Anglia105E Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Shortly before Christmas I purchased this kit from an Ebay seller in the southern United States of America, and less than three weeks later the large box was delivered to my home address. I thought that was quite impressive, given that the package was shipped during the Christmas holidays and also the New Year holiday. Although the kit box was quite badly damaged on one side, which appeared to be rodent damage, there were no missing parts when I checked the contents and only two parts were detached from the sprues. Apart from one of these kits on sale in France, and one more in Germany, this was the only kit available worldwide. The two kits in Europe were twice the cost of this one in the USA, so presumably they had boxes in perfect condition. I am happy with my purchase and I expect to be working on the Phantom III for the next six months at least. As usual, with any Rolls-Royce scale model that I build, there has to be a lot of research and gathering of reference material, particularly photos. I do intend to add a lot of detail to this build and I feel it is important to produce a really nice model from this excellent kit by Gunze Sangyo. I have been working on the build for three weeks now and progress is good, I have to say. The body is by Freestone and Webb, and I shall be finishing the paintwork in black and cream. I have decide to use Tamiya Fine Surface Primer Light Grey, also TS-14 Black and TS-7 Racing White, which is more of an ivory cream than a pure white. You can see from the following photos that I intend to have black wire spoked wheels for this car. There will be some wheel covers as well, and I hope to be able to attach these wheel covers with micro magnets, so not glued in place. I would like to wire up some working headlights and rear lights later, using side emitting fibre optic lighting strands, with a 9V battery in the boot of the car. The first stage of the build was the assembly and painting of the V12 engine, which is 7340 cc capacity, and it has 24 spark plugs, two distributors and two ignition coils. This was followed by the assembly and painting of the chassis, transmission, propshaft and rear axle. I have wrapped the rear leaf springs in leather shrouds, as was the custom for pre-war Rolls-Royce motor cars. All painting so far has been with Humbrol enamels and applied by brush brush. Here in England the daily outside temperature is just beginning to creep up to 12°C and I need this to be above the 13°C minimum for any spray painting from Tamiya cans. Anyway, not many photos to show just yet, but more will follow in due course . . . I hope you find this build as interesting as I do . . . thanks for your attention. David 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 A wonderful looking car at 1:1, and it looks like a kit that should do it justice. I recently completed a Gunze Sangyo kit and it went together nicely. Hopefully you won't have to do the same amount of rectification that you do on the 1/24 Minicraft kits and you can concentrate on the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 5 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: A wonderful looking car at 1:1, and it looks like a kit that should do it justice. I recently completed a Gunze Sangyo kit and it went together nicely. Hopefully you won't have to do the same amount of rectification that you do on the 1/24 Minicraft kits and you can concentrate on the details. Thank you Nigel . . . The Gunze Sangyo kits appear to be very good, and there is hardly any flash on the sprue parts, which so far have fitted together well. There is a Revell version of this Phantom III kit, also an Entex version and an Anmark version . . . My Gunze Sangyo kit is around 40 years old. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Rivard Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 For sure this will be a fabulous project David. Do you plan any upgrades / substitutions or is the kit good enough for OOB. I will follow with great interest and would love to build one of these classic RR if a good 1/24 kit was available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 Hi David. What a fabulous find! It couldn't have fallen into better hands. I can't wait to see you work your magic with this kit. I will be eagerly following along on this build. David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 6 minutes ago, Pierre Rivard said: For sure this will be a fabulous project David. Do you plan any upgrades / substitutions or is the kit good enough for OOB. I will follow with great interest and would love to build one of these classic RR if a good 1/24 kit was available. Thanks Pierre . . . I would say that the kit is good enough out of the box, but I shall take great pleasure in adding further refinements as I uncover the details from any reference photos. As far as I am aware, there is not a Rolls-Royce Phantom III available in 1:24 scale, so only the Danbury Mint diecast version. You can get hold of Phantom II kits, but not Phantom III so this is one reson why I chose 1:16 scale. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 11 minutes ago, David G. said: Hi David. What a fabulous find! It couldn't have fallen into better hands. I can't wait to see you work your magic with this kit. I will be eagerly following along on this build. David G. Many thanks David G., and I shall try to make this a good one ! Looks like being a long slow build, so I do appreciate you following my progress. David W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 Here are some photos of the engine, which is not yet completed . . . The carburettor and air cleaner are mounted in position, but not yet glued in place. This is because I have fabricated two conduits and two tubes from aluminium material, and these will have to be fitted in the vee between the cylinder heads, and also along the outside of the cylinder heads . . . There are twelve ignition plug leads running from the distributors and then routed through the two aluminium conduits, with a further twelve plug leads routed through the two tubes. All the leads end up at the spark plugs of course, and there are the two inition leads as well. According to the Gunze Sangyo instruction sheet, those two lengths of red rubber piping should be connected to the front end of the two exhaust manifolds, and these are then connected to the front pipes of the exhaust system underneath. Surely this rubber piping will need to be painted in burnt iron or similar? At the moment, none of the suppliers in the UK have any ignition plug lead material available in 0.4 mm size, so I have moved on to the assembly and painting of the chassis . . . The engine can be worked on later, and there is no need to hold up the progress of the build. I managed to source the three Tamiya paints that I shall need, from an Ebay seller that does have stock. These are Tamiya Surface Primer Light Gray, TS-14 Black and TS-7 Racing White . . . The TS-14 Black is very difficult to obtain currently. The V12 engine block is finished in aluminium enamel, with gloss black enamel rocker covers and air cleaner, while the exhaust manifolds are done with bronze Sharpie over aluminium enamel. The conduits and tubing for the plug leads will also be gloss black enamel. My next post will show the construction of the chassis, transmission, propshaft and rear axle, which is now at an advanced stage. David 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Nice work so far on the engine David. I think connecting all those wires would drive me buggy. I believe I'd rather foil the chrome trim on a '59 Chrysler Imperial! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 4 minutes ago, David G. said: Nice work so far on the engine David. I think connecting all those wires would drive me buggy. I believe I'd rather foil the chrome trim on a '59 Chrysler Imperial! David G. Thank you David G., and certainly the wiring is going to be challenging . . . Most of the wires are hidden from sight, as they are inside the metal tubes, so only a small amount of wiring is actually visible when the engine is completed. I take your point about the BMF on a '50s American motor car, and that would be my preference also ! The Phantom III chassis is not too far away from becoming a rolling chassis, and the front suspension was looking good last night. This is known to be very challenging, as mentioned by a skilled model builder on a different forum. What makes the suspension / steering assembly particularly difficult and frustrating is that the Gunze Sangyo instruction sheet shows left and right in one diagram, but then turns the chassis over and consequently left becomes right and right becomes left ! One minute you are looking at the chassis from inside the car as it were, then the next minute you are looking at the underside of the chassis, which also means top becomes bottom and upper becomes lower . . . Despite my extremely careful orientation of the suspension and steering parts, I discovered that I had got the wishbone arms on the wrong sides . . . This was easily rectified as it happens because the link rods are clipped into holes and not glued. I am hoping to post photos on here of the chassis WIP very shortly . . . David W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harti20 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Looks like a good start on this one. I bought this kit soon after getting back in the hobby almost 10 years ago, but didn't start it yet. Mainly because I wouldn't know where to free up some space to display it once it's finished I'll be following your build with great interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 On 2/11/2024 at 12:51 PM, harti20 said: Looks like a good start on this one. I bought this kit soon after getting back in the hobby almost 10 years ago, but didn't start it yet. Mainly because I wouldn't know where to free up some space to display it once it's finished I'll be following your build with great interest Thank you Urs . . . This is a really enjoyable kit to build actually, and I do understand your concern regarding where to find the space to display this 1:16 scale car, which is a large car. I don't have the space, but I want to make this the best build that I have completed so far . . . Currently I am almost at the rolling chassis stage, and the whole project will probably take 6 months I reckon. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 The paint seemed to go on well during a weather window of 13°C temps, despite the fact that I did not remove the chrome from the wheels using Oven Cleaner . . . I was worried about the effect the aggressive chemical might have on this 40 year old plastic, to be honest. So this means I applied Tamiya grey primer over chrome, then Tamiya black over the primer . . . As you can guess, this forces me to be extra careful handling the parts, as the paint is easily rubbed off. By Thursday of this week I shall have a rolling chassis, which is pretty good for only 5 weeks into the build. The front wheels, brake drums, hub nuts and hub washers are in place, and the steering is fully functioning. I discovered that the front wheels were not parallel, and as there didn't seem to be a way of adjusting the turning in of the wheel on one side, I came up with a clever idea . . . I cut the track rod on one side with sprue cutters, then I removed a further 2 mm of material from the track rod nearest the centre of the chassis, and then I fabricated a 10 mm length of aluminium tubing. The two ends of the track rod were glued inside either end of the tubing, and with the wheels parallel, the idea has actually worked ! David 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 The chassis looks great so far! Clever indeed your solution to the toe-in problem. Maybe they should have made the kit with adjustable tie rod ends. In 1/16 scale, it could be done! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 5 hours ago, David G. said: The chassis looks great so far! Clever indeed your solution to the toe-in problem. Maybe they should have made the kit with adjustable tie rod ends. In 1/16 scale, it could be done! David G. Pleased to hear that you like the look of the chassis so far David, and I am happy with the appearance of the structure. While the strength of the overall chassis is good, I have to say that the method of attaching both front and rear wheels as designed by, engineered by Gunze Sangyo is not the best. I would have liked this stub axle arrangement to be significantly stronger, and it just seems rather weak at this point. Funny that you should suggest having adjustable tie rod ends (or track rod ends if you like), because that thought was running through my mind as I was putting together my amateur modification. Certainly, you could have tie rod ends that turn in 1:16 scale, as they might in 1:12 scale. David W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Cool subject matter, and very interesting kit. Looking good so far, David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 20 minutes ago, Bainford said: Cool subject matter, and very interesting kit. Looking good so far, David. Thanks a lot Trevor . . . This one is very special to me, and I hope to do a good job on the build. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 I have now reached the stage where the rolling chassis is standing nicely on all four tyres, and also the exhaust system has been fitted. The lower body has been test fitted onto the rolling chassis . . . The upper body was also test fitted, in order to give me some idea of the overall size of this car. The exhaust downpipes that connect the exhaust manifolds to the front silencer are lengths of red rubber piping . . . These two downpipes have been painted gunmetal enamel, with a thin coating of bronze Sharpie along the upper front section. Now that the rear leaf springs have had a black enamel wash applied the brown leather appears less glossy, and not so bright. Further applications of the black enamel wash have included the engine underside, the rear axle and differential, and petrol tank underside. According to the instruction sheet, there are 294 parts in this Gunze Sangyo kit . . . The instructions require the cementing together of the chassis to the lower body, but this has to wait for the body parts to be painted. Today I washed the upper and lower body parts, so they are reay for grey primer, and I just need the outside temperature to rise a few degrees . . . currently we have 12°C here in England, which is pretty good for mid-February. David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 In my builds I always consider getting the wheels mounted and all of them touching the ground a tipping point. It's no longer just a collection of parts in progress, it's a model of a motor vehicle. "Foursquare and firm" as the saying goes. Great work so far David! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 5 hours ago, David G. said: In my builds I always consider getting the wheels mounted and all of them touching the ground a tipping point. It's no longer just a collection of parts in progress, it's a model of a motor vehicle. "Foursquare and firm" as the saying goes. Great work so far David! David G. You are absolutely right David, and I detected a change in my overall feeling for the ' car ' as the rolling chassis was standing square and true. Here is a link to my YouTube video which shows the rolling chassis from all angles . . . The rotating turntable is from Amazon, which is mains operated and 10 inches diameter. The 15 inches diameter mirror is from IKEA . . . Lighting is natural daylight plus one overhead flourescent tube light. The video is best viewed full screen, and this one has no music, or talking or captions. This slowly revolving display stand will be used later to display the finished Phantom III and will feature background music, carefully positioned lighting and a plain black background ( or white ? ) . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEvoLzd3CgM David W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 The lower body of the Rolls-Royce Phantom III clips nicely onto the rolling chassis, and may not even need any glue later. The first of the following series of photos shows the spec sheet behind the model, which represents the colour scheme in which this car will be painted. While the temperature upstairs in my loft was between 12°C and 14°C this afternoon I applied some Tamiya Surface Primer Light Grey to the body parts . . . This was when I noticed that there are some nasty dimples on the outer surface of the two rear doors, and to a slightly lesser extent on the two front doors. These will have to filled and sanded before the second coat of primer is applied. It is a shame that Gunze Sangyo allowed these parts to go into production in this state, and it seems to be where the hinges are fitted on the inside of the doors. While the paint was left to dry overnight, I turned my attention to the radiator and grille assembly . . . I was pleased to find that the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot slides into a slot on the top of the chrome radiator grille, so that I can swivel the mascot rather than have it fixed in place. The mascot can then be turned as on the real car, to allow the bonnet panels to be lifted open. The radiator fits well into the grille, and prevents the mascot from coming adrift. Two short lengths of cooling hose were connected between the radiator and the water rails that run along the top of the cylinder heads. These are red rubber piping that has been painted satin black, and I shall make up some jubilee clips to go onto the hoses, which might be made from BMF or similar. The tool tray that fits into the boot / luggage compartment / trunk, will be painted matt black at some point, and each one of the tools then has to be painted individually . . . It might be easier to use Sharpies to colour the tools rather than trying to paint them, as this will be very intricate work. Just to see how this might look, I applied some silver Sharpie to one of the spanners, and this is before I apply the matt black base. David 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Seeing all this brings a smile to my face David. Except those sink marks on the doors, no smile there. At least they're easily remedied and well within the normal scope of model building. Also, I had no knowledge of the swiveling mascot. It makes perfect sense upon consideration, I hadn't had any reason to consider it. It would seem that I've learned something new today, thanks for that! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 On 2/21/2024 at 12:51 PM, David G. said: Seeing all this brings a smile to my face David. Except those sink marks on the doors, no smile there. At least they're easily remedied and well within the normal scope of model building. Also, I had no knowledge of the swiveling mascot. It makes perfect sense upon consideration, I hadn't had any reason to consider it. It would seem that I've learned something new today, thanks for that! David G. Thanks David . . . The sink marks on the doors don't appear to too bad now that the coat of grey primer has dried overnight. Several of my reference photos show a green baize base to the tools tray, just like you would see on a snooker table or a pool table, so I might choose green rather than a matt black base as suggested on the instruction sheet. Outside temperature is down to 6°C maximum during the day, and will continue at this level for a few more days yet. No spray painting this week ! David W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 Yesterday was all about the ignition plug lead wiring, which is turning out to be a bit of a headache ! Two packs of plug lead material arrived in the post, so I decided to have a closer look at the task in hand . . . This is 0.4 mm plug lead and grey in colour, as supplied by Hiroboy and the Zero brand . . . Following several hours of considering the prospect of drilling 52 holes of 0.4 mm each, and also discovering that none of the micro drill bit suppliers have any stock of the 0.3, 0.4 or 0.5 mm drill bits, my thinking turned towards an alternative solution. The Gunze Sangyo kit for this Rolls-Royce has a length of black vinyl tubing, and by cutting tiny pieces of this tubing and fitting them tightly over the connections on the two distributor caps and the two ignition coil connections, I can insert the 0.4 mm plug leads and super glue them in place. This procedure could be repeated for the 24 spark plugs and the 24 connections on top of the distributor caps. Many reviews for the micro drill bits are saying that the fragile drill bits break very easily, and within a very short time. This put me off the idea of drilling. These 24 plug leads will have to be routed through the two aluminium tubes and the two aluminium conduits, before they exit at the spark plug end. Here are a few photos of what this might entail . . . David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 I spent some time the other day considering the interior colour for this Rolls-Royce, and I was looking at several specific brown shades . . . My final choice came down to Humbrol Matt Brown 186 . . . The carpets, front and rear seats, door interior panels and the division will all be brush painted, with the woodwork being either burr walnut or mahogany, and the headlining will be a creamy beige colour. Some of the Phantom III cars had leather for the front seating and cloth for the rear seating, while other cars had leather for both front and rear . . . I have done quite a lot of work on the rear tools tray today, and although the Sharpie areas came out okay, I then realised that the recessed areas around each individual tool needed to be green also. As the point of my Sharpie pens will not fit into those tiny areas, I used Vallejo Flat Green acrylic to fill the recesses directly around the tools . . . This was painstaking intricate work, which demanded the utmost from my 70 year old eyesight and the not so steady hand ! Here are some photos of the result, along with a photo of the actual tools tray of the real car within the luggage compartment. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.