Hoffman

Thank you guys, glad you like it! So, what you're looking at isn't so much a build as a rebuild, from humble beginnings; FM diecast. I needed a break from heavy body work on some other projects. Here's what I did with this one, just for fun: 1) Grafted in Monogram 540K front suspension to lower the front, moving the axle line slightly forward and narrowing the track a little bit in the process, so the wheels are where they should be in the fenders. 2. Replaced the FM wheels and tires with Monogram parts, cleaning up the spokes with Molotow chrome and painting the treads with gray acrylic craft paint. 3. Cleaned up the chassis, sanding off the FM advertising from the gas tank, repainted the chassis in red like the full size car, detail painted everything. The Monogram wheels are nice in letting the red brake drums show through. 4. Repainted the interior using artist acrylic oils to represent leather, instead of as-cast butter yellow plastic. 5. detail painted the engine compartment, added an air filter mesh. 6. Adapted a Johan top boot, replaced clunky FM spotlights and tail lights with delicate, more accurate Johan pieces. 7. The front bumper sat way too far forward, so I cut off the bumper brackets and made thinner, more realistic brackets from aluminum strip, and pulled the bumper in closer to the front tires, like the full size car. 8. Printed up some 1935 California license plates and called it good.

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster, full size car for inspiration...

This is a simple Franklin Mint rebuild, enhanced with kit parts. I needed a break and slump buster from heavy body work on some other projects. Taking inspiration from one of the perfectly restored full size cars, I changed some things on the model to make it more accurate. 1. Grafted in Monogram 540K front suspension to lower the front, moving the axle line slightly forward and narrowing the track a little bit. 2. Replaced the FM wheels and tires with Monogram parts. 3. Cleaned up the chassis, sanding off the FM advertising from the gas tank, repainted the chassis in red, detail painted everything. 4. Repainted the interior using artist acrylic oils to represent leather, instead of as-cast butter yellow plastic. 5. detail painted the engine compartment, added an air filter mesh. 6. Adapted a Johan top boot, replaced clunky FM spotlights and tail lights with delicate, more accurate Johan pieces. 7. Printed up some 1935 California license plates and called it good.

John, you gotta check this out!

Very cool, Marty! -TIM-

Great job! Very clean build. The engine looks great. Love the plug wire boots on the plugs and distributor. They really make it look like 1-1. -TIM-

Urs, your work is fantastic! The upholstered seat and shoe-string fire hose are great additions, very authentic looking. Your weathering is phenomenal. Great job! -TIM-

Excellent!! I really like the accurate engine compartment details, and the chassis. The over spray on the floor pan looks very convincing. Plus, it just reminds what a cool looking car the 68/69 Chargers are.

Tim, you are so cool!! Thank you, Sir! ? Michael, your pickup is looking great! Looking forward to the next installment. Loving this thread too, as Tim Boyd's work has been an inspiration to so many of us over the years. I always liked the apple-green '29 RPU really well, one of my favorites.

Agreed, that Buttera suspension is great, and the Revell scale version has found it's way under many, many models over the years, no doubt.....

Very Nice!

Kurt, excellent work! Thank you very much for sharing.

Gentlemen, thank you for the kind words! Eric, you asked if the top is Johan. Well, partly....the sides anyway. I did have to massage it a bit, modifying the shape to make the side window opening longer, the profile shorter, and the top wider overall. I cut it apart at the seems, then cut sections out of a Monogram '32 phaeton top, making them narrower than the phaeton but wider than the Johan '31. This Italeri based '33 wound up somewhere in between.

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Pico, I'm amazed at how quickly you've built this. Impressive!

Mike and Nigel, thank you very much, guys! ? I appreciate it.

Nice touch!

And......I'm working on a '32 Coupe at the same time.

One more thing that's different between the convertible sedan and convertible coupe is the wheelbase. The coupe is 6" shorter. I've shortened the fenders and chassis accordingly.

The rear quarters are the back of a Monogram '32 Phaeton, with the door lines filled in. A portion of the rear apron became the bottom of the trunk lid. The Italeri convertible sedan was cut off between the front and rear doors. That part of the body is the same as a convertible coupe.

I used a Johan '31 Cadillac Convertible Coup as a donor for the rear deck and trunk lid. It's little too narrow for the 1/24th scale '33, and a little too short. So, I added some material to the sides and bottom of the trunk lid. I split the rear deck ahead of the trunk lid and added 2mm to each side.

Also, the Convertible Sedan had two cowl vents built into the back of the hood. The Convertible Coupe had one on the cowl, behind the hood. I added a thin sheet of styrene to the top of the cowl and scribed the one vent where it belongs.