GT40 WIP

[LR3]

I'm having no trouble with their woven tubing as I read other modelers have, but there are other conflicts to resolve. ..

Cato - how did you attach the woven tubing. Everything I tried wicked down the tube and stiffened it. I liked woven better than wire but could not work with it.

[Cato]

Cato - how did you attach the woven tubing. Everything I tried wicked down the tube and stiffened it. I liked woven better than wire but could not work with it.

I won't tell you until you post some snaps here.

First I cut a clean end on the tube with a brand new straight edged blade. Then I stuck a t-pin into the tube to get it perfectly round. Removed the pin and just touched the cut end with cyano so it only wet about 1/32" of the end. If you put too much, the whole tube gets stiff and you can't bend it in place. (Also paint the tubes with acrylic paint-I used Nato black- or that will stiffen the tubes too.). Let it dry, then when the painted fittings were ready, another drop of cyano on the pin end of the fitting and join. The key is getting the tubing perfectly round with no fuzzy ends and the glue keeps it that way all the way onto the fitting. They come out nice and clean but you need the patience of a saint...

[Cato]

More pain and suffering:

Here's the end of a woven tube as explained above. It's standing on end, slid over a t-pin but you can make out the round hole and no frayed edges. I have two left to make-this one is 20mm long and then the one from the filter to the carb inlet. The glue tip works:

Now here's a tip to prove that 'Wacky' can sometimes work-no laughing or I'll go to my room and cry.

Pilfered from the female's magazine collection, I give you a plastic magazine stand-converted to a GT40 work stand. Wrapping the car in a thin layer of foam wrap, it just fit comfortably into the stand with the nose flat on the stands 'floor'. Being a klutz, I need 10 hands to do fiddly things like tiny AN fittings that have a mind of their own. This got the car out of my hands and allowed me better and steady access to the work area. If you don't think this is nuts, just look around for a stand that will comfortably fit your project. See:

Like magic, it also works great when you have to change positions and work flat:

Now here's the near finished fuel lines (2 to go) in place. When you paint the hoses, it helps if you bend them a bit to shape and let them dry that way, but they're quite flexible without kinking if you go very lightly with the cyano. While I have my pants down and am embarrassing myself you can spot the curl of BMF that came loose and the sprue brace I made to stiffen the heat shield. I really should have scratched a new one from .020" styrene or .005" can aluminum and I may still because the kit piece is irritating me. I modified this one by mounting to the base of the cabin window rail (using white glue-which I like for 'temporary' joins) instead of lower where Trump wants it. It just gives it more of an angle than I like but looks OK (for now). The reason is because the fuel filter (silver can with lines) interferes with it where Trump mounts them. The carb line will go from the right edge of the filter to the carb and just barely will go on the fitting the way I have it. BTW-Trump wants you to put the hose right into the hole in the filter-I took an unused 'J6' AN fitting and joined to the filter. You really have to plan carefully when you get to this stage. Maybe you guys will have zero trouble with this but I sure painted myself into several corners. Also notice that you hardly see any of the detail (like on the pumps) that you worked so hard to make. Same on many places on the car-like Syd's coilover question. See:

Here's a trial fit of the pan and carb and it actually meets the heat shield better than Trump's way. There's a gap if you do it that way and that defeats the purpose of having a shield over the distributor on the original GT's:

Am I the ONLY guy on this planet building this car? Sure wish Syd and any of the rest of you would show me the way you've solved these challenges.

[stump]

Cato, this is brilliant.

LOVE the "stand" idea......would never have even give that a second thought.......very clever.

The hoses look fantastic, as does the whole build mate.

I wish I was a quicker builder.... I would be right in the mix beside you. But if I start mine now, my other projects will probably fall by the wayside...

[Cato]

I really should have scratched a new one from .020" styrene or .005" can aluminum and I may still because the kit piece is irritating me.

NEVER LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE...

Well I did make more work for myself but I'm kinda happy I did. I remade Trump's clunky piece. The scratched piece is .005" baking pan aluminum and .020" styrene as a backer. That's almost a 1:1, 1'16" sheet on the real car which is fine. The tin cuts easily with scissors or #11 blade. A tape pattern made from the original worked great. The styrene backer allowed me to roll the edge for a truer look. There's another tip in here I stumbled across.

Here's a main view of the new piece. Compare to the shots in my other post of the Trump piece. Notice the cyano 'stains' in the upper corner and under the 'wings' in the following shot. That's not excess glue, it's the 'flash' that cyano gives off on shiny surfaces like windshields and canopy's:

Here you can see the rolled edge clearly:

Here's the tip that I found works-WD40. Using a Q-tip wet with WD, I gently swabbed the tin where the stains were-top and bottom. Gone! See here:

Lastly, you can see I made the wings slightly shorter so the fuel fitting on the filter clears the heat shield and the visible line from the carb has a clean attachment to the fitting.

Now what's really bothering me is the clunky turkey pan Trump gives you for the carb. I BMF'd it early on but it's just cheesy the way mine came out. I still have plenty of .005" tin........

[Cato]

Only the throttle linkage to go on this end:

[comp1839]

i must tell you that i find your attention to the details quite refreshing. i think you're doing a stellar job at attaining your goals too. keep up the great work. i'm really enjoying this.

[Cato]

i must tell you that i find your attention to the details quite refreshing. i think you're doing a stellar job at attaining your goals too. keep up the great work. i'm really enjoying this.

Dave,

Your words are very kind. To be honest, I'm ashamed my work can even be seen on the same screen as yours.

I am enjoying this build as I'm pushing my meager skills to higher levels than previous work. And learning all the way. The good reference material is a huge 'push' to get it better.

I've still got miles to go however. When I can machine my own threaded heim joints and engine blocks and cast uprights, wheels and carbs-like you can--then I'll feel better about myself. Right now I'll be content to have it give the impression of a thoughtful build in a case on my shelf.

But I just love looking at GT 40's.

Thanks for the inspiring work you do-but it makes me want to crunch mine...

[comp1839]

i wouldn't be so hard on yourself if i were you. your work is really quite good. your desire to get better and time are key ingredients to becoming better. even if it's just a little better than the day before. i know, every time i look at my stuff, i always find a ton of things i could have done better but,......that's what the next build is for. oh, and if you're going to crunch either the gt-40 or the porsche, send 'em to me. i have a spot on my shelf for them. hehe.

[Cato]

...if you're going to crunch either the gt-40 or the porsche, send 'em to me. i have a spot on my shelf for them. hehe.

[Cato]

Getting close now:

The carb linkage is complete. Just some latches and hinges to add, the windshield and wiper and then some heavy thinking about the extent of 'race track weathering' I want. It sits 'right' with the stance I wanted so it's getting exciting. 'Ex' is also the way 'exhausted' starts and at times it has been fidgety.

The linkage-.015" steel wire and a b-word to fidget with. My earlier tip about dental floss came in again. The spring would not stay on tweezers and flew a few times on my bench. Solution-tie a circular loop of floss through the spring, play for hours mounting it, then snip the floss and pull out when CA'd. You can't lose it if/when it drops-you see a nice big loop of floss:

Rear wheels need brake dust and taped-on wheel weights. I'm considering tire 'pick-up'-usually white stones stuck to the hot tires- from the pits and/or the chunks of rubber 'clag' from being off line on the track. Overall views of the rear clip:

A look at the cabin. The windshield left out intentionally so as not to handle or scuff it. Debating whether to do the wiper sweep in the road grime like my 935. The rear view mirror is set into a shallow hole drilled into the roof(!) instead of the roll bar like 1046-I deleted the bar which came after LeMans '66. I think the fused wires are too large a gauge for the scale and I'm a little unhappy about that. The cockpit has the right cramped, hot and cluttered look they all raced with so I'm OK with it overall-but I could have done better. Funny how you see things more clearly on film, after the fact, than when you're selecting parts to scratch. -OR, you guys all know that and I'm a dope! Cabin:

Here's the other side and you can see I shortened the steering column or it would be in driver's chest. Be careful if to do this because the shaft that Trump gives you is as soft as solder and bends very easily. I also did not add a fire extinguisher or system plumbing as the cabin floor is already cramped with battery, wiring and french fries. Besides, my 1/12 driver has confidence that I didn't build him a firetrap :

Edited September 2, 2010 by Cato

[vontrips]

Looking really good Cato! I can just tell from the pics of sprues I've seen it's not an easy kit to do well but you're making a great job of it.

Can I ask you, what did you use to knock back the chrome effect on the rocker covers? Looks very realistic whatever you did! Sorry if you've mentioned it somewhere but couldn't see it in the thread!

[Cato]

Can I ask you, what did you use to knock back the chrome effect on the rocker covers? Looks very realistic whatever you did! Sorry if you've mentioned it somewhere but couldn't see it in the thread!

Why Taffy, my first sports car hero! Thanks for the kind words from across the pond!

Yes you can ask-that's a light buffing with a well-worn 3M gray scuff pad. (Get at auto paint supply store). Go easy at first and creep-up on the effect you want. In fact, practice on chrome sprue or in my case, the FIA suitcases which Trump chromed and I didn't use. Trump was roundly booed for chroming way too much stuff. I stripped what I wanted to paint or BMF and actually left stuff like the latches and rocker covers for this. It's really very close to the well-scuffed and handled originals. A touch of clear blue shows the header heat so close to the cover.

The front clip aluminum panels (see further up this page for snap of original) were also well worn and I scuffed as seen here:

It's just a nice way to change-up the various aluminum, chrome or steel bits on the car. Nothing on these cars was ever brightly chromed or polished-even brand new.

Will/are you building this car? If so please post and if you've any good reference snaps, I'd appreciate seeing them.

Thanks for looking.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Cato

[vontrips]

Hi Cato,

Thanks for the great advice. I'd love to go for the GT40 too, but I'm hoping to see if the price finally drops a bit as they're around $200 here!

I kind of imagined UK suppliers would order far too many and slash their prices - only in my dreams!

I seem to have too many 1/12 models to build already but was asking about the rocker covers because I've got 2 Lola T70's to do one day and they have the chrome Chevy covers.

Got to get my scratch-build 1/8 RS60 up and running first...not enough time! Argh!

[Cato]

Getting dirty:

Light wash of thinned jet exhaust and German gray randomly applied by daubing with Q-tips. This area will get an overall mist of German gray and black as the draft picks up all dust, oil mist (which Side Oilers are famous for!) and rubber. The key is I must not overdo it-so I'll be careful. This looks stronger in a photo than in life on the model-looks much more subtle in person. I'm using acrylics for weathering and anything that I don't like can be easily washed and redone. Not everyone's cup of tea but I'm trying to improve what I did on the 935.

[mredzadventure]

What a great build! The quality is superb. What did you use to get the exhaust to look so good. It looks like you might burn your fingers on it. Thanks for sharing.

Edited September 4, 2010 by mredzadventure

[Cato]

Thank you Mred you're very kind BUT-I must have failed because I wanted viewers to smell the heat as well as burn their fingers.

What did I use? Well the kitchen sink. Various applications of Testors 'rubber', dark and light tans, Future, Alclad pale gold, Tamiya Titan gold and believe it or not-a little #2 lead pencil. And a lot of time spent studying my old stainless sidepipes.

Today got the rear clip hung and wired and the hood locks onto the nose. A small word of caution to builders-you'll need to enlarge the holes in the front hood slightly or it won't sit flat in the front fenders. And if you use the wire rear clip retainer, narrow the peg on the rear crossmember so the tiny circular loop from the wire goes over it. It's all very fidgety-but strong if you get it right.

Very close to messing it all up with weathering mists. Windshield and rear window staying out until after paint. Some teasers:

[vontrips]

Very, very nice job. You're doing that kit a lot of credit!

[comp1839]

sniff, sniff, i think i smell the heat.

[mredzadventure]

Are you kidding me I'm waiting to here what this thing sounds like when you fire it up!

Edited September 5, 2010 by mredzadventure

[vontrips]

Hey Cato,

Just had a quick scan of Tamiya Model Magazine (Sept 2010).

There's a really nice build of the GT40 in there by Fabrice Marechal...well worth a look!

[Len Woodruff]

Hey Cato,

Just had a quick scan of Tamiya Model Magazine (Sept 2010).

There's a really nice build of the GT40 in there by Fabrice Marechal...well worth a look!

Can you scan the pics. I not sure where to get that magazine.

[Cato]

Hey Cato,

Just had a quick scan of Tamiya Model Magazine (Sept 2010).

There's a really nice build of the GT40 in there by Fabrice Marechal...well worth a look!

Thank you Taffy. Fabrice's is all nice and shiney-what would he think of my scruffy track rat?

[Cato]

More minefields:

For me at least.

When trial fitting, long before paint, pay a lot of attention to the front clip's fit to the chassis and the hood or 'hatch' (for oil tank access) as I'll call it.

You must decide early how you wish to display the model. These are NOT operational features on the Trump kit.

For reference, I'll show you the Exoto 1/10 GT. In these two shots you see the correct, scale operation of these moving parts. On 1:1 GT's, the hatch must be opened first then the entire clip can pivot forward. Or just the hatch can be opened on it's hinges and the clip left latched to the chassis. Exoto does this in perfect scale operation but the Trump kit can not do this as designed. And I'm not that good a builder that I can make it work. see the Exoto:

Remember, I mocked everything up while the body was white plastic and it all fit great. Now I'm always conscious of paint build-up so I avoid that. But with all the chassis parts glued in place, the fit changes. Here is the inside of the front clip and when mated to the chassis, it would not snap down flush to the chassis in front of the doors. The fix was to gently Dremel the inner edges at the bottom, aft of the wheel wells, where it touches the chassis. The inner structure Trump designed does NOT allow it to pivot and makes it tough for the clip to sit flush. So I nipped off the two pins on the chassis which are supposed to fit in the slots of the fender stone guards:

Next problem I had (you may have none) was the fit of the hatch. The hood pins wanted to be angled aft slightly to let the hatch sit square. I enlarged the hatch holes for the pins and angled the pins. Be careful you don't glue the hatch to the pins when you fit it up:

At this point it seemed as though the hatch grew in size-it would not lay flat. The solution was to sand the 3 edges (leaving the back edge) until it fit in the hole. Keep checking and don't over sand:

I then decided to bevel the edges to thin them and that was where I stopped. Of course I had to hand touch-up all the paint but it was only edges. At this point it sit flat and flush:

So the clip won't tilt to show all your hard detail work in the nose area. That's the trouble with the whole kit's design-you see nothing of the detail you think is so important when you start the kit. Now you must decide how to display it. I will glue the clip down and leave the hatch loose. It won't open like the Exoto because the hinges are just decorative. Like the 935's front hatch, I will just lift off but mostly show the car with the nose closed up.

Many of you with better skills may make parts that pivot the nose and hinge the hatch but that's beyond me...

[Cato]

Be prepared:

I'm in the very final stages now and like the above fit issue with the hatch, I've learned that this thing changes as you progress. When you open the box and lay the body pieces together, they fit like a glove.

But the changes in shape and fit happen as you join inner and outer structures and join panels to full assemblies like the chassis. If you're anal about getting a neatly fitted shape this will cause you fits. The latest problems are with the rear clip and the windshield.

The very top edge of the w'shield (on mine) needs a very slight trim or it won't lay in the opening flat. The rear clip (again, on mine) didn't sit flat on the chassis (below the scoop area behind the doors) and remember, mine is all painted and finished at this stage. The culprit is the leading edge of the rear clip, (where the rear glass front edge attaches) and it's shape. When you join the inner clip structure to it, it lifts the bottom edges slightly off the chassis-result, an amateur join. The only solution I can think of now is gentle heat in the middle of the thin front panel to curve it downward slightly to meet the chassis. I may or may not do this because it's so easy to go too far and ruin all this work with too much heat or blistered paint.

At worst case, I may display the car with the rear clip in the up position to show all the engine and chassis work. And believe me-a dead-nuts accurate 427 and rear suspension is worthless here as it's virtually invisible with everything done. Those that insist on bragging rights of accuracy are welcome to spend money and bust tail to get it. But you'll need a display placard to tell people what's under there. I have my 1:1 427 which is more than just accurate-it bites hard. Improving the visible kit parts with scratched stuffed, like the suspension arms, neat hoses and fittings, tin heat shield, linkage and turkey pan I did pays dividends here. Right now I'm satisfied I've captured the character of the originals to my skill level.

Although many seem to follow this thread, virtually none are building and sharing their problems and successes with me. Which is the reason I started this WIP-to learn from other guys. Either nobody invested in this kit or they are reluctant to share their info and findings. I sure put a ton of reference out here in both threads and would just like a little chat or input in return. Or this may simply be an unpopular kit to begin with.

I titled this 'what to watch out for' and there sure is plenty-even if you build OOB. I've concluded I'm the crash-test dummy.