Update 2-9-2022 --- WIP Italeri 1/12 scale Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Roadster

Cadet Chuck

JohhnyK- 

Yes, my 1/8 scale model has nicely machined metal pistons, that go up and down in proper sequence when you turn the crank.  Also, the steering works, through a rack and pinion, and the brakes work, too, and the headlights turn on when you put a little metal key in the dashboard.  Amazing model!

 

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JohnnyK:  Working off and on in short spurts thruout the day, maybe 3-4 months.

I also managed to make the wire wheels with the spokes in the kit, came out nice. Glad I didn't have to buy them!

Chuck

Applying the faux-leather to the seat is almost finished.

The sparkplug wires are finished. I like the results. The is a lot of cool looking stuff on the right side of the engine. The engine need more dirt and oil stains.

Both sides of the rear body panel have numerous dents in them. I was thinking of using Bondo Glazing and spot Putty. I would appreciate any suggestions as to how to fix the problem. Thanks in advance.

I use glazing putty- works great for that kind of dimple.  The stuff does shrink a bit, so you will probably need a second application for that deep a dimple.

rocketman2000

I use glazing putty- works great for that kind of dimple.  The stuff does shrink a bit, so you will probably need a second application for that deep a dimple.

 

 

I finally finished the seat. 

Engine turned out great.  Thats the super charger on the right side - pretty cool.  I like your selection of varied metalics.

Lovely work.

This is a better photo of the seat. It's very difficult to photograph the color black.

The floor pan has a molded texture to represent molded rubber.

I painted the floor pan the same color as the car's body. The molded rubber was painted black and the front of the pan was covered with Bare Metal Foil. In real life these cars would have been driven on gravel and dirt roads, so I finished the floor pan with some dirt.

Dodgy

Lovely work.

 

Indeed.

I should have mentioned this earlier.  The instructions call for installing the levers for the clutch and brakes, and the gear shift lever very early during the build. These parts are very thin, especially the gear shift lever, and can be easily broken after being installed. I recommend installing the clutch and brake levers after the engine is installed in the car's frame and installing the shift lever as the final step of the build.

The dash was painted the same color as the car. The kit includes some nice decals for the gauges. I used Testors' Cement for Clear Plastic to simulate glass lenses. Testors' Chrome, a thin paint brush and a steady hand were used to paint the rings the surround the gauges.

Nice job on those gauge rings. The decals look nice, indeed. The cloth seats turned out great. All is looking real good.

The floorpan and engine have been added to the frame.

Starting to look like a car!  Looks great.

Really looking like it's going to be a great build. That last shot could be a 1/1 frame up restore job. Keep up the great work. 

Jim 

Stay Safe.

Very, very impressive. You could almost convince me to buy one!

This build is like a slow boat to China. I will post some new photos today.

The car's body is attached to the frame with small screws. I held the screws in place with tweezers and tightened them with an eyeglass repair screwdriver.

The body and firewall have been installed. Initially I was planning on polishing the paint to a high gloss, but I don't think that the automotive paints of the 1930's produced a high gloss finish. 

Here is a size comparison between the 1/12 scale Alfa and a 1/24 scale Willys. 

Yes, auto paints of that era could be polished, though they did not polish racing cars often.  A polished gloss, however, looks different from the wet look of a clearcoat.  So for vintage cars I prefer to actually polish the finish with car polish rather than clearcoat them.

I only clearcoat rods, custom, and 21st century cars.

BTW, where did you get that striped plug wire?

rocketman2000

 

BTW, where did you get that striped plug wire?

 

They have a nice selection of minature bolts and screws. I use them on my 1/12 sccale builds.  https://model-motorcars.myshopify.com/collections/small-parts-hardware/bolts

Thanks.

Coming along nicely, Johnny.

The model-motorcars site is interesting (and expensive...[think Artie Johnson there)), thanks for posting the link.

January 1, 2022

RESUMING THE WIP

I had cataract surgery in my left eye in late November. The result was a very rare post-op complication called "swollen cornea". It was not possible to work on models while the cornea was swollen. It took four weeks, and multiple eyedrops and eye ointments, before the swelling went down. Now I have crystical clear and near perfect vision in my left eye. Pretty amazing.

Wiring and hoses were installed and threaded through the firewall.

The decals for the gauges were very well printed and fit perfectly into the recessed openings on the dash. Clear plastic lenses were privided in the kit but I did not like the way they looked so I used Testors' clear cement to simulate lenses. With the aid of my new eye and a tiny brush I used Testors' Chrome to paint the trim rings around the gauges.

There is a molded trim ring around the headlight bezel. First I thought of painting the trim with a paintbrush. I canceled that idea and used Bare Metal Foil instead. As most of you know, I absolutly have to use Bare Metal Foil on all of my buiilds 

The wheels are made up of three parts. The spokes are a little too thick, but I think that the final wheel and tire will look okay.

The wheel and tire assembly looks pretty good. The tire needs some dirt.

I used Aqualine "Dry Earth" to dirty the tires.

Happy to hear  you recovered.  And glad to see you back on this build

Wow! Looking better every time we see it.   

Jim 

Stay Safe.

That is looking great. I love old cars like that. Keep up the fantastic work.

Glad your eye problem is corrected. The work to date is masterful and really cool