sjordan2

I have a feeling some of our members might want to build the Tim Flock version, the first all-alloy coupe (of 29 total), which raced in the first and only NASCAR sports car race. I don't have any background on it other than this. I believe the car was owned by the founder of Mercury Outboards (later Mercury Marine). http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/eventVehicle.aspx?carID=1392&eventID=70&catID=424

Definitely a good choice. One of these looks more gunmetal to me, but that dark gray is gorgeous.

Yeah, I'm bothered by the lack of an opening trunk, but I'll defer any real comparison until I receive the Tamiya kit. Otherwise, it looks more accurately detailed overall from the pictures posted here.

Steve DeVaux... The incredibly expensive 2008 Pritchard book is out of print and unavailable. Could you send a scan of the paint code page? Thanks, Skip.

I don't have all the build info (Mercedes doesn't release that info on cars with current owners), but according to MB records, the car would have been built in Sept., 1954. Noticeable elements would be a concave grille star and long-neck shifter. I can post the color code if I know the color shade. I wanted to paint one of my kits in strawberry red metallic (DB 543G), but the parts manager at Mercedes' Classic Center told me it was not available from Mercedes. Ivory is DB 608. Those who want to know how how the 300 SL evolved can find year-to-year updates here: http://www.gullwinggroup.org/content/production-summary MEANWHILE, for those who are looking for kit comparisons, the hard-to-find Heller kit can be seen at the link below. It also lacks an opening trunk and has no space frame detail. Bottom of the nose is a separate part, requiring putty work. I vote no on this one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Heller-Echell-1-24-Mercedes-Benz-300-SL-model-car-kit-/301558837305?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46364eb039 It would be cool if you could do some kitbashing with the AMT, except AMT is 1/25 and Tamiya is 1/24.

Check out the Alfa gallery at modelmotorcars.com If you didn't know, they have extensive galleries for all the vintage Pocher cars. http://www.modelmotorcars.com/museum.html

Kinsmart cars, most around 1/32, some with friction wind-up. Sold in multiple sets, average $5 each. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kinsmart+diecast+cars

That carpet looks identical to what I'm using for my 1/16 Mercedes, which is very thin faux velvet Christmas wreath ribbon, hit with a light spray of black window tint.

I totally agree. At this scale, most of the chrome trim on the dash is hair-thin, and revealing the chrome bling will really make it pop. And body color on the dash panel is the only factory-accurate way to go.

Mercedes had a pretty good selection of paint and interior colors, including strawberry red, dark gray, mist green, etc., but you could order any color you wanted. Here's the factory list of standards. According to Dennis Adler's book, "Mercedes-Benz 300SL," (the best, most visual reference I know of, outside of a couple of other helpful books) the standard Gullwing came in silver with plaid blue gabardine seat inserts and blue-gray tex-leather (vinyl). Real leather was a special order option. The rarest color was strawberry red metallic, only 13 of which were made. EDIT...I believe the paint chart above is for the roadster, since it doesn't show silver (special order only for that model), but otherwise it mostly matches Adler's description.

I'm sorry, but I still don't know what you're trying to say. That link is a mash-up of Gullwings, roadsters which have different interiors, an SLR or two, 190 SLs and some different models altogether. You can certainly do whatever you want with your kit, but the links I posted above are factory standards for production Gullwings. Dash panel would be body color, tilt-down steering wheel standard, Nardi wood rim steering wheel optional, along with radio. First 50 cars had a long gooseneck shift lever. Besides a variety of gabardine plaid seat cushions vs. real leather or Mercedes-tex vinyl, not many interior variations from the factory after that.

In case there's any confusion, this is NOT the car that's the subject of this thread.

Supposedly, as shown in Gregg's post, the underbody belly pan on this kit is clear so you can see space frame details.

I'm trying to figure out what you're talking about, and I believe you're thinking about the 300 SLR (W196), especially the Uhlenhaut Gullwing version, which is quite a different beast from the W198 300 SL Gullwing that is the subject of this thread. Can you provide a Google link to the thousands of images that meet your description? Or even one image that illustrates your point?

I know this will come up again, but here are some incredibly detailed images, and you may want to bookmark these links. Click to enlarge all images. http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/1661-Mercedes-Benz-300SL%20Gullwing-3.0%20Litre%206-Cylinder http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/567-Mercedes-Benz-300%20SL.. http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/511-Mercedes-Benz-300%20SL%20Gullwing-Injected%20Inline%206%20Cyl

Actually, the gauge bezels look better than the others I've seen. Remember that the dashboard instrument surrounds are raised metal with the thin chrome bezels mounted on top or inside the openings. Here's what the dash looks like without bezels or anything else mounted, except for the chrome strip that separates the dash top from the upper dash panel. So, you'd only remove paint from the topmost part of the bezel area and inside surface.

There are so many finely detailed chrome pieces on the dash that it's otherwise a nightmare to make them look right with paint. Also, there are no engine-turned finishes on a factory W198 Mercedes dash or anywhere else. There is a cross-hatch pattern on the bottom horizontal control strip, however. By the way, has anyone received their kit yet?

Please. I'm not getting any younger.

Spectacular.

Whether or not the Excalibur was a kit doesn't really matter, does it? If not an exact replicar, which is also part of the subject of this thread, it was still an homage with lots of copied elements from Mercedes.

In addition to the Excalibur, Bandai also made a 1/12 Alfa Romeo Zagato that was based on a 1966-67 replicar, made on a commission from Alfa to observe an anniversary. It had the 1600 engine.

Wow, sorry to hear that. Hope you're okay and recovering well. As for the quiz, take a look at the real deal and see how amazing the 1/8 model is.

I repeat. You didn't cut corners, you made an original improvement for a unique and better-looking model. That is one of the best-looking dashes I've seen on a classic model, including any Pocher. Except for Harry's more rustic brass-era cars, I think it's totally realistic, more than real wood would have provided, and could not have been achieved otherwise for a burl wood finish.