Mercedes Benz 300SL "Gullwing"

Hello everyone, although I always share my build ups with local modelers via private emails, this is gonna be the first time I share something like this on the web, so, any one here that want to advice me on anything to improve the model or anything you guys think it's not correct, please feel to tell me.

Ok, first of all, this kind of model it's not easy to find except for the 1/25 AMT version. I was so lucky that after mess up an original Heller kit from the 70's, I got another three, the Heller from 1989, the "Prestige" series kit from AMT, and the rare version from Italeri. I think the most complete for the buck it's the AMT, but, to me after finished it looks to me more to a toy than anything else. The Heller version(both are the same, just the art box changes) it's very accurate, but, tooling it's too 70's and some extra work have to be done, specially when you have to glue the two halves that makes the front of the model. For me the Italeri has the most of avantages, starting with the idea that I built the cabrio version last year(some of you guys that went to the 2005 GSL saw it), and it's the same model with the only difference this one has a top and another dash. Also it has more room to any alteration I like to do. The only "dislike" I can mention on this model it's the subject that if it's named 'Gullwing" it's supposed to have gullwing opened style doors, and this one doesn't have them open, but....the makers of this model looks like though on it and engrave wide lines on the body panels and interior detail on doors inside panel were ready for it. So....I picked up the Italeri. I kept the other two versions, the Heller and the AMT, if some one are interesed on them, just tell me and I will sell them.

The AMT "Pretige" Series Kit
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/38_1_b.jpg


The Heller-Humbrol Version
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/gda23.jpg


The Italeri Version
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/9c_1_b.jpg



Simón Rivera

The body building it's quite similar on this Italeri Euro models You have to put together the body that usually it's made out of 3 parts, main body, front half, and rear bottom half. It also will include 2 inside body panels at the sides.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture044.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture046.jpg


Both rear and from sections were glued to form a straight solid body.The inside were sealed with a good dose of super glue. Instead of putty, I treated the seal lines with Gunze Sangyo's Mr Surfacer 500, a liquid semi-thick primer that also doubles as liquid putty. This kind of primer from Gunze it's so great, that you don't have to sand anything else after it dries...highly recomended!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture061.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture064.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture067.jpg


After the primer-Putty was dry, proceed to open the doors. It already started to looks like the gullwing.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture072.jpg



Everything was sealed with my favorite primer, Gunze Sangyo Mr. Surfacer 1000. Contrary to the Surfacer 500, this one it's pretty thinn, but, like the other, no sannding after drying time. You can see the flush and even surface on the model.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture090.jpg


Because I glued panels or like when you shave any detail on a body, chances are that you can see "Ghost images" after the paint coats are shooted, not like with the primer coats. To avoid that, I airbrushed those glued spots with Dupont Variprime to seal everything up. This one just requires a little sanding like the moon mud primer from Cobra Colors, for those that are familiar with the product like my good friend Imaelg.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture098.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture099.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture100.jpg


Everything was again sealed with Mr. Surfacer 1000.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture103.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture104.jpg

looking good, I guess there's no need in telling you that the paint job quality depends entirely on the prep work, that is a pretty thurough job. I can't wait to see it with color on it. I'd like to see it in a bright candy red with some late 70's corvette wheels on it, I bet that'd look pretty sweet.

Due to I've been very deep with Finishers paints with my ferraris and any red color model I 've been painting in the last 2 years, I have read that they make a color named Foudation Blue, that is specially designed as a base for metallic color like silver. This blue, makes silver looks more metallic as I read from the Finisher description color list. Due I didn't have on have this blue at the moment I paint my model, instead, I used an old mix of light blue from model masters paints that I did to paint a Porsche 917LH like 8 years ago, It was so much time ago that I thought I can't use but for my surprize, it was in great shape. I just add a little bit of Krylon Gloss White to light it up a litlle bit.

To make my "Foudation Blue" mix more lighter, I shoot first a Krylon gloss white first, then, to our real hot summer Puertorrican outside sun of July to speedup drying time.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture110.jpg



After a couple of minutes outside(this paint dries real fast, like 10 minutes or so), I airbrushed the base light blue. Here you guys can see the what important is to take some time on the body work, there it's no marks of the sealing after the panels gluing.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture112.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture113.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture114.jpg


The color base coat was also custom mix. I mix 5:1 ratio of Humbrol metallic with Model Masters Gloss Gull Gray. After studying again the finishers catalog, I saw that also metallics can have a brown base that I guess could be closer to the final silver of this Mercedes that typically has an amber tint finish. It's real rare the use of enamels by me as a base on a body, but, this time I did an exception. I always prefer lacquers, but, I already had these colors. The only difference was the way I thinn them. Since I prefer lacquers because it's real fast time drying time, and because it's thinn consistency, I thinn my custom mix with PPG lacquer mid-temp thinner. Unlike when you use the Testors enamel thinner, in about 10-15 minutes the body was ready for handing, something you can't take the risk when you use enamels.

The body after the custom silver coats.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture153.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture154.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture155.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture157.jpg


After a couple of days for drying time, I clear coated the model with PPG urethane clear. This was the one I could use for this job because this model almost has a complete rounded shape, and you guys knows that when you shoot paint or clear to any ronuded shape on a model, the gloss you obtain in that part it's perfect. Using this as a rule of thumb, I though after I clear coat the model with this I won't have to sand or polish anything else and that's the way it was.

Here you can see the results.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture475.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture476.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture477.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture479.jpg

Looks great and great subject. I've heard about Finisher's paints, but where do you order them?

I oredered them with Rainbowten.com...excellent service!

These paints are among the best stuff I 've ever used, if not the best!


Looks great and great subject. I've heard about Finisher's paints, but where do you order them?

looks great but wrong forum.

Oustanding finishing and really interesting workflow: thanks for sharing.

Wonderfull.. Nice Work1

lookin good so far. I cant wait to see when its done!

Absolutely amazing paint work, cannot wait to see the rest.

Absolutely great build!!! I also like your step-by-step illustrations-this is why I love this forum. One can always learn from the masters.

And this time I found a real gem: Thinning enamels with lacquer thinner! I had to run to the basement and try it out right away. It works great. I sprayed it on a spare body panel, same color I did a car in recently. Looks so much better, so smooth - and it dries really fast.

Thank you, gracias, for your detailed build description. I can't wait to see how it will continue.

Jens

Which forum I should use in your opinion?




looks great but wrong forum.

Sorry for the question, I already found that this kind of topics should be on WIP(work in progress)section and in one thread. Like I said at the beggining, it's my first time posting a build up.

Know, I will continue with the Gullwing build up!





Which forum I should use in your opinion?

Let's go to the inside!

While the body clear coats dries for a few days, I'll go to the inside tub. First, I will post some interior pictures of the real car from were I will start on. Like you guys can see, this is truly special car indeed. This dash it's real impresive with all that chrome all over.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Interiores7.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/dscn1832.jpg


I started first selecting this red color for the interior. The reason was some pictures I saw of it in some books, that I actually like the contrast with the Gull gray metallic, and beceuse this one was one of the original combos on the actual car. For this color, I chose Bright Red from Finishers. A red that it's almost the sameas the Porsche's guard red color. This was flated a little bit with some Model Masters Acrylic semi-gloss clear. I was lucky that I have the testor red flocking that match perfectly with it.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture107.jpg

Everything it's being prepared for red-black of the carpets color separation as you can see in the pictures below the interior tub.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture116.jpg

After I painted the tub, I start to add some details that will match the real car. There is a little bar where the luggage belts will wrap. This was made out of some piano wire across the tub.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/GWCC11.jpg


Here it's a picture of the real dash and how it will have to be detailed.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC04842.jpg

After the dash, seats, and added the steering wheel and the shift stick; this is the way how it's look until now.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture143.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture146.jpg

Here there is another detail not to be missed...the interior side speakers.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/JUDD177.jpg


Like I told at the beginning, I had an original Heller kit that I messed up. From that kit I took the speakers...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture137.jpg


But..there is something still to add...the speakers grill. I got'em from the detail master speaker detail set. A real nice touch!...it will be later completed with some tiny bolts from the Model Car Garage nuts 609 Bolt head details set.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture138.jpg


Fom the Aston Martin DB4 Revell kit, I got the luggage set. Real differet from the one that came with the Gullwing, but,...it's the only one in hand at the moment since it's real hard to get one likt that.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Maletas.jpg


Here is how I finished it. I will add some other detail to them later.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture158.jpg

Here it's a mock up how it will look when completed. Like you guys can see here, the engine it's already fitted, but I remeved it to do the detailing, and that ovbiously will be another chapter.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture181-1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture188.jpg



to be continued!!!!

Wonderfull Work on the interior... Looks like the real car!!

Looks great, and amazing paint! Very inspirational too - reading this has made me dig out my AMT and Heller Gullwing kits to have a close look at them. Both have their pros & cons but due to the difference in scale (1:24 vs 1:25), I'm not sure whether they could be kitbashed together - for example the AMT body will fit snugly inside the Heller one :eek:

BTW, do you recommend that Tamiya painting stand? After a few near accidents when spray painting, I've been thinking of gettiing one.

wow. impressive work there!

this may be a bit late, but I have a suggestion that might better your build.....if that is at all possible.

the speaker grills, while fantastic in appearance, I think if you took the plastic grills, cut the "foam center" out , and place the metal grill behind the chrome ring would look much more realistic.

sorry if that is incomprehensable, but I'm on about 25 hours of no sleep.

very impressive build, I am following this closely. and the tip of laquer thinner in the enamel paint....I should have thought of that, I use laquer thinner to clean all my painting tools and brushes. I'm about to paint my first car in 2 years, and I'm going to use this trick that I learned from YOU!!!!

thanks for the inspiration.

Amazing.........love the suitecases, great touch.

Superb and outstanding work :worshippy

A very interesting and educational build. I love the detail you added with the luggage tie-down rail - I had no idea that was there and will for sure add it to mine when I build it .

Looking forward to more.

Well this stand is great.but...you have to be a little bit carefully, because, the bottom half(the base, no the part with the clips) of it, if it's not real tight could be loose and make the model bo to land to the floor. It happened to me the firt time I applied the first clear coat of this Gullwing model, so, be carefull.

Besides that, I dont' have any doubt it's much better that the traditional coat hanger or any other device you can use for it. For it's cheap price, you don't just get one stand, you get two, beacuse it comes with another one good to hold small to medium parts.


Looks great, and amazing paint! Very inspirational too - reading this has made me dig out my AMT and Heller Gullwing kits to have a close look at them. Both have their pros & cons but due to the difference in scale (1:24 vs 1:25), I'm not sure whether they could be kitbashed together - for example the AMT body will fit snugly inside the Heller one :eek:

BTW, do you recommend that Tamiya painting stand? After a few near accidents when spray painting, I've been thinking of gettiing one.

Being a musician make me think that everything has to be "fine tuned" all the time. This time with the interior tub, I won't make the exception. You guys remember that in the last post I told that I will add some details later, well, here are them.

These are the detailing bolt heads from Model Car Garage that I will add to match the ones from the real car speakers picture. Now it looks a little bit like the real one.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture505.jpg

If you guys look carefully to the second picture I posted in part one of the interior tub, you guys will notice that at the sides of the dash there are some handles. These handles are included in the kit but, are hold in place in the parts tree by the middle of the part, so, when you cut them they will be badly noticed. To fix that, I rechromed the part with Alclad II and made from plastruct the plate that holdsthem in place. This is another error from the kit, the part is supposed to be just glued with out any hole or anything, you just have to imagine where it will be placed. I made the base plate and also added the bolts that holds that plate in place.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture487.jpg

How it looks already mouted in at the side of the dash.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture509.jpg


To improve the look of the dash, I shaved the plastic knobs and added real metal knock off swithches from Sakatsu. Also. I made a computer generated "300SL" script using the Testars decal maker kit. Another detail was, the clock decal that I took from the Heller original kit I messed up.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture517.jpg

Another detail that makes the difference it's the floor carpet edge. This was made from a simple black ignition wire, painted white first to lighten it up, then red.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture519.jpg


My favorite part of the interior details. A modeler have always to have his or her eyes wide open in any place that one goes. This was my case in my most recent visit to the Orlando parks. When I went to Sea World, I saw a pirates vault that has some old decals from hotel in different part of the world. What I did, I took close up pictures of them and scale it down to be glued at the top of the luggage. I know that this fine car has a luxury luggage set that it was not supposed with something like this, but, I think makes the interior look differet. I would like to hear your opinion!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture500.jpg

I made belts from masking tape and added claspses from the Sakatsu Bonnet hooks.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture522.jpg


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture527.jpg


Here it's a general view of how everything looks until now.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture533.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture534.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture536.jpg

Looks beautiful!

Looks great.

I like the deatils/improvements you are adding and I get the i,mpression that YOU are enjoying this build too :D

P.S. I had the same problem with the Tamiya stand myself a couple of times. You just need to push the two parts together a bit harder than at first seems neccessary and then it stays together just fine - HTH

Man!...you have had me thinking all day long how to do it!...what a great tip!...defenitly I will do it!...it's a must for me now!....



:iagree:
this may be a bit late, but I have a suggestion that might better your build.....if that is at all possible.

the speaker grills, while fantastic in appearance, I think if you took the plastic grills, cut the "foam center" out , and place the metal grill behind the chrome ring would look much more realistic.

sorry if that is incomprehensable, but I'm on about 25 hours of no sleep.

very impressive build, I am following this closely. and the tip of laquer thinner in the enamel paint....I should have thought of that, I use laquer thinner to clean all my painting tools and brushes. I'm about to paint my first car in 2 years, and I'm going to use this trick that I learned from YOU!!!!

thanks for the inspiration.

i love how the build's progressing :D

Great Build!!!

I definitely like it!

That attention to details is what really makes the difference, those handles look great, regarding the luggage, personally they looked more elegant and a little better without the decals, but, anyway they look nice.

I didn’t know that this version existed, now you have created a necessity, I already build the Italeri’s 300SL roadster version, but now I need this, it’s awesome.

With a detail level like this, I can’t wait to see the job on the engine.

And by the way, you are in the right Forum.

Good job!

Well this stand is great.but...you have to be a little bit carefully, because, the bottom half(the base, no the part with the clips) of it, if it's not real tight could be loose and make the model bo to land to the floor. It happened to me the firt time I applied the first clear coat of this Gullwing model, so, be carefull.

Besides that, I dont' have any doubt it's much better that the traditional coat hanger or any other device you can use for it. For it's cheap price, you don't just get one stand, you get two, beacuse it comes with another one good to hold small to medium parts.


I had the same problem with the Tamiya stand myself a couple of times. You just need to push the two parts together a bit harder than at first seems neccessary and then it stays together just fine - HTH

Many thanks guys :)

Hmmm, I m really jealous!

This model is shaping up really nicely, you got the right details and extra on the right places, like the luggage, carpeting handles... so beautiful!

Just a question ... when the model is closed and you open the doors, won't there be a gap or a raised thingy where the underside of the doorsill meets the interior tub?


Good luck and I m awaiting the next update.

Oli

Well, this is a good question and a better observation. I haven't closed the model yet since there it's a lot still to do, but, looking at what I done to the moment I guess it won't and if it will, I think it will be very little. I know if look from the side, like the view you guys have from pictures, but, it will be less than it looks.

Again, thanks for the obsevation.




Hmmm, I m really jealous!

This model is shaping up really nicely, you got the right details and extra on the right places, like the luggage, carpeting handles... so beautiful!

Just a question ... when the model is closed and you open the doors, won't there be a gap or a raised thingy where the underside of the doorsill meets the interior tub?


Good luck and I m awaiting the next update.

Oli

I'm baaaaaccckk!....No, I haven't working with the model, I've been lazy!


Before going to the engine, I feel that I have to do some fine tuning to some parts in the interior tub. I started with the speakers, then some bolts to the uplhostery and the scratchbuilding of the interior door lock system.

You remember that RSXSE240 suggested me to intead just glue the photo etch speaker grill panel over the plastic Heller speaker, to trim that to shape and then glue it inside the rim of the speaker. That's exactlly what I did, but, I also added some bare metal foil to that rim and then the tiny bolt heads.


How it looks before......

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/Picture505.jpg



The part after the removement of the grill with the completed part.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05744.jpg


This is how it looks now.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05750.jpg



more in the next email......

Mercedes Benz 300SL "Gullwing"- Interior Door panels


The door panels in this model come very well deatiled if you accept they were designed to be in the closed position. Remember I opened them. In any way, they have to be reworked to make them a little bit more realistic. It just come with a part that makes complete the door lock, the interior door release handle, and the outside open handle.

Here you can see the original outside handle and the keylock. I just used that outside handle from the plastic part and for the keylock, I glued together 2 washers from the model car garage set.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC04902.jpg

How it being.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05687.jpg


I also add bare metal foil to the moulding and with a black artist pen, I simulated the rubber seal outside the metal moulding in the real car. Here you can see the difference among the two doors.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05685.jpg


For the interior lock release, I had to carved some solder wire in order to make them to shape. Here you can see the real part and how being mine.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC04898.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05719.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05728.jpg


I added some bolt heads to the upholstery and the metal plate base to the interior lock release sistem. I even added the bolt head that goes right in the middle of the release buttom.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05730.jpg


Outside view of the door.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05734.jpg

Inside view.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05738.jpg



Bolt heads along the interior panel.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05736.jpg

An accident made an interesting detail to the interior. I accidentally droped a drop of glue right in the middle of the two seats. To cover that error(because you guys don't expect that I would take out again and repaint!), I scaled down a map of Germany and folded it to place it were the drop is. Remember this cars were use to take long trips in Europe. Also this over view tell you guys how the model it's being.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05752.jpg



Just some more item to the interio and will go to the engine.

This is an awsome amount of detail you are putting into this build :thumbsup:

I am particularly impressed with your interior and exterior door releases!

Looking forward to your next update.

An accident made an interesting detail to the interior. I accidentally droped a drop of glue right in the middle of the two seats. To cover that error(because you guys don't expect that I would take out again and repaint!), I scaled down a map of Germany and folded it to place it were the drop is. Remember this cars were use to take long trips in Europe. Also this over view tell you guys how the model it's being.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05752.jpg


Just some more item to the interio and will go to the engine.[/QUOTE]

Thanks to the observation of a good friend in the internet, I was able to correct some things in the doors interior panel. For my luck, I haven't had to strip any paint from the whole door, just sand the interior old paint, do some putting and repaint everything.

First it was the color. Although it looked like the same, the truth is that on the tub I painted Finishers Bright Red over Gloss White and when I did the doors, I painted the Bright Red over the exterior Silver. I did thinking that the Silver base also would give me a bright base, but, truth was that I wasn't like that. This time I airbrushed it using the same formula, toping everything with Model Master Semi-gloss clear.

Next, after I remeved the old baremetal covered plate using the measure of the hole to place the plastic part that comes with the model, I noticed that it's oversized or like we the modelers say, "out of scale". This time for the plate I used a bit of plastruct coveres with bare metal foil. After that, all the bolt heads were placed evenly, like sjordan suggested at the same time Ilooked to the pictures I have.

For the interior handle, I used the same one, but I shorted it a little bit cutting it with a blade. The grab handle also was replace to the correct spot, a little bit upwards in the padded underside of the bolster under the window. For the correct meausurement, I placed it ends in the middle direction of the frame of the door's little glass.

Some painting is still to be done on the upper half of the door, but, It will be done when I will do the door's hinges and the interior body upholstery.

As a brief summary...using this actual car picture...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC04897.jpg

I went from this....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05738.jpg

to this...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05775.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Porsnatic/DSC05770.jpg


Know, I will let the inerior rest for a while and will go to most interesting section...the engine!

Wow! This is beautiful!