King Ottokar's Scepter (Opel Olympia)

1
March 20, 2018
I needed a 1938 Opel Olympia... so why did I order a 1937 kit?
2
March 20, 2018
Luckily about 90% of the kits are the same... it comes with both front/hood pieces, so just the sides are slightly different.
3
March 20, 2018
First thing to do is remove that triangle vent.
4
March 20, 2018
Hmmm... the mismatched hood/sides mean I'm going to need to fill some gaps.
5
March 20, 2018
Support glued in place and made some additions to the dashboard.
6
March 23, 2018
Interior painted... but I'm not sure why. I think I've built too many airplanes...
7
March 29, 2018
Cut some shims to fill in the gaps.
8
March 30, 2018
A bit of putty, sanding, a bit more putty...
9
April 5, 2018
I finally got the front smooth... now to add the vents along the side.
10
April 5, 2018
Vents are on, but they look a little bigger than I thought they would. First coat of paint showed off the imperfections.
11
April 5, 2018
A little more sanding and another coat of paint... much better!
12
April 5, 2018
Interior is mostly done. Just left off the gear shift until the final stages because I always seem to lose them.
13
April 5, 2018
The roof still fits. I also added some small silver wire for the detailing.
14
April 5, 2018
Just a quick test run...
15
May 13, 2018
Wheels on, bumpers on, door handles on and all the silver details painted... getting close.
16
May 13, 2018
I sanded down the vents and gave it a bit of a repaint. Looks much better now.
17
May 18, 2018
Headlights and license plate were the final touches.
18
May 18, 2018
I decided to bring the base in line with all the other ones in my Tintin project "set".
19
May 18, 2018
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.
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March 8, 2024
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March 8, 2024

Greg Baker
I'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

Daniel Klink
In 👍

20 March 2018, 23:59

Spanjaard
i am in too 👍

21 March 2018, 08:28

Greg Baker
Ok... starting to look like the finished product.

5 April 2018, 15:55

John Thomas
Greg, just more outstanding work

5 April 2018, 17:09

Greg Baker
Thanks 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

Spanjaard
Nice idea for the base

5 April 2018, 23:24

Greg Baker
So 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 Hardy
Greg 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 Baker
He says... as if Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was a rare affliction around here...😉

19 May 2018, 00:00

John Thomas
Greg, very cool project and I really like your wood base

19 May 2018, 11:35

Peter Hardy
What 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 Baker
Thanks 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

Peter Hardy
Kerry?

20 May 2018, 01:32

Michael Hickey
Cool👍

20 May 2018, 04:22

Martin Oostrom
Do 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

Peter Hardy
Would you like me to send you a copy of the one Greg sent me?

20 May 2018, 10:03

Spanjaard
very nicely done.

21 May 2018, 18:36

Greg Baker
This 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 Baker
Oh, 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

Spanjaard
awesome!

8 March, 15:34