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Mercedes Benz 300 SLR n° 722 - Overall winner 1955 Mille Miglia, driven by Sir Stirling Moss - FINISHED


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Good evening my friends :)

 

No, you haven't finished with me 🤨

 

As the putty was fully cured, I've sanded the parts and sprayed over all body parts the first layer of definite primer.
A good sanding will be needed tomorrow when it's 
dry, because, as you can see on third and last pictures below, printing defects has been revealed by the primer (diagonal lines on right headrest).

Then I'll spray a second coat.
If all turn out as I expect, it will be possible to paint the body on Sunday .... if not, it will be done in March, when I come back from Montreal.

 

Meanwhile, hereunder some pictures of the actual state:

 

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In any case, I'm pretty happy with these results 🙂

 

Stay tuned until Monday evening if you like 😎

 

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29 minutes ago, Pouln said:

Looking very nice, Thierry.

Thanks Poul, it's very kind of you 😉

 

My headrests, now that they have found the precise position that allows the correct operation of the hinges, are not as thin, delicate and precise as Fastcat's, and above all, gaps have appeared, especially on the inner side of the right one, between the front part of the headrest and the body.

Nothing very important, if you don't look too closely, especially considering that this was already the case on most Mercedes 300 SLR models.

 

Curiously, the left headrest is the exact symmetrical of the right one in relation to its sagittal axis, and however,  it fits much better than the right one, with a very tiny gap between its base and the bodywork both outside and inside.

It is possible that the right headrest has deformed due to resin shrinkage. I had printed 6 of them and they all have the same defect.
To do it right, I should have done it differently when designing the parts in Fusion 360, by making a template for the bottom curvatures of the two headrests, and using the photo of this template to draw splines of identical shape.

But anyway, that would have meant using software features that I am still far from mastering.

I'm finally quite happy with the result, and, for now, with the way the joints promise to work.

But to be very satisfied (or very disappointed), I'll have to wait for all the body parts to be painted, varnished, sanded, polished and finally assembled, so several months (I'm going to Canada for 2 months, without my workshop 🙄).

 

I keep my fingers crossed 🤞


 

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Good evening gentlemen :)

 

Leaving France on Tuesday, I didn't have time to undertake any ambitious tasks with my 300 SLR.....

 

But, I think I've finished to work on body elements.

 

I've made some additions, to be closer with the real car, and so:

 

- I've drilled four 0.35 mm holes on the lateral parts of the left fairing, in front of the driver and the windshield, which have received four 0.6 mm fake screws to simulate the real fasteners

- Upon this same part, I've drilled two holes which have received 0.8 mm lat rivets, as on the real

- And also upon it three holes that exist on the real car, of which one, the one closest to the windscreen, is covered by a drilled plate.

- Screws and rivets have been designed with Fusion 360 and 3D printed at 10 microns thick Z layer with my Elegoo Mars pro. Most of them came out badly, but I had printed 100 copies of each, so...

- finally, I made from a 0,1 mm thick plastic sheet a microscopic part (0,7 mm x 1,4 mm), supposed to represent a part located between the two fairings placed in front of the windscreen, which I think is the opening mechanism of the bonnet.

 

All that stuff have been primed, partially sanded, and it remains to smoothen  all the bodywork before painting.

 

I'm not happy with the right headrest at all, but at this point in my build I'm not going to back out now and try to improve the part, it would be too much work for too random a result, so it will stay as it is.

 

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51809627272_2bd1d06f87_c.jpg

 

Stay tuned and don't be eager now 😉

 

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I doubt anyone would really notice that right headrest unless you'd said. Enjoy your time in Canada, this will still be waiting for you when you get home. And chances are when you get back that headrest will look way better than your imagination will have been telling you. Lots of good work going on with this one.

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Morning chaps :)

 

Our bags are packed and we are ready to leave in a few hours.

 

I can't resist showing you what I drew in Fusion 360 and then printed in 3D, while waiting to be able to produce it by photogravure.
The thickness of the numbers and letters is 0.5 mm, but I think it's perfectly possible to go to 0.3 with the ABS resin I've been using recently, because, once it's UV-cured, it's much stronger than standard resin.
Anyway, it was an exercise in style, for fun, and, once again, I'm amazed by the quality of the printing and what can be achieved with these little consumer resin 3D printers.

 

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Oh ! a little precision: I've printed 20 copies and only 1 is perfect, 2 broken, and the others have an issue with the letter "R" (the interior of upper part of the letter is filled with resin)

I must improve the settings of the printer and the orientation of the part to print.

 

Have fun and stay safe...See you next time in two months 😎

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6 hours ago, Schwarz-Brot said:

Looking great! This should print very well laying on its back instead of standing upright.

I don’t think so because the resin couldn’t get out of the hollow sections of some letters or numbers, such as R and 0, and also because the supports should be placed at the back of the letters and numbers, and these ones are so thin that they could break while removing supports

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  • 2 months later...

Evening everybody :)

 

Back home since 3 days, and having some health problems since 2 months, I had decided today to get back to work to change my mind, but my airbrush doesn't work properly anymore and its air hose is leaking, so I'm waiting for new tools 🙄

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Good to have you back, Thierry. Sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you’ll leave those behind soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Evening gentlemen :)

 

I am pleased to introduce my new airbrush, Harder & Steenbeck INFINITY CR Plus FPC, which I hope will allow me to do an even better job of painting and varnishing.

A real jewel of technology and craftsmanship, "Deutsche Qualität"!
I must now tame it, I will take my time!

 

Specifications:
- Double action
- 2 nozzles and needles: 0.15 and 0.4 mm
- Standard round jet head and flat jet head
- 3 cups: 2, 5 and 15 ml
- Double action
- Adjustable air pressure

- Adjustable trigger smoothness and return
- 6 levels of paint flow

 

It is not yet the Rolls Royce of airbrushes (IWATA), but it comes very close and for half the price (but an arm anyway!)

 

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From now on, I will use it to paint and varnish the bodies and for detailing. I would still use my Tamiya to spray primers and for non delicate work.

 

Stay tuned for next step: painting of the body and accessories :)

 

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Yesy, I have one of these too, as well as a normal Evolution. These work like a charm and what I really like is the super easy maintenance and cleaning.

Good choice. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Afternoon gentlemen :)

 

"I'm bored, I'm bored", screams my Mercedes 300 SLR body!

"I would like my builder to give me some coats of metallic silver."

 

And CC answers: "I've all the needed time and products to paint you, baby, but it's impossible, because here, there's a tempest, and it's impossible to open the window in order to get outside the fumes of my spray booth."
 

I don't want to go ahead with this assembly until the body is painted and varnished, I'm also on a forced break on the Delahaye, so what can I do until the weather is better ?

 

I've not yet enough room on my little workbench to go on with my Ladybug POCHER 1:8

 

Perhaps a new thread ?... I'm spoiled for choice 🙄

 

- Ferrari 250 GTO (Revell 1:24)

- Porsche Carrera GT (Tamiya 1:24)

- Bugatti type 50  (Heller 1:24)

- BMW 507 cabrio (Revell 1:24)

- BMW 328 Endurance (Already started, Heller 1:24)

- Jaguar E-Type (Revell 1:24)

- Chevrolet Corvette Roadster 1958 Revell 1:25)

- Mercedes Benz 500 K roadster (Heller 1:24)

- Fiat 806 Grand Prix (Italeri 1:12)

- Fiat Mephistophélès (Italeri 1:12)

- Bentley Supercharged (Airfix 1:12)

- Ford GT 40 Le Mans 1966 (Trumpeter 1:12)

- Harley Davidson Fat Bob (Tamiya 1:6)

 

I have to sleep on it :)

 

 

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Evening chaps :)

 

Finally, having deeply thought about the color, which is aluminum and not silver, I've decided to order an Alcoa Aluminum from Gravity Colors.

This color, as shown on the car in the photo below, seems to me to correspond perfectly to the one used by Mercedes for its reissue of the "722" Mille Miglia

 

51991569185_e90fe71dc5_c.jpg

 

It could be possible too, to use Alclad Polished Aluminum, but this one is very weak, and does not support well the contact of the fingers, and more generally multiple handlings !

 

Delivery planned for middle of next week.

 

See you soon :)

 

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Evening gentlemen :)

 

Before starting the body painting, I'd forgotten that I filled some moulding marks on the inner side of the bonnet with Tamiya polyester putty.

 

So, I've sanded it to the best of my ability, and primed it with AK grey primer and micro-filler....

Rather good result but not enough filled, and the tiny lack of thickness doesn't allow to add a new coat of putty....

So, I've used a can of automotive filling primer, an d after sanding and priming again with AK primer, the result, if not perfect, is excellent !

 

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Stay tuned for next steps :)

 

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Hi CC,

                  Don't know if you're familiar with this site but the colour of the 300SLR isn't necessarily as straightforward as it seems. In fact the finish and colour of the restoration is generally discredited as a result of Mercedes wanting to portray a quality image. The general colour is described as silver rather than the silver-grey of the museum and the finish is described as rather rough without a polish.

That seems to be born out by photos - there is little evidence of reflection in the paintwork and most of the photos from the period seem to show a light finish, a silver, rather than a grey. 

I've include a link : Link    It makes interesting reading. It is, of course, mainly anecdotal but I'm inclined to think it's reasonably well informed. In particular the finish described by Doug Nye.

 

And we think the colours of aircraft are often controversial!

 

Dave 

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32 minutes ago, Fastcat said:

Hi CC,

                  Don't know if you're familiar with this site but the colour of the 300SLR isn't necessarily as straightforward as it seems. In fact the finish and colour of the restoration is generally discredited as a result of Mercedes wanting to portray a quality image. The general colour is described as silver rather than the silver-grey of the museum and the finish is described as rather rough without a polish.

That seems to be born out by photos - there is little evidence of reflection in the paintwork and most of the photos from the period seem to show a light finish, a silver, rather than a grey. 

I've include a link : Link    It makes interesting reading. It is, of course, mainly anecdotal but I'm inclined to think it's reasonably well informed. In particular the finish described by Doug Nye.

 

And we think the colours of aircraft are often controversial!

 

Dave 

You are absolutely correct Dave. I can't count the different 'silvers' I've been through for this model. I'm still not convinced I've got it right.

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Hi Tony,

                  From memory, I think I used a Mercedes or BMW silver car colour on mine but without too much polishing after. I think it gave the right effect of the original without too much shine yet not too much of a matt finish for the scale. 

I tend towards "near enough" because getting an exact colour can be almost impossible and even colour - matched paint can look wrong on a model. Depends on the scale. But if you look at how many reds Ferrari used and how Astons applied paint to their race cars, it's no wonder we struggle.

 

Dave

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Thanks for your advice and link, @Fastcat 👍

The problem with the colors in general is: what do you mean by "this colour" ?

if you look at all the "silver" colors of a manufacturer, for example Gravity Colors, you will find at least ten variations of this "silver" color... which one to choose?

Daimler Silver, from Gravity, for instance, which I used for my first 300 SL, is not the appropriate silver for the SLR, imho

And probably it's the case as well for Gravity Alcoa aluminum.

I've planed to make tests with these paints, and perhaps I'll use a mix of those two colors ...

 

But one thing is certain, the body will be cleared, to protect the paint, but will never be glossy or shiny, rather satin-finished !

 

 

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