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MPC 1/12 1930 Bentley Racing Car


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Ah ha! I did miss that tid bit. What was the reasoning behind that?

By the way... John, this belongs in a museum. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us.

Many cars of the time had fabric-covered bodies, applied to wooden framing, that were so heavily painted that you'd never suspect they weren't metal. Here's why:

"The fabric-covered body concept patented by Charles T. Weymann revolves around the idea that bodies based on aircraft design procedures in which the body panels are layered with a thick padding followed by a top layer of lacquered fabric are lighter, quieter and safer than a conventional metal-based bodies. Weymann promoted the notions that his sedan bodies weighed about half as much as conventional sedan bodies. Passengers experienced less noise due to the manner in which the thin ash framework is built; the wood pieces are joined together by metal bracketry with gaps between them. They never touch and never squeak. Plus, the thick buildup of materials insulated the passenger compartment from road noise. Roads, at the time, were far from smooth. Also pitched was the idea that a fabric-covered body being lighter than a similar metal-bodied one has a lower center of gravity and, thus, is less likely to roll over in an accident."

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Hello......thank you all for the kind comments.......I assembled the horns and headlights.......headlights have bulbs inside them.......I attached the scratch built mirror and map lights.......modified windshields and attached the running lights.....body and fenders are painted and clear coated......I will attach them and the radiator tomorrow........thanks for looking.

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few more progress photos.......thanks.

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The mesh work is astounding, and this may be the only vintage car plastic kit where the modeler actually put the hood padding strips along the radiator and the cowling. I hate to bring this up, but the icing on the cake would be scratchbuilt wire wheels, though that's not necessary to make this anything other than a truly spectacular piece of art and craftsmanship. John has even added the wiring from the headlights to inside the bonnet. There are so many things here that only someone who has researched this car in detail would be able to see. The only thing I would suggest is that the main body shell should be closer to the perfect green of the cycle wings, then hit with either semigloss or flat.

http://www.freewebs....lconversion.htm

This build of this old kit is definitely worth an article in the magazine, if not a cover story.

Edited by sjordan2
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I'm astounded, and envious, at the speed with which you are able to build, John. Plus the fact you build so well!! This is an awesome build...I keep looking back at the pictures and am amazed. Bravo! What is not to like!

If Skip's wish is to see real wire wheels, my wish is to see a real canvas body on a real wood frame!! ;) (I am joking...If I could I'd insert the "sarcasm" emoticon here!!)

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I've been watching your past amazing builds here John...... But this one is just unbelievable. I was a great admirer of Gerald Wingrove (and still am), but in my opinion, this Bentley even surpasses his work. (I know he completely scratchbuilt his models though.)

There's no doubt in my mind that if there were an Academy Awards category for "Best Model of all Time", this would be in the top five.... maybe even the winner!

Tony

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The mesh work is astounding, and this may be the only vintage car plastic kit where the modeler actually put the hood padding strips along the radiator and the cowling. I hate to bring this up, but the icing on the cake would be scratchbuilt wire wheels, though that's not necessary to make this anything other than a truly spectacular piece of art and craftsmanship. John has even added the wiring from the headlights to inside the bonnet. There are so many things here that only someone who has researched this car in detail would be able to see. The only thing I would suggest is that the main body shell should be closer to the perfect green of the cycle wings, then hit with either semigloss or flat.

http://www.freewebs....lconversion.htm

This build of this old kit is definitely worth an article in the magazine, if not a cover story.

I agree totally needs to make cover and a nice build article in mcm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Hello......thank you all for your kind comments.....I really do appreciate them..........the fenders are on.......gear shift and brake shift assembled........windshield guard with scratch wing nuts assembled........I will put the engine cover and glass on tonight.......thanks for looking.

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