deja-view

TWO YEARS, and no comments. I thought you people were diecast enthusiasts. Guess I was wrong.

This would look cool sitting next to the 1/8 Citroen 15 Traction Avant. I have one.....been saying for over 10 years I was going to build it. It's pretty far down my list right now.

Did anyone ever get one of these??

Seriously? Not one opinion or comment?

I've been looking seriously at some of the Exoto XS series diecast models, but last I remember a lot of complaints were flying. What's the opinions these days?

"ZEROPAINTS"?

Just thinking.....dunno if this has been said, but a 49-51 Merc coupe would be amazing in 1/12th. George Zimmerman was working on one before he died a few years ago. I'd bet that would be one of the most popular large scale models EVER. Definitely needs to be 1/12th scale, though. With a 3" chop top....or...

Yeah, those Duesenbergs are really amazing cars. There is the Hubley metal kit of the dual cowl phaeton and another one in 1/18th.

I want to try channeling one of the ones I have waiting, but I've actually never done a full channel. One thing I noticed on the white coupe was the grill. I actually drilled holes and put thin steel rods into them for the vertical insert. But I doubt I can ever do that again with my failing eyesight and arthritis. I have so many projects I want to get back to, but our move from Vegas to NorCal has put me so far behind. Cramming a 3500' house with a big 3 car garage into one with about 2800 and a 2 car just isn't working. We already added a big garage with a huge deck above to the other end of the house, but it's still full of shop tools and boxes of "stuff". Somehow I will get back to these magnificent cars and all those decisions of "how" and "what" to do next......like what am I going to do for the next '34 grill???

Doyusha made a '73 Trans Am and there is a decent '64 GTO diecast convertible by ERTL. Isn't there one made by Verdan?

These transkits are really nice.....but the prices are prohibitive for most builders. Too bad. If I wasn't trying to do 12 WIPS at the same time (actually haven't worked on any for a couple of years while moving) I would go back to the Lola and jump on the transkit for at least the AM engine. Then, I go down the list of BBK detail stuff and my wish list grows until I could but a real car for what it would cost me. Sigh.

Dante; Have you tried the guy from Belgium on ebay? I can't seem to post (share) pics from my Fotki like I did in the past. Anyone know why or how to do it?

You are doing a great job on this, Ken. About 10+ years ago I searched and searched and found the "clear body" version from Protar. It cost stupid money for what the model turned out to be as the "clear" body was not very clear and had too many distortions. Kinda hard to fix that, so I sold it all. I'd still like to build two of the F40 race versions, and held onto a few of the Revell "slightly detailed" versions. Dunno if I'll ever get to them, but that engine is very nice. I used one of the V8's in my '37 Cord custom. Odd, but a good choice to hook up to the Cord's front wheel drive. Please keep giving us pics. I tried to post a pic, but nothing happens. You can click on the Fotki link below, my albums, my models built, page 8, #189 or 014.JPG.

I always thought that nose drooped to low...and those wheel openings are really screwy for sure. I was so hoping it could be salvaged, but I'll probably sell both kits after looking at this. One is totally original, the other has been primed, the wheels weathered, and some other detailing started. I just never got back to it because it seemed oddly proportioned.

While I'm at it, has anyone attempted to build and detail this old kit? I've actually never seen one completed.

Thanks for the link and info. I hate to even start another kit or project, but I have always liked the 300SL and some other Mercedes marks over the years. This kit has always put me off a bit with its clumsy bright work and toyish underpan, though. I have taken HTF diecasts and detailed them to approaching the real thing, but it gets tiresome having to figure out how to compensate for poor detail in parts I cannot replicate. BTW: I have two of the old Ferrari 275GTB kits I really want to move forward with (because I think it is the best looking car ever...even more than the XKE), but the body shape just plain bothers me. Something isn't right, and I don't think I can correct it. Maybe I should just build them and do my best and they will be what they are. It's not like I have an alternative to them. I plan a stock street version and a race version.....in my dreams.

How many of you have built this kit and what did you experience with it? I have one that I've let sit for years and years (like so many of my "must have" models), and I am considering paying ridiculous bucks for the new diecast version rather than building the Revell version. The Revell seems ok, but compared to all my other 1/12 models it doesn't seem very detailed or well molded. Plus, it looks like all the bright work is attached by most visible areas and the chrome will be ruined when detaching. What's your solution for this?

Lots of money for "rimps" and "breaks".

Thanks. I have two of the older kits...one about 50% WIP. Besides the PE parts, the big advantage I can see to the new re-release is the white body. I think I may need a good sealer in addition to the primer to keep the blue from bleeding through if I build the yellow version.

This is truly a piece of art, Karsten. The only thing that caught my eye that could be out of scale (me not knowing the details of the DB5) is the tip/ball on the end of the antenna, which seems a bit large. I really don't know how you get the sharpness in your panel and fine metal detail.

Amazing.

Yup....there it is.

Do you need one? I have two, and will only build one (if I even get to that).

Makes me want to put all mine away and just watch him build his.

Sadly, correct....but not really their fault. When these kits shipped to the retailers they were in multipack cartons of 3-6. The centers of the boxes were never meant to hold weight. Some of them did have a center divider, and some also had a large "top" with or without tabs to give a little extra strength. I took all of my boxes -- 1/8 and 1/12 -- and put a strong center piece down the middle of the box, and reinforced the sides with additional cardboard all the way around. If there's not a way to use a center support piece, you can put small "posts" of folded or rolled cardboard to strengthen the middle. I have never had a body (the usual victim) get damaged since reinforcing my boxes...even with shipping, moving, or long storage. Any good cardboard box can be used for all the support pieces. Try to cut the pieces so the "grain" of the paper is always vertical, as that's where the strength is. Just cut the piece to the right length for end or side, then slide it down into the box alongside the side you want to reinforce. Mark the height with a Sharpie, then cut along the "inside" of the line so it won't be too high. You can also bend the pieces to fit two directions with the 90 degree corner as a folding point to keep them upright all the time. This works well for the center support piece because it will tend to slide down if not help tightly by the model. You can make "L" or "S" shapes, and they make the boxes very strong. In fact, you can stack 4-5-6 of these same size kits on top of each other, or place smaller kits on top if the weight is distributed correctly.