Jo-han 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K

[cobraman]

Still trying to build stuff out of my norm. This is the 1/25 scale kit that has been around for years. Only cleaned up the body so far. I'm thinking pink with purple fenders and an orange interior. NOT ! Going to try for something as close as I can to stock colors. Doing some research so far. Pretty settled on colors for the body and interior but can't seem to find a good reference for colors for engine and such. May have to just wing some colors.

[wayne swayze]

That should build up into a real beauty Ray.

[Twokidsnosleep]

[sjordan2]

This kit is based on the car that was a gift from Mercedes to their leading race car driver of the era, Rudi Caracciola. You can find a bit of my reference at this link, mixed in with a bunch of 540K images:

http://s827.photobucket.com/user/sjordan47/library/Mercedes%20500-540K?sort=3&page=1&_suid=1430497537816037794784898869693

This is the car as presented to Caracciola:

The car was later restored by a wealthy LA butcher, and this is the form that JoHan used for the kit. As the story goes, it failed to start after he showed it at a concours over 30 years ago, so he had it towed to his exotic car salvage yard, where it remains to this day and hasn't been seen since. His heirs have refused all offers to sell or restore it (offered free by Mercedes). You can read the whole story if you can track down a copy of Town & Country magazine, February 2012 (available here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=town+%26+country+magazine%2C+february+2012).

The parts manager at Mercedes' Classic Center in California has seen the car, and he told me the interior would look like this Autobahnkurier, with tan seats. As a general rule, closed hard tops would have wood dashes and open-top roadsters would have leather dashes matching the seats.

Here's a somewhat overchromed 500K engine(which is found on the 1/8 Pocher kits, both 500K and 540K). The engine turned finishes would be either special order or a restorer's preference.

I have a lot of good visual reference on CD (probably all the reference a modeler would need); PM me with your home mailing address and I'll send you a copy.

one note... Just about all modelers of this kit overlook the fact that the door window frames should be chrome, not just the drip rails.

Edited May 1, 2015 by sjordan2

[gtx6970]

I'm in .

I keeping thinking I want one of these kits......but have held off the temptation so far.

So what color combo was the original ca?

[sjordan2]

I'm in .

I keeping thinking I want one of these kits......but have held off the temptation so far.

So what color combo was the original ca?

The original car was the burgundy as seen in the restored photo above (no whitewalls), along with my interior description. The kit was issued first in the Gold Cup series, molded in the perfect color. It was reissued in red as seen in the OP, and has much more flash, and my kit of that reissue has parts that are not completely chromed. Look for the Gold Cup version, which is right up there with any Tamiya kit.

Excellent:

Great, but not as crisp:

Scroll down toward the bottom here to see a build of the reissue:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101283&page=2

Edited May 1, 2015 by sjordan2

[cobraman]

Thanks guys.

Skip, thanks for the info, link and photos. I was thinking red with a tan interior. Have to see if I can find an example like that.

[slusher]

I built one of these a long time ago a great kit. You will enjoy it Ray

[MAGIC MUFFLER]

What a nice car to decide on building. These are really beautiful cars!!

Here's a 500K that I worked on for Gooding & Co. doing some detail work to it.

I have worked on several 540K's too.

Good luck and keep posting with your progress.

Edited May 2, 2015 by MAGIC MUFFLER

[MAGIC MUFFLER]

[sjordan2]

If you want red with a tan interior, you won't find it in the coupe -- I think only 4 of them were made, none of them red. Blue or black would be alternative paint. Here's a Spezial Roadster version -- JoHan also made a kit of these, which were more common than the coupes.

Edited May 2, 2015 by sjordan2

[Guest]

Cant wait to see it done. And if it wasn't offered in red, do it anyway. What's to say someone didn't buy one and repaint it?

[DeeCee]

These do HOTROD very nicely, done 1, and working on another, but that's just my taste and style, it will look good when done, they have some beautiful lines.

[sjordan2]

Lee -- go to the link I posted in #6 above and you'll see that red is indeed a good choice.

[Ira]

Great Project Ray!

[cobraman]

Ok I will do it red. I thought about going with the black but me and black don't get along too good. I don't believe I ever did a black car that I was happy with.

[gtx6970]

WOW,,,,,, that red roadster is spectacular

Now I really want one.

Anyone got one to trade

[sjordan2]

Lots of Johan Mercedes 500K kits on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=1%2F16&_sop=10&_armrs=1&_from=R10&_pcats=1188%2C220&_osacat=2580&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC2.A0.H0.Xjohan+mercedes+500k.TRS1&_nkw=johan+mercedes+500k&_sacat=2580

[sjordan2]

I found the article about this car, so you don't have to track down the T&C magazine. Fascinating, and sad to see the kind of cars that are being hoarded along with it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/wheels-of-fortune-the-10m-mercedes-500k-that-vanished-feature

[Junkman]

I think I wrote it before, but according to a gent I knew, who worked at the Sindelfingen factory during the 1930s, only the exhibition cars' engines were painted black.

The 'regular' production cars' engines were painted RAL 6011 Resedagrün. However, since this is not exactly a pretty colour, it became commonplace among restorers to paint all 500K/540K engines black, which is strictly speaking wrong.

There is some evidence that the above is true.

In this cutaway, which is from Skip's collection, the engine is depicted in green:

Did the artist have access to an unrestored car?

And there is this photo, which is allegedly from an unrestored 540K:

[slusher]

Ok I will do it red. I thought about going with the black but me and black don't get along too good. I don't believe I ever did a black car that I was happy with.

I only have two black cars i was very pleased with. Show every imperfection...

[cobraman]

Managed to get the body primed today. I need to find a good tan or beige to be used in the interior. Got the red and clear I will be using today.

[wayne swayze]

Looking forward to this Ray. Lay down a killer paint job!

[Foxer]

I always loved this car .. good to see it getting built and looking good.

[cobraman]

Thanks guys. Don't know about a "killer" paint job but I will do my best.