Harry P.

Careful there, Bill... you don't want to fall off your high horse. (nudge, nudge... wink, wink)...

Very nice.

The floorboard comes flocked, so you're sort of stuck with the color of the "carpeting" as is. The kit supplies upholstery material for the seats and inside door panels, and every piece is diecut, which is nice... but the material itself is too thick and too stiff to go around tight corners and compound curves. Plus the "leather" texture is more like 1:1 scale, so it looks pretty clunky. I used my own material to upholster the seats (the stuff I always use, a soft, stretchy vinyl that has a pretty much in-scale "leather" look to it). The material itself is a very dark brown, but after I upholstered the seats I painted it a light "buff" color. I did use the kit's foam seat cushions, though... To get the wood look on the steering wheel rim and shift knob, I first painted them the same color that I used on the seats (an acrylic craft paint), then "painted" the wheel rim and shift knob with oil-based wood stain. The stain sort of soaks into the acrylic paint, and the result is a very nice "wood" look. Because the stain is oil-based it takes forever to dry, so I used the dehydrator to speed things up... That's it for the Bugatti for the time being. Now back to my RR woody...

The real car has a windshield that can be cranked open at the bottom to get some "flow through ventilation." The kit only hints at this with two machined plated brass handles, but not the cranking mechanisms themselves, which are very obvious on the real car... so I scratchbuilt them... And here you can see them installed on the dash...

I have the Bugatti chassis done. Now I'll put it aside and get back to the woody.

I assume there was never such a car in reality? This is one of those Tom Daniel models?

"When I wake up early in the morning, lift my head... I'm still yawning..."

Looking forward to this.

Yeah, I remember that from Antiques Roadshow too! Those old cast-iron mechanical banks are worth way more with original finish.

We do a lot of talking here about kit accuracy, which of course is perfectly ok. So I pose the question to you guys: In your opinion, what is the most accurate kit (or kits)? I do NOT necessarily mean most detailed. I mean most accurate... that is, visually the most correct and faithful depiction of the 1:1. I'll start the debate by citing the JoHan Gold Cup Series.

A beautifully built model of one of the best looking cars of all time. And that covers a lot of cars!

I think we've all agreed on that point long ago. The question we've been tossing back and forth is the meaning of "scale model" as it relates to model cars. Should a "scale model" be an accurate representation of the full-sized object, based on actual measurements and dimensions? Or is there a need for "interpretation" and "artistic license" when engineering a scale model? Should a scale model be an "interpretation" of the full-sized object? Some people (like Bill and I and others) believe that a scale model should be a miniature version of the real thing based on actual numbers and dimensions. A 1/25 scale model car should be 1/25 the size of the real thing (with obvious accommodations made for things that can't be scaled down correctly, such as sheet metal thickness, for one). But the scale model should accurately reflect the contours and dimensions of the real thing as closely as possible. Others think that a scale model is an "interpretation" of the real thing, and that in engineering a scale model, there has to be changes made in some dimensions and/or contours to somehow compensate for the smaller size of the model and in order for the model to look like the real thing. Two different concepts as to what a "scale model" should be.

Those are really nice.

I have to wonder why so many of you are having problems with Photobucket. I've used it for many years, always free, super easy to use... never had an issue with it. Am I just lucky? Don't think so... I use the same Photobucket that everyone else does.

Sounds like you might want to update your web browser.

No. This site isn't designed to be a photo hosting site. There are plenty of photohosting sites out there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photo-sharing_websites

I'll probably just sand them.

Actually you're right on the intake manifold. Just off on the shade of green used on the engine. But regardless, it's a great model.

Nice.

So is the point to restore these little guys to "as new?" How does a repaint affect collector value? Isn't messing with the original finish, no matter how bad, a no-no as far as collectibility goes? I know I've seen countless instances on "Antiques Roadshow" where some unsuspecting owner stripped off the old finish on an antique piece of furniture, applied a new finish, and was shocked to find out that by stripping the original patina and refinishing the piece that they had caused the value of the piece to drop by 50% or more. Original finish is what collectors want. How does that apply to these guys?

How did you make the sand bags?

Never been a fan of the wacky "show rods," but you did a fine job on this. I suggest a black wash on the carbs and front wheels to add a little more realism and take away some of that "modelish" look.

Allan, that's a real beauty. One to be proud of for sure. I question the green intake manifold, but that's being nit-picky. Overall it looks great.