Noel Smith
Shefford, Bedfordshire, England
“I remember seeing one in a model shop window when I was a kid and not being able to afford it!” says Noel of the Hubley 1/18 scale 1930 Model SJ Duesenberg Phaeton. After nearly 50 years of longing, he was somewhat disappointed with the object of his desire. “Flash was everywhere on the die-cast bits, a nightmare to clean off compared to plastic, and most of the plastic parts were heavily plated.” He cut up the one-piece hood (bonnet) and added hinges to the hood and an aluminum firewall to the engine compartment. But he says the greatest challenge was to lace the six tires with stainless-steel spokes. “There were times when I could have cheerfully thrown this out the window,” he says. “But where else can you get a large-scale Duesie?”