sjordan2

I noticed there is something of a dent in the grille mesh. Did it perhaps trade some paint with Fangio's Maserati?

Multiple dittos.

This is pretty astonishing and I've been reserving my accolades for the finished build. But like mr moto, I'm interested in seeing pictures of the wheels and tires you're using since they might be appropriate for my Aurora/Monogram Maserati 3500 GTi. Model Factory Hiro Borranis proved to be too big, with larger rear wheels, and appear to be intended for the Ferrari GTO. Let the awesomeness continue.

That is SICK, meant in the best possible way. I am constantly in awe of the kind of work we see on this board. Even the battery is amazing.

I guess that's why your screen name is crazymike. (Just a joke. You're to be commended.)

Really, really nice. What paint did you use on the Ford firewall?

My probation officer made me give it up.

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home Sign up for a 1-time 40% off coupon; Sometimes they have special coupons. Just have to keep looking.

Biggest problem: There's no place for the Sonic carhop to hang the tray.

...until they see yours

The cream-colored car shown above, on which the kit was based (now in the San Diego Collection) was previously owned by Raymond Gentile, who wrote the authoritative book on the Phantom II Continental. While he owned it, it seemed to have more contrast between the darker beige color on the hood and fenders vs. the rest of the coachwork. This appears to be the version that was originally kitted and shown on the box cover, since it has dual fog lights not currently on the car. Personally, I like the all-black approach such as that shown above: If you like it glitzier (and more American): Most of these Continentals were based on an original design by H. R. Owen, followed by different coachbuilders to different degrees of similarity. I like this burgundy on Ranalah coachwork: And, of course, there's always green, such as this one in green and black, which was the reference for Martin Swire's 1/16 build: You can find other color ideas in the Pocher Sedanca gallery at: http://modelmotorcars.com/museum/galleries/rollsroyce/finished/royce_finished_gallery.htm

Just one little question to clear things up.... You spell your name Romell, which makes me think you pronounce it RoMELL. There seem to be a number of people here who spell it Rommel, like the Desert Fox. Am I right about RoMELL? I ask this because I think there's too much anonymity on the forum, which is part of any forum, but this is a specialized social club where I hang out. It's sad enough that only a few of us have posted our pictures, but maybe we can do better.

Yes, the tires are hollow. My concern about putting in paper or foam rubber, etc., is that I fear that they won't maintain the proper circular shape over time and may distort the tire. I'm sitting here staring at my 1970-era 1/12 blower Bentley, which has beautiful hollow tires that haven't changed in all this time, because they have a thicker rubber.

When you say promos, are you talking plastic kits? From what I'm seeing these days, most dealers have diecasts.

This 1/16 Rolls-Royce Phantom II kit has very soft rubber tires that can compress easily and slip off the wheel rims. Does anyone have any suggestions for some sort of stiffening agent that could be brushed on the inside of the tires?

Vaughn & Christian: One thing Martin mentioned was that the Phantom II tires were very soft and could come off the rims, so he was thinking of devising some sort of inner tube to keep them right. Based on some shots of a built PII that sold a couple of days ago for $25, he's right. So you should keep that in your thinking. http://cgi.ebay.com/1978-REVELL-1-16-ROLLS-ROYCE-PHANTOM-II-GURNEY-1294-/120598925227?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c14418fab PS: Today, I have sent both of you copies of my reference files on the PII

Just superb craftsmanship and detail. I doubt that there's anything similar at all to this one.

Must have been a co-promotion with Exxon. Except the tiger's supposed to be in the tank. Or maybe that's where they put the rest of him after they took his skin for a rug. Creepy.

For both of you, PM me with your mailing addresses. I have a huge digital reference file on the PII, particularly Gurney-Nutting, which contains my complete original PII owners manual with color-coded wiring diagram (thanks to scanning by Harry P) and dozens of galleries and massive detail information. The file is nearly 1 GB, so if you could send me a USB flash drive of 1-2 GB that I could put the file on, that would be helpful. But I'm glad to make CD-ROMs. Just let me know.

As a laboratory study on this subject, may I draw your attention to the following current thread: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33542

Looks very, very nice. Can you try some pictures with other kinds of lighting and without the flash? I bet it looks even better. Love the use of the wheels, which are also remind me of a Camaro thing. It all goes together just right.

Well, I think this comment just reinforces what's being discussed in the other "heaping praise" thread. Chris is only trying to be constructive. And while I do everything I can to support modelers who could use some tips, I agree with him in most cases, but not all. Anyway, you may find that better photos can lead to better responses. Don't blame the camera. Back off for a wider shot, which will result in a sharper picture, then take your shot and crop into it tighter before you post. And try to increase the light level. By the way, I agree in part with your statement: "For example. In stead of whinging abount orange peel and pointing it all out how about being, I dunno, nice and saying something like, "Looks okay but I see some orange peel in the paint. To prevent that you should try doing this..." And then offer suggestions on how to correct it. Instead of being a disocuraging jerk." However, I do not agree about the jerk part and your childish whining about other things. There are certainly positive ways of stating criticism. But if you don't want comments, good or bad, don't post. It's as simple as that. Let me just say one thing that your Mama may not have told you: MIND YOUR MANNERS.

Another note of interest (to only a few, maybe): I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a local high school teacher by the name of Glenn Pray was a restorer of Cords, Auburns and Duesenbergs. He decided to build an 8/10 scale production replica of the supercharged Cord, which survived for a few short years. I visited his shop with my Dad, and it was a wonder to behold – Glenn let me crawl all over a Duesey boattail speedster that had just been restored. Anyway, out in his lot awaiting some sort of attention was a smashed-up Cord 812, which supposedly had been the death car of movie cowboy legend Tom Mix. I have not much recollection of it, except that the seats were upholstered in black-and-white pinto pony hides (well, I was just a little kid, the car was demolished over 30 years before, and it could have been Holstein cowhide), and the whole front end was smashed to pieces. It makes sense that Glenn would have had it, since Mix was a veteran Oklahoma cowboy in his youth, who became a circus/trick pony rider with his horse, Tony, and later a silent and talkie movie star. I think the car was originally white. Tom Mix story here: http://sowhereisshenow.blogspot.com/2009/02/tom-mix-and-saguaros.html

Once again, the talent, wisdom and experience of the late Martin Swire lives on. You can find information on his build here. As I recall, he found the roll-up side windows to be too thick and elected to delete them. http://www.freewebs.com/martsmodels/1937cord812.htm

I would suggest that this was designed for loading a coffin into an elevated, above-ground mausoleum.