e30lover Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Hi everyone, I was able to finish my latest project - Tamiya 1/24 300SL Gullwing. A while ago, I stumbled upon this Graphite Grey Gullwing while browsing bringatrailer.com: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1956-mercedes-benz-300sl-gullwing-coupe/ and wanted to build the similar spec, I however opted for dark green interior as it’s my favourite interior colour from 300SL. As for the kit, it’s one of the best 1/24 kits I’ve ever built - it has full tubular chassis, engine, accurate suspension and separate interior tub and body panel - all with opening hood and doors with hinges! Only Aoshima’s supercar series kits would come close to this level of detail (Fujimi EM kits are too finicky to build compared to these gems). Here’re my build details: Prepped body with 600 > 1500 grit to remove any flashes and sink marks - especially around side panel and doors Tamiya grey surfacer > 2000 grit wet sanding Applied 2 base coats (I mixed Mr color’s gloss black and Tamiya’s racing white to simulate Graphite Grey) Applied three layers of Mr color’s super clear III (1 day drying time in between, and I progressively added more self leveling thinner every coat) Dried for at least one month to fully cure the paint (I staggered multiple projects so waiting time isn't much of an issue .. however I could get Mr. Color's drying booth to speed up the process) Wet sanded the body with 3000 grit sponge and polished with Tamiya three stage compounds Masked the body and painted the window trims with Mr. color chrome silver. I then applied panel liner wash to simulate rubber surroundings. Applied embossing powder to carpeted area and painted the interior with Mr color’s IJA Green Painted steering wheel with racing white and painted the headliner with tan Chrome dashboard and hubcaps were painted with body colour then I polished the excess part to reveal the trim rings on the dash and Merc logo on the hubcap. Thanks for reading and hope y'all enjoy! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Fantastic! Thanks for putting your hand in the first pictures. I couldn't tell if it was a real car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Colour choices are perfect, and the finished paint is fantastic. VERY nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Beautifully executed build in every way Chang, congrats! The colour suits this classic Benz and the interior is a delight to the eye. Your detailed build list is helpful in laying out your approach to painting. I agree with Patrick that without your hand in the photos your model would pass for the actual car. Thanks for sharing, Misha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plowboy Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 This is a super nice looking Mercedes Chang! I really like the colors you chose for it! Especially the interior color. Great work on this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 F A N T A S T I C, Chang! A 300 SL in this rare factory color - it could easily been mistaken for the real thing (poster or calender photos!) - Photo # 6 with your fingers make it clear. I think I will my kit paint in the same color (not the ever-present silver !) Outstanding photos as usual from you - simply great ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venom Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! ... Your work here is exceptional Chang, and your wonderful photography allows us to look in and properly admire this timeless beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Po Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Outstanding! Absolutely beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grodudulle77 Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Wooow , outstanding work Chang !!! Great respect 👍👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger U Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Very nice. You put a lot of time and effort into your models with beautiful results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Flawless build and splendid photography.... just magnificent. best, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kah puts Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Top drawer workmanship, congratulations on a work of art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Outstanding build, fantastic color combination and great photography to boot. Agreed that the 300sl is one of the nicest kits Tamiya has ever produced. It's beautifully detailed without being fiddly, which is a difficult balance to strike on a complicated car like the Merc. I built mine with RMCM Rudge wheels and the dark blue plaid interior over silver blue back when the kit first came out. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Nice looking Mercedes. That color looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Very nice, great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Always a treat to see a new build from you Chang, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint! So clean, and fantastic paintwork - really something to aspire to (although I know I'll never get anywhere close!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulbo Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Waw what a nice finish!!! Beautifull job and presentation of your skils👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BVC500 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Beautiful work and excellent photography. I like that you chose an atypical interior color. Looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 11 hours ago, jaymcminn said: Outstanding build, fantastic color combination and great photography to boot. Agreed that the 300sl is one of the nicest kits Tamiya has ever produced. It's beautifully detailed without being fiddly, which is a difficult balance to strike on a complicated car like the Merc. I built mine with RMCM Rudge wheels and the dark blue plaid interior over silver blue back when the kit first came out. Thanks for sharing! I'd love to see pix of this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 WOW! Extraordinary craftsmanship and fine, authentic detail. Best one I've seen, and I've researched every nut and bolt of the Gullwing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 looks real, well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 20 minutes ago, sjordan2 said: I'd love to see pix of this one. Photobucket ate most of my pics, but I had this one in my attachments here. I think the upholstery decals are Scale Motorsports. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Stunning Merc! Beautiful finish and very clean. Excellent work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e30lover Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 8/16/2021 at 11:03 AM, Oldcarfan27 said: Fantastic! Thanks for putting your hand in the first pictures. I couldn't tell if it was a real car. Thank you! Tamiya's great chrome plating helps adding to the realism. On 8/16/2021 at 11:15 AM, iamsuperdan said: Colour choices are perfect, and the finished paint is fantastic. VERY nice. It's one of my favourite colours on any german cars! On 8/16/2021 at 11:17 AM, Misha said: Beautifully executed build in every way Chang, congrats! The colour suits this classic Benz and the interior is a delight to the eye. Your detailed build list is helpful in laying out your approach to painting. I agree with Patrick that without your hand in the photos your model would pass for the actual car. Thanks for sharing, Misha Thank you Misha! On 8/16/2021 at 12:03 PM, Plowboy said: This is a super nice looking Mercedes Chang! I really like the colors you chose for it! Especially the interior color. Great work on this one! 300SL came with lots of great interior colours, so it was very hard to choose one. Thank you! On 8/16/2021 at 12:03 PM, 1959scudetto said: F A N T A S T I C, Chang! A 300 SL in this rare factory color - it could easily been mistaken for the real thing (poster or calender photos!) - Photo # 6 with your fingers make it clear. I think I will my kit paint in the same color (not the ever-present silver !) Outstanding photos as usual from you - simply great ! Thanks! I recommend adding white little by little - I usually shoot to a plastic spoon multiple times to test out the colour. Make sure you do it in well-lit area as the grey looks drastically different depending on lighting condition! On 8/16/2021 at 12:04 PM, Venom said: ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! ... Your work here is exceptional Chang, and your wonderful photography allows us to look in and properly admire this timeless beauty. Thank you so much! On 8/16/2021 at 12:45 PM, Hi-Po said: Outstanding! Absolutely beautiful. Thank you! On 8/16/2021 at 12:48 PM, grodudulle77 said: Wooow , outstanding work Chang !!! Great respect 👍👍👍 Appreciate it! On 8/16/2021 at 1:00 PM, Roger U said: Very nice. You put a lot of time and effort into your models with beautiful results. Thanks! This one took definitely longer than usual, but all went without any trouble. 21 hours ago, Matt Bacon said: Flawless build and splendid photography.... just magnificent. best, M. I recently moved to a place without a balcony - bummer I couldn't take outdoor shots. Maybe I need to make a diorama background or something! 14 hours ago, Kah puts said: Top drawer workmanship, congratulations on a work of art. Thanks so much! 5 hours ago, ChrisR said: Looks great! Thank you! 5 hours ago, Zippi said: Nice looking Mercedes. That color looks great. Thank you! 5 hours ago, Tom99 said: Very nice, great work. Appreciate it! 4 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: Always a treat to see a new build from you Chang, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint! So clean, and fantastic paintwork - really something to aspire to (although I know I'll never get anywhere close!). Amount of custom work you do I'm sure you can achieve the same if not better paintwork! It's really just more prep time. 3 hours ago, Ulbo said: Waw what a nice finish!!! Beautifull job and presentation of your skils👍 Thank you very much! 3 hours ago, BVC500 said: Beautiful work and excellent photography. I like that you chose an atypical interior color. Looks great. Took me a while to find the real gullwing with the same colour combo online - but they did exist! 2 hours ago, sjordan2 said: WOW! Extraordinary craftsmanship and fine, authentic detail. Best one I've seen, and I've researched every nut and bolt of the Gullwing. Thank you! This kit is truly amazing - I built mostly straight out of the box but I'm sure more accurate engine bay can be easily achieved with bit of extra detail work. 1 hour ago, thatz4u said: looks real, well done Thank you! 1 hour ago, jaymcminn said: Photobucket ate most of my pics, but I had this one in my attachments here. I think the upholstery decals are Scale Motorsports. I did have the same plaid decals too, but I didn't like how they conformed around the seat curves so decided not to use it. Yours look fantastic! 1 hour ago, Bainford said: Stunning Merc! Beautiful finish and very clean. Excellent work. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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