Easy Sedan Car
by Ralph Dewey
The Balloon HQ Challenge this month is a balloon car or truck.
One of the most requested balloon sculptures by boys is a car. The problem is that most of them require a lot of balloons and time to make. Here is a design that's fairly quick and easy to make because it's a profile car. You will only need two #260 balloons and two black 6" heart balloons (or 5" black round balloons) to make this easy car.
Frame
Inflate a #260 balloon fully except for about 4" and tie off the nozzle. Twist off two medium bubbles and ear (pinch) twist them. Twist off a 6" soft bubble and fold twist it. Twist off a 6" bubble and two medium bubbles. Ear twist the medium bubbles. Twist off a 6" soft bubble and fold twist it. Cut and discard any excess balloon. Arrange the ear twists on top and bottom as shown in the photos below.
Wheels
You can use either black 5" round balloons or black 6" heart balloons to make the wheels. You'll need two balloons to make four wheels. A pair of wheels is made from each balloon. Inflate each balloon to about 3" in diameter, tie off the nozzle and split it in half. Split them in a way so that the knot/nozzle is in between the two bubbles that are formed. Wedge the center of the wheels between the two ear twists, one at the front and one at the rear.
Body
Inflate the second #260 balloon all but about 5" and tie off the nozzle. Twist off a small bubble and ear twist it. Wedge it down into the 6" loop on the front of the car to secure it. Squeeze the balloon to make it very soft. Then shape it (fold and squeeze at each bend) into the profile of a car. You will determine the actual length of the profile bubble. At the end of it, twist off a small bubble and ear twist it. Cut and discard any excess balloon. Wedge the small ear twist into the 6" loop at the rear of the car.
Variations
You can take the basic sedan car and enhance it in many ways. Of course, it would no longer be a quick and easy car. For example, one way to jazz it up would be to make it into an old-style police car. Make the frame from a white #260 and the profile from a black #260, then glue a red light on top. Another way to enhance it is by adding fenders from a soft #160 balloon and gluing them onto the frame. By changing the shape slightly, it could become a VW bug. If you want even more details, you can add headlights and taillights.
