1933 Duesenberg Boattail

[sjordan2]

Just superb. And while your photography has always been outstanding, this may be your best yet.

[landman]

Tat is beautiful work. Is there a secret to this white background photography ?

[Harry P.]

You are in warp speed compared to my donkey speed builds

Much of the time is being spent waiting for paint to dry!

If they could invent instant-dry paint, I could finish a model in a day!

[Twokidsnosleep]

I respect that no nonsense, no fiddling, get down to business and build attitude

You are master of accenting what is visible and important while weeding out the trivial non-visible that most of us get stuck on

Cudos

[Harry P.]

I respect that no nonsense, no fiddling, get down to business and build attitude

You are master of accenting what is visible and important while weeding out the trivial non-visible that most of us get stuck on

Cudos

Thanks! Yep, I put my efforts into the parts of the model that you can actually see once it's built! If I was a contest guy I would, of course, detail the heck out of the chassis and everything else... but to reuse an old hobby cliché... "I build for myself." So I don't go all nuts on stuff that will never be seen. I just try to create a model that looks good when you look at it.

[Harry P.]

Tat is beautiful work. Is there a secret to this white background photography ?

Sssshhhh.... don't tell anyone... but the secret is...

I shoot my photos on a white background.

Seriously... that's my "secret." Shoot on a white background. You might have to play around with lighting and exposures to get the background to actually be white, but hey, with digital photography you'll never run out of film! Practice! Try it, check out the results, make adjustments, try again, etc. It's not rocket science. Heck, if I can do it, anyone can.

[landman]

Thanks! Yep, I put my efforts into the parts of the model that you can actually see once it's built! If I was a contest guy I would, of course, detail the heck out of the chassis and everything else... but to reuse an old hobby cliché... "I build for myself." So I don't go all nuts on stuff that will never be seen. I just try to create a model that looks good when you look at it.

Harry, you have just given me my answer as to which bellhousing to cut off on my Mustang build. Thanks. And thanks for the "white background tutorial" too.

[Ramfins59]

Beautiful work as usual Harry. I love it.

[peekay]

I'm amazed that you can maintain such a pace without compromising quality one iota.

Depicting the exhaust pipes with springs works very well; the Hubley Duesey I once built used the same solution.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Gets better with each update.

[Harry P.]

I know the grille shell is in the correct position, because there are very definite cutouts on the fenders that the shell fits perfectly into... it has to be in just the right place. Likewise, the firewall and body shell mount to very definite slots on the fender unit... again, there is no doubt where the firewall and body go, they fit precisely in only one exact spot.

So... with the grille shell and firewall glued in place, and the body placed into the slots on the fender unit to check fit, it turns out the hood doesn't fit because it's too long. No big deal... I'd rather have it too long than too short, it's a lot easier to shorten it than lengthen it. Out comes the trusty razor saw...

And now, jumping around as I always do from one thing to another... usually I replace all kit glass with Lexan because invariably in these kits of classics, the glass is either too thick, or distorted, or scratched, or has swirls in the plastic, etc. In this case the kit glass was perfect! No need to make new glass! So while I'm polishing all the fingerprints out of it with a piece of an old t-shirt, guess what happens? Right. SNAP.

So out comes the Lexan again. The hardest part of dealing with windshield assemblies from cars of this era is that they are incredibly thin and fragile, and there is just about no gluing surface area to glue the glass in. The tiniest mess up and you see glue on the glass. Plus, the wipers are separate and have to be glued in place onto tiny raised round areas on the frame that are about 1/32" diameter! I got lucky and managed to glue the glass and the wipers into place without any glue mistakes:

[Twokidsnosleep]

I don't want to derail your build here but the mention of lexan windows is interesting, like to her what you do

I spent the last 30 min searching how to make acetate windows here and google

Some use plastic from bottles or clear sheet plastic; no real definite vids or anything

I have a small dental vacuuform machine we use for sports guards and such. I can easily get clear acrylic of various thicknesses but would need to make a heat resistant blank to mould on

Hmmm, I bet you do something simple and brilliant

[Harry P.]

Hmmm, I bet you do something simple and brilliant

Simple, yes. Brilliant? Not really...

If the glass you're replacing is flat (as are most glass panels on the era of cars I build), replacing the glass couldn't be easier. Just lay the kit glass down on your clear material of choice (Lexan, clear styrene sheet, acetate, etc.) and use the kit piece as a template to cut around. I suppose you could just trace around the kit glass with a fine-point sharpie, then cut out the glass piece, but I find it easier just to hold the kit piece down and just cut right around it.

If the glass is curved in one direction only (example: a lot of '50's windshields, like a '57 Bel Air, for example), I use clear acetate because it's flexible and will curve to fit the windshield opening. I bought a pad of clear acetate at Hobby Lobby... I have enough material to create new kit glass for literally the rest of my life!

If the glass curves in more than one direction (a "compound" curve, like for example a bubble top or the windshields of many modern cars), you have to go to a different way of doing things. You can use part of a clear plastic bubble pack. Many items are packaged in molded clear bubble packs, parts of which can be cut out to make "glass" if you are lucky enough to find a piece that has the correct curvature and no scratches or other flaws. Or like you said, you have to create a form and use the vacuforming process to make the new "glass."

[Harry P.]

The steering wheel has the three wheel-mounted hand controls molded in place, but they are too small and almost invisible. I just drilled them out and replaced them with three sewing pins, then painted the black plastic wheel with Future to give it a shine.

[Eric Macleod]

This is a really well done model so far of a one-off, and very well known, Duesenberg. It was one of the six owned by Captain George Whittell of California. All of his cars were done in a very specific manner. He ordered many special chromed touches that were non-standard for most Model J Duesenbergs. His cars where all painted black with a custom red undercarriage. While I am not crazy about the gold you have chosen, the work is top notch. Above, you have painted the steering wheel gloss black. They were actually a flat black from the factory, made from a rubbery material similar to what Ford used. While it is a grippy material I find the stuff makes my hands smell funny after I have driven the car for a while. I would also have a quick look at a Google image of the car (which is the first car listed under the Wikipedia article) and you find the windshield wipers are wrong in the kit. I know you are a perfectionist Harry so of course you would want those things correct for your build.

I can't wait to see the completed project.

Eric

[Harry P.]

All the reference photos I have show the wheel to be a shiny black.

And I know the wipers are wrong. There isn't a left and right in the kit, they're both identical, so I had to install them the way I did and not in the correct way. But hey... it's only a model. I'm not necessarily trying to make a 100% accurate replica of the real car (obviously!)... I don't like the real car's paint scheme, for one, so I'm painting mine the way I want it to be...

Ok, I have to admit the wipers are bugging me now...

Gonna have to fix them.

[Harry P.]

Getting close now. Need to add the trunk lid, the gravel shields on the rear fenders... and the hood. And that's about it! Next time you see this one it'll be "Under Glass."

I googled "1933 license plates" and picked this one (Washington state) because I liked it! Sized in PS and printed out, trimmed, and glued in place. Check out that rear end styling. I can see this car painted all black and making an excellent 1930's-era Batmobile!

[bbowser]

Wow, that's pretty! Great color scheme, hard to see but that dash looks real.

[Art Anderson]

All the reference photos I have show the wheel to be a shiny black.

And I know the wipers are wrong. There isn't a left and right in the kit, they're both identical, so I had to install them the way I did and not in the correct way. But hey... it's only a model. I'm not necessarily trying to make a 100% accurate replica of the real car (obviously!)... I don't like the real car's paint scheme, for one, so I'm painting mine the way I want it to be...

Ok, I have to admit the wipers are bugging me now...

Gonna have to fix them.

FWIW, that steering wheel as originally produced by Sheller for Duesenberg was either black bakelite or black "hard rubber" (the latter being most common on cars of that year) and neither would have been a high gloss finish. However, in the quest for concours honors, most of the wealty owners of such cars as Duesenbergs tend to "over-restore, over-finish" every aspect of their pride and joy.

Art

[Harry P.]

Since I wasn't alive in the 1930s, I can only go by the photos I find. But I've seen plenty of antiques made of bakelite. It's shiny.

A bakelite phone...

[Twokidsnosleep]

Lovely leather, wood and chrome in that pic of the real one

Floored by how fast this is coming together

[cobraman]

That model is looking very, very nice !

[sjordan2]

Do the doors open? Judging by the interior shell, I guess not.

[Tony T]

Nice build!

[Eric Macleod]

I agree with Art. Most of the cars I have seen and driven are over-restored. The one I drive the most was almost all original until we went through the car about 5 years ago. It had that funny bakelite type of steering wheel that was flat black and made my hands smell weird.

I would be more bothered by the wipers than the steering wheel. I like the gold a lot better with the white than when it was looking like it would be all gold. I can't wait to see the end product. Keep on keeping on.

I, as others have mentioned, am amazed how fast you can build models. I am very lucky to get one out per year.