1/25 JoHan 1931 Cadillac V-16 |
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Fleetwood Sport Phaeton |
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Here are some photos of one of my most successful “vintage” builds. This is an original-issue JoHan ’31 Cadillac V-16 kit from the mid-‘60s, found on eBay and built some forty years later.
Some of the kit parts were extremely delicate to begin with, and over the decades, some of the plastic had become rather brittle. Also, JoHan had a habit of “getting their money’s worth” from their molds, doing thousands of shots, often using them until they were close to worn out. As such, these kits are fairly plentiful and usually quite inexpensive today, but it is wise to always buy one or two backup copies, as occasionally one will come across some heavily distorted parts and useless half-shots. After careful inspection of the kit contents, the first step in construction must always be a good soaking of the parts in warm soapy water to remove any close-to-fifty-year-old mold release agent and grease. Once washed, the parts should be allowed to air dry. As this issue of the kit was tastefully molded in color, I opted to do only minimal painting. The wheel rims were highlighted with Polly Scale ATSF Silver. The engine exhaust manifolds were done with PS Stainless Steel, and the interior upholstery and folded top with PS B&O Royal Blue. I used Gunze Wood Brown for the trim on the rear dashboard and dry-brushed silver highlights on the front and rear dashboards. Bare Metal Foil Chrome was applied to the exterior pinstripe. The body was glossed with a couple thin hand-brushed coats of Polly Scale Clear Gloss, and that was all. I discovered during the painting process, that it was handy to keep a small amount of Windex on a Q-Tip to wipe off any excess paint that might get on to the body. Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog)
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Photos and text © by Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog)