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1/18 Duesenberg wire wheels


BSteinIPMS

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  • 4 months later...

Hi guys,

Sorry to have been away for a while, but for a long time I thought this thread had been deleted. I just found out it had been moved from On The Workbench to Diecast and Resin Models. Not sure why since this is a kit build and not a purchased fully-assembled model.

At any rate, Harry Pristovnik, the Art Director of Model Cars magazine has taken the Duesenberg build partially presented here and will be running an article on it in the January 2015 issue. Harry mentions it will be on the cover as well. He sent me a pdf proof which - under his hand - looks really brilliant. Hope you all enjoy it and find something useful within.

Cheers!

--Bob

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Edited by BSteinIPMS
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Absolutely GORGEOUS!!!

In chapter 8 of Gerald Wingrove's book, "The Complete Car Modeller", he wrote, "... adapting some of these techniques to the excellent metal Hubley kit, may be a useful foot in the water, before going it alone from scratch."

Bob's stellar build shows what can be done with the Hubley Duesenberg kit (later re-issued by Gabriel) as a base. I'll be watching for the January Model Cars magazine.

Can't help but wonder what Bob will do next. A scratch-build?

Edited by LWBNomad
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High praise indeed, Christian, for which I thank you. Gerald Wingrove is, of course, not originally from this planet since his artistry and skill level are so high. I have six of his books and I grovel before his greatness. But you can still collect your 5 £!

Thanks also to Tom and Stan for their kind remarks; much appreciated! I've added one more photo which shows the model more clearly out of its mirrored case, being careful not to use any that appear in the article itself. Thanks also go to Gregg Hutchings and Harry Pristovnik for accepting the article in the first place. I hope you fellows enjoy it.

Cheers!

--Bob

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I'm building the Gabriel (former Hubley) metal kit of the Duesenberg SJ LeBaron Dual-cowl sweep panel phaeton. After viewing the kit parts I began the process of wondering what had possessed me to build this flash-ridden kit. I found normal modeling tools such as files, chisels, bench grinders, and sledge hammers worked well. :wacko:

One of the many items requiring correction are the wire wheels. The six wheels come in two halves, meaning 12 pieces total. The spokes are not round and are waaaaay overscale. I was filled with dismay.

Not being very bright, I began the laborious process of de-chroming the wheels in bleach, scrubbing the residue off with a toothbrush (an old one, mind), and replacing the spokes one-by-one. All 468 of 'em. I began by clipping out 4 spokes at a time, drilling .016" holes at the proper angle from the outside of the rim into the hub, then inserting lengths of .015" steel wire from the hobby shop.

Years later, well, maybe not years, but at least a month or two, I was done. The wheels were airbrushed with Alclad II Gloss Black base, allowed to cure and harden for a week, then airbrushed with Alclad II Chrome. This stuff is fantastic. The photos show the "series of unfortunate events", as the movie and book title go, and I hope you all approve.

My wife thinks all is not well with me........ :rolleyes:

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AWSOME JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont think your CRAZY for doing this.........i for one love to make REALISTIC items myself....and you have really captured the REALISM with your rims.......CONGRATS

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Having built one of these I can really appreciate the transformation you've achieved here. I've never seen ANY Hubley/Gabriel kit built so beautifully.

Thanks for the kind words, Peter; much appreciated. The January 2015 issue of Model Cars magazine will carry this model on the cover and have an 8-page building article within. Hope you find something useful there.

Cheers!

--Bob

Edited by BSteinIPMS
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Thanks for the kind words, Peter; much appreciated. The January 2015 issue of Model Cars magazine will carry this model on the cover and have an 8-page building article within. Hope you find something useful there.

Cheers!

--Bob

Looking very much forward to that.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Bob....Congratulations on your Hubley Duesenberg build, preceding my IPMS van build in the magazine. Your article is so interesting that I read it a number of times over.

It is by far the very best built model Dusie from a Hubley kit that I have ever seen. Fantastic! I built one of the SJ kits about 5 years ago and re spoked the wheels, opened up the hood etc. and added some other extra details. But yours far surpasses the model that I made both in finesse and detailing (especially all the incredibly fine detailing of your model's engine/clutch assembly). Making yours with the roof up and detailing it on the inside was also a really nice touch. Your choice of colours for your model really suits the car. Mine is finished in a two tone blue and there may possibly still be a couple of pictures of it in the gallery of the Scale Motorcars website from ages ago.

I certainly picked up some very useful tips from your article, as it is always interesting to see a fellow modeller's approach.

Edited by Bugatti Fan
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Very much enjoyed the magazine article, great to get the full story - and I learned a trick or two as well.

Somebody mentioned Wingrove and the model certainly looks more like one of his than a Hubley kit. Congrats on an outstanding gem of a model!

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Aw, c'mon....you guys are embarassing me! :D Thanks for all the kind words from everyone; much appreciated! In this case, though, I think the magic Harry Pristovnik performs with his stunning layouts makes a nice model look better. One of the fun aspects of modeling cars from this era for me is to try to replicate an actual car. Like many of you on this forum, I think I'm at the level of....if I can see it, I can make it. Documentation and photographs are a must for this, of course, and I have to thank the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana, for the archival assistance of Jon Bill who sent me beautiful 8" x 10" color glossies of the actual car I modeled. It was no longer at the museum but they had the foresight to photograph it completely. This makes a modeler's job easy and more fun.

Cheers!

--Bob

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  • 2 months later...

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