[MOC] 1920s Dodge Brothers Coupe / Roadster (42111 alternate)

[gyenesvi]

Hi All,

I'd like to share my next alternate build, this time out of the Dodge Charger (42111). To keep the brand, I wanted to build an older Dodge, and I found this nice one (more images here https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11530/dodge-brothers-dd-six.aspx):

This is a Dodge Brothers DD6 Business Coupe from the 1920s. I found out that the Dodge company was originally called Dodge Brothers as it was founded by two brothers in 1900, and it became quite successful quickly. Unfortunately, the two brothers died young because of illness, and the company declined a bit afterwards before it started doing well again in the 60s. This car was produced around their peak time in the 1920s, so I thought it would deserve a build. Here's what I ended up with.

The build is mainly about the bodywork, just like the Charger. Of course it has suspension on both axles (independent front, live axle rear), HoG steering, and a 6 cylinder engine (the real DD6 had an inline 6 but that did not fit the hood). But the main challenge was to create the curves on the body and fenders. The donor set has a good array of panels and arches that could be used here. Also, I managed to make the hood, trunk and doors openable while keeping their shape quite smooth. I tried to put emphasis on the details, like the front grill (that took a lot of time to get right), lights (I especially like how the indicators came out) and bumpers, luckily, the donor set had nice parts for those as well.

To make things more interesting, I added two variations. As the model was also produced in a Roadster version with a soft foldable roof, I made the build modular so that it can easily be converted to the roadster just by changing the A and B pillars. I also added some fake folded roof bars.

Furthermore, an obvious mod out of the Charger set should include a Hot Rod version, so I did that as well, by stripping the front and rebuilding the engine with more detail.

Here are some pictures from more angles:

More details and building instructions are available on Rebrickable.

Let me know how you like it!

 

Edited May 28, 2021 by gyenesvi
Adding video

[blondasek]

It looks very well done! I wish Lego would do something like that for B model. How great that would be?
Anyway, maybe this will trigger the need to reconsider buying 42111 :P

[Pato Sentado]

Love It!!! Getting the instructions...

[Jurss]

Nice B model.

[gyenesvi]

On 5/19/2021 at 8:26 PM, blondasek said:

It looks very well done! I wish Lego would do something like that for B model. How great that would be?

Thanks, indeed, even for licensed sets, there are possibilities for making B models..

23 hours ago, Pato Sentado said:

Love It!!! Getting the instructions...

Glad you like it, enjoy building!

16 hours ago, Jurss said:

Nice B model.

Thanks!

[Erik Leppen]

Nice model, and a good choice of model for the 42111 set in particular. Would have been a great official model. I particularly like what you did with the front hood, using the long curved slopes and the 11x3x2 panels. That's a trick to remember.

As a whole, I think I like the open-top and hot-rod versions most. The open-top version because it's less "square" than the closed-top version and works well as a model by itself, not knowing the reference. The hot-rod version has more color showing, which I also like, and the engine detaling makes it a fun model.

But man, Lego should really come with more thinner tyres :)

[gyenesvi]

On 5/22/2021 at 8:04 PM, Erik Leppen said:

Nice model, and a good choice of model for the 42111 set in particular. Would have been a great official model. I particularly like what you did with the front hood, using the long curved slopes and the 11x3x2 panels. That's a trick to remember.

Thanks, in fact, I was surprised how easily the front hood came out with that slope, the grill was actually more difficult to put together given the limited parts.

On 5/22/2021 at 8:04 PM, Erik Leppen said:

As a whole, I think I like the open-top and hot-rod versions most. The open-top version because it's less "square" than the closed-top version and works well as a model by itself, not knowing the reference. The hot-rod version has more color showing, which I also like, and the engine detaling makes it a fun model.

Indeed, I like the roadster too, but definitely wanted to model the coupe version as it was a bit more difficult. And I added the hot rod version to make it more fun :)

On 5/22/2021 at 8:04 PM, Erik Leppen said:

But man, Lego should really come with more thinner tyres :)

True, I tend to have this problem with my alternates, they'd require thinner wheels..

[gyenesvi]

I have made a video of my models showcasing their features, along with a bit of historical footage that I found about the real cars. Video added to the description.