my W196R Stirling Moss

[keramh]

Hello,

I was surprised, the screws are not in each delivery as usual, they are all sorted together in a nice collection box. But first of all, there will be no construction report from 1 to 12. I plan to change a few things and will therefore build wildly in confusion. As an example I will start with the space frame.

before I start with the actual construction I first looked through the sorting box of the screws.

As it turns out, there are sometimes up to 3 bags of different sizes in the individual compartments. And inside the bags there are black, silver and, in one size, even white lacquered screws.

So I sorted them back into my little screw-top cans.

So I can put you in my small, slowly filling sorting wall.

[keramh]

As I have already mentioned, I want to change a few things and therefore I will not follow the order of the building instructions. Since I want to start with the frame, I've looked through the instructions and so I'll start with Pack 5.

Before we start assembly, take a look at the assembly instructions Why make it simple when you can make it complicated... The screw connections are always marked with a yellow circle and at the end you have to look for the spot again to know which screw is used. Why didn't they write that information right there...

I don't know. So run now is screwed.

Since I want to age the frame, I have to pay attention to the nameplate, which is really well made.

 

[keramh]

I wanted to assemble the frame first and then age it completely, but that's not possible because you can't get the built-in parts into the frame afterwards. So we continue with the gearbox and the brake drums.

 

 

The two half-shells are connected by the gearbox.

 

 

Then the cardan shaft and a retaining bracket are mounted.

 

 

 

Now we come to the large brake drums into which we insert the drive shafts and then close them.

 

 

 

This unit is now placed in the gearbox shell and screwed to the gearbox cover.

 

 

 

At the end, a "funnel" is mounted and the entire assembly can be put into the frame for a test.

 

 

 

Here you can clearly see that everything looks so clean that it is quite toy-like, so out with the gears again

 

 

Everything neatly pasted with oil paint

 

 

and everything superfluous removed.

 

 

 

It all looks a lot more realistic this way, and the other add-on parts on the frame were also treated in this way.

 

 

Now the wheel suspensions follow.

 

 

The shock absorbers have an interesting connection mechanism. I had to think of a retractable ballpoint pen.

 

 

Here also an original assembly and the aged one on the other side of the vehicle for comparison.

 

 

When everything is dry now, which takes a little longer with oil paints (2-3 days), everything can be mounted in the frame.

 

 

[keramh]

Now the installation of the rear wheel suspension was pending and I can tell you...

The assembly instructions are really problematic, poorly explained and confusing. The installation position of some parts can only be guessed at or determined by trial and error.

 

 

 

That's how it was with me and the drive shafts which absolutely could not be assembled.

I searched and searched and found that right and left were reversed. Now everything fits and I was able to finish the rear end of the space frame.

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I would like to give you an overview of what has been built so far.

 

 

 

[keramh]

After the rear suspension, it is now the turn of the front.

Here again the comparison of the kit parts with the already treated / aged suspension.

And everything installed, the direction of the shock absorbers was again ambiguous and I thought I'd give it a try and lo and behold it was correct.

And as a final picture everything assembled so far.

[PVessa]

Could you please expand on your aging techniques? Are you just using oil paints or other? Do you apply and let it partially set before removing the excess? Do you use washes or do you seal the treatment with a varnish after you get the desired results? 

In building aircraft models, sepia oil paint is often used. What colors do you use? 

I really like the finished look and would like to try it on my W196. I appreciate any specifics you are willing to share. 

Cheers 

On 4/15/2023 at 10:54 AM, keramh said:

I wanted to assemble the frame first and then age it completely, but that's not possible because you can't get the built-in parts into the frame afterwards. So we continue with the gearbox and the brake drums.

 

 

The two half-shells are connected by the gearbox.

 

 

Then the cardan shaft and a retaining bracket are mounted.

 

 

 

Now we come to the large brake drums into which we insert the drive shafts and then close them.

 

 

 

This unit is now placed in the gearbox shell and screwed to the gearbox cover.

 

 

 

At the end, a "funnel" is mounted and the entire assembly can be put into the frame for a test.

 

 

 

Here you can clearly see that everything looks so clean that it is quite toy-like, so out with the gears again

 

 

Everything neatly pasted with oil paint

 

 

and everything superfluous removed.

 

 

 

It all looks a lot more realistic this way, and the other add-on parts on the frame were also treated in this way.

 

 

Now the wheel suspensions follow.

 

 

The shock absorbers have an interesting connection mechanism. I had to think of a retractable ballpoint pen.

 

 

Here also an original assembly and the aged one on the other side of the vehicle for comparison.

 

 

When everything is dry now, which takes a little longer with oil paints (2-3 days), everything can be mounted in the frame.

 

 

 

[keramh]

Hello,
I use commercial artist oil paints.
These can be wiped off immediately as required or later if you want the effect to be more intense.
Sealing is not necessary after drying.

[PVessa]

Thank you for the additional information. Are there other weathering or aging technics you have tried? I posted a question on tires. I have a few of the Agora 1:8 models (312 T4, 917KH, Shelby Cobra, W196), and I would like to show slight use on the tires. I was going to try a light sanding followed by a gray wash. Any thoughts? 

Cheers 

[keramh]

Grinding the treads is always the first step.

Then I stir a solution of spirit/alcohol and chalk in a wide variety of colors, this mixture can be applied after and when the alcohol has evaporated, wipe off well on the tires there is a slight hint of residue, which imitates the very realistic road dust.

[PVessa]

On 4/18/2023 at 2:19 AM, keramh said:

Grinding the treads is always the first step.

Then I stir a solution of spirit/alcohol and chalk in a wide variety of colors, this mixture can be applied after and when the alcohol has evaporated, wipe off well on the tires there is a slight hint of residue, which imitates the very realistic road dust.

Excellent suggestion. I will try a few variations on some spare tires I have to see what is possible. 

[PVessa]

On 4/17/2023 at 2:00 AM, keramh said:

Hello,
I use commercial artist oil paints.
These can be wiped off immediately as required or later if you want the effect to be more intense.
Sealing is not necessary after drying.

I will start aging the "silver" parts soon based on your help and examples. Have you thought about how you are going to age the "black" frame? Will you be using gray and brown washes? I have not found reference photos of the frame yet. I would like to get an idea of the type of wear the frame experienced. I would expect some chipping, grime and oil. I would not expect rust on a race car - any thoughts on this topic? 

Keep the photos coming. Very helpful. Your model looks fantastic. It is inspiring me to expand my weathering/aging use. 

[keramh]

Hello,

I'm happy if you like my report.
I haven't really thought about the color yet, maybe something in beige or grey, it should go in the direction of dust and dirt.

Here's a picture I found.

There are many good pictures on the net about Fangio's car, I particularly like the damage to the body. Will not be easy to implement the cracks and chips in the model.

[Mark A]

Looking fantastic!

 

Mark

[keramh]

Hello,

 

here it goes on, I've aged the frame a bit, let's see what I'll do there. But for now it should be enough.

 

 

Then I started with the engine and got stuck with the injection pump. I don't like the valves at all.

 

 

If you look at an original, you can still do something.

 

 

I took a screw and put a small piece of twisted pipe on it.

Then drilled through a cap nut, cut a new thread and screwed it on anchored around.

 

 

It's still a bit big, but that's okay. Now another 7 pieces and then the connectors between each two valves come out of semi-circular profiles.

 

 

[keramh]

I then continued on the engine, the ignition system, especially the two starters. (it says so in the instructions, what are they called exactly?)

 

 

It looks like this when assembled, which I don't like

 

 

So in the first step, real screws and studs were replaced.

 

 

Then I didn't like the bracket on the strap so this part was recreated from 0.5 mm wire.

 

 

So I like these two components much better.

 

 

 

Now the bracket. As soon as the M 1.4 threaded rods have been delivered, we can continue.

 

[keramh]

Since the threaded rods are only in the delivery, I once further built the injection unit.

I didn't like the first painting in oiled steel and on original pictures I saw black valves with silver connections.

So repainted again and made the connections in small pieces from 2 mm half-round profiles.

In the enlargement it looks really wild but okay, I'll leave it like that for now.

Just for classification, the valves are approx. 5 mm high and consist of an M1.2 x 4 screw.

[keramh]

Let's move on to the cylinder banks

Some of the injection valves and spark plugs have enormous sprues and a slight misalignment.

So sand down and repaint, which is a better choice anyway, otherwise everything appears far too uniformly silver.

 

 

[keramh]

Let's get to the cylinder heads

and a really nice nameplate.

As is usual with this series, this should be mounted with Phillips screws.

I decided again to attach it with "rivets" (pins) and I think it's much better.

Now the undersides of the heads are screwed onto the piston blocks.

What worked great on the one hand didn't work at all on the other. The pins do not match the specified screw holes.

With the screws in place, you can see that the holes are completely offset, so cut off the pins and that's it.

On the other bench, the pins are way too thick and won't fit in the holes so drill them out.

On the second head of the other cylinder bank, both errors appear, an offset of the holes and pins that are too thick.

Then we received the 16 ignition cables in this construction step.

With the tubes for the ignition cable routing I encounter problems again, the tubes are straight.

But original pictures always show that these tubes are bent towards the middle.

So something new has to be created here as well.

[keramh]

But before I start I started to age the engine, the oil paint needs a little longer to dry.

[keramh]

The engine has now been assembled and it continues with the magneto ignition and the ignition cables.

In the picture above you can see the kit part and below it my little change.

As always, this enlargement is sometimes hair-raising, but the aluminum strips are 0.8 mm wide.

Then, as with the original, the cables were bundled in pairs with a strip of tape and installed.

And here is my original picture as a template.

[keramh]

Hello,

Today I dealt with a new component of the engine, the cooling duct. First I'll show you a picture of the original, the yellow arrows point to the assembly.

And now the kit part... Mold separation seams, sprue points and instead of the thicker rubber connection, the areas here are designed to be thinner. Why thin???

So sand everything down and repaint.

shrink tubing on it

hose clamps

and the now finished cooling channel

Aged and installed.

[keramh]

At the moment I'm still working on the engine, but in the meantime I've started on the fire wall.

A tiny plaque has to be mounted here again.

Nicely done in itself, but unfortunately a bit scratched on me, which doesn't bother me at all, since my W196 is supposed to look used.

This plaque is meant to be screwed back on with small Phillips head screws and again I opted for push pins.

Shortened, the small "rivets" are ready for assembly.

Here is a comparison with the screw provided in the kit.

The mechanic hit the rivet a bit too hard with a hammer on the bottom right, but okay, I'll leave it like that.

[keramh]

It continues with the distribution pipes of the ignition cables.

The kit parts are just straight pipes with the connections for the cables.

I looked through a lot of pictures but only saw the bent protective tubes in all pictures.

So I looked in my junk box and found two exhaust pipes from a 24 truck.

They are a bit thicker but much more suitable for the case of the kit tubes, the cable sleeve should be pushed over them from the outside.

In the original, however, this cover goes into the pipe, so it is consistent for me.

Then I also sorted the two ignition cable strands and secured them with appropriate holders.

Here you can also see the newly built bracket for attaching the ignition magnets.

The kit part again for comparison.

I think that sort of order comes into the whole cabling, just like with the original, I will also rebuild the injection lines from aluminum wire.

In my opinion, this tangle of cables and silver hoses, as provided for in the kit, does not work at all.

And finally something really nice.

Starting today, every step of my project will be personally accompanied by Stirling Moss.

 

[keramh]

Hi,

as I had already written, I don't like the solution with the silver rubber hoses at all.

So now we continue with the lines for the injection system made of 1 mm aluminum wire. Here again pictures of the original.

 

First I built these brackets, there are 2 pieces each on the left side, in which 4 lines each are routed.

The 4 lines for the right side are first routed through a block of 4 and then through blocks of 2.

 

Painted black, it is now time to bend and lay the cables.

 

 

 

 

 

[keramh]

I had some time again and continued working on the engine of the W198R.
During my research I also found another picture of the original and laid the cables according to this diagram.