Scooby Doo II
It looks like an awsome vehicle to build/get a hold of. And the limo @ the beginning, how about that Super Duty....
IF THE VAN’S A-ROCKIN’, DON’T COME KNOCKIN’!!
Secrets of the Mystery Machine
Perhaps the greatest mystery of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? series is not the identity of a particular ghost or goblin, nor the actual ingredients of Scooby Snacks; it is the question every devoted fan has debated: "What does the inside of the Mystery Machine look like?"
As the getaway van for the Mystery Inc. gang, fans have long been looking for clues to uncover what’s shaking behind those flower-painted doors. For the first time ever, audiences worldwide will be able to explore the psychedelic interior of the Mystery Machine.
In Scooby-Doo, a clash of egos forces Mystery Inc. to close its doors, and the Mystery Machine shifts its role from the mobile ghost-hunting office for the gang to the positively ****-adelic home of Shaggy and Scooby.
The distinctive aqua and lime exterior adorned with the outrageous orange-lettered logo no longer conceals the mysterious interior of the windowless van. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have blanketed vermilion **** carpeting on the van’s walls, floor and ceiling, accented by screaming green area rugs. A television, surfboard, beanbag chair, refrigerator, hammock—plus a hibachi for grilling -- equip the Mystery Machine with all the comforts of home. (A custom-made sunroof hatch located over the hibachi keeps the van up to fire code standards.)
Pop the hood and the Mystery Machine unveils a basic 6-cylinder automatic transmission engine, but this ****-mobile is no ordinary van. To create the one-of-a-kind vehicle for the film, Scooby-Doo production designer Bill Boes started with the body of an Australian-model Holden van and customized it like a man possessed. Boes’ goal "to customize the van so that it would be like no other ‘off the shelf’ van" is an incredible transformation from the original Holden van to the ultimate crime-fighting Mystery Machine.
To American sensibilities, the uniquely shaped Holden van looks like the illicit offspring of a utility van and a station wagon with its long snout of a front end, reminiscent of an early 1970’s Ford, and the back-end that resembles a traditional van. Boes had to investigate the best way to unmask the Mystery Machine hiding within the body of the Holden. "We began the reformation by first taking a really old rusted Holden van and cutting off the front end," Boes explains. "We wanted the boxy-shape of a Chevy van, so we completely changed the front configuration to reflect the retro style of Scooby-Doo. We custom-made a front grill and created round headlights in a square casing. Next, we grinded every part of the van down, a sanding process which takes out all of the burrs [bumps and dents] and evens the whole surface."
The newly smoothed van became a canvas on which the chop-shop guru and his production team flexed their artistic muscle. The choice of colors and design for the exterior paint began with more than 50 renderings before the options were narrowed to five. From those five, approximately 50 additional mutations were considered: redesigned logos, sparkly paint and airbrushing, amongst others. Determined that the Mystery Machine personify the Scooby-Doo ideal, Boes and his team revisited vintage footage from the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? cartoon and finally decided to restore the van’s classic style and colors. His additional personalized detail to the Mystery Machine’s exterior is a flaming mahogany swirl on the bottom portion of the van in place of the traditional cerulean color.
Further disguising the original Holden van and birthing the Mystery Machine, Boes’ additional tricked-out body work includes extra flared wheel casings; a wooden bumper to complement the surfboard-esque retro theme; a jacked-up back end which was actualized with the use of larger rear tires; and the final touch– the personalized license plate reading "MYST INC".
The ****-alicious result is the ultimate dream machine for Shaggy and Scooby, perfect for cruising the coastline, scarfing Scooby snacks and escaping from ghosts and monsters. Complete with all the freewheeling accoutrements that man and man’s best friend could ever need, this customized beauty ensures that our crime-fighting duo need never leave the comfort of the Mystery Machine to get groovy.
* * *



