Scooby Doo Cardboard Electric Mystery Machine

My nephew had a birthday coming up & since he loves Scooby-Doo I figured I'd make him this Mystery Machine.

Gather up materials. I used cardboard from cups of catfood box dividers, 4 bottle caps for the wheels, rubberband for pulley, some aluminum craft wire, cardboard sheet from a 24 pack of bottled water, foam sheets for interior, 2 nails for the driving axle, plastic card (like credit cards), 2 led's, battery box that holds 3 AA batts, on/off switch, clear plastic taken from something like a q-tip box to use as windshield, and acrylic paints.

Tools needed were hot glue gun, elmer's glue, hole punch, scissors, drill, and paint brushes.

I make the basic working frame of the Mystery Machine using cardboard. I hot glue in the battery box & switch after soldering the led lights and electric motor wires in place. I make the axles by drilling holes in the 4 bottle caps and running the nail through 2 of them hot gluing them in place. I then figure out where the axle will need to run through the frame and push the nail through the cardboard. I cut out four 1 inch squares from plastic card & drill holes in them slightly larger than nail & run the nail axle through 1 gluing it in place to the cardboard being careful not to get any glue close to where the nail goes through the holes. Then I do the same on the other side running the nail out the side and pushing the nail through the bottlecap & hot glue it in place after making sure it is turning smooth & straight. I cut out cardboard wheels larger than the bottlecaps & hot glue those onto the ends of the bottle caps. Then I mount the electric motor inside part of the cardboard frame the proper distance from the rear axle to keep the right tension on the pulley band that will go around one of the bottle caps to turn the axle. I had to be sure to slightly angle the motor so as the band would not want to slip off. I also hot glued a piece over the end of the motor shaft in case the band tried to work it's way off. After testing it to make sure it was turning the wheels the right direction with enough power I hot glued the motor in place. I test the frame to make sure all is working & move on to drawing up the body panels.

Now I measure and draw up the side body panels. I cut them out & then make the roof panel and hold the curved side panels in place against the roof panel as I hot glue around the inside holding them in place until the glue sets up. I then draw the front and rear panels cutting out the headlight holes in the front using a hole punch and cutting out the windshield. I hot glue it in place from the inside. Then I make the rear panel piece cutting out the rear doors and hot glue that panel in place from the inside. I use foam sheets to make the interior of both the front and rear insides making the seats out of cardboard and then wrapping the foam around them hot gluing them in place. I make the dash board using cardboard and covering it with foam. I hole punch holes around the instrument cluster & where the led headlights will pass & design it so the headlights will light up the under dash area instruments as well. I then trim down the cardboard frame of the basic structure so as the body will fit over it all correctly the proper distance over the wheels. I hot glue the body to frame being sure there is enough room to slide the pulley band on and off the wheel for easy replacement.

Now I paint all the various parts of the Mystery Machine using acrylic paints. I make a little scooby snacks box as well as a closet rod & small clothes hanger to go in the back.

The Scooby gang is ready to move! See the link to my youtube video of it in action. My nephew really loves it which made the build totally worthwhile.