, left rear quarter, hood and front fascia to represent crash damage. After painting and assembling the chassis I decaled the body using a set of Slixx decals for better realism.

After assembling the model I set about on the race weathering. First, I glued some 80 grit sand paper to a wooden block and carefully ran the right side of the model against it to represent a brush with the concrete. I also selectively scraped some of the decals with a x-acto blade for additional effect. I also dry-brushed some silver paint in a few areas to look like exposed metal.

On the driver's side I made some tire swipes by dry-brushing some flat black paint over the door using a circle template as a guide. For the hood, I cut some black electrical tape into small strips and then added it over the crashed area to represent a quick pit stop repair.

Race cars often get tar, bugs and rubber stick all over front. For this I mixed a little black wash in a cup and then flicked it at the front of the Pontiac with a tooth brush. Lastly, I misted on some Testor's flat clear over everything to make it look a little dirtier.