Mater (Cars)

About This Project

A tribute to Mater, one of my favourite characters from Pixar’s Cars franchise. Rather than simply recreating the animated tow truck, the project focuses on bringing the character into the real world through a more realistic interpretation while preserving the charm and personality that made him so memorable.

Full Story

Soon after watching Cars for the first time, I came across this kit. Mater was instantly my favourite character from the series, so building him eventually became unavoidable.

The base for the project was the Zvezda 2011D kit, but a large part of the model was modified to make Mater feel more believable and alive rather than toy-like. The body and frame were cut in half and repositioned to create a dynamic stance, as if he is swinging the tow hook like a lasso. The rear towing assembly was heavily rebuilt from styrene, while the missing exhaust, fender flares, and several smaller details were scratchbuilt along the way.

Using RP Toolz’s punch and die set, I fabricated miniature pulleys for the towing mechanism and mounted them on functional latches so they remained movable. This allowed the copper tow wire to be naturally positioned in motion, giving the whole model a more convincing sense of movement and weight.

After extensive filling and surface preparation, the model was primed with Mr. Surfacer Black and Mr. Surfacer White to establish depth and highlights. Various rust and brown shades from Tamiya paints were then layered over the surface before the worn body paint was applied. Instead of using the kit decals, all markings and faded paintwork were airbrushed by hand. AK Interactive chipping fluids were used to achieve the heavily weathered finish, while additional masks were manually cut for smaller graphics and details.

The finished model was mounted onto a small circular diorama inspired by the desert setting from the film, completing the scene with a simple but recognizable atmosphere.

Model: Disney Cars – Mater (Zvezda 2011D)