32 replies to this topic

[jbwelda]

well heres a look at the parts layout for the Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland repop of the AMT Triumph Motorcycle as featured in one old kit or another back in the day. Mine will be strictly cafe racer style but as you can see the kit came complete with parts for a custom chopper, a stock bike or the cafe version. Note the cafe racer seat, the three sets of bars (low for cafe style, medium stock and ape hangers for the chopper) and also notice the very clean appearance right out of the package. these are on the way to the Westleys Bleche-White bath for a day and then on to prepping and paint.

Another highly recommended product from Rep and Min of Maryland, my favorite resin caster!

[george 53]

Bill, if that's the same bike that came as parts in various kits in 62 or so, it can't be built as a chopper. There's no fork for it. It CAN be built as a stock or cafe racer, or as a stock bike with the monkey handle bars, but unfortunalely it's a few years too old to be a chopper.You could cut the fork tube and let set it at a better rake/angle, but you'd have to do it yourself. I THINK choppers came outta Cali around the mid/late 60's, so this bike is a bit early to be a chopper. But it IS a nice bike. I have one built as a stock version.

[Eshaver]

Dang, that bike sure brings back a lotta great memories ! Thens wazzzzzzzzzz the times when two dollas bought ya some real fun times !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

[Dr. Cranky]

Looks like a great kit to build, and the parts look really clean.

[jbwelda]

hi george, yeah i was taking liberties with that "chopper" word because as you mention it just has the apehangers and a sissy bar...so more a "custom" than a real "chopper".

thanks all for the comments and keep watching this thread for developments; as always i plan on getting this done quickly but those plans rarely turn out!

planning on gloss black frame, some kind of lighter purple (tamiya lavender maybe) for the tank, side covers and fenders and a pearl white for the faring with appropriate cafe racer decals.

[Joker]

Keeping an eye on this one.
I'm going through a bike phase too.

[Bartster]

I, too, am going thru a bike "phase" again. 1/24 Harleys for me. What scale is your Trumpet?.....FYI, the term "chopper" originated in the late '40s as men were coming home from WWII. They had more $ than most of them had ever seen thru the depression. Alot of guys, especially those who rode the flathead 45s in the war bought Harleys & began "chopping" off the fenders & other non-essential equipment to go faster. Hence "chopper". Todays long-forked descendents started showing up in the early '60s.

[jbwelda]

i never really liked those extended front ends; they either made the bike sit way too high or had a real radical rake to their headtube (i just made that term up by the way!) that made them really difficult to turn at low speed. the style i liked was sort of the most early "rat" bikes built by early hells angels etc: a bit of a rake to the headtube and pretty much a normal length fork. made them sit down lower to the ground and just give them that hungry fast look. used to see that bike all the time when i first moved to california (circa 64 or so), driving the freeways like crazy though truth be told most of those bikes couldnt hold high top speeds. they were geared way down for jackrabbit starts and that they would do pretty darn well.

that would have to be with harleys though...to me a triumph and their kin were much more international road race style, either that or traditional english touring bikes. i always thought a triumph chopper was rather like a VW Jetta: the owner actually wanted a BMW (or in the motorcycle case, a Harley) but had to settle for the more pragmatic.

anyway...should be a fun build!

[jaydar]

Man, i wish that was 1/12.

Good luck with the build.

joe.

[george 53]

Thanks,Bart. I never knew HOW they got the name. Your NEVER too old ta learn sumpthin new!!!

[FASTBACK340]

Norm's resin is some of the nicest stuff out there. I just wish he did the Harley too!

Those parts-packs bikes are cool. I have a chrome Triumph and a few stock BSA's stashed away. Wish I had the Harley....

[jbwelda]

this one isnt the Revell parts pack bike though, AMT doled it out in 3 or four kits you had to buy to collect the parts, and then it was also issued all together in a 63 (i think) ford f-150 model. thats the one that RMM is offering. i havent compared it directly to a Revell Parts pack triumph but i get the impression that it might be a bit more detailed and a bit less generic than the Revell, from memory anyhow. and of course it has the cafe racer options and that super kool faring. it will look good with the go kart from similar lineage that i built some time ago











Revell was going to revive the parts packs motorcycles and put them all into one kit but then they cancelled it. really sorry that happened, i was really looking forward to those things being available again, especially the harley.

i am not a motorcycle expert though i have basically rode one for most of my life, so please, if what i am spouting off directly contradicts reality, feel free to correct me...both on the model level and on the prototype level.

hey joe, you do know you can get this bike, basically, in 1/8th scale? revell made a number of variations on the theme back in the sixties maybe into the seventies but of course they are no longer being manufactured. they are on ebay and if you look around and are willing to maybe rebuild some parts you can find them cheap. you would of course have to make the faring if thats how you wanted to build it as a cafe racer.

Edited by jbwelda, 28 February 2012 - 05:56 PM.

[jbwelda]

ok i got (and remain) a bit distracted here but i sat down last night and began prepping some parts for paint. heres a quick snap to keep everyones interest.

motor halves are together and smoothed, side covers are just on there temporarily before they are painted chrome (vs a more muted metal finish for the case etc). wheels are together and fitted to tires; i made the rear wheel appear to be double spoked for strength and i still need to narrow the rim just a bit to make the tires look right. tank halves went together well and actually fit together pretty nicely. below you see the frame that i am going to clean up and hopefully get into gloss black later this evening.

many thanks for looking! hopefully next time i will have more content to share!

[XJ6]

Good Luck....

[jbwelda]

a quick update to this one because i have been making some progress despite distractions...

got the frame just about ready, the motor is built and wired though not in the photos, the tank has been clearanced around the frame and misc fitting and fiddling. its too bad about the rear tire, i would like to see it about an eighth inch (3 scale inches) wider but i realize back then that wasnt the norm.

this is a pretty fun but challenging build. the resin work is pretty impeccible, especially all the molded detail, but it requires some cleanup of delicate parts. but i bet the original AMT was pretty fiddly too. for some reason i am having a hard time holding onto the resin parts, they are very slippery smooth even after soaking in westleys. not complaining, just something i havent noticed before.

i am going to shoot the tank, fenders, and side covers testors plum crazy over a silver undercoat and mask off the center of the fenders and tank and shoot the plum crazy over that. should look good if i pull it off. most of the front of the bike will be covered by the fairing, which i will attempt next. i would like to hold it together with magnets so it can be removed but i am always much better at dreaming that sort of thing than doing it.

heres some mockup shots, progress has been made past this point by now:









i am going to make some dunstall mufflers from paintbrush ferrels, and upsweep the exhaust right aft of the motor side cases, probably angle them outboard a few degrees too:





finally here is a shot of the rear fender with the custom taillight molded in. i like it better than the stock light and license plate combo piece:





thanks again for looking!

Edited by jbwelda, 10 April 2012 - 05:23 PM.

[jbwelda]

this has been on the back burner but some slow but steady progress going on, just about ready for final assembly actually! check it out:


bike itself is model master plum crazy shot through my airbrush (yeh!) over a tamiya silver leaf basecoat and the center of fenders and tank masked off on the color coat to leave a silver stripe. looks pretty kool especially in contrast to the pearl white on the outer race shell. strangely there was no fuel cap for the tank (no kick start pedal either, i may have to do something about that...) so i found a small white metal one out of my spares box and polished it up. also note the fender brace on the fork...i originally thought that was a sissy bar for the seat but it looks much better as a fender brace.





here are the magnets that hold the shell together around the bike to make it removable...after i did this i realized i could have made the front fork come off and take it off that way and thereby clear the way to make it one piece with no seam, but maybe next time...




its actually all painted but side needs another clear coat. pearl white outside and white primer inside. will post pics later probably...

thanks for looking!

Edited by jbwelda, 25 May 2012 - 02:53 PM.

[Bugace]

A lovely little project.

I'd like to have the complete bike my self. I got some of the pieces, as I have collected some of the '62 annuals, but far from all. I also have the Gocart frame.

[curt raitz]

Bill
very nice job on the triumph
i've been tempted to add it to the list everytime i order something from norm
back in high school, triumph was the bike...until honda came out with the 750 4-banger
lookin' forward to seein' this at a nor-cal model show someday
thanx for sharing
c'ya

[jbwelda]

again some slow but sure progress; actually if i had a few hours at the bench with my mind into it, i could get this done. as it is though...

fenders mounted along with front fork and tires:




you can see that i sort of raked the front fork by bending the frame a bit and then cross drilling the fork tube to make the front wheel sit forward and the frame sitting lower than it would otherwise. turned out pretty much how i wanted it, and is gonna look nice with the fairing in place. you can also see the tank ready to mount and the side covers...

heres a look at the back fender and the custom taillight, looks pretty sleek...





finally, heres a pic from the front with the fairing sitting upright. it clamshells apart and together around the frame with magnets shown earlier. havent actually fitted it yet but from what ive tried it will fit nice and i have a pinhead on the bottom of the motor to attach to the magnet and hold the fairing up in place...pretty clever (if it works).




next up i got the handlebars with wiring to attach and route the wires (clutch cable, throttle cable and front brake cable) and ive got my dunstall mufflers done and just have to install the exhaust system.

thanks again for looking and commenting!

[camaroman]

Cool stuff!!!