Mercedes 190 SL: Complete (#7 for 2018)

This 1960 Revell kit, in 1/25 but with a bilingual English/German instruction sheet typical of Revell's 1/24 offerings, had a number of quirks that made it a challenge. All parts, including tires, were molded from red plastic; the body was a multi-piece design that had to be assembled after paint; detail was fairly poor. Except for a strip of 0.010" acetate, there were no clear parts, and no decals. Nonetheless it was an interesting build and one that will sit well next to my other vintage Mercedes Benzes. Photos were taken before the taillamps and front turn signals were installed; as with my Tamiya 300 SL, I am going to leave the bumpers off.



I made a few modifications. The stock tires, tall skinny Firestone Phoenix 6.40-13 units molded with the rims in red plastic, were replaced with wider Goodyear Polyglas tires of about the same height. Not period correct for a 1957 model, but a likely upgrade that an enthusiastic owner might have made, even if this particular set (from the AMT parts pack) are probably larger than might have been specified. I also skipped the hubcaps, going for the steel rim look instead. The new tires are taller and I had to lower the suspension to maintain a half-decent stance; still the ride height is probably stock.



Body assembly required gluing on the right side body panel (two fenders and a door), then attaching front and rear panels with holes for hood and trunk, then the left side panel, all over the completed chassis. A challenge! Revell's VW van is also put together this way, as are a number of other older kits.



The windshield, which consisted of a strip of 0.010" acetate within a frame and chrome surround, got turned into a cut-down roadster screen without a frame, I also ditched the hardtop roof and installed a soft top cover from the parts bin.



Engine detail is poor and I added a distributor to try to smarten it up. The valve cover looks like no Mercedes valve cover I have ever seen, and the carbs are wrong -- it should have a pair of double-barrel sidedraft units from Stromberg, where the kit has what looks like a pair of single barrel units (or a single double-barrel unit). Mercedes was always fairly conservative about adopting new ideas, and while the cylinder head had 4 inlet ports, it looks from online photos like the #2 and #3 exhaust ports were siamesed. That being said, aluminum overhead cam heads were standard going back to the immediate post-war era, if not earlier, so



Neither the hood nor trunk lid, both of which open, are particularly good fits,  although the mounting approach is nice.



I know this review sounds negative so far, but it is an interesting build of a forgotten classic. Making it into a slightly customised roadster was a fun exercise. Everyone has focused on the 300 SL, especially the Gullwing, but the 190 SL was an important part of the mix as it took basic sedan bits and added better carburation and a stylish body, all at a reasonable price.



Part of the size difference is due to different scales, but the 190 was quite small. I'm not sure what's next; this build eliminates a long-standing WIP but there are plenty more on the shelf. Stay tuned.

Mercedes 190 SL: Final assembly

This vintage Revell kit, which has been a WIP for over 2 years, has a lot of challenges, starting with a body made up of 9 different parts, and continuing with a poor level of detail under the hood. (See my post in January 2016 for more information about the kit).



Poor engine detail is only slightly mitigated by an aftermarket distributor. I worked as an apprentice mechanic at the local Mercedes dealer in 1975 and 1976, at which time there were still a few cars running around with this engine from the Pontoon sedan of the 1950's; the valve cover looks like no Mercedes engine I have ever seen. At least the boss for the distributor is in the right place.



Nonetheless it will be an interesting addition to the SL collection even if it is 1:25 and the Tamiya 300 SL is 1:24. (The picture dates to July 2016). Other SL's on the shelf include a resin version of the 1952 Le Mans winner, and the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut monster.



My immediate challenge is whether to use the scrawny 6.40 X 13 tires (molded, like the rest of the kit, in red styrene) or to find something a little more assertive that will fit from the parts bin. Then I will need some kind of cover for the soft top storage area as I do not intend to put on the hardtop. Stay tuned!

1956 Chrysler 300B: Complete (#6 for 2018)

Time to go cruising! I seem to have gone off on a Barge tangent lately. The 354 Hemi in the 300B will overwhelm the Stovebolt 6 in the Belair, but the Hornet's 308 might put up a fight until the disadvantages of a flathead show up at higher revs.



A moderate custom this time: suspension lowered about 2.5" at scale, and steel wheels with Racemaster slicks in the rear. The lovely little baby Moon caps are turned aluminum from the aftermarket.



Moebius kits are very well detailed and will reward an experienced builder, while being easy for a beginner -- everything fits, and the instruction sheet is all pretty clear. That being said, there is some flash and mold part lines are visible. This is unfortunate for new molds. I've got their '69 F100 with a six that I am looking forward to building, as well as another Hudson.



Moebius kits have lots of underhood detail not found in other American kits: transmission dipstick, fender-mounted vacuum tank with hoses leading to manifold and brake booster; heater hoses; detailed decals for air filter housings and power steering reservoir, among others. Detail extends to the chassis where a proper steering box can be found, actually connecting through the firewall to the steering column. 



The 300B is far more elegant than the brutish Three Hundred, and doesn't exhibit the huge fins found on the 300C and subsequent 'Letter' cars. The grille is especially nice, and could even have come from Pininfarina or Scaglietti.




Of course both cars are enooormous by today's standards. And while I haven't driven either, I have driven other barges from the mid-'60s. The word flotation comes to mind ...



So was it therapeutic? Yes, in that it was possible to get something done quick. However, it's not show quality; 'quick' still means 'sloppy' to a certain extent. Back to the more complex stuff next.



Stay tuned!

1956 Chrysler 300B: chassis and interior

In keeping with the therapeutic value, I decided to keep it simple and build it out of the box, with the exception of tires and wheels, and getting the stance right. I also went for a non-standard two-tone paint job which caused some problems.



The suspension has been lowered about 2.5" at scale. Front and rear rims come from the parts bin, probably from a Parts by Parks pack or something similar. The baby moons are turned aluminum bits from Parts by Parks, while the Racemaster slicks are from one of the AMT parts packs. The front tires are from the kit; I may switch to blackwalls before final assembly.



The engine is well detailed, with a transmission dipstick, breather tube, fuel lines joining the carbs and a crude-looking throttle linkage. There will be a vacuum tank with hoses leading to the manifold and brake booster, and a set of heater hoses.



The interior is box stock, although I used a darker shade of tan than specified for the leather seats. A lot of nice detail here, but the steering wheel sits too low and would prevent the driver getting in or out. This is a kit problem as the column lines up with the hole in the floor as it should.



Overall I am pleased with it, even if the paint could have been better. Final assembly next. Stay tuned!

1956 Chrysler 300B: Initial planning

Suffering as I do from a bad case of ADD, and needing a break from the mental effort involved in the highly customised S600/2000 and resin Type C, I decided to tackle Moebius' fine 300B. I've got a '69 300 (from Johan) and one of Moebius' Hudsons, so this will fit right into the Barge category.



In order for it to work as therapy, I'll build it out of box, except for two-tone paint, lowered suspension and (possibly) new tires and rims. And with the distributor in the back, and plug wires running under covers to the plugs in the hemi head, I won't even need to bother wiring it up.

All my stalled projects have one thing in common: the engine and drivetrain are quickly complete, but I get stuck on the bodywork. So I decided to start with the bodywork on this one.



So the first problem arose when Tamiya's white primer started pooling and making little pockets of no coverage, just like there was a lot of solvent or grease on the body in spite of a careful wash in dish soap and thorough rinsing and drying. I cleaned it all up with isopropanol, and went straight to the top coat for the roof, Tamiya TS-7 Racing White.



This also acted funny, but added coats seem to have leveled out. Still it needed a lot of careful sanding between coats before taping the roof up to put on the lower body colour. I am trying to avoid excessive paint build-up or sanding because the very fine Chrysler script on the fenders and hood will quickly disappear otherwise, even though I covered it in Bare Metal Foil prior to painting.



As soon as the white is hard enough, I'll tape it up and paint the lower body using Tamiya AS19, Intermediate US Navy Blue. I like these military colours as they are very '50s; the downside is they are slightly matte. A bit of polishing and some clear usually fixes that. Meanwhile the engine and chassis are coming together, with the only major problem (I hope) being figuring out how to lower the front end.



So was this restful and therapeutic? Not really ...

Auto-Union Type C: initial planning

When I saw this one on eBay, I just had to buy it. A Type C! The specs are seriously scary: a six-litre V16 with a blower making 520 horsepower, swing axles in back and a pair of trailing arms that look like VW Beetle items up front. (Actually the Beetle front suspension looks like a Type C). It's a brutal device by all accounts, and the kit, by a little known Portuguese fellow named Fernando Pinto, is actually pretty decent.





There is the usual amount of flash to clean up; in fact there are some thin pieces that are barely thicker than the flash and that will therefore be problematic. On the other hand, his habit of embedding wire in plastic is interesting, as in the grille; and the hand-laced wire wheels are very nice.



Primer and some putty to fix gaps and pinholes have been successfully applied and left to sit for a few days. No resin paint horror stories, at least not yet [knock on wood] ... next will be to move on to the silver paint which will cover most of the car. I'll use TS-17 (Flat Aluminum) for engine components, and AS-12 (Bare-Metal Silver) or TS-30 (Silver Leaf) for various parts of the body, in order to try to keep some interest.



It will get parked next to my only other F1 car, the Honda RA272 with the 1.5 litre V12 ... A study in contrasts.