Mercedes 300 SLR Coupé Uhlenhaut (and Mercedes SLS AMG - Revell gift package) - 1:24 scale

[CrazyCrank]

4 minutes ago, othertales said:

That chronic chasm between how one imagined a detail will look like once time is spent on it and how it actually ends up looking like…  That voice saying ‘why don’t you try it again? You can do it a bit better…’ 😵 That’s how mine is 😜

 

I keep doing the same thing over and over again 🙄

[othertales]

7 minutes ago, CrazyCrank said:

 

I keep doing the same thing over and over again 🙄

But your level of progress is great! I’ve been stuck in the same details forever. Admittedly I haven’t had much build time because of work but you haven’t either and yet 😉

[Neddy]

My reference modellers (including a certain self-confessed crazy Frenchman...) are all on this site.  I'll be happy if I ever get anywhere near their capabilities!

[CrazyCrank]

39 minutes ago, Neddy said:

My reference modellers (including a certain self-confessed crazy Frenchman...) are all on this site.  I'll be happy if I ever get anywhere near their capabilities!

 

You're absolutely right @Neddy, I've not mentioned all my other reference modelers on Britmodellers.com, because it would be unacceptable to mention only some of them, forgetting al the others

But I'm absolutely certain that they'll recognize themselves and won't hold it against me..

[Bengalensis]

Thierry, it seems clear to me from your lovely work that your recovery must be moving well forward in a very positive direction. I'm very happy to see that 👍

[keefr22]

8 hours ago, CrazyCrank said:

I'm aiming the same unbelievable quality of work and result than my reference modelers , A4 Garage and Kenji's Plastic Models, on Youtube.

And I think that I slowly approaching it

 

Those are my two favourite youtube modellers also Thierry, and in my eyes you've attained your aim - the close up photos you show on here to me look every bit as good, the latest two updates show yet more stunning modelling, really lovely work!

 

Keith

[CrazyCrank]

36 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

Those are my two favourite youtube modellers also Thierry, and in my eyes you've attained your aim - the close up photos you show on here to me look every bit as good, the latest two updates show yet more stunning modelling, really lovely work!

 

Keith

 

It's very kind of you, Keith, but I think you do me too much honour ☺️

[Neddy]

No he doesn't! 😊

[CrazyCrank]

Afternoon, Gentlemen

 

I continue to work on the ignition system since my last building post, and I've just achieved to wire the two magnetos

 

First, I've glued in right place the two magnetos:

 

  

 

And then I started wiring the two magnetos.
It's a tedious and difficult, if not painful, job to insert each cable precisely into its hole, securing it with a tiny drop of CA without overflowing into the adjacent holes and risking clogging them up, and above all to do the work in an extremely clean way.

Knowing that I'm still tired and that I have intermittent tremors (due to my heart medication), I'll let you imagine the long hours I spent on this work.

 

The wires are a little too long, but it would have been much harder to handle and place them if they were shorter.

Once they have been better curled and tied together in groups of 4 before they enter the large sheaths, this small defect will be less visible

 

Below is a photo shoot of this working session:

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

Next, I painted the flutes that distribute the ignition wires to the spark plugs.

 

Gloss black primer, then dark aluminium, and matt clear.

 

 

I also painted the rubber sleeves around each hole matt black.

 

 

I was pretty happy with this result....until I realize that there was an issue !

I'd forgotten to plan how I could attach the flutes to the rocker arms covers !

 

It would have been difficult to scratch two mounting brackets for each flute on this scale, in order to reproduce the real things:

 

 

So, I decided to modify my drawings and 3D print new ones, incorporating the brackets :

 

 

 

 

I've only just started painting them, so I can't show you the final result.
Probably tomorrow, if I have time, because I am leaving my house for two weeks to finish my convalescence by the sea  😎

 

 

[keefr22]

Good greif, I can hardly see some of those parts in huge size on my laptop screen - I'd never be able to see them in 'real life'....!! 🤣

 

You have far more patience than me Thierry, I'd have glued the bonnet shut a long time ago! 

 

Enjoy the seaside! 😎 

 

Keith

[CrazyCrank]

27 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

Good greif, I can hardly see some of those parts in huge size on my laptop screen - I'd never be able to see them in 'real life'....!! 🤣

 

You have far more patience than me Thierry, I'd have glued the bonnet shut a long time ago! 

 

Enjoy the seaside! 😎 

 

Keith

 

Thanks for the compliment Keith @keefr22 😎

That said, I'm sorry but I don't understand the word "greif" and have not found it in my dictionary  🤔

What did you mean by that?
 

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, CrazyCrank said:

I'm sorry but I don't understand the word "greif"

 

Sorry I spelt it wrong - it should be grief! But it's a commonly used English saying that doesn't really mean the same as the dictionary definition of the word grief. 

 

I think this is possibly the best definition I've found on line - "Some people say `Good grief' when they are surprised or shocked."

 

So really what I meant was - I'm shocked, as I can hardly see some of those parts in huge size on my laptop screen - I'd never be able to see them in 'real life'...!!

 

Sorry to confuse you...

 

Keith

[CrazyCrank]

Hello guys   😮

 

I'm not back! I couldn't leave my home yesterday.

In fact, the nurse who looks after me went to change my abdominal bandages and discovered that the largest scar had reopened wide and deep along its entire length (5 cm).
So I had to go back to the clinic to see a surgeon, who decided that it was too late to sew up the wound and that daily dressing changes by the nurse were mandatory for 3 to 6 weeks, with regular visits to the surgeon in between!

If possible, maybe I could leave tomorrow for a few days before the next appointment, and have my care where I've planned to travel? I don(t know at the moment!

 

Since I couldn't sleep last night despite taking sleeping pills, I worked on my new radiator.
 

I've already shown you the 3D printing of the radiator frame.

 

Now I've made the radiator grilles from templates taken from the 3D drawing of the frame and 3D printed them (there are 2 next to each other, I'll remind you, on the left the one for the engine oil and on the right, the bigger one, for the engine water).

 

So of course there are 4 grilles: 2 at the front and 2 at the back, and of course they don't have quite the same shape, that would have been too nice.

 

I made them from a special photo-etched mesh I found on AliExpress:

 

 

First the rear water radiator grille

 

 

 

Then the front and rear oil cooler grilles (almost identical)

 

 

 

And finally the front radiator grille

 

 

 

But that's not all, because between the front and rear grilles, on a real radiator, there's the whole network in which the water circulates to cool it, and that's impossible to reproduce like the real thing on a 1:24 scale.

So I made 2 fake circuits from a 120 mesh I found in England.

 

 

I'll sandwich them with the grids I made earlier.

 

Here are the 7 parts to assemble

 

 

The following photo isn't very revealing, because it's difficult to take a close-up before the lighting is right to see the 3 structures clearly, but it doesn't look too bad.

 

 

The only difficulty is to cut the net and the photo-etched grille, and then to adjust them perfectly!

 

Of course, you have to paint the grids, which are too shiny to be realistic!

 

Well, but the radiator is far from finished because, once it's installed in place, we'll need to add to it:

- the two uprights connecting it to the front axle support, held in place by two 0.3 mm pins
- The two oil cooler pipes
- The three water radiator pipes

 

More when I can 🤔

[Stick]

That mesh work is very effective 👍🏻

Stick

[Bengalensis]

Sorry to her there's been complications in your recovery, but I trust the medical staff will get it under control 👍 At least you know how to make yourself busy during the time 😎 Keep the good work up!

[CrazyCrank]

47 minutes ago, Janine05 said:

@CrazyCrank you must have had really steady hands to do that 🫣 good job.

Thank you so much for these kind words 👍

And for my hands, not that much !

[keefr22]

Sorry to hear of the complications Thierry, hope it all heals up well very soon. 

 

Meanwhile we all get to see some more of your excellent modelling, that radiator will end up looking brilliant!

 

Keith

[Neddy]

Brilliant work on the grille!  I'm really sorry to hear of your current difficulties and hope you overcome them before too long.

[othertales]

Guéris vite and beautiful radiator!

[CrazyCrank]

Afternoon my friends 😉

 

My surgeon estimated today that my wound is healing well, so that she authorized me to leave my home for holidays at the seaside, always with nursing care and supervision. 🥸

I’ll be back at the bench on August 31th 😎

[Neddy]

That's great news, enjoy your holiday and continue your recovery. 🏖️

[Stick]

48 minutes ago, CrazyCrank said:

holidays at the seaside, always with nursing care and supervision.

...nurse, nurse! More ice cream please 🍨
Have a good trip 👍

Stick

[Chief Cohiba]

All the best, get well soon and have a great holiday!

[keefr22]

What everyone else said, great news and enjoy your holiday!

 

Keith

[Brandy]

Enjoy your hols. See you soon!

 

Ian