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Mercedes 300SL Gullwing


Cien1986

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I've never found a Gullwing kit with a particularly good door fit - most of these kits are decades old. You could try soaking the doors in hot water (not boiling).

This is your best chance. I tried epoxying the warped outer door panel (after some heat treatments) to the unwarped inner panel and taped to a jig to dry. The outer panel pulled a warp into the inner. In place on the car it was a bit better but it was still raised above the roof.

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This is your best chance. I tried epoxying the warped outer door panel (after some heat treatments) to the unwarped inner panel and taped to a jig to dry. The outer panel pulled a warp into the inner. In place on the car it was a bit better but it was still raised above the roof.

The stresses on this 1/12 kit work a little differently from the 1/16, in that the plastic for both the doors and the interior panels are larger and slightly thicker, and getting the bottom part to fit properly is the biggest problem. Sanding down the inside edges of the doors might help a little for a closer fit, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. That's one of the biggest reasons why I haven't finished the kit.

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The thin door roof pillars in either kit don't help. I sanded inside edges on the 1/16 and while taped tightly to the body, sanded the roof / door mating surfaces flush. If I only could have gotten the warp out it would have been a perfect clamshell.

There's almost no good fix for this-unless you cut and rejoin the warp out.

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The stresses on this 1/12 kit work a little differently from the 1/16, in that the plastic for both the doors and the interior panels are larger and slightly thicker, and getting the bottom part to fit properly is the biggest problem. Sanding down the inside edges of the doors might help a little for a closer fit, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. That's one of the biggest reasons why I haven't finished the kit.

totally agree with the fitting the bottom part...

i sand the upper body lower a bit and trim all the screw pin hole about 1 to 2 mm

to make the body fit closer and reshape the panel line gap

not 100% fit but at least it minimize the fitting problem...

i think we need to sand the side of the door panel too... and re shape it too to match the door..

Edited by Cien1986
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The thin door roof pillars in either kit don't help. I sanded inside edges on the 1/16 and while taped tightly to the body, sanded the roof / door mating surfaces flush. If I only could have gotten the warp out it would have been a perfect clamshell.

There's almost no good fix for this-unless you cut and rejoin the warp out.

yes i think its impossible to 100% fix this wrapping problem without cut and reshape...

unfortunately my roof tilt a bit to the left of the car... real disasters

i think its one of the problem... why the door not close properly..

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Your bodywork is superb on the very uneven surfaces of this kit. Question: Why did you paint the entire vent grille on the cowling? The top bars need to be chrome.

Haha... i think i dont want to paint it like original body colour...

i thinking about painting 2 tone on this body.... i know this is not what original body have..

Thinking about flatt black at the roof and somthing like tan or white at the rest of body

then the other chrome part i will rechrome it with alclad...

what do you think? If i put chrome on the hood grill i think it will not match my intended colour...

if i want to restore it just spray on alcald... haha.. so no big deal just want to try it.. will it please my eyes? Hahahaha

if something goes wrong... strip it down...

before i paint it black i strip down the chrome layer first then prime it, to make a perfect bond

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It's yours and your prerogative but if you two tone it you will destroy the beautiful lines of this classic shape. It will dis-integrate it.

I'm not saying this because two tone is 'not original'-I'm talking about the purity of the shape as an art form.

And the shame of it is that you're doing beautiful bodywork to make it a pure, integral form.

I know-it's your project...

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It's yours and your prerogative but if you two tone it you will destroy the beautiful lines of this classic shape. It will dis-integrate it.

I'm not saying this because two tone is 'not original'-I'm talking about the purity of the shape as an art form.

And the shame of it is that you're doing beautiful bodywork to make it a pure, integral form.

I know-it's your project...

its true indeed....

after i thinking awhile i come back to my sense... authentic build is the best for this beauty...

and put full effort on painting and reshape the body... even it will not 100% fit well... :(

the door part is the miserable part...

i found the gap between the body and the trunk is a bit to far

any idea how to fix this...?

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I fix the fender gap.. i looks bumpy on the gap and sinking on the upper side..

so i sand it and put some putty on the sink mark

20140512_173916.jpg

this is some progress on repairing the sink mark

20140514_001635.jpg

20140514_001621.jpg

i let it dry overnight....

so now... time to sand it down....

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i found the gap between the body and the trunk is a bit to far

any idea how to fix this...?

Glad you agree about the paint choice.

You can cut styrene strips and glue from the inside edges of the trunk. Then fill with Bondo and sand to match trunk contours. Or do the same to the trunk instead if that's easier for you.

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Glad you agree about the paint choice.

You can cut styrene strips and glue from the inside edges of the trunk. Then fill with Bondo and sand to match trunk contours. Or do the same to the trunk instead if that's easier for you.

What is bondo? Is it putty?

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I see it seems like one part putty...

many thanks fo the info

NO! It is 2 part-hardener comes in that package in a smaller tube. Mix until light pink, apply not too heavily, let dry about 1/2 hour. Sands beautifully. Does not shrink.

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NO! It is 2 part-hardener comes in that package in a smaller tube. Mix until light pink, apply not too heavily, let dry about 1/2 hour. Sands beautifully. Does not shrink.

I see..... soits just the same putty i use on the body... its 2 parts.. when mix it will become yellowish....

but maybe the differences is the size of the particle itself...

mine wont shrink too...

i dont like tamiya putty...

its better i cover the scratch using mr surfacer... works better than tamiya's one

Edited by Cien1986
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For painting the louvers on the side, I would paint them twice -- before and after gluing them to the body, so you cover all the nooks and crannies.

I see.... never think about it.... thanks for the great info...

so its like pre shade before attachment then repaint it to make it looks connect...

and it will not miss the blind spot...

many thanks...

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But when i am fitting the chrome part on the windhield... i found its really troublesome to put it in...

20140515_225427.jpg

And you can see the left door not 100% fit but its the best shot i can do....

but the right door is a bit better....

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