E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) These old kits are pretty rare and collectable, so when I found both the Mercer and the Stutz in a bag for $5.00 at a model show, I SNAGGED 'UM <img src="http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> . I've never seen one of these old Renwall kits built on a forum or at a model contest, and I've wanted one forever, but wouldn't pay the price seen on ebay, so now I got two and will restore them as best as possible. The good thing is they AREN'T GLUE BOMBS <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> . Looks like they were assembled by an adult builder, and he did really well. They're just falling apart from being so old, and all scarred up from bangin' around - SOUND FAMILIAR GUYS <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> - YEAH, I AM TOO <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> . Anyway, I tried to disassemble the body but the he used a good glue. I remember reading about some guy just polishing the plastic, and it came out really nice, so I tried it, and it's coming out beautifully. The windshield came out like brand new - REALLY NICE. One small glue spot on the door, so I kept rubbing until it was gone. The only thing I'll add is some BMF on the molded body line that separates the upper and lower red and black body panels. As you can see in the first two pics, the the drivers side is polished and shiny. The last two pics show the dull passenger side before polishing the plastic. The one hood shot, you can see the hood is half polished, and you can see the difference. NOVUS PLASTIC POLISH - WHODDA THOUGHT <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> . <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1109Photobucket10013.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1121Photobucket10031.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1121Photobucket10035.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1121Photobucket10032.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1121Photobucket10036.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/treehuggerdave/2009_1121Photobucket10033.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> Edited August 8, 2010 by Treehugger Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Dave ,5.00 what a deal .I love those kits also,I would like to put the the vintage chassis underneath with lots of detail .for those that don't know these cars were designed in '66 based on the classic marques chassis rebodied for a then current body style I think it was a contest or something and I also think one or two of them were actully built.I wonder if the tooling for these still exists.It is always fun to watch your builds and I look forward to seeing you finish these in the typical Treehugger fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Interesting that it was cast those colors and also a Treehugger with NO paint! This is what they mean by Plastic Polish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Interesting that it was cast those colors and also a Treehugger with NO paint! This is what they mean by Plastic Polish. Got the entire car rubbed out, and I did a little touch-up with some black and some red paint, to fix a few minor flaws. It looks way better than I expected it too. I'll add some BMF, and glue the chrome window frame in and post more pics. Later on I'll use Alclad ll Chrome to redo the stock wire wheels, and a few other pieces. THIS IS FUN - never done this before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Cowboy Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 What a find. Your right these are some rare cars. Hope you can find all the parts and pst the builds.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromecop Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Dave ,5.00 what a deal .I love those kits also,I would like to put the the vintage chassis underneath with lots of detail .for those that don't know these cars were designed in '66 based on the classic marques chassis rebodied for a then current body style I think it was a contest or something and I also think one or two of them were actully built.I wonder if the tooling for these still exists.It is always fun to watch your builds and I look forward to seeing you finish these in the typical Treehugger fashion. That was indeed a real bargain! There were 7 different cars in this series. Bugatti 101 Jordan Playboy Pierce Arrow Stutz Duesenberg Mercer Packard I believe the Bugatti, the Mercer and the Stutz were produced as "one-offs" in 1:1 scale. The Jordan and the Bugatti, I think, are the 2 ones that are hardest to find. Luckily I've managed to add all 7 kits to my collection, half of them are built ups thou.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lownslow Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 What a find. Your right these are some rare cars. Hope you can find all the parts and pst the builds.. really? i got the black and red one for kicks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 That was indeed a real bargain! There were 7 different cars in this series. Bugatti 101 Jordan Playboy Pierce Arrow Stutz Duesenberg Mercer Packard I believe the Bugatti, the Mercer and the Stutz were produced as "one-offs" in 1:1 scale. The Jordan and the Bugatti, I think, are the 2 ones that are hardest to find. Luckily I've managed to add all 7 kits to my collection, half of them are built ups thou.... Thanks for the list. I wasn't aware of the first three. Now I can keep my "Antennas Up" for when I go to Swap meets. Never seen those three on eBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 The Mercer may have been the first model car I ever built. Long, long gone, never replaced. I have a really nice built Stutz that I'll restore someday; unpainted, missing one outer wheel & tire, otherwise complete. I have a rougher Pierce Arrow, though I do have replacement parts to make it complete (I sent this & a restorable Jordan Playboy to Guido/Scale Kraft; he made molds to put cars in production, sent me replacement parts when he returned the masters...then he almost died & went out of business so they'll never see the light of day ...). I have a mint unbuilt Jordan Playboy. Not sure if I'll build it or sell it to a collector...neat car...I'd rather have a restorable (the one I sent Guido belongs to someone else). These really are neat kits, glad to see people interested in restoring & improving upon them. I want to do some things to the Pierce Arrow to make it a bit more to my liking...the basics are there. I could shoot myself for selling a mint/unbuilt Bugatti from this series. Oh well, win some, lose some. At one time I had all of 'em, I sold off the Duesenberg & Packard, they're not my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 This whole idea of restoring these old kits is kinda new to me, but this one sure is a lot of fun. I usually want to change something some way or other, but because these old kits are so cool, to me, they deserve to be kept original . I have all the body parts, as it came complete, except for the engine (Still worth $ 2.50 ). Just glad to have it. Here's the "Kit" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 If you still want to try and get it farther apart put it in your freezer for 24-48hrs. I've had some luck with this method, I've done it with 20+ yr old kits. Anyway, I'm not familar with these cars but I reall dig the black and red one. I think it would make a great vacuum form project car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Wow, Dave, I'd almost forgotten about that series of models. All were designed by Virgil Exner, and a couple became real vehicles (the Mercer and the Stutz). Years ago I had the Deusenberg Dual Cowl Phaeton. I can't wait to see your Stutz restored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 (edited) Wow, Dave, I'd almost forgotten about that series of models. All were designed by Virgil Exner, and a couple became real vehicles (the Mercer and the Stutz). Years ago I had the Deusenberg Dual Cowl Phaeton. I can't wait to see your Stutz restored. Yeah, these are pretty nice old kits. Got the side trim BMF done, and the chrome windshield frame glued in place. I'll start getting some of the other pieces ready for Chrome Alclad ll. This's fun . Edited November 23, 2009 by Treehugger Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnaind Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Great save Dave! The molding on these kits was very nice & one of my favorites from the good ol' days. Here's a shot of my built ups: I also have them unbuilt. The Stutz & Mercer were also available as slot car kits. There were also color variations as each kit was also molded in a reverse color scheme. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest arni Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Looking very nice Dave,good to see a restoration happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E St. Kruiser50 Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 (edited) Thanks for all the sharing guy's . I think I set a record for myself for a complete finish. My stuff usually takes months or years, so done in a few days is pretty amazing for me . Got a couple minor pieces left and she's all done.I decided not to Alclad anything as the parts were't in that bad a shape once I cleaned them. Kinda nice to have everything pretty much original. All I really did was to polish out the plastic, and do a little color touch-up, and re-assemble. A very nicely molded, simple kit, that fits together really well, even by todays standards. Got the Mercer to do next, but no hurry . UNDERGLASS NEXT Edited November 23, 2009 by Treehugger Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 A really nice, ecologically sound save!! ..and it looks great to boot!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromecop Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Here's a pic I found on the net showing the full scale Bugatti: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Flowers Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 That turned out looking great. Nice to see old plastic saved anytime. I think you proved a point about models molded in color. They can be built too look pretty nice. When done right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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