Roger's handcrafted 1:12 scale models

[Roger Zimmermann]

Well, Nelson, my words were probably not reflecting my thinking: I know what is under this or that, but I have to study and look at older pictures how exactly this or that element is installed. One point I have often trouble: which screws are used? 0.5 or 0.6mm? Or maybe 0.7? If I was wise enough to write it down at my sketches, it's easy. Unfortunately, I too often forget that small detail (or I did a change during the construction). Something I had problems too: which is the correct assembly order? For example: I wanted to install the A/C condenser on the radiator cradle before the air deflector because I could insert the A/C lines with ease. Not good: there are 3 screws which must be installed before the condenser can be installed. And so on... 

Anyway, thanks for the kind words!

[Roger Zimmermann]

A nasty cold let me down for 10 days; fortunately, as I’m almost finished with the model, I did not care too much. When I got better, I could begin the last few hoses for the A/C. 2 are done, one still has to go. To install the one going from the compressor to the condenser, I had to remove the panel holding the hood lock. The first picture from this serie is showing the condenser before panel and grille will hide it. I imagined that the installation of this panel and grille would go in 5 minutes. Oh naïve I’m! Something was jamming: the “horns” from the lower grille molding were preventing the grill to go high enough. When the grille and panel were attached with a few bolts, the assembly pushed the front clip on one side, the hood was not closing properly…I had to remove the lower molding from the grille and see what happens: all good! When presenting the molding to the installed grille, I saw that some holes were no more aligned. I suppose that the several coats of paint are thick enough to upset the original fitting.

To elongate the holes was not a big deal, that place is unseen. Once the grille and upper panel were definitively assembled with 10 bolts, I could attach the modified molding with 10 more screws. This time, the support I did long ago was very helpful: the model is not moving during the assembly and the paint well protected.

With the car upside-down, it was the opportunity to install the front bumper. Fortunately, I prepared long before a tool to tighten the nuts; it was also used for the rear bumper.

A last task had to be done before the car is back on its wheels: connect the parking lamps with the headlamps. As the frame and bumper supports had a good coat of paint, I was not sure it the circuit for the parking lamps would be closed; fortunately, it was! OK, the illumination is rather weak; it’s just for the show.

The last picture is showing how the model is getting the current: through the filler tube…Not very spectacular, but again, it’s just for the show.

 

 

[Paulie9fingers]

All very cool, hope you're feeling better.

[keiser31]

As Mary Poppins would say, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"!

[Laughing Coyote]

I have no words.   Hope you feel better Roger.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks! I'm on my way up!

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Pleased to hear that you feel better after the nasties got you down. We all must have been getting antsy for some news of your progress. 

I was thinking that if I had a way to thank you for all this wonderful project, what would it be? Now, after learning you were down, I think that what I wish for you is continued health and happiness for a long, long time. 

[John S.]

Roger, you are a Master Builder. Nothing short of fantastic! What a beautiful Continental John

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Pat and John!

I too hope to have health and happiness for a long, long time!

[Roger Zimmermann]

With most of the parts installed, what is still to do? Obviously, the windshield and back window must now be installed. Even with the best I could do, the windows are not a perfect fit; they must be glued to the body to have a decent fitting. The most appropriate method is with clear silicone. In case it oozes on the window, it can be removed when cured. I just have to be careful as too much silicone inside will be extremely difficult to remove.

With such kind of cars, there are chromed parts associated with the windows. Before the installation, I checked the fit of the back widow molding and the one at the belt. The dip rail molding was too low; it prevented to belt molding to follow the roof’s shape. A small file shortened the drip molding on both side to allow the belt molding to go under.

On the picture, the upper back window molding is temporary installed to help the fitting of the “glass”. It will be glued later. The tape will be there for 24 hours, the time for the silicone to cure.

[NCollar]

Roger

I am so glad to hear you are doing better. Life has it bumps and it seems they always set us back but where there is a will, there is a way. 

I will continue to pray for your health and well being.

Very, very nice build, I am so glad I came along for the journey. It has never disappointed me when I checked in on your progress.

Nelson

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Looks just like a full size auto with a bunch of sandwich wrap on it. And a big ruler under. Looking very nice, and the finish is very attractive in the light this photo has.

[PONTIAC1953]

roger, you are missed when there's no new posts and new pictures on your progress, what's going to happen when you are finish building this model ?

 

 

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for the comments!

To pontiac1953: you are not the sole person with that question. Some time ago, I took the decision that I will not do again a complete model, as it "eat" all my time. The next task (don't remember if I mention it already here: the electrical system on the Toronado model is not finished, it will be done. The electrical seat is no more functioning because the track system was not clever: it jams. I will do something similar to the Mark II as the seat in this model is working perfectly.

All those improvements will be related here as I don't feel a new topic will make sense. Of course, my reports will not be so often as they used to be. After that, collecting postmarks?

 

One part less lying around: the reveal or belt molding around the rear quarter. I don’t remember if its contour was following exactly the shape of the body; of course, after the paint process it was not. With a slight “massage”, the result was acceptable and I glued definitively with clear silicone. There are most probably stronger products for the task; the advantage here is the ease of cleaning of the excess material once it’s cured. Cyanoacrylate glue is fine but it’s etching the paint. If there is excess glue, the damages are irreversible.

At the same time, I’m preparing the windshield for the installation. One element after another!

 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Fadt]

This stuff is brilliant. I have used it to glue windows in a model car. It stays liquid until you hit it with the UV light, so you can remove it before its cured.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Second-Fix-Liquid-Plastic-UV-Seal-Wood-Glass-Fabric-Welding-Kit-Fix-Repair/163038439545?hash=item25f5d92879:g:sBEAAOSw8~JbK1fy:rk:21:pf:0

Edited December 8, 2018 by Fadt (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for the link; unfortunately it's too late! From a French forum I got also other links to products I was not aware. One learn something new each day!

[Roger Zimmermann]

And now? No more updates? Indeed, I did almost nothing recently, slow enough to finish next year and not in 2018!

I want to do a nameplate instead of a license plate, of course with the script “MARK II”. I had the stupid idea to choose a script art with “feet” which is making each letter very difficult. Indeed, I cannot do them in one piece (except both I I) but in 2 or 3. The letters M and A are requiring 3 parts silver soldered together; probably I can do the R and K in 2 pieces. We’ll see.

As you can see, the “A” is still missing an element: I had to fix the /\ at the top to be able to adjust the missing element.

My letters are maybe too fat; it’s hard to see the results before something is done.

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

The script is slowly going forwards; the letter “K” is not yet done.  All is done with a file; therefore some details are not 100% identical from one vertical element to the other. Hardly to be seen in reality, obvious when enlarged on the screen.

[jpage]

Great work Roger. One question, how do you compensate for the thickness of the plating on the chromed parts? I really don't know how you work with such small parts! What talent and patients!

[Laughing Coyote]

How do you even adhere them to the car without getting additional adhesive all over the place?

[keiser31]

When do we get to see the "CONTINENTAL" letters mounted on the trunk lid?

[Luv2Wrench]

The lettering is not that much bigger than the lettering on the quarter!!  The attention to detail continues to amaze, great job Roger!

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for all to ask questions, I like it! As I don't know how to handle multi quotes, I'll answer the easy way:

 

@jpage: the chrome thickness is about 0.01mm (0.004"), not very important. If I know that 2 plated parts are coming together, I can put some play before plating. With the 3 models I did, I had not too much trouble with the chrome thickness. However, at each model I have more problems with the paint thickness!

 

@Martin: whenever possible, I have studs to attach plated parts or I can fix them with screws. It's not always possible, like the window reveal moldings or the belt molding. They were glued with silicone and the quantity used is important to not have too much everywhere. An advantage of the clear silicone: it can be cleaned rather easily when cured.

 

@keiser: soon! those parts will be glued with instant glue. at another forum, somebody told me that those instant glues are not good with the time. Can be; but the name plates/letters on the Toronado are still on after about 10 years. The person who tol me that said it would be better to attach the letters with silicone. So, recently I did a test on a painted surface: 2 letters with silicon and 2 with instant glue. After 2 days, I tested how easy or difficult it was to remove them: the one attached with silicone went away almost just be looking at them while the ones offered some resistance. As the surface is tiny, that resistance is small too. This is the reason whey the letters on hood and trunk lid will be attached when everything is OK.

 

@Jeff: compared to the letters which will come on hood nd trunk lid, those are very large! However, their shape is not easy to reproduce.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

The script is ready. That “K” gave me trouble; I had to do a second one.

At first I wanted to soft solder the script to the base or license plate and paint the whole with a dark blue paint and, once dry, to scrap the paint from the script and polish the characters. I will do differently: paint the base and when the paint is dry, attach the characters with transparent silicone.

 

[NCollar]

Roger 

What a finishing touch, gorgeous.

Nelson

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Nelson!

 

A scale model is like a house: almost never finished for whatever reason. Those days, even if the Mark II is completely ready, my mind is sometimes in another place. When the Avanti model was finished, I noticed later that one piece was missing: the cover over the fuel tube. It's a small part, but without that, the interior is not complete. As the silicone for a molding had to cure on the Mark II, it was a good opportunity to look at this missing piece of trim. Without the rear window, shaping that part would have been very easy. Now, I had to do with the rear window, working from the LH door aperture.

Fortunately, I still had leather from the proper color and I could finish the cover. The next question was to find a way to glue it to the existing parts. A daub of silicone was helpful, it sticks at the fuel pocket without marring the surrounding leather. Now that model is really complete!

[PONTIAC1953]

4 hours ago, Roger Zimmermann said:

Thanks Nelson!

 

A scale model is like a house: almost never finished for whatever reason. Those days, even if the Mark II is completely ready, my mind is sometimes in another place. When the Avanti model was finished, I noticed later that one piece was missing: the cover over the fuel tube. It's a small part, but without that, the interior is not complete. As the silicone for a molding had to cure on the Mark II, it was a good opportunity to look at this missing piece of trim. Without the rear window, shaping that part would have been very easy. Now, I had to do with the rear window, working from the LH door aperture.

Fortunately, I still had leather from the proper color and I could finish the cover. The next question was to find a way to glue it to the existing parts. A daub of silicone was helpful, it sticks at the fuel pocket without marring the surrounding leather. Now that model is really complete!

hi roger, which model is this one in the picture ?, certainly not the lincoln mark ll.

[Roger Zimmermann]

It's a 1963 Studebaker Avanti; the Avanti name is in the text. When the Mark II will be done, I intend to tell the story from this model, if people agree.

[NCollar]

Roger

I am in total agreement.

I enjoy all you have done so far and it would be like ice cream on the cake.

Thank you

Nelson

[SiliconS]

18 hours ago, Roger Zimmermann said:

I intend to tell the story from this model

Yes please, Roger. Please put a link in this thread to that story when you tell it!

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Roger, I would appreciate any of the model autos you have constructed getting discussed. The entire body of work is remarkable, as are the individual projects. Wouldn't mind a tour through the restoration of your full size cars either. You are a terrific instructor in addition to being a talented builder. Forge on, my friend !! 

Merry Christmas to you, and the rest of those here to follow this project. I hope you all will enjoy the season.

[Randiego]

Roger,

The lettering for the license plate look absolutely perfect for such a small size.  Tres Bien.  Again, a master at work. 

 

It cooled down here to the 50's and much colder at night.  Nothing like a Swiss winter though.   We are WIMP's  here in Southern California.  The rest of the nation is in a very cold snap and I am sure that Winter is setting in in your city.

 

But with the snow, it makes for a very cheery Holiday.   So........May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New year.

 

Randy

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

The snow went away almost as quickly as it came! We have not a lot of rain with temp. about 8 to 10°C. The rain which did not come in Summer/autumn is coming now! There should be snow in the mountains but I don't care what is happening there, it's not for me!

 

Randy, thanks for the wishes, enjoy that time and I hope for you that 2019 will be without incident, good health!

 

As it seems that my littles stories are of interest for people here, I will relate the adventures of my Avanti scale model. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do the same for the Toronado, I have just a handful pictures on paper. What I will do too, is the restoration story of my '56 Biarritz. This was the last car I restored. I wrote already that story in the Cadillac LaSalle forum as it was more or less still "fresh". For the two other ones, bad luck: it's too far away in the time and I could not do an interesting story.

[Roger Zimmermann]

At first, I wanted to paint the license plate a darker blue from a spray can supplied by a friend. I was not able to spray that tiny plate properly, I had always dust particles. While I often doubt about my capabilities, I tried anyway different paint, the same as the one for the body. Strange, no dust this time! The next problem came with the clear coat: the can I used for the body was empty; I had another one from Dupli Color but the can had a leak at the bottom. Result: loss of pressure and the coat was uneven. I’ll let time to get the paint totally dry, then I will sand it; this is the explanation why the plate is not yet ready and attached to the rear bumper.

 

In the meantime, I attached to the body the lower molding at the windshield; the results are not what I expected: the curve at the RH side could have been better; it creates a “large” gap between the molding and the windshield. To minimize that issue, I will put some black silicone between the molding and windshield; the gap will be less obvious. I have the same issue at the molding from the back window, fortunately less obvious; I will apply the same solution.

 

I did also a test with another glue to attach the letters to the body. The last product I tried is called Araldite, a 2 components glue. As the results were encouraging, I glued the emblem at the front fender. I believe I will attach the CONTINENTAL letters with the same product. Contrary to the instant glue, this glue let the time to correct the letter’s position; after 5 minutes, the glue is setting.

 

[John S.]

Roger, fit and finish on the Mark is remarkable, this is one terrific build.  I have followed your post from the beginning, and it never ceases to amaze me how truly talented you are.  Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas, and a healthy New Year. John

[Laughing Coyote]

Roger, The wheel picture looks just like a real car.  You can't tell the difference.  Amazing!  Happy Holidays!

[Luv2Wrench]

I'll never forget when Roger started this process by making the tire.  That just blew my mind... and I was like "wow, this is going to be something I've never seen before".  That certainly proved true and it has been a blast every day since then. 

[NCollar]

Jeff

You could not have said it better. One amazing craftsman at the finest.

The only problem the Mark is almost finished.

Nelson

[Laughing Coyote]

1 hour ago, NCollar said:

The only problem the Mark is almost finished.

Yes that will be a sad day for all that are following the progress. I just hope Roger takes a well deserved break and get his real cars out and go drive the wheels off of them.

[NCollar]

I don't know but I want to sit in the Mark and go for a ride.

Nelson