Profile Photo
bob mack
59 articles

Monogram 1/24 1931 Rolls Royce

September 17, 2018 · in Automotive · · 44 · 2.7K

this is a …the old black buggies in the westerns that the doctors drove…like “Doc Adams” on Gunsmoke were called Phaetons…it basically means open , no side windows…these were called open cars or coachs and this would have been the end of their era…looks like a four seater MG to me...i could just see this thing screaming down Lake Shore Drive Chicago...three thompson 45 "choppers" with 150 round drum clips sticking out of windows spitting fire...call in that town tamer Elliot Ness

look at that bank of lights...do you think those could blind you

no wonder they wore racoon coats

look at that throttle quadrant where the horn should be...interesting

can't you just see four dudes riding around in this thing wearing straw hats with white hat bands

looks like an English race car

probably is

many thanks to Dolf for the inspiration to bring this closet queen into the light of day

Reader reactions:
12  Awesome

44 responses

  1. Beautiful model Bob. Great work (as usual)

    Highly unlikely Al Capone sent anybody out in a R-R "gun bus," but very likely to have seen this gliding down Sunset Blvd. to pull to a stop in front of Ciro's and a couple Hollywood movie stars from the Golden Age step out.

  2. Nice looking R/R Bob. Beautiful finish, was that the usual colors for the car or did you pick it. And what about fit, since it's an old kit did you have to beat it into submission? Or did it go together rather well for it's age. For me, I see Gloria Swanson from Sunset Boulevard riding in it with poor Jim. Although that's not the car they used.

  3. Gorgeous work Bob. Sumptuous is the word I’m looking for.

  4. Nicely done, Mr. Mack (I think I like the round base better). 🙂

  5. One elegant build sir!

  6. Very nice one Bob! Congratulations!

    I like the color you used on the instruments panel (like wood I'd say, which was most of the time the case in those days I believe) .

    Because of the main green color I'd see it more on "Dick Tracy", with Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, etc 😉
    But as Tom points out I doubt that even the reachest gangsters would use a R-R for "work"... lol...

    "many thanks to Dolf for the inspiration to bring this closet queen into the light of day"

    Thanks! As you know mine is still not finished, but I'll post updates on the WIP thread created for it:

    https://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-automotive/forum/topic/monogram-1931-rolls-royce-phaeton-1-24/

    And once finished I'll post pics on a new Article of course 😉

    Cheers!

    Dolf

  7. Very nice! I'm not really a car guy, but I do love the oldies! As someone else mentioned, that's a really appealing color scheme.

  8. Awesome Rolls, Bob. I agree (in reverse) ... I've always thought that older MGs looked like miniature, 2-seat old Rolls Royces! Interesting to know of someone else basically had the same idea! Great minds think alike & all that!

    Adolfo, I look forward to seeing yours. I have a soft spot for the Rolls Royce models because one of the FEW car models I did back in the Dark Ages was a Rolls Silver Shadow. 1928, if memory serves.

    Great work, Mr. Mack!

    • thank you very much Jeff...you know we seem to be on the same wavelength in many ways...nice to know your not alone

    • Jeff,

      "Adolfo, I look forward to seeing yours. I have a soft spot for the Rolls Royce models because one of the FEW car models I did back in the Dark Ages was a Rolls Silver Shadow. 1928, if memory serves."

      Still waiting for a couple of things for finishing mine, so it may take a little time before I can present it on a new Article 😉
      But where Bob is creative, when I'm not familiar with something (and cars, cars parts, engines, mechanics in general, it's just a small part of them...) I try to remain as faithful as possible to the manual, following it like a sheep... including the colors, hence mine is, as shown on the WIP thread, the colors depicted on the box art... or those that I believe are the ones depicted on that box art.

      I broke my "spray gun" while airbrushing some parts of this R-R, and couldn't airbrush all those larger parts I needed to, so for instance my roof is brush painted, hence... far from being nice & smooth...
      My rear wheels/axle, I messed up with that part of the assembling, something went wrong on that phase, and now for trying to save it I'll have to do some "deep surgery" on that part...

      Will see what I can do 😉

      Cheers!

      Dolf

  9. Great Build Bob. Great to see this Roller.It would have suited the classiest Gangsters!

    • i checked out your work on Harrow David...lovely builds and mostly 1/72 especially the F-5...loved the Gabreski P-47 in 1/48th also

      • Thank you Bob@p38j for your kind words.
        I underwent heart surgery about a year ago and am just getting back into my stride with building really consequently I have lots of half completed projects!
        As luck would have it, I was at Harrow last night . Alan and Roger send their regards. If you are ever in the UK please do let us know we would be delighted to catch up with you.
        Best wishes Bob

        • i have about 10 stalled projects...and no excuses...i try to finish them quickly so that doesn't happen...but...our eyes are bigger than our stomachs sometimes...at least in my case...best of luck with the heart brother and thank you kindly for the invite

  10. thank you very much David...i love the Harrow website...that Alan Bottoms and Roger Brown...wow to the wow

  11. Thanks Bob for showing and sharing.
    I like the idea how they show model vehicles on a reflective surface.
    I am going to be bood for saying this, so please forgive me. Does the Rolls have a broken front axle?

    • yes Pete i didn't notice it till i looked at the photos...it was just barely hanging by a whisper...it's now been pinned...i all ways do something like that

      • I doubt that you "always do something like that". Your model making is very good, and most importantly you obviously love that car; or vintage cars as a whole, which is also great to see.

        I repaired and modified a few cars in my time. Even bent the front axles of a heavy loaded F100 field service ute, so the wheels will wear evenly. So I tend to notice stuff like that.

        • gotcha...it is repaired...i even repositioned the left light on the bumper...see photos

          2 attached images. Click to enlarge.

  12. Wonderful, and yet one more example of how great my all time favorite model company was at producing excellent kits. Their classic cars are hard to find, but just stunning when built with skill such as yours great job!

  13. thank you very much Rob...love your work and the beers...i'm still hung up on your Albatross...monogram gave me my passion for this hobby also about 1961

  14. Bob,
    This is another fine example of your work.

    Funny thing that you mentioned the "throttle quadrant" where the horn should be. In many cars from this era, they did not have adjustable timing built into the distributors as we became accustomed to later in the 1950's, when hot rodding cars became more common place. The distributors with an automatically adjusting advance based on mechanical weights and the vacuum created by the engine came along shortly after your Rolls was built.

    In order to accelerate, the driver had to also "adjust" the spark timing at the same time he used the accelerator. The same scenario was used when the driver started the engine... where a person had to juggle a choke, throttle settings and timing all at the same time.

    And to think that all we have to do today is have a key fob close to the start engine "button" in order to get a vehicle running. If you asked a mechanic today to adjust a set of points, or set the dwell, they would probably look at you like you were from another planet.

    Well done on this one, and I really like the choice of colors.

  15. thank you very much Louis...i just watched a youtube video a few days back of a guy in Australia starting a model T...what a procedure...and you could break an arm if didn't pump the cylinders to TDC before cranking...the same thing can happen cranking a Harley...you could be launched over the bars...you sure know a lot about the old cars...very interesting dissertation...thank you for that also

  16. Spot on that Bob!
    Lovely build and fantastic presentation!

  17. thank you for the kind inspiration Richard much appreciated

  18. Hello Bob,
    Beautiful RR color scheme on this old Monogram model.
    As mentioned many times before, Monogram still the way to go.
    Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.

  19. thank you very much Dirk...i'm still reeling from the Sea Knight you built last year...most impressive

  20. With their long hood, flared fenders and distinctive radiator, the early Rolls were by far the most attractive Rolls Royces made. This lasted through the late fifties. Then along came dame progress and the Rolls went from a work of art to one more high end car on the road. This representation is a beautiful example of early Rolls Royce art.

    An interesting feature of Rolls from this era was the large bore, divided, straight six engine that was actually two engines combined in one crankcase. These engines were masterpieces of cast, polished, aluminum manifolds, machined steel and brass. Each bank of three cylinders had its own fuel shutoff and ignition system along with a compression release. When one reached cruising speed, the ignition and fuel was shut off on one bank and the compression release was opened. Then one could cruise more economically on the remaining three cylinders. This is perhaps a classic, unstated comment on the mentality of the wealthy who could easily afford petrol.

    Rolls Royce also maintained a drivers school for buyers that taught their drivers how to shift in a manner passengers could not detect the shifting sequence, a luxury that later became automotive de rigueur with the advent of the automatic transmission.

  21. marvelous knowledge...thank you for sharing

Leave a Reply