Peter Turner, UK

Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca

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It is not a well-kept secret that the Pocher version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca is a challenging project for most model builders. Everyone knows about the jillions of unmarked pieces, and most builders have heard the rumors of miss-aligned panels and toy-like appearance. Almost as if such negative judgments are endorsements, there appears to be an endless supply of intrepid, courageous would-be builders. For some folk, it is the subject itself, the idea of having a model of the 'best car in the world', and for some it may be a desire to fill out a Rolls-Royce model collection. Still others may be irresistibly drawn to the Mt. Everest of model car kits. Peter Turner, of the United Kingdom, is silent on his motivation, preferring, it seems, to let his finished model do the talking.
Peter Turner's Rolls-Royce model tells an interesting tale. One of the most disappointing elements of the kit is the plastic and vinyl interior which is realized in a dated technology involving lots of troublesome and complex plastic panels, all seemingly organized around the determination to make the windows wind up and down by means of plastic gears. While it is true that this original design can provide hours and hours of quiet fun, it is also true that the end result leaves something to be desired in terms of aesthetics. Peter Turner has wrestled these elements into not only a handsome interior, but also an interior, which captures the inviting elegance of the prototype. Stitched leather seating surfaces and careful work result in a handsome interior, and probably one that smells pretty good.
Acres of black plastic beg for some use of paint, and most of us are familiar with how easily the selection of colors can diminish an otherwise presentable result. Peter Turner pays homage to his American cousins with a color scheme right out of the Packard play book, leaving the somber tones for his fellow country- men. The handsome cream wire wheels are a wonderful match for the leather roof and interior, and bring the model forward nearly thirty years.
A troublesome trait of the stock Pocher Rolls-Royce is its irritating tendency to drag its pretty Barker-inspired 'gull-wing' fenders on the tops of its front wheels. Peter Turner attacked this shortcoming with a pair of struts that stabilize the front suspension and assure plenty of clearance between the pretty whitewall tires and the bottoms of those dramatic 'wings'.
No one builds a Pocher Rolls-Royce without overcoming numerous challenges, and builders all have tales to tell. Look carefully, and Peter Turner's model is quite a storyteller.