1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II by Minicraft Models: WIP

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I'm starting another build n addition to the 1970 Superbird that I'm currently working on. Because like Master Yoda says, "Always two there are. No more, No less."

The 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II by Minicraft Models. The original kit was tooled and released by Hubley Manufacturing around 1960. It's been reboxed and re-released around ten times by a couple of different companies since then. This version was re-issued by Minicraft Models in 1997. Though this version is labeled as a 1962, Rolls Royce manufactured the Silver Cloud between 1959 and 1962. One release of this kit was labeled as such. I purchased it at the most recent Desert Scale Classic model car show and swap meet in Phoenix. 

 

 

The good news is this is a rather simple kit, about a dozen parts in total. Many model kits have more pieces in just the engine.

 

 

Now for the bad news. The molds for this kit are more than sixty years old and it shows. These may look like parting lines but they're more like steps.

 

 

Without casting issues like this, I could probably build this kit in just a few days. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to get this body worthy to wear the Rolls Royce name. 

 

The hood, or more properly bonnet given the car's pedigree, will also require some attention. The big groove running down the center is supposed to be a raised line. Knowing that the it opens butterfly-style, I presume it would be he back of a piano hinge.

 

 

I'm certain the groove is a bevel that allows clearance for the bonnet to open revealing the engine plate. Not really a necessary feature in my opinion. I'll probably glue the two pieces together with a strip of styrene running down the center to represent the hinge. I may glue it down or leave it loose so it's removeable depending on what the engine plate looks like.

 

That's all I have for this time. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment or two.

Davis G.

[89AKurt]

I recently acquired this exact kit too.  Very curbside chassis.  I want to install an engine, so many 3D printed choices nowadays.  But then you need a realistic suspension, and then and then and then, it's gonna domino.  I'll be lurking.

[slusher]

I will be following along David!

[David G.]

21 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

I recently acquired this exact kit too.  Very curbside chassis.  I want to install an engine, so many 3D printed choices nowadays.  But then you need a realistic suspension, and then and then and then, it's gonna domino.  I'll be lurking.

Thank you Kurt, I'm glad to have you along.

This kit is very curbside everything. It's the very definition of curbside. 

To do a full detail build, one would pretty much have to scratch build everything except the body and interior. I can't think of any suitable donor kits.

8 hours ago, slusher said:

I will be following along David!

Thank you Carl, always a pleasure my friend.

David G.

[mrmike]

I have this kit and I was hoping to build a Burke's Law Rolls Royce.  The misaligned front fenders is making me doubt using that kit even if it is the only one readily available.  I'll be watching your build!

[89AKurt]

17 hours ago, David G. said:

Thank you Kurt, I'm glad to have you along.

This kit is very curbside everything. It's the very definition of curbside. 

To do a full detail build, one would pretty much have to scratch build everything except the body and interior. I can't think of any suitable donor kits.

[...]

Welcome!  I've done a few projects where I use the whole chassis, and stuff under a body, just a matter of what.  Have a Tamiya Lexus LS400 that could work, need to lengthen about 1/4".

[David G.]

22 hours ago, mrmike said:

I have this kit and I was hoping to build a Burke's Law Rolls Royce.  The misaligned front fenders is making me doubt using that kit even if it is the only one readily available.  I'll be watching your build!

Thank you Michael. The fenders are indeed rough but I think I can get them worked into some kind of acceptable appearance.

5 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Welcome!  I've done a few projects where I use the whole chassis, and stuff under a body, just a matter of what.  Have a Tamiya Lexus LS400 that could work, need to lengthen about 1/4".

I've seen you do some pretty amazing things with styrene Kurt. I'd be very interested in seeing what you'd do with this kit.

David G.

[Bainford]

Cool project, David. I remember buying this kit in the early 80s, branded as a Revell kit then, and being sorely disappointed when I opened the box. Low parts count, almost no engine or chassis detail, and on the Revell release, no chrome (just a parts tree molded in grey). I had a custom build in mind, but the very thick plastic was a further turn-off. I slapped it together OOB one weekend and it sat unloved on my shelf until a friend saw it and fell in love with it, so I gave it to him. Many years later, armed with improved skills & tools, and with that custom project still in my mind, I purchased a Minicraft version (with chrome plated parts) on ebay. It's waiting in the stash for its turn at the bench. In the meantime, I'll watch yours come together. Cheers.

[Bugatti Fan]

The Minicraft kit was originally issued by Hubley way back in the 60's. Crude and simple by modern standards, and the fit of parts left a lot to be desired. The body shape looks right though and with a bit of work can make a nice model.

There is another David in the UK who kit bashes these with Franklin Mint Silver Clouds he gets on Ebay.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, Bainford said:

Cool project, David. I remember buying this kit in the early 80s, branded as a Revell kit then, and being sorely disappointed when I opened the box. Low parts count, almost no engine or chassis detail, and on the Revell release, no chrome (just a parts tree molded in grey). I had a custom build in mind, but the very thick plastic was a further turn-off. I slapped it together OOB one weekend and it sat unloved on my shelf until a friend saw it and fell in love with it, so I gave it to him. Many years later, armed with improved skills & tools, and with that custom project still in my mind, I purchased a Minicraft version (with chrome plated parts) on ebay. It's waiting in the stash for its turn at the bench. In the meantime, I'll watch yours come together. Cheers.

Thank you Trevor. It's nice that someone got some pleasure out of that old kit. Thanks for following, I hope I can provide you with a little entertainment and some useful information.

3 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

The Minicraft kit was originally issued by Hubley way back in the 60's. Crude and simple by modern standards, and the fit of parts left a lot to be desired. The body shape looks right though and with a bit of work can make a nice model.

There is another David in the UK who kit bashes these with Franklin Mint Silver Clouds he gets on Ebay.

Thank you for your comment Noel.

I think this kit was designed more as a toy that can be built rather than a serious scale model. In that way it's very much a product of its time. 

I believe I can manage to massage it into a more appealing representation of the original.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

4 hours ago, David G. said:

Thank you Trevor. It's nice that someone got some pleasure out of that old kit. Thanks for following, I hope I can provide you with a little entertainment and some useful information.

Thank you for your comment Noel.

I think this kit was designed more as a toy that can be built rather than a serious scale model. In that way it's very much a product of its time. 

I believe I can manage to massage it into a more appealing representation of the original.

David G.

Hi David G., and thank you Noel Smith . . . I am the other David in the UK . . . This is a good effort David, and it is nice to see someone having a go !

I was going to mention that the only real donor model is not a kit, but a diecast from Franklin Mint, and this car is a 1955 Silver Cloud I with the straight 6 -engine, rather than the V8 in the SC II after 1959 . . . The Hubley / Minicraft / Revell / Entex / Masterkit version has 26 parts in the box ( I counted them ).

I agree that you can make this into a nice model, but it does require a HUGE amount of work, including scratch building of course.

The Revell kit for the Silver Cloud has grey parts that need to be chromed, while the Minicraft kit has chrome parts but the chrome is too heavy.

The Revell kit does have nice rubber tyres, whereas the Minicraft kit has horrible tyres that have more plastic than rubber.

The straight-6 cyl. engine can be extracted from the FM diecast, or there is one on Shapeways designed by myself. ( Minicraft V8 engine is a joke ).

Take note : the Spirit of Ecstasy radiator grille top mascot is WAY too large in all of the kits . . . This needs to be significantly smaller, so either a resin cast part or the Franklin Mint part is correct, but always missing from Ebay sellers. Also note, the boot lid reg. number plate plinth that is fitted to all British Silver Clouds is not included in the kit box, and the FM diecast doesn't have it either for the American models.

Good luck with this build David G., and I am not the expert, but I have built eight of these Rolls-Royce models, and the most recent one took me 7 months to build and paint, so any questions are welcome.

There was a Hubley promo in blue plastic, as well as the Hubley kit, also in blue plastic.

David

 

[David G.]

19 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Hi David G., and thank you Noel Smith . . . I am the other David in the UK . . . This is a good effort David, and it is nice to see someone having a go !

I was going to mention that the only real donor model is not a kit, but a diecast from Franklin Mint, and this car is a 1955 Silver Cloud I with the straight 6 -engine, rather than the V8 in the SC II after 1959 . . . The Hubley / Minicraft / Revell / Entex / Masterkit version has 26 parts in the box ( I counted them ).

I agree that you can make this into a nice model, but it does require a HUGE amount of work, including scratch building of course.

The Revell kit for the Silver Cloud has grey parts that need to be chromed, while the Minicraft kit has chrome parts but the chrome is too heavy.

The Revell kit does have nice rubber tyres, whereas the Minicraft kit has horrible tyres that have more plastic than rubber.

The straight-6 cyl. engine can be extracted from the FM diecast, or there is one on Shapeways designed by myself. ( Minicraft V8 engine is a joke ).

Take note : the Spirit of Ecstasy radiator grille top mascot is WAY too large in all of the kits . . . This needs to be significantly smaller, so either a resin cast part or the Franklin Mint part is correct, but always missing from Ebay sellers. Also note, the boot lid reg. number plate plinth that is fitted to all British Silver Clouds is not included in the kit box, and the FM diecast doesn't have it either for the American models.

Good luck with this build David G., and I am not the expert, but I have built eight of these Rolls-Royce models, and the most recent one took me 7 months to build and paint, so any questions are welcome.

There was a Hubley promo in blue plastic, as well as the Hubley kit, also in blue plastic.

David

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to comment David, I appreciate all the information and tips you offer.

I don't plan for my build of this kit to be as extensive as what you've outlined but I do plan to make some improvements over what the kit offers. 

I do plan to see if I can correct the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament. I have yet to look online but my thoughts were leaning more toward carving or casting one of my own. Given how crude the kit-provided example is, anything I do is likely to be an improvement.

I plan to glue the hood shut. I may leave it removable but I've already glued the two halves together so an operable opening option is out of the picture. The engine plate offered in the kit is not really worth a second look anyhow. 

The example I have is a LHD U.S version so there is no need for me to anglicize it with a number plate plinth.

I do like what you've done with the one in the photos you've posted, nice work BTW. The antenna and internal rear view mirror are two features I've now added to my list of considerations. I also like the partially open windows.

Again David, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with me. I now have some new ideas to consider for the build.

David G.

 

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's a little update on the Rolls.

A little primer shows a lot of work that needs to be done.

 

 

It's time for the initial test fit. It took me most of my build session to get all the pieces together. With the molds as worn as they are, almost every piece required some dimensional adjustment. The slots for the front bumper and holes for the fog lights were almost completely closed and had to be drilled and filed open.

 

 

The boot lid doesn't fit well and will likely be glued shut. I just couldn't resist getting out a fine point Sharpie and putting some red on the tail lights. They'll be stripped and repainted anyway.

 

 

Here's a shot from the Gag Reel! I was repositioning the model for a shot and heard my camera's shutter click. I'm not sure what triggered it but this is the shot it captured from its location on the desk. I found it amusing so I included it.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment or two.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

Nice test fit photos David . . . As you can see now, from the test fit and also the application of primer, there are many issues with these kits.

Two things to keep in mind . . . The aperture for the windscreen is slightly too small, and consequently the windscreen in the kit box is too small. My solution to this involved enlarging the aperture at all four edges, and then you can either cut a piece of clear plastic from something like cake box packaging, or you can use a windshield removed from the 1:24 scale Franklin Mint Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud . . . The other thing is that the rear window should have a matt black surround to represent the rubber seal, and there is no chrome surround to the rear window. Franklin Mint did add a chrome surround to their diecast model, which is absolutely not correct.

The proportions of this motor car were designed to such perfection by the Rolls-Royce company, that the dimensions of the windscreen have to be very precise for the whole car to look right. This is why just one millimetre out on the scale model will make a massive difference. To give the Minicraft people some credit, they did manage to produce an accurate body, which for the most part has good proportions. That is what motivated me to go to great lengths to build a good model from this kit.

David

 

[89AKurt]

Funny how grey primer makes the mold lines shout ? YOU HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN!!!!! ?  Looking at the picture of the real car, the door handles sure do arch outward, that will be something I *have to* fix.  I would like to keep an opening trunk, but the interior just looks so wrong.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Nice test fit photos David . . . As you can see now, from the test fit and also the application of primer, there are many issues with these kits.

Two things to keep in mind . . . The aperture for the windscreen is slightly too small, and consequently the windscreen in the kit box is too small. My solution to this involved enlarging the aperture at all four edges, and then you can either cut a piece of clear plastic from something like cake box packaging, or you can use a windshield removed from the 1:24 scale Franklin Mint Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud . . . The other thing is that the rear window should have a matt black surround to represent the rubber seal, and there is no chrome surround to the rear window. Franklin Mint did add a chrome surround to their diecast model, which is absolutely not correct.

The proportions of this motor car were designed to such perfection by the Rolls-Royce company, that the dimensions of the windscreen have to be very precise for the whole car to look right. This is why just one millimetre out on the scale model will make a massive difference. To give the Minicraft people some credit, they did manage to produce an accurate body, which for the most part has good proportions. That is what motivated me to go to great lengths to build a good model from this kit.

David

 

 

Thanks again David. You're providing me with so much information that I'm starting to feel that I may need to share the build credit with you.  

I do appreciate your interest and the facts and tips you're providing me with are tremendously helpful, thank you very much.

19 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Funny how grey primer makes the mold lines shout ? YOU HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN!!!!! ?  Looking at the picture of the real car, the door handles sure do arch outward, that will be something I *have to* fix.  I would like to keep an opening trunk, but the interior just looks so wrong.

Hi Kurt, thanks for taking the time to comment. I always enjoy following your work and I'm honored by your interest in mine.

I did notice the door handles but was trying not to "see" them. If you know what I mean.  There was a time when I would have attempted to correct them but these days, I'm just happy to be able to complete a build and have it look good on the shelf.

As for the trunk, there's really nothing inside to see except a spare wheel which was not included in this particular kit. I'd rather have a good looking fit for it.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I found a little time and energy the get some more work done on the Rolls, so here's the update.

This area where the front fenders, ahem... wings meet the doors is the area most effected by the misalignment of the molds. It's also one of the most visible and visually important areas of the car.

 

 

The shift is significant, averaging about 1 mm. The best solution I can come up with is to build up the step with a bit of styrene sheet, which still needs a little more trimming for a better fit. Then I'll smooth it out with some putty.

 

 

This side's not any better. That wreckage where the cowl meets the body will be presenting challenges of its own.

 

 

Again. Starting with a base of sheet styrene, my intent is to re-sculpt the entire area.

 

As always, thank you for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[89AKurt]

Thank you for the kinds words. ?  Since I'm in a slump, am living vicariously through you on this build.  I've had success in using superglue (Extreme Power, green label sold at Hobby Lobby) and baking soda.  I try to avoid using putty because of how it shrinks, if it's a thin leveling I will.  Been able to scribe panel lines, just need to be more careful.  The nice thing, can work the area within 5 minutes.  Remove the primer, and rough up with sandpaper first.  I read others say it degrades due to high humidity, I live in arid Arizona, but we have a humid monsoon season, and I have not seen anything happen.  In this case, I wouldn't use styrene, but for extending an edge, or creating fender flares (for example) I would.

Yea, working on the trunk interior would rob a bunch of time.  I would *have to* make a wicker picnic basket, liquor case, and a couple of expensive looking shotguns or rifles, and perhaps a nitrous bottle.  And what's stupid about adding such details, I play with it a few times, and then it sits on the shelf. ?

[Anglia105E]

Certainly, those joints where the front wings meet the doors and the windscreen pillars are a difficult area of this body to fix. You are doing a fine job, and the joints have to be almost seamless . . . As regards the spare wheel David, I found there were 5 wheels and 5 tyres in every kit that I purchased, so I always put a spare wheel and tyre inside the boot. Maybe the kit that you bought only  had 4 wheels and tyres?

Here are four photos that show the spare wheel setup, which includes a scratchbuilt panel that is not in the kits . . .

David W.

[David G.]

20 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Thank you for the kinds words. ?  Since I'm in a slump, am living vicariously through you on this build.  I've had success in using superglue (Extreme Power, green label sold at Hobby Lobby) and baking soda.  I try to avoid using putty because of how it shrinks, if it's a thin leveling I will.  Been able to scribe panel lines, just need to be more careful.  The nice thing, can work the area within 5 minutes.  Remove the primer, and rough up with sandpaper first.  I read others say it degrades due to high humidity, I live in arid Arizona, but we have a humid monsoon season, and I have not seen anything happen.  In this case, I wouldn't use styrene, but for extending an edge, or creating fender flares (for example) I would.

Yea, working on the trunk interior would rob a bunch of time.  I would *have to* make a wicker picnic basket, liquor case, and a couple of expensive looking shotguns or rifles, and perhaps a nitrous bottle.  And what's stupid about adding such details, I play with it a few times, and then it sits on the shelf. ?

My pleasure Kurt. 

I've tried working with CA & soda a couple of times but not often enough to become comfortable with using it for a project like this. I use 3M Automotive Glazing and Spot Putty. It's essentially a very thick lacquer primer and I use it as such, mainly for filling in small scratches and imperfections. I rely on the styrene for the structure and shape of the repair and the putty mainly as a finisher when I have the styrene shaped the way I want it.

I used this method on the Luftwagen wherein I grafted a 37 Cord nose on the front of VW Bug. The Cord nose was too narrow and needed to be widened.  I split and the nosepiece and padded the sides of the hood with styrene sheeting to meet its new width.

 

I built the styrene out in layers and used files and sandpaper to sculpt it. Eventually smoothing it all out with a bit of putty.

 

I think it came out fairly well.

 

If you're curious, here's a link to the build thread. Heck, you may even remember it.

 

18 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Certainly, those joints where the front wings meet the doors and the windscreen pillars are a difficult area of this body to fix. You are doing a fine job, and the joints have to be almost seamless . . . As regards the spare wheel David, I found there were 5 wheels and 5 tyres in every kit that I purchased, so I always put a spare wheel and tyre inside the boot. Maybe the kit that you bought only  had 4 wheels and tyres?

Here are four photos that show the spare wheel setup, which includes a scratchbuilt panel that is not in the kits . . .

David W.

 

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words David.

Unfortunately I did receive five wheels but only four tires. I thought about digging in the parts box for a suitable match but I decided against that. Given the amount of body work I was already tasked with on this build, I felt that my time would be better spent just correcting the poor fit of the boot lid and foregoing any thoughts of retaining the functionality.

The one you built looks great. The added panel is a nice touch as is the carpet texture.

 

Thanks again, 

David G.

[Anglia105E]

I forgot to mention last time, but as you are having difficulty in getting the boot lid to fit . . . What I do with every Silver Cloud build, is to cut a length of cocktail stick or bamboo toothpick if you like, and insert this under the two boot lid hinges from the inside of the body. This takes out all of the slack from the sloppy fit, and the boot lid hinges up and down quite nicely. There is still a bit of a gap actually, and I noticed you intend to glue the boot lid in the closed position.

These photos show the hinge ' stick ' modification.

David

[Lunajammer]

On 6/24/2023 at 7:46 AM, David G. said:

I really like this photo. I mean... a lot. As an art photo, there's room to enjoy interpretations of what we're seeing.

[Bugatti Fan]

Mentioned earlier was the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot being way overscale.

I have heard of ship modellers making diminutive crew figures by twisting very thin wires together and using acrylic artists paint straight from the tube to sculpt around the wire. I would imagine that a very fine filler like Magisculpt, much loved by figure modellers could be used similarly.

Or maybe even some of the acrylic based decorating paint from a match pot could be used on something so small as it can be built up and shaped by brushing around the wire frame and left to harden off before finishing off with a touch of silver.

[Anglia105E]

5 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Mentioned earlier was the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot being way overscale.

I have heard of ship modellers making diminutive crew figures by twisting very thin wires together and using acrylic artists paint straight from the tube to sculpt around the wire. I would imagine that a very fine filler like Magisculpt, much loved by figure modellers could be used similarly.

Or maybe even some of the acrylic based decorating paint from a match pot could be used on something so small as it can be built up and shaped by brushing around the wire frame and left to harden off before finishing off with a touch of silver.

Some interesting ideas that you have there Noel . . . I am constantly looking for clever ways to model a 1:24 scale Spirit of Ecstasy, and the twisted thin wire suggestion sounds feasible to me . . .

David

[Ulf]

On 6/17/2023 at 4:19 PM, 89AKurt said:

I recently acquired this exact kit too.  Very curbside chassis.  I want to install an engine, so many 3D printed choices nowadays.  But then you need a realistic suspension, and then and then and then, it's gonna domino.  I'll be lurking.

A reasonable alternative is actually the Chevrolet small block, apparently a fairly common conversion in the US in particular.
There are probably exhaust systems that give the right whisper.