Hi all. I want to build a VW bug rat rod with a chopped top. I have never attempted this, but its seems like it would be a bit more difficult than, a 34 Ford pick-up. With the rounded roof I'm guessing there's more to it then just cutting thru the pillars. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Seen it done in RL and you have to cut the roof into 4 or 6 parts once lengthwise down the centre and once or twice acroll the width then add fillets between each section. A chopped bug roof is actually wider than std. By Bug I take it you mean a real VW Beetle and not one of those modern water pumpers?

You may get away with reshaping the roof lengthwise instead of cutting it. To be honest I'm not sure, plastic is easier to reshape than steel of course but the lengthwise fillet is a deffo with a suggested wider one under to restore strength.

Hope this helps. Keith

Thanks, Keith. I've been watching some videos on You Tube. Seen it done a couple of different ways. You are right about it taking at least a couple of cuts going both ways. I think the hard part will be getting all back together without it looking lopsided. Hopefully I can find a cheap bug kit on ebay so that if I butcher it I wont be out too much money. And yes, I want to build an older rear engined Beetle.

In what scale are you looking at? If I recall either Revell or AMT had a rag top bug in 1/25.

Oops, I realised you meant chopped top in hot rod terms and not literally chopping the top off.

I saw one a few months ago at Ft. Carson. The cool thing about it was that no attempt was made to curve it all. It was made up of several smaller triangular and rectangular plates. It was symmetrical though. The welds were not ground down, and the whole thing was in bare metal. It's the coolest looking vehicle I've seen in a while, and way less work went into than a standard chop job.

My favorite search for model kits is
https://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagory.php

For kits of the old beetle, you have:
https://www.scalehobbyist.com/Model_Cars/browse.php?s=0&t=11&u=0&pg=1&ppp=48&sb=stocknumber&so=a&make=61&ct=3
They all appear to be in 1/24 currently. Prices ranging from $19 to $30.
Cool concept. I look forward to seeing it develop!
-Sean H.