Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Jaguar XK120

Hoffman

By Hoffman
in Model Cars

 Share

Recommended Posts

Hoffman MCM Avid Poster

Hoffman

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Basic Model:            Danbury Mint, fender skirts from evergreen sheet

Paint:                         Sage Green, Rust Oleum ‘Painter’s Touch’

Interior:                     Tamiya XF21 'Sky' green and white

Wheels:                     Danbury Mint XK120

Tires:                          Revell ’29 Ford Pickup, ‘Rat Rod’, 4) Rears

Engine:                      Scratch built distributor, coil, added plug wires

This car was originally purchased just for parts, $20 on ebay. The more I looked at it, I thought, it’s actually pretty nice, but it really needs fender skirts, a color change, and better tires. So that’s what I did.

The inspiration for the model was a semi ratty looking XK120 I found online in a Jaguar color I liked, ‘Fern Green’. That car, license number OSU193 is by no means a show car. Look closely and you’ll see worn upholstery, color mismatch between panels, etc; just a decent driver.

While building this model, everything was going well with the repaint until I tried a coat of Testors ‘Extreme Lacquer’ for a nice, glossy finish. I was extremely pissed with the results! Lots of wrinkles. I’ve had great luck with it in the past, but I should have known better. Sometimes lacquer over enamel just really, really does not work out.

My original idea was to get enough clear over the base color that I could easily cut and buff it without burning through the paint. I did try sanding off the clear lacquer, touching up the green base coat, and then a different clear. Still no-go. The lacquer had soaked into the enamel enough that more clear, even though it was enamel, started the reaction again.  I could have just stripped it down completely and started over, but I kept wanting to save it. Eventually I was able to clean it up with more paint, then sand it smooth and polish it. The funny part is, because of these mishaps, the model ended up looking more like the full size car. It’s very smooth but not super shiny; a driver.

I had similar issues with the interior. Danbury mint molded the seats and door panels in red, urethane-like plastic. Painting over the red molded parts in white and green was a challenge. After many coats, the red was still bleeding through slightly. To fix the white pleats, I laid down some Teflon tape. That hid the bleed through better than another coat of paint. On the green, it's not as bad. It looks sort of like worn leather, which is OK. Eventually I just decided I can live with it. I went ahead and gave the model a license plate matching the full size XK120 and called it done. The model is not an exact match, but it's pretty close.

Thanks for looking, enjoy! :)

Edited by Hoffman
  • Like 3
Hoffman MCM Avid Poster

Hoffman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, Earl Marischal said:

A superb model. You can be rightly proud of your work.

steve

 

7 hours ago, XYHARRY said:

Well done Tim, your XK120 looks very nice. 

Cheers,

David. ??

 

10 hours ago, Rattlecan Dan said:

Great looking Jag!

 

10 hours ago, Hard_2_Handle_454 said:

Beautiful.  Good color choice.

Earl Marischal, XYHARRY, Rattlecan Dan, Hard_2_Handle_454, Ace-Garageguy, 70 Sting, H.A.K., and Can-Con…….

Gentlemen, thank you so much for your kind words and compliments! :)  Glad you like it. I'm grateful we have this forum to share our projects and finished work with one another. I really enjoy seeing all the cool cars you guys build. THANKS!!

  • Like 1
1959scudetto MCM Ohana

1959scudetto

Posted
Posted

That's a good-looking Jaguar, Tim.

First I thought that you have used Revell kit wheels on a Bburago, but after re-reading I learned that this is the DM diecast which has different hinges, dashboard and other differences to the Bburago

  • Thanks 1
Hoffman MCM Avid Poster

Hoffman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
12 minutes ago, 1959scudetto said:

That's a good-looking Jaguar, Tim.

First I thought that you have used Revell kit wheels on a Bburago, but after re-reading I learned that this is the DM diecast which has different hinges, dashboard and other differences to the Bburago

Thank you, Helmut! Hope you're doing well. Yeah, the DM wheels and hub caps are nice, but I didn't like the wide-white tires, not for this particular car anyway. I adapted the Revell rat-rod '29 pickup tires. They look a lot like vintage Dunlops. I used the medium white-wall inserts from a Monogram XK120, which are a good fit and actually have 'Dunlop' lettering ~ a natural! :)

espo MCM Ohana

espo

Posted
Posted

Beautiful looking Jag. Like the original look and finishes. I was a youngster when I first saw a 120 on the showroom floor of a dealership not far from my grandparents' home just north of Chicago. I was dumb struck looking at it and had never even thought of anything outside of the Big-Three from Detroit until that day. Still makes your heart race a little looking at one like this. 

  • Thanks 1
1959scudetto MCM Ohana

1959scudetto

Posted
Posted
On 9/22/2024 at 5:28 PM, Hoffman said:

Thank you, Helmut! Hope you're doing well. Yeah, the DM wheels and hub caps are nice, but I didn't like the wide-white tires, not for this particular car anyway. I adapted the Revell rat-rod '29 pickup tires. They look a lot like vintage Dunlops. I used the medium white-wall inserts from a Monogram XK120, which are a good fit and actually have 'Dunlop' lettering ~ a natural! :)

Thanks, Tim - I'm doing well (had my 65th birthday yesterday and only 1 week until my retirement) - I have been struggling with a Ford P68 prototype for quite a while and hope to get it finished very soon.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...