Roger's handcrafted 1:12 scale models

[Roger Zimmermann]

To Murco: I don't know for what usage you let photo-etch parts; your example is good lookin. What it's possible to do with a computer and the right program!

 

To Randy: The voltage may be different for small parts but, honestly, I know not enough to go further...The parts I let chrome are getting a thin coat of copper for adhesion plus hiding fine scratches and then chrome. It seems that the nickel is not coming in the equation but I should ask the company. Anyway, some chrome parts from my models are more than 30 years old and still good. Sure, the mileage is rather low!

You are correct about the preparation; I would say it's 99% as the support (the part) is a secondary element at that time.

Since some days, I'm preparing the bumpers for plating. As I'm assuming that the general shape is OK, I'm not checking that again, but the surface must be as good as I can. I first begin with sanding paper grain 280, then 400, 600 and 1200. Most of the time, when I'm "playing" with the 1200, fine scratches are jumping at the eyes; usually, that spot must again be sanded with the 400 or even the 220. When all is OK with the 1200, I'm using a sanding paper which must be 0 and then with a polish paste and a wheel on the lathe.

The four parts for the front and rear bumpers are ready. For the moment, I have enough with that process, I'm back with the construction...

[Dileep Gopalkrishnan]

Hi Roger,

Got in here just today.Good to see the bumpers.Did you cast them or are they made of sheet metal.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Hi Dileep

Glad to see you here! I don't have the possibility to cast metal. The bumpers are made with sheet metal, hammered and silver soldered. Somewhere in that thread there is a description with pictures, you have to search!

[JWLawrence]

Roger, I am a great admirer of your work and projects. They are most impressive. Thank you for being so generous and sharing the build with us. I am interested in seeing the Avanti model you built.  It would be appreciated if you could provide a link to the site where it is documented. As you may know I am the owner of a 1963 Avanti R1. Thanks - John

 

[Paulie9fingers]

5 hours ago, Dileep Gopalkrishnan said:

Hi Roger,

Got in here just today.Good to see the bumpers.Did you cast them or are they made of sheet metal.

The body begins around post #670 and the first bumper shows up in post #1139

 

I just started at post #1 and went through them real fast and was completely amazed again, I need to plan an afternoon and go completely through here again.

 

Keep up the great work Roger and thanks again for sharing

[Dileep Gopalkrishnan]

Thanks Paulie. 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Indeed the front bumper began with the post #1128!

Paulie, if you will read all the pages, you well really need the whole afternoon! Have a glass or two from your favorite beverage to help!

[Roger Zimmermann]

On ‎22‎.‎11‎.‎2016 at 7:03 PM, JWLawrence said:

 I am interested in seeing the Avanti model you built.  It would be appreciated if you could provide a link to the site where it is documented. As you may know I am the owner of a 1963 Avanti R1. Thanks - John

 

Thanks John for your comments. I'm not aware that you own a '63 Avanti R1...For the scale model, have a look here: http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Zimmermann.htm

[Roger Zimmermann]

Recently I had other duties to perform. Nevertheless, I could do both sail panels which go inside the roof.

The next part will be the inside molding around the rear window. The number of part still to be fabricated is decreasing!

 

 

[JWLawrence]

Thank you, Roger. I enjoyed reading the interesting and informative article. John

[Roger Zimmermann]

You are welcome, John!

[Randiego]

Roger,

 

I am looking at the bumpers that you have polished, getting ready for the plating company. They look perfect ! I am sure that you see any and all little "flaws" (as you explained) and the painstaking work to get the brass finish perfect takes a lot of time and effort.  In one word;  Beautiful ! !  

 

So they do the copper (conductivity) then the chrome.  I am sure that it has been satisfactory for you for all these years. After all, with the mileage that these cars have endured, they will look good for an eternity to come.  ! ! !  As long as they are not subjected to "salt air" that we have here at the coast, the finish on the model will be like "new" with only a "dusting" off of the model on occasion.

 

How do you keep the models?  Are they on a shelf for display or do you keep them wrapped up away from the dust and sunlight?  The Toronado and the Avanti are beautiful examples of your work.  I can't imagine that they would not be on display for all to see when they come to visit you.  Do you have a glass case that they sit under?  That helps with the dust.  I have my Rolls Royce Phantom II  "under glass"   I will send you pics of that 1/8 model.  It took a long time to build, even from the Pocher Kit.

None of the Pocher parts fit well and it takes a lot of alteration and "fitment" to get the parts to be correct.  Can't imagine building this car from scratch.  THAT WOULD TAKE ME A LIFE TIME !   I would rather get my 1:1 cars done vs. building an intricate model.  That I will leave to you, the master.

 

Randy

[JWLawrence]

Randiego - I too built a Porcher kit several years ago. It is a Ferrari F40. It took me about 10 days or regular work to do it. I did it over the holidays. It took considerable effort just to organize all the parts before starting the build. I recall the alternator which had several parts, then was no longer visible when installed on the engine and the engine installed in the car. I still have the model, albeit not in a glass case. My meager efforts make me appreciate what Roger is doing with his Continental build and the Avanti before it.

 

(o[]o)

 

[NCollar]

Roger

To echo all the WOW! I stand amazed everytime I stop by and forgive me, not often enough. You are finishing your six year on that beaut. 

Congratulation on a wonderful build. And thanks for sharing your journey, it has been a wonderful trip.

Nelson

Edited December 3, 2016 by NCollar (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

To Randy: the Toronado is under a glas box; the avanti is located in a large shelf with glass sliding door, therefore well protected against dust. The chrome is still looking fine even after more than 30 years on the Toronado and what I kept from the Avanti before I reconstructed it.

 

To JWLawrence: I assembled once a Pocher kit. At first it's like Christmas with so many parts; finally, I was not impressed by the quality of the parts, especially the ones for the body.

 

Thanks also for the comments from Nelson!

 

Today, I finished the inner moldings for the back window. The rear shelf is not yet ready, I'm awaiting a screen which is used for the cars with A/C. When I'm looking at the second picture, I'm now convinced that before I'm sanding the body, I will have to make the windshield and back window as well as the rear outside  molding at the belt as I may have to correct the body's shape.

 

[ScarredKnightfan]

Roger ... every time I check this thread, I'm even MORE amazed at the detail & craftsmanship you are putting into this model.  Simply fascinatingly wonderful.

 

 

Cort, www.oldcarsstronghearts.com
pig&cowValves.paceMaker * 1979 CC to 2003 MGM + 81mc

"No store bought gifts to open, but there'll be Christmas just the same" | Kenny Rogers | 'Kentucky Homemade Christmas'

[Roger Zimmermann]

Today, I got a call from the plater that the second batch is ready. I went to the company and he showed me parts which are not well done because the contact was marginal. Many parts were attached to the main tree by screws and this may be the problem. Unfortunately, the grille is not good either, the face is still yellowish.

The parts which are not good will be attached to a new tree and dechromed. I will probably have to polish them again.

When many dissimilar parts are assembled on the same tree, this can unfortunately happen. I will have to be more careful with the kind of parts I will do as a third batch.

The tree must be more rigid too: both moldings at the left upper corner are bent; I'm not sure if I can straighten them without cracking the chrome.

[SiliconS]

I didn't realise chrome plating would crack if the part is bent too much. That must be frustrating for you.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Yes, this batch is frustrating. Fortunately, I could correct both bent moldings without bad consequences. My method to attach the parts at the tree using the studs has a major inconvenient: I cannot unscrew the nuts easily, especially the ones with 0.6 mm thread. This applies especially to the teeth from the grille: if I'm using to much force to loose the nuts, the studs will break and I can redo those parts. I will let them dechrome and attach the teeth in a different manner to the next tree.

[Laughing Coyote]

Sorry to hear that the pieces are sub par after you put all that hard work into them.  I know how frustrating it is when you put all your efforts into something and then when you have to send things out for the final part of the project just to have to re-work them again when you get them back.  Wish you better luck on the next run.  

[Roger Zimmermann]

Finally "only" 4 parts are not good. I will ask him but it seems this time that there is no copper. Could be that this is the reason why those 4 parts are still more or less yellow like brass. Maybe the copper was skipped to protect the threads of soldered studs...During my next visit, I will have many questions....

[Roger Zimmermann]

Most of the morning was spent to "adjust" the rear window switch. At the end, it was fine: not too much pressure on the switch to have a running motor. Then, I had the silly idea to put the arm rest on the quarter panel: it was not good as the bell crank was touching the wiring. To avoid movements from the wires at the switch, I put some time ago a good daub of Araldite, a two components glue. The only solution I saw was to have the wiring vertically. This implied to remove that glue (it does not get hard like glass but anyway hard to remove) and resolder the wires in a new orientation. And test again the switch...Most probably, I will have to do the same the other side.

The picture is sowing the new wiring and how I'm testing the chromed switch function.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

There is again some progress at the switches front: I could finish the switches from the RH door. They were tested the same like the previous picture; both switches are OK. As you can see, the wires are color coded; it will be a great help during the final assembly.

Unfortunately, I cannot do the same for the LH door: the escutcheon is one of the few parts which were not well chromed.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now that all the good plated parts are away from the tree and assembled like the inside mirror or the part on the previous picture, I'm coming back with the rear shelf. I got recently a wire mesh from England with 40 spaces per inch. It's not exactly the identical part found on Mark II with A/C, but I found not better. I'm showing a picture from a real car and my interpretation.

 

[SiliconS]

13 minutes ago, Roger Zimmermann said:

I got recently a wire mesh from England

 

Roger - if ever you need any help sourcing/buying/posting parts from the UK, please ask. I'd be happy to help in some way.

[Roger Zimmermann]

On ‎12‎.‎12‎.‎2016 at 0:39 PM, SiliconS said:

Roger - if ever you need any help sourcing/buying/posting parts from the UK, please ask. I'd be happy to help in some way.

Thanks for the offer! The shipping was really cheap: 1.00 £...

Recently, I did some small jobs: the junction piece between the upper inside roof moldings and the lower one, assembling the insulator to all chromed switches levers and some other I don't remember.

Yesterday, I brought back for dechroming the 4 pieces with were not well chromed to the plating company. The boss said that the front grille may not be better with a new tray: grilles are difficult to chrome. I think an alternative would be to have it nickel plating. Yellowish plating (Chrome is bluer) is better than brass color...

I did also the mold for the headlining as the material I will use for the headlining will be glued on that polyester structure. I'm sure that it could be possible to sew some cloth and attach it with support wires to the body. As nobody is usually looking at the headliner, I feel that this huge work is out of place.

On the picture your will see the chromed inside mirror (an assembly of 5 separate parts) and the sun visors which will be covered with leather.

[Randiego]

Roger,

only a trained eye would know the difference in the size of the rear screen.  in the Mark (full size), was the screen for "exit air" or for air coming into the cabin?  This car was ahead of it's time !   Almost a Raymond Lowey imprint on automotive design.  Very advanced for the 50's.  Are you using French glove leather for the interior?  I understand that they have the thinnest leather for this kind of work.  Looking forward to your next post.

 

I will be in St. Louis over Christmas and Geoff and I will be looking at your posts to see what other gem we can view of the progress.  Merry Christmas to you.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Randy! The real car has a stamped grille; what I found is a mesh. Somebody gave me the idea to use photo-etched grille which would be more correct. Unfortunately, I did not found the right one. It seems that photo-etching is "easy" to do at home, however, I don't want to begin with such experiment.

In fact, I don't know for what this grille is needed: the first units (I should search how many) had the incoming air through the apertures at the rear quarters, the col air was directed to the cabin with ducts and 4 grilles at the headliner. Due to water intrusion, later cars had a different system for the incoming air.

Maybe the grille was there for A/C recirculation when the air from the cabin is used.

Bookmakers are also using a very thin leather. I have some, but the wrong color...Anyway, I will have to get some leather paint because some hard parts inside the car (like the glove box door) have the same color as one of the 2 colors used for the soft trim.

I don't know if I will have something to report the next few days: I'm beginning the ...windshield wipers!

 

Merry Christmas to your brother and you!

Edited December 19, 2016 by Roger Zimmermann
Comment added (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

In my last post, I wrote that I will begin the windshield wipers. It opened a large can of worms...Some months/years ago, I did a drawing how I intended to attach the wipers to the body with a screw at the firewall, inside the passenger compartment. That's good and fine, but impossible: before the wipers can be installed, the windshield must be in place, as well as the lower outside molding. Then, I cannot install the dash anymore! When the dash is in place, it's not possible any more to screw the wiper transmission or whatever construction. Therefore, I had to rethink the whole story. Before I can do the wipers, the surrounding parts must be done: the lower molding and the wiper "transmissions".

The original lower molding is done in 3 parts; indeed 4 as the fourth one is part of the outside Mirror. Mine was done in one part and the "transmission" will be soft soldered on the molding. The bracket for the outside mirror will be silver soldered to the molding as soft soldering may be too week, the joint surface is small.

The pictures are showing: the way I did drill the molding and body (the molding has 3 attaching pins), one "transmission" soldered to the molding and how it looks like on the body. I cannot solder the other transmission now, I have first to do and silver solder the mirror bracket. Then I may begin the wipers...

[Randiego]

Oh the complexity of 12 scale !   The best laid plans of mice and men............  But we have confidence in your abilities.  When you get the windshield wiper assemblies figured out, that will be a major accomplishment.  Looking back, the window switches and motors were a "snap" in comparison. It seems that every time that you attack a problem, two more rise to get in the way of your progress.  And people wonder why it takes years to get such a model/masterpiece completed.  Lots of "trial and error" before you can get on to the next item.  

 

When a 1:1 car is engineered at the factory, there is a team of designers, draftsmen, mock up groups, just to get the parts to come together.  And here you are doing this by yourself.  For any who wonder why this is monumental, just get any simple model kit of a car and assemble it.  Even though the parts are all there, for fit and finish, it still takes a trained eye and skill to put those kits together to make them look like the picture on the box. 

 

Now step back and try to do that same model from scratch...............................you will quickly get the picture what Roger is up against.  And his model is in COMPLETE detail of the real car.  Unlike any kit in a box.  Even the Pocher kits don't come close.  We are in awe.

 

Randy

[jfreakofkorn]

just an incrediable build and attention to detail ....

 

[countrytravler]

Here is one that just came up for sale.

 

http://barnfinds.com/stored-for-40-years-1956-continental-ii/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter+(Instant)&utm_content=morelink

[Roger Zimmermann]

Happy New Year to all!

Thanks countrytravler for that Mark II for sale. It seems a little bit rough!

It's not the first time I'm doing wipers for models. This time, I have a lot of difficulties either because I'm getting older or because the wipers for the Mark II are much smaller/thinner that the ones for the Toronado and Avanti. On those 2 models, the wipers are made with bent brass and are movable like real wipers.

To have the same conditions on the Mark II wipers, they should be made with much thinner brass (or steel). I tried to do the small parts which are inserted into the arms with 0.1 mm (0.004") thick brass. After having about 10 unusable parts, I realized that that thin material is not suited for this application and I went back to 0.2 mm thick brass. With a thicker material, there is still the possibility to correct the shape by filing the metal away; to do the same with the thinner one is questionable...Those parts are on the upper RH corner of the picture; they are not yet to the right dimension. I will trim them once they are soldered to the arm (not yet done); right now, I cannot hold them anymore... 

Same problem with the blade holder: to have the correct shape, I should to first a form on which I could hammer the brass. Again, with 0.1 mm, the "stamping" must be perfect the first time which I know I cannot.

Therefore, I took a decision: the holder will be done with some stock and the holder will be soft soldered on it. I think it's better to have a dimension correctly part than a oversized one. Anyway, the model will barely stay under the rain...

 

 

[Randiego]

Oh the complexity of 12 scale !   The best laid plans of mice and men............  But we have confidence in your abilities.  When you get the windshield wiper assemblies figured out, that will be a major accomplishment.  Looking back, the window switches and motors were a "snap" in comparison. It seems that every time that you attack a problem, two more rise to get in the way of your progress.  And people wonder why it takes years to get such a model/masterpiece completed.  Lots of "trial and error" before you can get on to the next item.  

 

When a 1:1 car is engineered at the factory, there is a team of designers, draftsmen, mock up groups, just to get the parts to come together.  And here you are doing this by yourself.  For any who wonder why this is monumental, just get any simple model kit of a car and assemble it.  Even though the parts are all there, for fit and finish, it still takes a trained eye and skill to put those kits together to make them look like the picture on the box. 

 

Now step back and try to do that same model from scratch...............................you will quickly get the picture what Roger is up against.  And his model is in COMPLETE detail of the real car.  Unlike any kit in a box.  Even the Pocher kits don't come close.  We are in awe.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

After the excesses (food and drinks) from the end of year plus a week of so called vacation in our house in France, it was time to resume the work with the wiper arms. They are made with 0.2 mm brass; the back is closed with a provision to attach a spring (this will be a tiny spring...). The first attempt to rivet the shaft on the support went bad. I had to rework both curved parts emerging at the base of the windshield. The second try went better as you can see on the picture.

The original plan was to soft solder the wiper blade to the arm; I'm afraid it will not be right and the blades will not lie perfectly on the windshield. Therefore, I decided to modify the blades to have a very thin axle (0.3 mm) connected to the arm.

Oh, by the way, the windshield you see is not the right one, it's a polyester tentative to make sure that the negative form on which the Plexiglas will be shaped has a correct shape.

You can also see that the outside mirror arm is now integrated into the lower molding. To be sure that the wipers will not interfere with the hood, I installed it for testing. Better to try now as when the piper arms are chromed. Fortunately, there is no interference.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Indeed, I used the whole afternoon for 2 tiny parts acting as "bearings" for the wiper blades and finalized the assembly of the blades to the arms. Concentration is the key for those small cooper "axles" of 0.3 mm and riveted to the blades.

As you can see, the hood was removed as taking a lot of space.

The springs and rubber blade are still missing; they will be added when the assemblies are chromed.

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

From another forum, I had a request to put one wiper on my hand; I'm sharing this picture here. That assembly can almost be bent just by looking too severely at it...Each wiper is an assembly from 13 separate parts either soft or silver soldered; the number will be 15 with the spring and rubber blade. The way both wipers are done, the rubber blade should follow the contour of the windshield in the rest position.

 

 

[zipdang]

Wow. They'll work better than those on my driver!

[Roger Zimmermann]

zipdang, I doubt that the wipers will work better than yours: they will stay in the rest position!

 

After this difficult wiper story, I had to do something simple: the dryer/receiver for the A/C. On the Mark II, it is located at a strange position: under the floor, attached to the frame.

Once installed on the frame, I put the body on to check for interference: I had to do a massage to the floor to have enough clearance...

[countrytravler]