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Airfix 1932 Chrysler Imperial


GeeBee

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I bought this model a few years ago off eBay, and apart from building the chassis and some of the body parts, it has sat in a plastic container for more years than I can remember, the reason I bought the kit in the first place was a trip down memory lane.

For years, in my younger modelling days I built only 1/32nd scale kits, mainly because I used to be into slot racing, and the model cars could go on the layout after I had built them, but slowly with work and college I didn't have time for slot racing, I hadn't long stated work at the age of 15, and took a trip into town (Birmingham) as there used to be a cracking model shop there, and there on the shelf was a "NEW" Airfix kit, the 1932 Chrysler Imperial, and in the bigger scale of 1/25th, so with my wage packet burning a hole in my pocket I bought it, so this was the first ever 1/25th scale kit I ever bought, I got it home and was shocked to see how big this thing was compared to the 1/32nd scale stuff that I had been building, the chassis is 8 and a half inches long !!

I built it, and hand painted it, but the guy in the bodyshop taught me how to thin enamel paint and how I could brush paint without getting brush marks, I did it in Airfix Oxford blue with a light blue body, and tan hood and interior, I was pretty happy with the results, but it didn't last long, as Mom went round like Willow the Wisp, and knocked it off my window sill, and come home to find it in pieces in a box, sadly it never got rebuilt.

The main reason this has been sitting in a container so long is that Ii couldn't decide on the colour as I didn't want to do it the same colour as I did all them years ago, and although I had looked though all the photo's on Google, I still couldn't decide, but over the weekend I was having a tidy and going through some of my paints, and come across some old BMC paints, Limeflower and Tundra Green, and to me, looked a perfect combination, so that's the reason in getting my arse into gear and getting a start on this on, I will let the paint dry off for a week before wet sanding and polishing it out, the interior will be done in different shades of tan.

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This is the era of autos I love, so I'm looking forward to watching this. I believe this was originally an MPC kit sold by Airfix in the UK (or vice versa). I have the roadster version built (like you) many moons ago and another to build... hopefully to a better standard than the first one!

Great period style colors Geoff.... kinda yucky but nice!

If it's anything like your Moggie, it'll be a knockout!

Tony

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Managed to get back in the hobby room today, and got a little bit of airbrushing done, the seats were done using Testors Model masters Leather enamel, I'm not sure about the finish, as it has dried a little bit glossier than I like, I think I might go over it with a dull coat, the engine & Gearbox was airbrushed using Createx airbrush colours, this is the first time I have used them, a friend of mine gave me a load of these a few years ago but never gave them a go, some have gone a little thick, but didn't have the thinners for them, but I've found that Testors acrylic thinners works just fine, the hood was airbrushed with Humbrol # 110 thinned with lacquer thinners.

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Dear GeeBee,

I too, love to see a vintage kit come together (although I never have good enough sense to do it myself). I know of Createx but have never tried their products for car modeling, which I will have to do.

The colors you have chosen are so, um, British! I love them! It made me think of the subject of car color preferences indexed against a person's nationality. There's lot's of data on this, but this one from Ford seems to cover the bases:

http://www.autoblog....ces-by-country/

Nice job so far!

Edited by Rmodeler
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As I had to wait in today for my groceries to be delivered (It's a hard life !!) I thought I might as well use the time I had on my hands to get back into the model room, plus it's another excuse to get off eBay !!

One thing that has been bugging me on this build is the chrome rings for the spare wheels, the had a couple of marks on them where they were cut off the sprue and there was no way of hiding them, and a dab of silver paint wasn't going to do the job, so I decided to strip the chrome and re-do it using Alclad chrome, the front lamps have to mount to the front grill, these parts are also chrome, and I didn't think I would get a strong and invisable joint, so in the end I decided to strip the whole chrome sprue, and will do everything in Alclad, so I have my work cut out, I have heard about using household bleach for stripping the chrome, and as I had a bottle of Demestos under the sink, I gave it a go, seems to work o.k

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Over the weekend I had sorted all the parts that needed to be painted were fixed onto wooden cocktail stick so the primer coat could go on,

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With all the parts in primer and drying off, I thought I would start on the polishing on the body parts, as they have been drying off, I started with the Poorboys SSR2 and the polishing mop on the Minicraft drill set to speed # 3, the before is the wing on the left, the polished one is on the right, this is just the first stage, I will come in polishing grades until it has a nice deep shine.

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How did you get all your parts affixed to the toothpicks? CA glue?

Yes Tim, I put a few drops of CA glue on a piece of card, trim the top of the toothpick slightly, then dab the toothpick into the glue and then attach them to the part, I always stick it a part that won't be seen after assembly, so once the paint is dry I simply snap the stick off....

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Not a lot done on the Chrysler today, as I've spent most of the day cleaning out the spray booth and re-newing the filters, but after trying the bleach to strip the chrome it didn't work 100%, although it removed the chrome, it left the varnish behind that the chrome adhere's to, so it was put back in the pyrex dish and left overnight coated in Fairy powerspray, came to it this morning, and with a good brush and all the erroneous varnish had gone !!

They will now be cut off the sprue and done using Alclad chrome,

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Geoff,

Nice job, I assume your using the UK version of Easy Off oven cleaner to take off the varnish? Thats what I use to remove chrome.

You almost have to with those older MPC/Airfix, Monogram, and Johan full fendered cars. Too many sink marks and mold lines to just leave on there.

I just got done stripping all the chrome on a Johan '31 Caddy Town Car. What a pain. Now I have to clean it all up and Alclad it.

Hopefully it will look a lot better when its resprayed.

Love the colors on your Chrysler..

Cheers, Ian

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