[StygianMax]

I am able to post my first thread in this section because of this 300SLR sent to me as a gift from my good friend Eddie. I hope my photos do it justice because the quality and extent of the mods are really impressive! :nicejob :nicejob :nicejob

With this gift, my “oldest” diecast just got brought back two decades. It used to be 1987 with my Sauber C9. Now it is 1955. :giggle As I knew next to nothing about this car, I obviously had to do some homework.

(all photos clickable for 800x530 ~120kb)





A little history about the 1:1 (as authored by Eddie)...
The #722 300SLR was driven to victory at the 1955 Mille Miglia by Stirling Moss and co-driver Dennis Jenkinson. The displacement of the straight-8 was enlarged to 2992cc; with 2 overhead camshafts, double ignition, and Bosch direct fuel-injection, rated power could be as high as 345hp! Enough to shoot these silver arrows at speeds on the order of 290 km/h (180 mph)!

The background scoop on the model and mods…
To fully appreciate all that had been done to the car and Eddie's customizing talents, I really must explain the background. Thankfully, he gave me a pretty good description of the improvements he had done to the model so I'm borrowing a lot of his words. :giggle

The manufacturer of the “base model” is Bburago, but has a much more "Maisto" feel to it. Maisto makes the 300SLR "Uhlenhaut" and the 300SLR "Targa Florio", but the "Mille Miglia" is made by Bburago. Eddie did a lot of homework as he used every picture he could find on Google to replicate the engine details. As an example, two pictures of an SLR without the body gave a lot of insight into hoses, etc. for the engine.






All the wires, lines or hoses on the engine found in the model were added by Eddie as the original came with none. There are lines going from the oil cooler on the left side of the radiator to the tank under the left front fender and back. The silver fittings at the ends of the hoses are jewelry beads. The spark plug wires should be black, however the color selected gives more contrast. A used wire from a broken mouse was used for the spark plug wires, and the sheathing from some other wire from a stereo or something for the wiring looms. The black small diameter "hose" going from the fuel pump to the intake plenum is the dial string from some old stereo tuner. Most of the other hoses are simulated leather used for jewelry making. Rubber hoses weren't used much in 1955, most of it was braided covered, and it's a hard look to simulate.

Looking at the wheels/tires, I can see Eddie added backing plates to the front brake drums as well as brake hoses. Very nice! The tire treads were painted over with raw umber and then sanded them to make them look like they were worn.



Turning from the exterior to interior, the tub was painted to look like aluminum plate and then it was black washed. Black wash is basically black paint thinned way down with thinner. The seats are something to behold. Not being satisfied with the decals that Bburago included for the seats, Eddie found some ribbon with a plaid pattern. It is not accurate to the 1:1, but it was difficult to find anything that was close.

Final words....
Thanks Eddie for this fabulous piece of artwork!! You have put a lot of your heart and soul into this model and that's what makes it such a special addition in my diecast collection.

[ricallen]

I cannot get over how absolutely terrific that engine looks!!! Eddie, you really put together a serious piece of art there, my friend!! :nicejob

Felix, great write-up! And congratulations on this terrific edition! :cheers

[mox]

Wow! Amazing job, Eddie! The proverbial silk purse from a sow's ear...and, of course the usual great pics, Felix

[cobalt1959]

And now. . . The rest of the story. Felix neglected to mention how I forgot to install the hand brake lever and had to send it to him in the mail. . . :giggle

[StygianMax]

cobalt1959, on Sep 21 2005, 08:20 PM, said:

And now. . .  The rest of the story.  Felix neglected to mention how I forgot to install the hand brake lever and had to send it to him in the mail. . .  :giggle

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And me being the numnut took the photos in too much haste. I had forgotten to install the handbrake before the photoshoot. :shipwrecked

[LUW]

FANTASTIC!!!!!! Beautiful job Eddie!!! :nicejob

[mosteller]

:coolpics I see Eddie once agaian worked a miracleon the engine, it truly is fantastic! :nicejob :nicejob :nicejob

BTW, Maisto does make this model along with their Targo Florio and coupe models.

Also a little more history. While Jenkinsen may have been listed as a co-driver, he was in fact the navigator and never took the wheel. Some people, including myself, believe that Moss's performance in the Mille Miglia was the greatest drive in motor racing history. On the rural public roads of Italy and through many small towns, Moss drove 997 miles in 10 hours, 7 minutes for an average speed of nearly 99 mph!

Also FYI, Moss and #722 were featured attractions at last month's Pebble Beach Concours. Regretabley, MB has announced that #722 will never again leave the MB museum.

[vegasracer]

Amazing work, Eddie! What patience and skill! :cheers :cheers :cheers

[///M3]

MY GAWD! Eddie you have the talent for making things perfect. It looks like a CMC version from the engine detail to the interior. AMAZING! :nicejob

Congratulations Felix!

[JRO]

:nicejob :nicejob :nicejob :nicejob
Very good work, Eddie!

I love the 300 SLR. 1955 was the only year that they compete, the first and the last year. Mercedes returned to the racetracks in 1952 with the 300 SL Gullwing, and the first race was the Mille Miglia. After that they created the W196 because they wanted to get back to the F1 scene, and this car has the 8 cylinders engine with 2.5 liters. Finally, at 1955, they decided to enter in the endurance races and the 300 SLR appeared, born from the chassis of the W 196 but with a 3 liters engine. Moss won the 1955 MM with only 25 years, and Fangio was the 2°, alone!!
:cheers

[winstoncds]

Eddie thats breathtakingly gorgeous work. Congrats once again Felix.
Mosteller, thanks for the history of the 722. You just helped me to make up my mind to get this one too to give company to the 104. :cheers

[nadav_86]

great work Eddie :nicejob Congrats Felix :cheers

[mosteller]

Winstoncds;
Excellent decision! :cheers As you will quickly discover, except for the 2 seats, 2 headrests and the windshield, Maisto's #722 is virtually identical to #104. But they are so cheap and of such suprising quality, when combined with the history of these cars, to me, they are must-haves.

But don't let them be lonely. Also consider getting Maisto's 300 SLR "Uhenloff" (Sp?) coupe and Ricko's excellent 300 SLR Panamericana! Together these models make a very good display for not much money! :happy

Bob

[JRO]

When I first saw this model, it was made by Maisto together with the Targa Florio # 104 (which in real life won the race, with 76 kms per lap, also droven by Moss) and the Uhlenhaut Coupe (only 2 were made, with no racing history).
A few years later, I've heard that Bburago was doing them, the MM car as Eddie said.
But for sure Maisto was the brand that started with all 3 SLR's.
:cheers

[BVR]

Amazing work Eddie! You really know how to make a Bburago look better! :danbana And kudos for your generosity!
And Felix, congrats on this work of art! :cheers

[DiecastX]

Wow, that engine looks unbelievable :nicejob

Great work Eddie :cheers

Congrats Felix :cheers

[alpkop]

it came as Bburago, and now its a CMC :cheers :cheers :cheers

[StygianMax]

alpkop, on Oct 3 2005, 07:44 AM, said:

it came as Bburago, and now its a CMC  :cheers  :cheers  :cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's certainly quite the transformation that Eddie did. :310

[maestro862]

Fantastic job on the Bburago. The engine especially came out great. The rest is simply stuning as well.

To add a little to all the history, the 722 (whose number refered to the 7:22 am start time) actually had a 3 spoke steering wheel. This was Moss' special request. The original wheel hangs on a wall in his office.

[denis]

Very nice work, and for those who want to make their own, here is a good site of reference pics, including this engine bay pic.

300_SLR

This post has been edited by denis: 03 November 2005 - 01:27 AM

[timbo333]

That really is impressive work Eddie......you have my admiration for it. Well done.

And congrats to Felix for being the lucky recipient of Eddie's skill and generosity...

A good story and :coolpics to go with it....... :nicejob

Regards,

Timbo.