Harry P. Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 After filling in some sink marks with Bondo, I added the decorative welting or "piping" around the passenger seat backrest using CA glue to attach some thin insulated wire: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Rear end details. I added the oil filler neck and attachment "bolt" on the rear axle center unit, also added the straps that the license plate hangs from, made of strips of thin sheet aluminum. By the bottle of Plastruct cement, you can see just how small this "big scale" model is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 I painted the seats with a custom mix of acrylic red, brown, and black, then added a black wash, then sprayed them with Varathane satin finish to get a "leather" look. The brass grab handles on the driver's seat (left) are kit parts that I painted metallic brass and blackwashed. On the passenger seat, the brass rails and backrest uprights are real brass rod, to replace the plastic kit parts. After all, what looks more like real brass than... real brass! I painted the base of the passenger seat black, and added a trim strip of thin brass wire for some visual interest: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 All of your builds prove that a lot of variation in even the smallest details makes a model look more realistic and beautifully crafted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 All of your builds prove that a lot of variation in even the smallest details makes a model look more realistic and beautifully crafted. It's the small details that really bring a model to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Up on four wheels for the first time! Yes, the spokes are grossly out of scale... I glued the hubcaps on with just a tiny dab of glue, in case I want to upgrade the wheels sometime in the future. For now, though, I'll live with the kit wheels. Check the size of the model against that dime. This has to be the tiniest model you'll ever see in the "Big Boyz" section! ​ Some details installed... steering column/controls, foot pedals, starter crank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) Just spectacular, Harry. Tonight, I've been watching the musical "Gigi" with the ultra-hot Leslie Caron (the first movie star who really turned me on in "An American in Paris" when I was only a child), and they just had a scene where Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier pulled up to the curb in a DeDion like this -- dark blue with yellow fenders. I have no idea how such a car could run on such thin wire wheel spokes. I think you've done a great job with your wheels. Edited January 4, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Just spectacular, Harry. Tonight, I've been watching the musical "Gigi" with the ultra hot Leslie Caron, and they just had a scene where Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier pulled up to the curb in a DeDion like this -- dark blue with yellow fenders. How cool is that? A DeDion featured in a movie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62rebel Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Harry; you are inspiring me to revisit the Minicraft MGTC I've had mouldering in the closet for about ten years now. or to finally build something onto my Lindberg Diamond Duster chassis..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Harry; you are inspiring me to revisit the Minicraft MGTC I've had mouldering in the closet for about ten years now. or to finally build something onto my Lindberg Diamond Duster chassis..... Diamond Duster! Wow, what a blast from the past! I remember building that when I was a kid, maybe 10-12 years old. Didn't that have working suspension and lights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I don't think those wheels look all that bad. I have seen much, much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) What I was talking about in "Gigi" (though I think this is misidentified -- Gigi was made in 1958 and the fenders don't look yellow): This black and white shot shows what Harry is talking about regarding the very small size of the original car...Part of the name of the car is "vis-á-vis (face-to-face)" but it looks nearly knee-to-knee. Edited January 4, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Maybe I'm crazy... but I decided I want to add a top, sort of like this one: I'll have to scratchbuild it, of course, but I think I can handle it. Mine will be slightly different, but basically the same idea. I just have to figure out how to make 1/16 scale fringe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 [cringe] Hopefully, that will be removable.On another note, any thoughts about adding design motifs to the front like that one and the others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 any thoughts about adding design motifs to the front like that one and the others? Yes... just not sure what yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 My top will be supported by brass poles that will have a 90 degree bend at the end that will attach horizontally to the front and back panels of the body. First step is to create the "flanges" where the posts will connect to the body. I made them with thin aluminum sheet, and the "bolts" holding them in are brass planking nails from a model ship kit. The middle hole in each flange is where the short horizontal legs of the top poles will enter: I want to add some strength to the top poles... I don't just want to push them into the holes and rely on a drop of CA to hold them in place... so I added some structure on the inside... just scraps of wood to create the "pockets" where the brass pole legs will extend into the inside of the body. I will then fill these pockets with 5-minute epoxy, burying and anchoring the legs in the epoxy. None of this will be seen once the seats are installed, so I didn't have to be particularly neat or precise: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 [cringe] Hopefully, that will be removable. It seems very "French" to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) It seems very "French" to me... French? I'm thinking "Oklahoma!" -- the Surrey with the Fringe on Top." Edited January 4, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 "Surrey with the fringe on top" is exactly what went through my mind when I first saw the photo with that fringed top! Anywho... here's the front top support, bent to shape (just faking it here, folks... making it up as I go along!)... attached through the front body panel and "locked" in place by filling those little pockets I made with some 5-minute epoxy... Here's a closeup of how I locked the top support in place. Now that interior structure I added makes sense... right? The rear support will be done the same way. Then I have to figure out how to make scale fringe. I already have an idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scale-Master Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Looks strong enough to double as a roll bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62rebel Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 gosh Harry I hate to barge in on your build but. yes, the Diamond Duster has working suspension, was rigged for lights, AND has self-propelled feature (an electric motor buried in the Chrysler B/RB engine block. that chassis was also featured in the Fiat dragster I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Looks strong enough to double as a roll bar. "le barre rolle" or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scale-Master Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Too bad the car could only hit 25 mph. Rolling it would be pretty hard to do! I dunno... It looks pretty tall... BTW, Best build of this kit I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Both front and rear top supports are installed and locked into position with epoxy. Instead of trying to install four separate supports and trying to get all four parallel, I figured it was easier to bend them in sets of two, with the top crosspiece still attached. Easier to make sure each support is parallel to the other this way... And now I measured the same distance up from the ground on each top support, and clipped off the cross pieces: Now to build the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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