Pierre Rivard

Thank you Helmut. I am very happy with the result and it is worth the effort considering this dash will be in full view in the completed build. Much appreciated Mark. I don't have punches so this was a drill, expand with 11 blade, files and sand paper. Took some time to make them round and the right size for a nice snug fit of the jumper rings. Happy you like it Brian. It is watching each other's builds that helps us all get tips on how to do things Thank you very much Ken. This layer style fabrication takes a bit of time but I really like the result.

Mystery solved Cliff, your research has produced a very plausible explanation. I still can't make sense of all the plumbing around this thing but at this point what's done is done. Thanks again for taking time to follow this build and for top notch research help.

Incredible work as always Chris. Tell me the thousand rivets were molded into the tanks, not individually added? You are a master of paint finishes, which adds so much to the appearance and realism of a replica. All the subtle metal hues and fine weathering are a feast for the eyes. I'm sure everybody would want to learn more about the materials and techniques you use to achieve such amazing metal finishes.

Absolutely formidable replica of this iconic race car, with one of the all time greats behind the wheel. Your attention to details and finesse of execution are second to none. I built this exact car the 1/24 scale (Fernando's kit), thought it was very good but really looks very ordinary next to your's. Congratulations Thomas, your builds are always the pinnacle of scale modeling.

The snow won't stop here in Montreal, so I stayed in and finished scratch building a dash for my Mercedes SSK

Last few days spent on dashboard fabrication. Reference picture below shows general layout of the SS/SSK family with some variability from car to car. The kit part (shown) will not be used as I decided to scratch build the unit. Decals are from the stash are a very approximate reflection of era gauges but that should be not shockingly visible as the complete dash is only 38mm long. At the last minute I replaced the jumper ring on the bigger dial with one I made myself from thinner gauge copper wire. I scratch built the various knobs from Evergreen, pins or small copper wire. I created the wood effect with alternate layers of gold, tan, brown and orange clear.

Yes, sorry guys, I meant to say solder balls...

Hi Vince, for this model I used weld balls, in this case 0.6mm. I drilled very shallow 0.5mm holes, a mini drop of canopy glue and then the ball. Hope it helps.

Another winner Matt. I am amazed how much you can squeeze out of these basic kits. Well well done sir!

These last pictures show the color much better, and it holds a lot of promise. This project is really taking shape in a beautiful way. Huge cool factor. Thanks for the help on the making of aluminium panels. Might jump in with these on my next project.

The radiator is very much "in your face" so I'm happy with this mesh screen solution. The pedals were a last minute thought and quickly done. They are a bit crude but I doubt they will be easy to see after the dash and seat are installed. Thank you again for taking the time to follow this thread. Thank you Daniel. Next are the dashboard and steering wheel. High visibility areas so I'm still researching materials and painting methods for these.

The design of these pre-war cars make it worth the effort with all these components very visible after final assembly. The next step is the instrument panel.

I love the fender inner skirts. They jus add more to admire. You have convinced me that I need to learn about materials and punches needed to do that as it adds a level of realism that just cannot be done with paint effects. I hope we can see the paint job under better lighting. Deep purple fits this car so well.

Moving on to the interior. First job is carving up an opening in the floor to expose the top of the transmission, like the real car is. I then did a mock up to get the dash, steering wheel and shifters locations marked up. It's a tight cockpit so better make sure. The steering wheel is not original... and the rest (apart from the seat) will also require some fabrication to look more like the real car. I made the 4 pedals with little blocks of styrene, then glued meshing, which will be trimmed to size. Next were the shifter and hand brake. Going with a pin from Michael's jewelry section for shifter and trimming down the BIG hand brake

Thank you friend. It's kinda like this certain Camaro, when finished not much is left un-modified or not replaced with fabricated parts. Not a big change but taking the time to improve all these not so accurate parts will add up to a better replica. Thank you Alan. I can't leave it alone, always something I want to change. Might have caught the Miami virus...😉 Thanks Carl, quite happy with the result. It's that kind of build...

You think this will do the trick? I would say it is nothing short of a masterpiece. All these finely machined tiny components adding up to a functional rack barely bigger than a coin... mind boggling!

Thank you Helmut. When I started this project my intent was on keeping the touring body, add better wheels and perhaps a bit more... but now 8 weeks later it appears I can't stop. I thought the exhaust was the last bit but now I am looking at the interior and don't like most of the parts. Looks like I'll be a it for a little while longer. Thanks Jay. This is my second pre-war build and I really like the looks of these chassis cars. Not a lot of kits them out there and most of them very old tools. It provides a nice challenge.

You've taken on a big one here, basically scratch building most of it. Must feel great to finally see the finish line not too far ahead.

Looks like the body is good to go for paint. If I remember right the plan is for a Plum Crazy kind of color right? Wild car, wild color, what's not to love!

Thank you for the feedback fellows. Finally the last piece of chassis/engine fabrication: the exhaust system. I decide to modify the kit parts with styrene/putty/paint to improve the look. The kit parts have simplified the collector to a straight tube where the headers plug into but it should have leads reaching up to the headers. First picture shows the initial design, then the rest are the modifications and painting process. The header and back end exhaust end pipe are painted 2/1 black/aluminium, muffler painted aluminium and headers are painted chrome with about 20% gold mixed in. I added a Vallejo oiled earth wash (my favorite) and just a touch of Tamiya burnt orange weathering master.

Great imagination and execution. Wonderfully different. Please tell us more about the paint process?

I'm a huge fan of old Monogram race car kits and working on their very first one must feel very special. Wonderful to see how you use various build techniques and materials to augment & detail this kit. This is a cool project!

The engine with your expertly applied weathering looks incredibly real. You're off to a great start.

Spent time refining the grille fabrication and then installed the radiator which I should have done before the engine install... or not move the headlamp assembly back. Anyhow, found a way to squeeze it in.

Bonjour Yves, I felt very much the same way when I took this one on 3 years ago. Of the few of these I could find build information the common thread I saw was a car riding high and too big tires and stories about how challenging this build could be. On the plus side the kit has high quality components and both the body and engine are simply spectacular. I did not have access to a good WIP from another builder so I made many mistakes along the way but I'm happy I persevered. Stick with it, the kit definitely worth the effort. You have VRM decals too and these are excellent.