Rolls-Royce No Chemicals, No Paint, No Harmful Glues

[Bainford]

The polishing job looks great, David. Nice work. 

Are you able to use Micro Mesh pads? The finer ones (6000, 8000, 12,000) would work well on bare plastic. Perhaps not necessary on this project, but in case some plastics do not polish up as well as the Rolls. Maybe Micro Mesh pads (used wet) could be a first step, followed by your toothpaste regimen. Just a thought.

[Anglia105E]

39 minutes ago, Bainford said:

The polishing job looks great, David. Nice work. 

Are you able to use Micro Mesh pads? The finer ones (6000, 8000, 12,000) would work well on bare plastic. Perhaps not necessary on this project, but in case some plastics do not polish up as well as the Rolls. Maybe Micro Mesh pads (used wet) could be a first step, followed by your toothpaste regimen. Just a thought.

Thank you kindly Trevor . . . Yes, I shall have a think about Micro Mesh pads, and they would be a good first step when used wet . . .

On the roof of this test body there are two minor scratches which haven't polished out during the first application of toothpaste, but these tiny scratches might be removed with a second or third polishing session . . .

David

[Anglia105E]

I am able to report some good progress over the past two days . . . The interior seating tub has received a coating of water based emulsion paint, which has been applied over dried PVA glue for the rear seat, and then directly onto the bare plastic for the front seat . . . This experimental testing is not yet complete.

Now for the interesting part . . . In order to fully test the bonding strength of PVA glue with regard to holding a styrene part to a styrene part, I have mounted the radiator grille shell onto the front end of the body shell. Not only does the PVA have to hold the radiator grille shell in place, but also this shell part has to hold the two bonnet panels in place, leaving them free to hinge open and closed . . . These hood panels have a small pin at the front edge, as well as another small pin at the rear edge of the panel. Following a 21 hour period of setting, the PVA glue is holding the radiator grille shell and the hinged hood panels firmly and securely.

The next stage in the glue testing will be to examine how much force, or how little force is required to lever apart the grille shell from the body . . .

This washable PVA glue is child friendly, and was produced by Ryman's and a good sized bottle did not cost much, around three years ago. Sadly, this product is no longer supplied by Ryman's, and is not available on the shelves of their stores . . . During the past three years I have used quite a lot of this glue, particularly while building the bungalow in the W.I.P. Dioramas section of this forum, and there is a substantial amount of glue remaining in the bottle . . .

The interior seating tub part of this kit has been clipped into place, inside the body, and the photos look good already . . .

I am expecting the Entex kit of the Silver Cloud to be delivered next Monday from the Netherlands, all being well . . .

David

[johnyrotten]

Happy to see the experiment is working out for you. Hopefully you'll continue to have success, fingers crossed. Your idea with the in the interior is using the pva as a primer or bonding agent,correct?

[Anglia105E]

6 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

Happy to see the experiment is working out for you. Hopefully you'll continue to have success, fingers crossed. Your idea with the in the interior is using the pva as a primer or bonding agent,correct?

Thank you John . . . Yes, that is my thought process precisely. I thought maybe the PVA would cover the shiny black plastic seats, and therefore make it easier for the water based emulsion paint to go on with better coverage. Actually, the emulsion paint on the front seats has covered well, even without any PVA underneath.

This paint is Elle by Crown Open Water, which is a nice pale blue colour . . . It will be necessary to carry out some polishing on the upholstery of the seats, in order to remove the rough finish, but I can use the toothpaste and vinegar mix to do this . . .

I was searching online yesterday to find an actual car on which to base my model, which is something that I always do with every Silver Cloud model car that I build . . . The car is being sold by a dealer in NY, USA and this motor car requires a full and expensive restoration. It has a UK registration plate of OVD 777 and also a Texas registration plate as well. The car is finished in black with grey upholstery, and was first registered in 1957, as a RHD car which is exactly what I need . . . As part of the restoration, I can re-upholster my model in pale blue leather instead of the original grey. I always like to have a genuine and original British number plate on my Silver Clouds, so this one is perfect . . . Here are seven photos of the car in New York . . .

David

[89AKurt]

Since I have this kit in the stash, of course I have to subscribe and see the ultimate fate of this guy's project.  Not like I'm thinking of a 3D printed engine or anything (which this desperately needs, just to taunt this builder).

[Anglia105E]

37 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

Since I have this kit in the stash, of course I have to subscribe and see the ultimate fate of this guy's project.  Not like I'm thinking of a 3D printed engine or anything (which this desperately needs, just to taunt this builder).

Thank you for your interesting response Kurt . . . As other MCM Forum members have noticed, the V8 engine supplied with the Minicraft and Revell kits of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II is an extremely basic representation of that engine, but quite apart from that observation, I am building a Silver Cloud I as usual. The motor cars built between 1955 and 1959 all had the 6 cylinder inline engine, which is precisely what my 3D printed engine represents . . . I designed the 1:24 scale engine using FreeCAD software, and Shapeways kindly printed three of the engines for me. Two of those engines are already installed in two of my eight Silver Cloud builds, and this third engine is the only one that I have remaining. Shapeways used to ship items to me here in the UK from the Netherlands, using the excellent courier service provided by UPS, those dark brown and gold delivery trucks . . . Shapeways have actually resurfaced and rebranded recently, despite having closed down their business several years ago. However, they no longer provide their print on demand service as they used to, and in fact they no longer have any of the files that were owned by customers such as myself. This means that I cannot order further copies of my engine from Shapeways because they have somehow deleted thousands of customer design files when they closed the business, and to rub salt into the wound they do not offer the same service under the new business model . . . At the height of their success worldwide, Shapeways presented us with a vast array of models in all scales and materials, whereby you anyone could select a model, which could be a car part or a figure, and have it 3D printed by Shapewaays, shipped to a customer at a very reasonable price and even the customer support was extremely good. Sadly, that is all gone.

I no longer have a 3D printer of my own, so I cannot simply print the engine model myself unfortunately . . .

David

[stitchdup]

15 minutes ago, Anglia105E said:

I no longer have a 3D printer of my own, so I cannot simply print the engine model myself unfortunately . . .

David

I can print for you if you have files David. I did some testing with the phone tape and it doesn't add much thickness. The underhood detail on this bonnet is held on with the tape. where theres tape its holding tight but i should have used more as it lifting where is didn't se it. It also seems resilient to solvents as i gave it a heavy duplicolour primer coat and its still holding.

[Anglia105E]

2 hours ago, stitchdup said:

I can print for you if you have files David. I did some testing with the phone tape and it doesn't add much thickness. The underhood detail on this bonnet is held on with the tape. where theres tape its holding tight but i should have used more as it lifting where is didn't se it. It also seems resilient to solvents as i gave it a heavy duplicolour primer coat and its still holding.

Cheers Les . . . I would accept your offer to 3D print my Rolls-Royce 6 cylinder engine, and I am happy to pay you for your time and materials of course.

I do have the original file, which is in .STL format and has had some errors corrected by Shapeways before they printed three engines for me.

Your testing with the phone tape has worked really well on those parts in your photos, and I am happy to report that the PVA bonding used for styrene to styrene also works very well, much to my surprise . . .

David

[johnyrotten]

6 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

The car is being sold by a dealer in NY, USA

I actually looked it up, it's about three hours from me, and was sold according to what I found. Small world. Very cool that you can now reproduce an actual car ,tag and all. I like how the tag stays with the vehicle, we don't do that over here.

[David G.]

It's nice seeing your progress on this endeavor David. The polishing technique you've worked out seems to work very well, I'll have to keep it in mind for future use.

On 8/13/2025 at 4:21 AM, Anglia105E said:

I have an original Hubley promo of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, made in 1960, which I purchased from a seller in the U.S.A. . . . This model is moulded in blue plastic, and has been polished way back sometime but not painted. I seem to remember one other MCM Forum member trying out the polished plastic technique, with mixed results . . .

David

 

I think I may be the forum member you're referring to.

 

As far as the mixed results, the polishing actually came out rather well. The only problems I had were some issues with my attempted clear coat. 

 

I did of course paint the livery markings but the Gulf blue is as cast.

The build turned out to be one of my favorites. In fact it's the one I use for my avatar here and on my Face Book page.

Back onto the polishing topic, have you considered Novus products? I believe their phase 2 & 3 compounds are water-based, at least they have no odor that I can detect.  And their #1 seems to be a thin acrylic solution.

Just another suggestion.

I can't wait to see more of your work on the Rolls. I'm glad you were able to find the other one that's still left on the planet.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

49 minutes ago, johnyrotten said:

I actually looked it up, it's about three hours from me, and was sold according to what I found. Small world. Very cool that you can now reproduce an actual car ,tag and all. I like how the tag stays with the vehicle, we don't do that over here.

Well that is fascinating indeed John . . . The chassis number of all Rolls-Royce motor cars produced pre-war, and during the 1940's - 1960's especially, is more important than the registration number plate. The Rolls-Royce factory people identify each motor car by it's chassis number. As you can see from one of my photos, the NY dealer states that 22308 is not the actual VIN number . . . VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number, but Rolls-Royce cars have a Chassis Number, which would be something like SDD312 or similar . . . A car exported to Canada, or the US would have a letter ' L ' at the front, e.g. LSDD350 .

Whoever takes on that restoration project has bought themselves a good long term investment, but they will need a huge amount of money to bring the car back to it's former glory, and probably at least one year to carry out the work properly, maybe two years . . . All of my scale model Silver Cloud cars, and the Phantom I, II and III cars have an actual registration number that belongs to a real car, and each model has the original RR chassis number too . . . So sad to see such a fine motor car as the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud reduced to such a mess, but many of them have been restored to as new condition by some dedicated restorers and engineers . . .

When I was a member of the RREC, which is the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club that is truly International and has it's HQ in England, I used to be able to access their massive database online and look up chassis numbers, paint codes, registration numbers and owners names, but I can't do that now as I am no longer a member of the RREC . . . They always held an Annual Rally at Burghley House every year in June, but now that has moved over to somewhere in Europe.

David

 

[johnyrotten]

13 minutes ago, Anglia105E said:

The Rolls-Royce factory people identify each motor car by it's chassis number. As you can see from one of my photos, the NY dealer states that 22308 is not the actual VIN number . . . VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number, but Rolls-Royce cars have a Chassis Number, which would be something like SDD312 or similar . . . A car exported to Canada, or the US would have a letter ' L ' at the front, e.g. LSDD350 .

They number their cars similarly to what I deal with with vintage harley davidson motorcycles. Before certain years, the engine numbers are what are registered as there is no frame numbers or vin stampings. Thanks for the information, very interesting how other countries operate similarly,with small twist and changes.

 

[Anglia105E]

54 minutes ago, David G. said:

It's nice seeing your progress on this endeavor David. The polishing technique you've worked out seems to work very well, I'll have to keep it in mind for future use.

 

I think I may be the forum member you're referring to.

 

As far as the mixed results, the polishing actually came out rather well. The only problems I had were some issues with my attempted clear coat. 

 

I did of course paint the livery markings but the Gulf blue is as cast.

The build turned out to be one of my favorites. In fact it's the one I use for my avatar here and on my Face Book page.

Back onto the polishing topic, have you considered Novus products? I believe their phase 2 & 3 compounds are water-based, at least they have no odor that I can detect.  And their #1 seems to be a thin acrylic solution.

Just another suggestion.

I can't wait to see more of your work on the Rolls. I'm glad you were able to find the other one that's still left on the planet.

David G.

You were indeed the Forum member that I was referring to David G. . . . That Ford GT of yours looks really good, and the pale blue colour of the plastic bodywork is way better than any painting could achieve in my view . . . We refer this to iconic car as the Ford GT40 here in England, but I think over in the US you guys are more likely to call the car a Ford GT, would that be correct, or are they two different cars?

The only Entex kit of the Silver Cloud in 1:24 scale available on the planet arrived at my door by Royal Mail this morning . . . The Ebay seller was a lady in Holland, and she appears to be a registered charity ( Amnesty International ) which explains why she was very likely not aware of this kit's rare value.

Apart from the steering wheel and the instruction sheet being missing from the box, the kit is complete and in good condition. Most important of all, as far as I am concerned, there are 5 wheels and 4 tyres in the box, which I don't have . . . I do have 3 tyres, but no wheels. The Minicraft tyres are very plastic like, whereas the Revell and Entex tyres are rubber material . . . much nicer.

David W.

[Anglia105E]

The Entex version of the 1:24 scale Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II kit was delivered early this morning, having taken five days by transport from the Netherlands to England . . . As always, I carefully set about the unboxing and photographed every stage of the process. This kit is complete, apart from two items that were missing, the steering wheel and the instruction sheet. It would have been nice to have an instruction sheet, even though I don't need to refer to it. I do have the instruction sheets for the Minicraft and Revell versions of this kit . . .

The kit box was not sealed, and a previous owner had glued the oversized Spirit of Ecstasy to the top of the radiator grille, as well as the front bumper that was glued to the front lower edge of the body. The V8 engine was clipped in place, but not glued, and all the other parts were loose in the box, no sprues. The window glass parts were still inside a sealed clear plastic bag . . . Generally I am happy with my purchase, both in terms of price and condition.

Now that I have all the parts spread out before me on the table, I can decide which of those parts to use for this build. The roof panel of the Entex body shell is completely free of scratches, so this one has a better surface than the test model that I have been working on recently. To my surprise, and David G. will find this interesting, the areas of the front wings / fenders immediately in front of the windscreen lower corners, are not the usual mess that you find with these Silver Cloud kits . . . It will not be be necessary to use filler and sanding to correct this problem, which is good.

David

[BERT100]

  Good to hear your Entex Rolls kit is in good condition. With it being "the Last RR kit in the world", that must put quite a lot of pressure on you to build it right 😁

It also seems you may be the forefather in the as yet undiscovered "Ecology Based Model Building".  As such, you will become our "knowlage expert" on non/low toxic modeling- no pressure😉    

[Anglia105E]

6 hours ago, BERT100 said:

  Good to hear your Entex Rolls kit is in good condition. With it being "the Last RR kit in the world", that must put quite a lot of pressure on you to build it right 😁

It also seems you may be the forefather in the as yet undiscovered "Ecology Based Model Building".  As such, you will become our "knowlage expert" on non/low toxic modeling- no pressure😉    

Nice to hear from you Steve . . . I was trying to come up with a name for my ' new ' approach to model car building, and I was thinking along the lines of something like Eco-Friendly model building, but your suggestion has a pleasant ring to it , ' Ecology Based Model Building ' . . . Yes, I like that . . .

Certainly, I feel like I am some sort of pioneer for non / low toxic modelling, so I need to publish the results of my experiments, both successful and unsuccessful. This has probably all been done before, as I am sure that model builders who have been far more professional than myself must have tried such ideas . . .

Two or three years ago, I could browse Ebay any day of the week, and there would be various Minicraft and Revell kits of the Silver Cloud listed at sensible prices. Also, there would be Entex versions of the kit, as well as Masterkit and Hubley, but these days there are none at all really. I am aware of three Hubley kits being listed in France, which have been on Ebay for around three years now. During all that time the sellers have not reduced their high prices, and they have not added ' Make Offer ' to their ' Buy it Now ' option . . . The Hubley kits are nicely presented in their sealed boxes and pristine condition, but they are moulded in grey plastic and the shipping costs are stupidly high, considering France is not that far away from UK . . .

I am wanting black plastic for the body parts, so that I can polish rather than paint, so the grey plastic is not an option for me right now. 

Thanks again Steve for taking an interest in my current topic, and hopefully this Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud model will turn out well in the end . . .

David

 

[David G.]

Based on your description and the photos you shared, your version of this kit is almost identical to the one I worked on a couple of years ago. Right down to the proportion of wheels to tires. I believe your Hubley kit is the of original release and the Minicraft that I built is a re-pop. 

From what I can see in the photos you posted it looks like the transition between the wings and doors is in a somewhat better state.

David G. 

[Anglia105E]

2 hours ago, David G. said:

Based on your description and the photos you shared, your version of this kit is almost identical to the one I worked on a couple of years ago. Right down to the proportion of wheels to tires. I believe your Hubley kit is the of original release and the Minicraft that I built is a re-pop. 

From what I can see in the photos you posted it looks like the transition between the wings and doors is in a somewhat better state.

David G. 

I shall have a second look at the transition between the wings and doors, but at first glance I did not see any work to do in that area. I do remember how this area of the bodywork gave you a lot of pain . . . I haven't purchased or built a Hubley kit, although I would like to at some stage. The Hubley promo that I have is a nice model actually, with very clean lines and I like the blue plastic too. The promo was ready built, and is dated 1959 or 1960 . . . Many of the Minicraft kits are later versions, but still using the old tooling.

Curiously, this Entex kit has the chromed parts that you would find inside a Minicraft kit, and yet the tyres are the rubber type as you would find inside the Revell kit . . . The axles are plastic in this Entex kit, but some kits do contain the metal axles, which I prefer. I may cut some lengths of brass rod for my axles, but that will present the problem of using glue to mount the styrene wheels onto the metal axles.

What did you think of the OVD 777 car at the New York dealer's for sale website?  Very sad to see any Rolls-Royce in such a neglected state, but someone will restore that once fine motor car. I just hope they do it sympathetically . . . In the past I would have been able to source the original chassis number for that UK registration plate, but now I cannot as no longer an RREC member. They will not divulge such information from their wonderful database if you are not a fully paid up member of the RREC . . . I seem to remember the membership was around £90.00 GBP per year ( US $. 122.00 )

David W.

[Big Messer]

5 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Two or three years ago, I could browse Ebay any day of the week, and there would be various Minicraft and Revell kits of the Silver Cloud listed at sensible prices. Also, there would be Entex versions of the kit, as well as Masterkit and Hubley, but these days there are none at all really. I am aware of three Hubley kits being listed in France, which have been on Ebay for around three years now. During all that time the sellers have not reduced their high prices, and they have not added ' Make Offer ' to their ' Buy it Now ' option . . . The Hubley kits are nicely presented in their sealed boxes and pristine condition, but they are moulded in grey plastic and the shipping costs are stupidly high, considering France is not that far away from UK . . .

David

 

I was into ebay from the beginning (late 90s) when you could get very nice deals on strange/old stuff, but then it got turned into a mess of dealers and scalpers. So no more...

[Anglia105E]

47 minutes ago, Big Messer said:

I was into ebay from the beginning (late 90s) when you could get very nice deals on strange/old stuff, but then it got turned into a mess of dealers and scalpers. So no more...

I do agree with your view Jose, and it is true that there are more dealers on Ebay now than private sellers . . . You can sometimes find genuine bargains, but it is becoming more difficult.

David