CrazyCrank Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Here is my interpretation of the graphite grey Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing that John Fitch drove to victory in the famous "Mille Miglia" race in 1955 (5th overall and 1st in his own class GT +1.3 !). At that time, it was numbered 417 (which indicates, for the curious, the authorized starting time of this car for the race, 4 :17 AM). This model that I entirely built on a Tamiya base at 1/24 scale – with addition of more than 200 scratched or 3D printed parts - is to my knowledge the second scale model in the world of this mythical car to have been entirely built by a modeler. I was able to find this during my documentary research that the first one was built over 2 months between September and October 2015, on a FROG kit n°705 base, by a modeler named Ian, whose work is exposed on the “themotormuseumminminature.co.uk” website (link : http://www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk/1955-mercedes-300sl-mm-fitch.php). Ian voluntarily omitted the chassis and the engine, glued the bonnet and the rear trunk lid, and made though not only a very nice model, but a remarkable work, in spite of some mistakes and omissions, if you compare it with the pictures of this car taken during the race, some of which can be found quite easily on the Internet. I have to say that he was less lucky than me, who benefited from a wealth of advice and documents, such as those kindly and generously provided by a member of this Britmodeller.com forum, @ejboyd5, a Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing enthusiast from New York. It must be said that it was Edward Boyd who suggested, not to say asked, that I make this car, after seeing my first silver Gullwing, and I gladly accepted the challenge. I didn't know yet what I was getting myself into, and had no idea of the difficulties I was going to encounter in creating or recreating certain indispensable and characteristic parts of this car. In the end, it will have cost me 2 Tamiya kits, more than 400 hours of documentary study, drawing in Fusion 360, 3D printing, assembly, a lot of hardware and supplies I didn't have, a few nervous breakdowns and a lot of beers. I also discovered and sometimes mastered new techniques, which improved my modelling skills. Nothing would have been possible and I would not have succeeded in completing this model if I had not benefited from the support and sometimes the suggestions of all my contributors, whom I will not mention all, for fear of forgetting one, but they will recognize themselves without difficulty. I could never thank them enough for their enthusiasm and for giving me the courage to go through with it. Of course, there are still many imperfections (At least, my clear coat, which is covered with a lot of micro-scratches, because I sanded it too early after application) or mistakes on this model, but I assure you I don't intend to build it a third time. During the building, I noticed that the first chassis had a little and un-fixable defect, which would lead to the impossibility to close the bonnet. So, I built a second one, avoiding to repeat the same mistakes, and this is the one I’ve incorporated in the body of the finished model. The first bare chassis has been even more improved, and is exhibited below with the car. And now some pictures (Sorry for the dust particles, they wasn't visible with the naked eye nor on my iPhone's screen ) I hope you enjoyed this journey And I invite you to follow my thread on the assembly of this car by following this link: Enjoy 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Wow! Stunning modelling. I love the interior. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 The two cars and chassis displayed together look absolutely magnificent. Really first class modelling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toftdale Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 I've really enjoyed watching these come together and the results speak for themselves. The addition of the chassis to the final display just takes it to another level. Already looking forward to watching your next masterpiece being created - Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Beautiful. The rolling chassis is particularly interesting, and all the additional detailing really paid off. Top stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fnick Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Beautiful display and top class modelling. Especially the chassis build. So rare to see whats hidden by the car body in that level of detail. 👏👏👏 Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pouln Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Beauties they are. Well done, Thierry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 It's been a good thread to follow as you put this together, and the end results more than justifies the effort put into it. From a purely selfish point of view though, I'm glad you're moving onto something different now as it means that by the time I get round to building mine unflattering comparisons with this will less readily spring to mind. Excellent work. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherry268 Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 That is one fabulous model, brilliant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Bravo! Somehow I completely missed this build, probably because I was knee-deep in a house move when you started it. Fantastic result! Those 2 cars (I didn't miss the first one) and the chassis combined are a worthy addition to your display cabinet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klubman01 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 That is fabulous! You've done a cracking good job, and really well presented as well - bravo! Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby No Mac Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 I can only echo what everyone else has said, simply stunning work. A truely beautiful model of a beautiful car 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 It's been fun following these along, and they've turned out perfectly. I can't wait to see 722 next to them! Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 Really impressive build and I was happy to be able to follow your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilX Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Very high level built ... 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCrank Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 Many thanks to all of you for nice words and kind comments, much appreciated, as usual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc the Builder Posted December 22, 2021 Share Posted December 22, 2021 Simply gorgeous! Really stunning 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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