In-Progress - Bugatti Royale

As requested (& promised) in another thread, here's some pics of the Bugatti Royale that I'm currently building. It's Bandai's 1:16 kit, so it's very large - shown below next to a 1:24 GTO for comparison, with a 1:24 MB 500K in the background:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2026.sized.jpg

Like virtually all my kits, I bought it off eBay. It was described as untouched & complete. Complete yes, but untouched - no, as the body had already been painted.... Fortunately though it was to a good standard (& probably better than I could acheive) so I'll leave it as it is. The body is slightly warped which is normal, and it's much better than on the other one that I have (which will be built as either just a rolling chassis or converted to match another Royale bodystyle).

http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2020.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2021.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2022.sized.jpg
Amongst other things, the chassis needs to have the detailing finished before the wings / floor can be glued down. I have loads of reference pics of the chassis, but might save some of that detail for the other one. Getting the rear axle into the right place was a pain - if it was left where the fit of the parts would put it, it ended up off centre in the wheelarch :banghead: It's not quite perfect now (much better than before though) and even this involved a lot of juggling and careful trimming / building up of mountings etc.

To give an idea of the size, here's the real thing (the exact one in this kit:smokin: ) as seen at the Goodwood Revival in '04:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Goodwood-Revival-04/IMGP0845.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Goodwood-Revival-04/IMGP0888.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Goodwood-Revival-04/IMGP0844.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Goodwood-Revival-04/IMGP0843.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Goodwood-Revival-04/IMGP0893.sized.jpg

Wish I'd taken more photos but it was long before I bought the kit..... :rolleyes:

I'll post up some more pics later :)

That thing is Beastly! keep us updated.

Good god that thing is HUGE!!!

Those definitely are massive! Looking good!

Huge..yea! Keep up the awsoem progress man!

Another pic to show the size - next to a Bandai 1:16 Mercer Raceabout (itself a large car):
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2030.sized.jpg

Quick mock-up / trial fit of the body panels. The doors & bonnet are just propped in place, hence the poor fit.
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2031.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2034.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2032.sized.jpg

Excellent nice to see someone else building this kit. I built it a few years ago and posted it here. Feel free to check it out. Looks like I need to take some updated pics with my new camera.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=250339&highlight=bugatti+royale

looks good.

Should be great when you've finished her!

I seem to remember reading somewhere that they only made about 8 chassis' and this Coupe de Ville started life as a roadster! That must have been something to see (!!!)

Thanks for all the comments guys! I haven't done any more yet but I hope to make some progress this weekend.

Martin - funny that you should mention the Esders roadster (http://www.bugattipage.com/voitures/bugatti/esders.htm) - that was already one of my ideas for rebodying my other 1:16 Royale kit (complete, and the wings / bonnet are ok, but the body is very badly warped) but given the history behind it, that's definately the plan now!
:)

Great work on this classic beauty so far. I have this kit and plan on starting it very soon. Gathering reference for these cars is no easy task. I'd really like to see the chassis photos you have. I hope you make the roadster body. It'd be cool to see both bodys for chassis 41111 together.

Should be great when you've finished her!

I seem to remember reading somewhere that they only made about 8 chassis' and this Coupe de Ville started life as a roadster! That must have been something to see (!!!)

This chassis was in fact bodied as a boat-tail roadster originally. Here is a recreation of the original 'Esders' car.
http://images14.fotki.com/v250/photos/4/431166/2926176/2215_1084308187_type_41_esders-vi.jpg

There were six chassis's built, and there have been 11 different body configurations. Each one of them was fantastic. It's a shame that there weren't 11 separate chassis's and bodys created.

Fabulous!! Just done a Google image search on Esders (I guess you have too) and there are quite a few pics of that recreation on there. It doesn't look as if that would be too difficult a conversion although the details may be harder to get.
Keep us posted.

Update!!

I've been trial fitting the body & interior, & there are a few minor issues, but nothing that I think can't be sorted out. Pleasantly surprised especially given that this is an old kit ('70s?) and the bonnet & all the doors open.

Problem 1:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2071.jpg
Body doesn't fit properly against the wheelarch - hopefully some careful sanding of the lower edges of the body will fix this. if pressure is applied, it lines up but I don't want to have to hold it while the glue dries:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2073.jpg

Problem 2:
Rear door hinges are visible in the chauffeur's compartment:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2074.jpg
Should be able to solve this by boxing it in with plasticard. The body will need this anyway as the centre pillars are quite weak (one has already snapped & been repaired). The division doesn't line up properly as the body is slightly warped, but it will be ok once it's glued. The texture to the seat is quite good and I can't decide yet whether painting it will actually improve it!

Problem 3:
Unfortunately the hinge aperture is much larger than it needs to be:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2081.jpg
Again, plasticard to the rescue!

Problem 4:
Body sitting too high on the chassis at the back:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2087.jpg
Again, pressure solves this, so will carefully sand the top of the chassis / underside of the floor as required.

And now for a few proper pics. At this stage, none of the interior has been painted yet (the orange parts will be tan coloured - Humbrol matt 29):
[img]http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2070.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2086.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2088.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2079.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2084.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2075.jpg
The door looks like it's hanging off rather than opening smoothly as the hinge panel is onlu blue-tacked in place - actual fit will be better!

Wheel detail:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2082.jpg
The spokes have been painted silver, as they are matt on the real thing. Still needs a black wash & the red band added.

:)

No pics as there's nothing exciting to show, however I hope that this thread may help anyone else who builds this kit :)

The wings / floor are now on the chassis, and sitting properly, or at least as well as is possible - it's not 100% but it's ok. I've had to file out the front wheelarch apertures a bit to improve the wheelarch to wheel fit, and in order to get the wings to fit properly at the rear, the fuel tank had to be removed as it was making the body sit too high. This is a knock-on effect from my adjustments to the position of the rear axle (it needed to move back to centre the wheels in the arches), and I've had to remove most of the top of the fuel tank so it will fit - fortunately these changes won't be visible.

My next project will probably be Heller's 1:16 Citroen DS19 'Decapotable' (cabrio), which I've mocked-up quickly to check the panel fit before I spray the body - it looks tiny next to the Royale, even though it's the same scale!

Great to see that you are getting on with this one, despite no new pictures.

These older 1/16 kits are surely additiive if you like the Vintage/Post Vintage era (which I do) and take a lot of work to get 'right'.

I have found that the body tub to rear wing (fender) never fits without a bit of persuasion (as you said). There are two options here - either sand down for a perfect fit or apply a couple of dabs of CA glue between your poly cement to hold the body tub down. It depends on the end product I think - for instance I don't know whether the Royale has the tube trim between the fender and the bodywork as in some cars of that era (if it has - then the fit doesn't have to be as exact and you can get away with the original because the tubing will cover the gap). (hope I'm not trying to teach my Grandmother to suck eggs here)


Keep us posted on this one because I'm sure there is a lot of interest

Good luck with the 'Bug-antics'

I'll try to get some more pics up soon - the underside is now looking much more complete as the fuel tank and the transmission (which is glued to the underside of the floor, not the chassis :rolleyes: ) are now in place.

Many thanks for the tips to get the body to fit properly - much appreciated. I'd forgotten about wing piping!! I'll probably tweak / sand the body edges to get the fit as good as possible, and then if necessary, use piping to hide the gap if it's still noticable. What would you recommend as being the best material for it?

Fully agree with you about these 1:16 kits - the subject matter is great & most aren't available in other scales. Along with the Heller prewar / classic cars, these have to be my favourite kits. I've several more Bandais that I've yet to build - '37 Packard 12 Roadster (definately one of their best - it's so much more detailed than the Bugatti, with things like individual U bolts for attaching the back axle!),'10 Thomas Flyabout & '08 R-R Silver Ghost balloon car. I've already built the '13 Mercer Raceabout (shown earlier in the thread) which is a nice kit, but very fiddly to paint all the black stripes on the body :banghead: - that reminds me, I ought to post up some decent pics! That & the Bugatti have been quite challenging sometimes but in a good way. However, they are still well detailed, & when new must have been quite special! However, I won't be buying any more as I've enough kits now to keep me busy for a very long time.....

Paul :)

Your query re piping (that's the word I was trying to think of - 'tubing' DOH!).

For 1/16 on that car DetailMaster DM-1422 1inch coolent hose should be about right. In 1/16 scale that would make it about 1/2 inch which maybe a bit small on the real car but would look about right in miniature.

Have you added piping before? It's a nerve wracking process because it comes right at the end of the build when you have a nicely polished body and one slip can smear glue (trust me - I've done it! - smeared I mean).

There have to be many ways to get around it of course but the way I find best is to take your start point with the piping and with a piece of thin wire dab a spot of CA glue and set the piping at the start point - then, again with a spot of CA on the wire dab another small amount on the body about an inch further along and stretch the piping until it takes hold. By this time there will be a build up of glue on the wire so cut it off and for the next dab of glue, about an inch further again, use the clean end dipped in the glue. Work like this all around, stretching the piping and letting it take hold with each dab of glue. Keep the wire as clean as possible because it is easy for it to slip if you have too much CA, so everytime it gets a bit clogged cut the end off and use the clean end again.

Hope that makes a bit of sense and helps a little. As they say ' it works for me'

Time for an update - yes, I am still building it!

After much work, especially repairing where the left hand 'B' pillar repeatedly broke :banghead: , I have now mounted the body to the chassis. This was an absolute pain, as a slight warp in the body meant that I had to use plenty of superglue, and hold the body in place whilst it dried :banghead: However, it was worth it as there is no longer a gap between the body and the rear wings (as per a previous post) - in fact it fits ok now and I would expect a new (ie unwarped) one to be a good fit. The fitment of the doors to the body was quite straight forward, even though I have also had to repair one of the hinges due to the model falling off my desk..... :rolleyes:, but it's almost there now :)

Enough talk - here's some pics! :grinyes:

http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2472.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2474.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2475.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2476.sized.jpg

And with the bonnet, radiator and lights in place (still to be fitted properly as I'm sorting out the bonnet hinges & fitment)
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2479.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2480.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2481.sized.jpg
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2486.sized.jpg

And next to my 1:24 Cord, to show the size :eek:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Model-Kits/IMGP2482.sized.jpg

Still to do - fit all lights, a few underbonnet details, bonne, radiator and pain the red band on the wheels - I'm not looking forward to the last one. Oh, and find space for it on the shelf....

And here's a taster of something I painted earlier today :wink:
http://x-files.serveftp.com/paulharkerdesign/personalgallery/albums/Morris-Cooper/IMGP2488.sized.jpg
:evillol: