After Lionroar bike build I was gonna start this one, also to be a piece on my dio. The kit looks very simple, but still very nice detailed, without flashes. Everything all right so far. But ... here is a big BUT that I cant explain myself.
I was searching internet and other sources for reference, about this mass produced car, I found lots useful pictures and details, but - once again - I did not find any picture of this model to have front mudguards similar to the kit. Even picture on its box art - shown above - has much wider and more rounded mudguards. It could be some manufacturing modification and Bronco have used for their moulds different car, what picture I never found anywhere, or its just mistake made by Bronco?

Here is a picture for exact imagination what I am talking about.
Does anyone know, where the problem is? I am not sure to leave that like this, or fix that in my build? I am not any car specialist, but I´d like to have my dio built in the right way. Any explanation or help are very welcome
Cheers
Libo

No progress in searching, all the cars have the same mudguards or fenders like mentioned before, and very far from the kit ones. I am almost sure that is mistake of the manufacturer. Now, the question is, leave that or fix that? According to my plans, BR86, which on the way to me already, and busy work to finish my dio, I would go for leaving that like this, but then I would have a an uneasy conscience, that something is not right there. To fix this would mean difficult task to take, with many hours extra work, because of its design. I will search again tonight, and if without success, I will have to make my decision soon.
I have started my work anyway, with the correct parts so far. Every wheel consists of 8 parts, and looks really nice.



Cheers
Libor

To be honest, I don't think it is as noticeable as you're suggesting. Of course you'd have to weigh up the hassle factor in replacing them, as they don't look like the easiest things in the world to remake - all that two way curvature, then there's getting both to look exactly the same. If doing that type of thing would give you pleasure in building it and you're sure you can do it right, then having improved and corrected the kit would undoubtedly give you plenty of satisfaction!

This is an Olympia, is it not? How about no. 6 on this page? Does this look so different from the kit mudguards?
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/09/gms_picks_for_its_10_most_impo.html

My suggestion is to forget about it!

Thank you Matthew, I agree with you, and probably I will go for my satisfaction. Nice picture you have linked there, and that shows the same proportion. If you notice that line on both mudguards, so it splits them into two halves, lets say inside and outside ones. Closer look shows that outside parts are almost as wide as the inside ones at their lowest position at the front, the difference is really small. But on the kit that line splits mudguards into two parts very different in width. The outside parts have something like third part of width of the insiders, altought they should be almost the same latitude.
But I have already got idea how to fix that, and that wont be very difficult, because the inside shape seems to be all right, I will simply cut out the front mudguards and with help of plastic sheet I will give them the right wight. Then they will be mounted back. I´ll start with that soon and show my progress here as well.
Cheers
Libor

I have started correction of the mudguards, first they were cut out.



Libor

In my next step I am seting on missing width with piece made from plastic sheet, and finally the rest of the kit mudguard is glued back. Small job with putty, sand paper and polishing tool will be necessary, but at the end I will get correctly looking model.




Cheers
Libor

Started with the interior and some work done on the chassis as well, but nothing exciting





Thanks for looking
Libor

The chassis is almost finished and continued with interior. Wide side windows will be set easily between inner and outer door parts, very clever and handy idea from Bronco. I will assembly them once everything is painted. Front and rear windows wont go that easy





Cheers
Libor

I have finished most building and repairing and I am going to paint surfacer soon.






Cheers
Libor

And now the interior painted in tan color. I will finish the other colors inside first, mount in the windows and weather inner surfaces then. Paints needed for the exterior should arrive soon.





Thanks for looking
Libor

That looks very good! Also interesting, to see the problem-parts of the kit.
Yesterday I had the model-kit-box in my hands, and thought about to buy it, to have something civilian. But I didn´t.

greetings...
Soeren

Thank you, Soeren, the kit is nothing special, no matter the issues listed above, but with some nice painting scheme it could be still very interesting model. I just wanna say, I could have bought something else instead of this car, but nevermind, I will do my best to turn it out as good as I can, and finally that could be a garnish of my dio, when finished. But if you want civilian car, there are some other and maybe better choices. I have ordered Tamiya stuff car as well, so I´ll see which kit is the leader.
Cheers
Libor

Hello there Libor, I've read your thread with more than just attention. I have this kit too and it will be started soon I hope. I like the way you try to make it as original as possible, the correction of the mudguards is executed in a nice way.
By the way, the Tamiya kit of the Citroën has some minor things to fix too.

G.

Thanks, Libor for the very detailed build-up so far. I really appreciate the time/pictues you've taken on this, and though I likely wouldn't go as far as you in correcting the kit, it's always nice to see someone who's willing!

I just recently obtained the Citroen myself and look forward to the '37 saloon in the future, too. I'm very interested in civilian versions and currently have a couple of CMK Beetles in the works... come on Tamiya with the upscale version!

Thank you, guys, for your nice comments. I have ordered Citroen as well, but I will leave it for later. The body is painted in black and I will do wheels and chassis next, still wainting for chrome metallic paint.




Cheers
Libor

Today I did more painting. I want to finish this car quickly, so I decided to use metallic paints I had here already. Result is not as shiny as it could be, but nevermind. Some more small parts to be glued on, then I will stick the body on the chassis.




Thanks for looking
Libor

The Opel is done, result could have turned out better, but I do not want to complain. Just one more thing, on the body I used Humbrol acrylics for my very first time, but I am not very happy with them. A couple of pictures, more can be seen at my website.






Cheers
Libor

Excellent Libor. This is what diorama builders have wanted for years ... civilian cars. Good job on the fender extensions.


I think this is perfect as it is. Too shiny ... and you´re in the wrong area of the hobby

Thank you, Frank, much appreciated.
Last week I visited my friend to see by my own eyes his BR 52, what is a kind of build I have never seen before, and there I could check difference between Gunze metallic paints and their Super metallic line. I just wanted to say, that my painting looks more like silver than chrome, what it was suppose to be. For my dio, there should be a guy polishing his car and another one sending him to do more important things
Cheers
Libor

Hi Libor,
Nicely built!
About the acrylics, have you used any sort of primer before applying them? Acrylics really do like to be painted over a primed surface. I have this model too, gone through the chassis build so far. I also measured front and rear fenders and compared those with the actual width of the Opel. The car was 1430mm wide. In 1:35 this gives 40,86 mm.
Rear fenders on the model are almost exactly that wide, and front fenders are about 1mm narrower. So the front fenders should be widened by 0.5 mm on each side (if we assume that they'd have to be as wide as the rear)
Given all of the above I belive that the overall width of the front is OK or really close. What's wrong seem to be the proportions of the central part: grille and/or headlights. looking at the pictures that you showed , my bet would be the headlights are too big in diameter.

Cheers
Greg

Thank you, Grzegorz,
that is absolutely right, but to fix it by mentioned way would be very hard. I choose easier way, now the fenders look more realistic, no matter that the front of the car is a bit wider than it suppose to be. I´d wonder, if they will fix that with their cabriolet version
For my painting, I used surface primer as usually, polished all well, but still the paint did not make smooth surface, whatever I tried. Another thing is, that the paint is not very resistant and can be scratched and wipped away easily. Pity I could not get my usual Tamiya or Lifecolor glossy black as fast as I needed. Nevermind, its done and looks good enough to me to leave like this.
Cheers
Libor

I think it turned out great, nice job on the fender fix.
I'll have to do that too when I build mine.

Thank you, Dave,
I think its easy way to get it looking better and closer to the original
Cheers
Libor

While searching the Internet for photos, one thing I've noticed is that some show a single wiper from the roof for the driver, and others show two from the cowl! I wonder if one was an option when ordering?




I'm inclined to agree with Greg, I think the headlight area is a smidgen too large throwing off the appearance of the fenders.

Now where the hell did I put that digital caliper.

Libor....YOU are my hero! You have the patience of Job and you are a real perfectionist.

I have been following your RR build and just came across this one...You did a great job on this car. I will not get this kit because, unfortunatetly, I don't have your skills and it would bug me knowing that the kit has these flaws.

RANT:
The heart of the matter is that today's kit manufacturers have an aboundance of resources at their disposal to research these kits and they still make these glaring errors. It's really negligence on their part. I won't support it. Bronco Models are expensive in the US....I can't imagine what the kit costs in Europe. They really need to held accountable.

I didn't mean to hijack your thread Libor...but it just makes me mad to see someone spend good money on a kit and then have to spend the time and labor to fix it up.

Again...great job!!!

Jeff