jaymcminn Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 After my highly-detailed and involved 1/12 Tamiya Porsche 934 build I was looking for something a little more low-key to build before jumping into another big project. When I was a kid I started off building the Monogram classic car line in their 1979 series boxing, and wondered what could come from doing a nearly box-stock build of one of these models using the skills, tools and techniques I've amassed over the last 40 or so years. Ironically I decided on the model I never actually got to build back then... the elusive Mercedes 540K Coupe. The 540K Coupe represents a completely half-arsed attempt to turn the roadster kit into something different by adding a roof and rear fender skirts but ignoring the other differences between the coupe and roadster. The few 540K Special Coupes that were built had differences in the fenders, hood vents and spare tire cover vs the Special Roadster that Monogram initially kitted up. My modeler's OCD kept bugging me to fix those inaccuracies but in the end I decided to keep the build pretty close to box-stock. The only variances are some PE bolt heads for the rear fender skirt fasteners and some Tamiya mesh for the air cleaner as well as some styrene reinforcements where the bonnet sides meet the top part. The vast majority of this build was spent fitting and tweaking the bodywork. Mold lines, including a particularly nasty one that ran across the rear fender, deepening panel lines and block sanding the body made a big difference. The bonnet fit was key... my main goal was to get the beltline chrome trim to run in a perfect unbroken line down the entire length of the body. The frame required some grinding above the rear suspension to keep it from interfering with the interior tub which made it sit too high in the rear. The running boards took some work to keep them from fouling the frame rails as well as getting them to sit flush with the line of the fenders. I was able to attach the separate roof piece using Tamiya thin cement and I reinforced the inside of the joint with CA glue. The only filler required was a couple of thick coats of primer. Paint is Tamiya Deep Metallic Blue over Metallic Blue with Light Sand for the interior. Chrome is a mix of kit chrome (bumpers, wheel center) and airbrushed Molotow (grille, headlamps, side pipes). I stripped the chrome from the kit wheels, thinned the spokes and painted them the body accent color. Despite all the work I put into the rest of the build the thing I'm most proud of is that all four wheels actually touch the ground. I never managed that on these classic kits when I was a kid! N I enjoyed this walk down memory lane a lot, enough that I'm looking at the Duesenberg Murphy Convertible Coupe as my next victim... that one might wind up with a bit more detail, though! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 This is very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Just spectacular Jason. It's like looking at a 1:1 in all its glory! Thank you for posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger U Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Very nice build and photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Freaking outstanding! Sure helps to know how to paint. I like that you used dark and light background. The wire wheels, you scraped the mold lines off, or you actually made each spoke smaller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 1 hour ago, 89AKurt said: Freaking outstanding! Sure helps to know how to paint. I like that you used dark and light background. The wire wheels, you scraped the mold lines off, or you actually made each spoke smaller? Thanks Kurt! I thinned each spoke out from the back a little. The 540K wires are actually really well molded and didn't need a lot of help to look good... stripping the heavy '70s chrome plating helps a lot as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulbo Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Awesome built ans especially paint Job👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Gorgeous Benz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70 Sting Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 That is a work of art. Hard to believe it’s 1:24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spex84 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 WOW. That is one spectacular model! What a beautiful car. The coupe top looks fantastic. I'm unfamiliar with the differences between the roadsters and coupes, so I can just enjoy this one at face value. Small modifications like thinning the spokes go a long way, and the paint is absolutely killer. Great photography too. Outstanding work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscool Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 OMG what a beautiful model! I would give my left something to get a paint finish like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perspective Customs Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 9 hours ago, jaymcminn said: Stunning Benz. The photography is excellent and this picture is my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3fan Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Your right not what I was expecting but a beautiful example of beautiful car well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Gorgeous build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrucha Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Very impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Very nice! Looks very impressive in 2-tone blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Beautiful looking paint finish and I like the two-tone body colors. The dark Blue almost disappears against the countertop in some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Outstanding model and photos ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckyg1 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Stunning.....just stunning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransAmMike Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Wow Jason, thats a dreal beauty!! Grrrreat paint work and your photography is impressive👌 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Gorgeous model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e30lover Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I can't believe this is old 1/24 monogram kit .. Fantastic color combo and equally fantastic photography! How did you find airbrushing Molotow - do you have to thin with modeling thinner? I heard it becomes easily smudged when you touch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 2 hours ago, e30lover said: I can't believe this is old 1/24 monogram kit .. Fantastic color combo and equally fantastic photography! How did you find airbrushing Molotow - do you have to thin with modeling thinner? I heard it becomes easily smudged when you touch it. Thanks Chang! Molotow airbrushes well without thinning at 15 psi or thereabouts. It's not durable, but it really isn't worse than, say, Alclad chrome. I let parts painted with Molotow dry for a week or so and handle them while wearing cotton "inspection gloves", and I haven't had any issues with wear. I just got some stuff called Gaia S-02 chrome sealer that's supposed to seal Molotow with minimal effect on the shine but I haven't gotten around to trying it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kah puts Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Absolutely museum quality build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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