Tintin Project - the Vehicles

[PR19_Kit]

'Bumping' is right, none of that vintage Land Rovers were noted for their ride. 

The ride is appalling, but it will get you there WHEREVER there happens to be and whatever else is in the way.

Very true.

Sadly there were no deep trenches, 45 degree slopes or deep wading water troughs on the road from Oxford to MIRA at Nuneaton, which was the route on which I did most of my driving of the thing. I always needed a LONG coffee break having got there while my eyes stabilised.   

[Ify]

...

It's all looking good.

[strobez]

HAHAHA!  It does have a sort of junkyard chic to it, doesn't it?

[strobez]

I'm still working on the Peugot 403, but by completing the Lupin III Fiat 500 I opened up a little space on my workbench for...

The 1938 Opel Olympia from Tintin's adventure King Ottokar's Sceptre! (trumpets blare!)

I've really wanted to do this one for a while now.  Mainly because it's the second half of the build that started with my tiny little Gillet-Herstal Motorcycle.  In the story Tintin chases off after the bad guys by "requisitioning" a handy motorcycle... and the bad guys are zooming through the countryside in a cool looking yellow/tan 1938 Opel Olympia cabrio.  So they really are a matched set.

Of course, if it was so important to my Tintin build, you'd think I could order the right kit, no?  In yet another episode of "Not Paying Close Enough Attention" I ordered Ace's 1937 Opel Olympia by mistake - and it's not even the cabriolet to boot!



Luckily after realizing the mistake and a quick study of the sprues that came with it, all was not lost.  In the tried and true tradition of a company trying to make the most efficient use of their production, Ace has seen fit to include both the '37 and '38 front grill/hood on the sprue (and the instructions just come with one of those little "x" marks to indicate it's not used).  So the only thing I'm missing is the '38 side pieces and the soft top.  The top is not really a big deal as the assembly basically allows either top to be used as a cabriolet-style - just depending on how tight the material is supposed to be.  Luckily in the Tintin images, there's no noticeable slack in the top.  So just paint it the right colour and you're good to go.



The smaller problem is getting rid of those triangle side vents from the '37.  I'm not sure how to replace them with the long skinny vents from the '38, but I'm sure I'll think of something.  Any helpful suggestions would be welcome though.



The larger problem is how to bridge the gap created by using the unintended hood/grill.  The front fits fine, but the sides still show a gap because the hood is narrower than it should be.  Luckily there's a handy space to attach a bit of styrene to cover the gap.



That covers it, but I'm still going to need a bit more to create the curved surface on the top of the hood.  I think a bit of trimmed "half circle" styrene piping and a bit of luck will get me there though. Stay tuned.



I got some paint down on the interior but promptly scratched the hell out of it wrestling with the back seat (I thought wrestling in the back seat was supposed to be more fun... nevermind...)

Both the interior and the back seat will need a do-over on the paint. I'm trying to add a bit of a undercoat shading to the seat.  I'm not sure why, once everything's assembled you'll be lucky to see it.  But I'll know it's there, so I'll be happy.  The same goes for the dash.  I wasn't satisfied with the flat plank of plastic and the half-drilled hole for the steering wheel.  The Olypia's got a beautiful curvy dash, so I glued a couple of bits of plastic together and filed/sanded them into place and then attached it to the front of the dash plate.  It will look much better... so I'd better make sure I get lots of pics before it's lost from view forever.

[strobez]

A couple of quick updates.

First off, I got the Opel Olympia interiror painted and put together. I know you won't be able to really see it when it's done, but I'm happy.  It looks a lot more like an actual dashboard now.  I was a bit lazy on the pedals, but that area will be shrouded and practically invisible upon completion.



I also got the trunk boxed in on my Peugeot 403, so it was time to start painting the interior.  I think a nice light blue/grey will do nicely.

[NARSES2]

It's all so very neat 

[Rick Lowe]

Nice! All very cool and coming along well.

And when you realize it's all in 'The One True Scale', it's even more impressive.
And the scratchbuilt car bodies? Yow...

[strobez]

Thanks Rick!

I have to remind myself of the limitations sometimes.  Resin casting from molds based on vinyl toys from the 1960/70s and then detailing them up is not quite like just building OOB.

Of course even OOB is tricky if you bought the wrong box... speaking of which, I had to cut up some more shims to fill out the rounded upper portion of the hood for the Opel Olympia.



And sure enough, that meant another round of putty/sanding/more putty.



While that was drying, I decided to mask off the seats in the Peugeot 403 for painting...

[Rick Lowe]

You could see them as challenges instead?
Sorry to go all Pontificating Motivational-Speaker on you, but there is a case here for that argument - it's all good practice anyway, and in that scale you could always just carve the body from a solid block (or a number of).
Although that's not always as easy as it sounds either...

Did you solve the problem of the triangular panels/flaps on the front sides? I thought a bit of filing or even filling in the edges could be a go, and then just thin card shapes for the new panels.

I'm confused - when you say "the rounded upper portion of the hood", are you referring to the bulges which end in the headlights?

Keep up the impressive work! 

[strobez]

No motivational speaking required. the fun is definitely in seeing what can be accomplished rather than just the outcome itself. That doesn't mean that I don't get frustrated with my own lack of knowledge or skill though. Still, that's what pushes me to get better, right?

I'm not sure I'm ready for carving my own just yet though, but I've thought about it. I think it would be harder than I think it is... and I  already think it's pretty hard.

As for the Opel Olympia, getting rid both the triangle vents was easy... just sand away. To add the new vents though I think I'll follow your advice and just cut some tiny card bits glued together.

Oh, and what I meant by the rounded part of the hood is indeed the bit that ends in the headlights. Using the 1937 side panels and the 1938 front grill left a gap. So first I closed it off with a flat bit of styrene, but then I cut some half-circle styrene rods on an angle and wedged them in. The fit is close, but still needs a bit of putty and sanding to make it flush.

[Rick Lowe]

Yes, the sense of accomplishment is a great thing, and makes you wonder why you didn't bite the bullet earlier and just get it done... says the man who took 20 years to attempt to paint British DPM uniforms in 1/35 and was stoked to get it right enough for me first time round!
Or sculpting with epoxy putty...

I've found that if you break the thing down into basic shapes, assemble said basic shapes and carve/file/sand them into near oblivion, that works for me.

Yep, in that scale laminating 10 or 5 thou is all that's needed.

I thought that was what you meant, and it's worked a treat.
There's always filling, even when the parts are meant to go together - if they're cobbled together, all bets are off! 

[NARSES2]

Seeing her parked next to the bottle of cement makes me go 

[zenrat]

Seeing her parked next to the bottle of cement makes me hope you have the lid on tight and don't knock it over.
Don't ask me why...

[Old Wombat]

Seeing her parked next to the bottle of cement makes me hope you have the lid on tight and don't knock it over.
Don't ask me why...

I know why!

[Rick Lowe]

Seeing her parked next to the bottle of cement makes me hope you have the lid on tight and don't knock it over.
Don't ask me why...

I know why!

Me Three!