King Ottokar's Scepter (Opel Olympia)
I needed a 1938 Opel Olympia... so why did I order a 1937 kit?
Luckily about 90% of the kits are the same... it comes with both front/hood pieces, so just the sides are slightly different.
First thing to do is remove that triangle vent.
Hmmm... the mismatched hood/sides mean I'm going to need to fill some gaps.
Support glued in place and made some additions to the dashboard.
Interior painted... but I'm not sure why. I think I've built too many airplanes...
Cut some shims to fill in the gaps.
A bit of putty, sanding, a bit more putty...
I finally got the front smooth... now to add the vents along the side.
Vents are on, but they look a little bigger than I thought they would. First coat of paint showed off the imperfections.
A little more sanding and another coat of paint... much better!
Interior is mostly done. Just left off the gear shift until the final stages because I always seem to lose them.
The roof still fits. I also added some small silver wire for the detailing.
Just a quick test run...
Wheels on, bumpers on, door handles on and all the silver details painted... getting close.
I sanded down the vents and gave it a bit of a repaint. Looks much better now.
Headlights and license plate were the final touches.
I decided to bring the base in line with all the other ones in my Tintin project "set".
And there we are, done! I usually don't glue the vehicles to the base, but the motorcycle won't stand on its own otherwise.
Comments
17 20 March 2018, 16:04
Greg BakerIt's too bad by mistake I ordered a 1937 Opel Olympia instead of a 1938... but I think I can overcome the issues.
20 March 2018, 16:12
Jim HutterThe multi-part body reminds me of those 1960's Pyro and Palmer 1/32 scale Fords.
20 March 2018, 17:04
Greg BakerI'm glad for it in this case. I ordered the wrong kit, but luckily the main sprues come with both grills (which is the major difference between the '37 and '38). So it just takes a bit of surgery on the sides - basically sanding down and replacing thr engine vents and extending the area next to the hood - to make things right. Still... 1/32 sounds like a luxury compared to 1/72.😉
20 March 2018, 22:42
Greg BakerThanks John! After I put the cabrio top on I was wondering why I bothered with detailing the interior... but I know it's there at least.😉
I'm also happy with how the base is shaping up. A trip to the dollar store and I snagged a bamboo tea light candle holder. Turned upside down with a bit of plastic on top... voilà instant base for $2 all in. I also grabbed some coasters which will be equally useful I think.
5 April 2018, 22:29
Greg BakerSo there she is, done. I decided to change up the idea for the base to keep it in line with the rest of the 'set'. For a kit where I bought the '37 and then decided to change it to a '38... good enough.
18 May 2018, 23:31
Peter HardyGreg do you actually read all these Tintin stories? I am worried you are showing outward signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! This will go well with the others in the series. Wouldn't mind you doing a "Perils of Pauline" series too! Please???? Signed, A Devoted Fan.
18 May 2018, 23:47
Greg BakerHe says... as if Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was a rare affliction around here...😉
19 May 2018, 00:00
Peter HardyWhat makes you think we have it? Just because Kerry wears white cotton gloves to open a model box and wraps his sprues with glad wrap that doesn't make his OCD does it?
19 May 2018, 11:43
Greg BakerThanks John! I thought they deserved an upgrade from the Pringles tops... especially after the paint started falling off.😉
As for Peter... the white gloves don't count, but painting all the pieces alphabetically does.
19 May 2018, 15:35
Martin OostromDo you have any idea hoe hard it is to paint alphabetically when the parts are numbered? One needs a special conversion table for that!
20 May 2018, 07:11
Greg BakerThis one took me a while to get a 3D model of the Gilette motorcycle that worked. It pained me not to include the original kit-version, but I couldn't get Tintin to sit on it properly. In effect, I had to build the motorcycle to his ass and not the other way around. I originally tried to print spokes for the wheels, but I had to abandon that plan after several failed prints. For some strange reason, I also had problems with the sizing. I think the problem is that Herge drew a smaller motorcycle to fit his boy hero. When I tried to fit Tintin to a regular scaled bike, it looked quite odd. I didn't really know how odd until I paired him up with the Opel Olympia and then it became clear he was a giant!
8 March, 15:29
Greg BakerOh, and the sharp-eyed among you will notice two moustached Bordurian secret agents behind the wheel of that little yellow Opel Olympia. 🙂
8 March, 15:29
