Blower Bentley

[Harry P.]

Just take your time ... be careful not to blow your Bentley!

Too late... it was already blown when I got it...

Anyway, a little progress. Front and rear axles and shocks are installed. I added most of the external gas tank details, still a few miscellaneous mounting straps and brackets to make. The blocks on the top of the tank are where the fuel lines will mount to.

I heated the seat cushions over a candle flame and then used my finger to push down on them and give them a little "sag"... the seats were then assembled and painted with darkish green craft paint acrylics that I mixed, then I added a black wash to give the seats a little character:

[sjordan2]

So far, this is the best build I've seen of this kit. Gas tank looks perfect. I used the same detailing technique on the seats.

Any thoughts on how you're going to handle the headlight stone guards? The one-inch rings look like they're tough to accomplish (eagerly awaiting your solution so I can use it when I restore mine.)

Edited June 26, 2011 by sjordan2

[Foxer]

The seats are spectacular! Look slightly used with a little grime and shading ...

[John Teresi]

Harry.......this is magical......I really like this.......that is the coolest idea with the seats.......thank`s for the tip.......looking AWESOME man.

[Harry P.]

Thanks, guys.

Skip, not quite sure on the headlight stone guards yet. I'll figure it out when I get to that point...

First I have to create the external fuel lines and all the various mounting straps around the gas tank. More phots as they become available...

[Harry P.]

Remember how I smoothed out the gas tank and removed all of the molded-in external details so I could create a more realistic tank?

Well, obviously once I got the tank smooth I had to re-create all of that "lost" detail. If you look at the photo I posted of the painted tank, you can see those circular mounting pads on the sides of the tank. I was trying to figure out how to create them. First I thought I'd use thin slices of Plastruct or Evergreen styrene rod, but the LHS didn't have anything nearly big enough, diameter-wise. So I went with plan B.

A while ago I bought a bag of "googly eyes" at Hobby Lobby because I needed a dome-shaped piece for a model I was working on, and the "lens" of the googly eyes was the perfect solution:

Anyway... I have a bunch of the eyes left over, and after going through my stash of miscellaneous stuff it dawned on me that the "pupils" of those googly eyes would be the perfect thing to recreate those round disks on the side of the gas tank!

The moral of the story: Detail parts can be found in the strangest places!

[Foxer]

I'll be keeping an EYE on this ..

[Cato]

Skip, not quite sure on the headlight stone guards yet. I'll figure it out when I get to that point...

Try those very simple, one loop key rings, the cheap kind. Look like a paper clip bent into a perfect circle with an overlap to slide keys onto. Dunno if the diameter works but worth a look...

[Harry P.]

Progress report... I added the rest of the mounting straps to the gas tank. I used the "sprue" part of a photoetched sheet to make the straps (lesson: Never throw anything away!), and I also added the external fuel lines that were originally molded onto the tank's surface (not exactly prototypically correct). The fuel lines are insulated copper wire, which is perfect for this application because it bends easily but holds its shape once bent. The small square blocks that the fuel lines route through are pieces of square Plastruct rod, drilled for the wires to pass through and painted semigloss black. BTW, the fuel lines were a HUGE pain... I don't want to go through that process again!

The kit's tailpipe has a giant peg molded into it; the peg is supposed to be glued into a hole on the bottom of the gas tank. That is not how the tailpipe is really mounted. In reality the tailpipe hangs from a triangular mounting strap. I created this detail with more of that leftover PE "sprue," bent to shape:

In the above photos you can also see the convertible top boot. The kit part was molded perfectly flat; in reality there is a noticeable sag in the middle. I heated the part over a candle flame and formed the sag while the piece was hot. Eventually I'll add a scratchbuilt full tonneau that covers up the whole interior from the front seatbacks to the folded top (that's why I didn't bother installing the rear seat... the tonneau will cover all of that up).

[David G.]

Most impressive, sir! There's so much going on here that I don't know where to begin.

David G.

[Harry P.]

There has also been some progress on the other end of the car..

Like I said earlier, based on all the reference photos of this car that I found, no two are exactly alike. So the particular details of mine are sort of an "average" of all the photos I have. For example, the strap between the horns is mounted in different places on different cars; I did mine this way. (the strap itself is more of that leftover PE "sprue"... very handy stuff! ). The carb stone guard was made with more of the leftover PE strips, and the mesh itself is the same fiberglass window screen that I used for the mesh on the gas tank. In the case of the stone guard the mesh is a bit large for scale, but close enough for me. (BTW, this stone guard is completely missing from the kit):

Another angle. The license plate is a satin chrome plated piece; I just added the black background with a fine brush and a lot of patience!

And finally, the kit is also missing the brake lever adjusment mechanism, so I added that detail with various bits of brass rod, Plastruct tube, wire, etc:

More photos as they become available...

[sjordan2]

This keeps getting better and better. Nice to see such excellent progress. Great work on the fuel lines and the exhaust hanger (that little peg keeps coming unglued on mine) and all the metal braces, plus the carb stone guard.

I don't know what you still plan to do with what's visible in these shots, but one easy little detail would be to add the fine black mesh over the front of the horns.

[Harry P.]

I don't know what you still plan to do with what's visible in these shots, but one easy little detail would be to add the fine black mesh over the front of the horns.

I don't know what that is over the horns. I don't see any mesh, it almost looks like a piece of cloth.

I was just going to paint it sort of a grayish color like in these photos.

[Jairus]

Looking great Harry!

Suggest you dry-brush a little silver over the green painted edges here and there to simulate wear. Also need some black wash over the bolts at the base of the steering box. Too bright to my eyes.

Hard to tell from the real thing for the most part.

[Foxer]

I'm enjoying this build immensely. The idea of improving some pieces and scratch building others as you feel it should look drives my enjoyment of this hobby also.

[John Teresi]

Harry......"SUPER" WOW!!!!!!!.......this build look`s AWESOME man.........you sure do know your stuff..........we all could learn some stuff from you.......we want more ,more ,more

[Harry P.]

Looking great Harry!

Suggest you dry-brush a little silver over the green painted edges here and there to simulate wear. Also need some black wash over the bolts at the base of the steering box. Too bright to my eyes.

Hard to tell from the real thing for the most part.

I'm still trying to decide if I want a "factory new" look or a used look.

[Harry P.]

Harry......"SUPER" WOW!!!!!!!.......this build look`s AWESOME man.........you sure do know your stuff..........we all could learn some stuff from you.......we want more ,more ,more

I don't know, John... it's not so much that I know my stuff... it's more a matter of trying to duplicate what I see in my reference photos. Remember, at first I had to ask what some of the gizmos on the dash were for; I didn't have a clue!

[sjordan2]

I'm still trying to decide if I want a "factory new" look or a used look.

The funny thing about this car is that, in 2011, it's hard to tell what's really factory fresh or weathered (though your seats are spot-on for a car that's been used). Based on my limited reference for this car in 1973, I chose to spray orange peel with a little brush-painting of the chassis rails to replicate what I saw.

Edited July 7, 2011 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

A few more details...

The flange where the exhaust header connects to the exhaust pipe is molded as a separate piece (I have no idea why!). So to make the connection a little more realistic, I took a razor saw and cut a groove around the flange to simulate the two parts of the flange–the top half that would be part of the exhaust header, and the bottom half that would be part of the exhaust pipe. Then I painted the two "halves" to match the part they are supposed to be a part of:

At first I wasn't going to wrap the steering wheel, but I changed my mind. I used the same thread that I wrapped the springs with, then painted it with a brownish wash, then rubbed pencil graphite into the wrapping to "dirty" it up a little. It's impossible to wrap the wheel neatly, because the finger grips on the back of the wheel force the wrap to jump into the grooves, so the wrap has gaps and unevenness in the front. But since the photos of the real cars show the wrap also being pretty sloppy, I guess it's "realistic!"

[sjordan2]

A few more details...

The flange where the exhaust header connects to the exhaust pipe is molded as a separate piece (I have no idea why!). So to make the connection a little more realistic, I took a razor saw and cut a groove around the flange to simulate the two parts of the flange–the top half that would be part of the exhaust header, and the bottom half that would be part of the exhaust pipe. Then I painted the two "halves" to match the part they are supposed to be a part of:

At first I wasn't going to wrap the steering wheel, but I changed my mind. I used the same thread that I wrapped the springs with, then painted it with a brownish wash, then rubbed pencil graphite into the wrapping to "dirty" it up a little. It's impossible to wrap the wheel neatly, because the finger grips on the back of the wheel force the wrap to jump into the grooves, so the wrap has gaps and unevenness in the front. But since the photos of the real cars show the wrap also being pretty sloppy, I guess it's "realistic!"

Nice wash on the floor. Why are there markings on the left side of the steering wheel hub? I've only seen them on the right. By the way, your detailing of the seat backs is brilliant.

Edited July 7, 2011 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

Nice wash on the floor. Why are there markings on the left side of the steering wheel hub? I've only seen them on the right. By the way, your detailing of the seat backs is brilliant.

I sprayed the floor with Testors Transparent black window tint.

Here's a shot of the wheel that I was using:

[sjordan2]

Please don't hate me for asking...but there's a seam running F-R on the cowl. Is that something you'll smooth later, or did the 1:1 have it? Or is it just something in the design of the kit that you're OK with leaving there?

That is probably my fault. I have a huge reference file on this car, and I told Harry not to worry about the seams because they were on the 1:1. That is true for the rear of the car, but I think the front cowling should not have a seam.

[Harry P.]

That seam is on the real car.

And I have photographic proof!

BTW... I've cleaned up a lot of little things on the model that I really didn't even notice until I looked at the photos. The camera shows every tiny flaw and makes it look even worse... it sees more than my eyes do! I've gone back and fixed the foil on the hose clamps, touched up the paint in certain areas, etc.

[sjordan2]

That seam is on the real car.

And I have photographic proof!

BTW... I've cleaned up a lot of little things on the model that I really didn't even notice until I looked at the photos. The camera shows every tiny flaw and makes it look even worse... it sees more than my eyes do! I've gone back and fixed the foil on the hose clamps, touched up the paint in certain areas, etc.

I went back and looked at my reference and realized I wasn't bonkers. There is, indeed a fine seam running from the middle of the cockpit down the cowling in the middle. Whew, I'm not crazy (at least in this case).