Checking out the tuner posers

About the scene

The parking lot of a shopping center located outside the city becomes a meeting place for the tuner crowd after closing time. The loud engines, squealing brakes, the start-up sounds, and the donuts won’t go unignored in the evening hours, even in the more distant city precinct, and so this circumstance is repeatedly the cause of complaints to the police or the city authorities. One Sunday morning, when members of the scene had gathered in the parking lot yet again to show off their souped-up vehicles, the police get involved. Officers who specialize in the tuning scene check the vehicles to see if they have been modified in any illegal ways. In addition to tuning engines, many vehicles have been lowered, or fitted with exclusive aluminum rims and low-profile tires, some of which are not permitted. Some vehicles are also fitted with add-on parts such as front and rear spoilers. The first vehicle to not comply with road traffic regulations has been taken off the road and pulled onto the tow-truck. Further vehicles are seized and police officers have issued infringement notices and levied fines. The offending vehicles will subsequently have to be presented to the relevant authorities over the next few days.

Tuning model vehicles

Some suitable Herpa car models were selected, which were then painted in different colors or effect paints from “airbrush4you”. Logos and lettering were painted on the bodies or applied with wet stencils. The axle mountings of the models were fine-tuned so that the vehicles could be lowered. Suitable of rims and tires were selected from the range and fitted to the vehicles. The Fusion 360 CAD program was very helpful when designing the front and rear spoilers, which were then produced using the resin printer. Even an e-scooter was created in this way, which of course was a must-have on this diorama.

Preparation of the construction panel

A chipboard baseplate measuring 17.5 x 30 cm was chosen to serve for the diorama presented here. First, a narrow strip of greenery was created for one side, in which a small tree and some bushes were placed. An arc lamp and two garbage bins were printed out of resin, painted, and also placed in this area. A Juweela concrete slab sidewalk was created at the front of the baseplate, which was followed by resin-printed kerbs. The rest of the baseplate was first painted with road paint before the partitions between the individual parking spaces were created using strips of wet-slide foil. Templates were cut from masking film for donut tracks and for the turning arrow at the exit from the parking lot. Weathering paints from Tamiya were used to apply the markings, dirt, and skid marks. The paints are easy to apply and are subsequently abrasion-resistant. Once the parking lot was sufficiently dirty, the vehicles could be put through their paces.

The first step here was to determine the positions of the parked police vehicles. Foldable warning signs with the words police/police check were printed, folded accordingly, fitted with small brass wires in the corners and inserted into the scene. Following the sign, several traffic cones were placed alongside the police vehicle. Various figures of police officers from the Internet were printed and then painted with the corresponding uniform using a brush. Police sleeve badges and back plates were available as decals from “Markus Hawener Modellbau”, completing the figurines. For the passers-by, it was possible to fall back on a pool of Preiser figurines. The next step was to place the prepared “tuned” vehicles and the tow truck on the base plate, which were then repositioned several times until the selected position seemed realistic and everything looked coherent.

A closer look at the scenes

The existing vehicles for the diorama were moved and shifted several times until everything gelled visually. The cars were then given drops of white glue under the wheels and glued to their given positions. In the next step, matching police officers were assigned to the vehicles and then the passers-by were added until each individual scene looked coherent. Some sit casually on the hoods, while others look closely at what the officers are checking or noting down about their vehicle. Some are just strolling around the parking lot while others chat or talk on their cell phones. They have all been stuck in place with a small drop of white glue. The owners of the AC-Cobra were relaxed about the checks, as their sports car is already very conspicuous and has plenty of engine power, meaning no tuning necessary. Unfortunately, some other vehicle owners were not so relaxed about the inspection, as they had gone a little overboard with their alterations. The police officers are provided with a sound measuring device, which was designed in Fusion 360 and then printed in resin. The officers have just placed it here on the Audi R8 to check the volume of the exhaust system. Some officers are taking a close look at the rims and tires, while others inspect the spoiler.

As always, a picture is worth a thousand words