Scale-Master

Yes, another Lotus... Nichimo 1/12 scale from the original 1976 issue. I started this in 1994 with the intent of building it out of the box as nicely detailed as possible even though it was essentially a glorified motorized toy in many ways. I was happy with the progress until the body broke in two places during the near final phase of assembly. I was using a urethane clear and at time it wasn't a material that responded well to blending and buffing. (Now that type of repair with more modern materials is not an issue.) Frustrated, I put it in storage in 1995. Apparently it was not a totally dust free environment and this is what it looked like after about 28 years of being parked in its own drawer in a closet. Being that this was done well before digital cameras and social media, I have no record of what was done other than my memory and I remember quite a bit of what I had done just by looking at it now. My goal is to just clean it up, repair the cracks, blend the paint and clear and make a presentable model. Even back then the BMF under paint technique was a commonly used trick for some of us… The black paint is Testors Classic Black enamel. However, the clear is a product made by Mar-Hyde and was never intended to be color sanded or buffed out. (It was for panel repair and stayed somewhat pliable when fully dry.) Hopefully the quarter of a century of curing it has had will work in my favor. Hand painted woodgrain dash, shifter ball and steering wheel…

I drilled out the stub for the antenna and filled the hole for the passenger side mirror.

The kit provides decals for the Goodyear lettering, but they are the wrong size and style. I made new era-correct ones and added the Polyglas lettering too.

The rear wing is a thin strip of brass cemented to the resin fins. It is very delicate.

The wheel centers are white metal that is chrome plated. I shot them with clear flat and then painted the centers of them metallic gray. The outers are plated brass and they shined up well after polishing.

The raised edges at the base of the vinyl top on the B pillar were molded unevenly, and not prototypically. I replaced them with some 0.010 x 0.020 strips of styrene.

Those are helpful. Thanks!

Thanks for the info. I can see in some photos there is a faint seam there. (I thought it was just a bend in the sheetmetal.) I think filling it is better (especially in this scale) after studying the photos than leaving it as large as the other panel lines as they show up much more prominently. It will be white.

Resin kit by Starter in 1/43rd scale. Not a bad casting all things considered. After cleaning up the flash I started scribing in the panel lines. I'm not sure why there was a panel line molded into the hood just ahead of the hood pins, but I filled it. (Still needs a little more attention.) The wing uprights were warped, but some creative clamping and heat did a decent job of correcting that issue. I added steel pins for strength and drilled the fenders with oversized holes to limit the friction. I expect the wing to be very fragile.

Now that it is done I can see how this 53 year old MPC kit could be built into a really nice model. The main weak points are the suspension that doesn't line up well causing camber and toe issues, and the fit of the body if you want to leave the top removable. Both issues can be engineered out if one wants to take the time and maybe do some fabricating. The decals and tires should be upgraded if possible too, but I'm happy with this one as it is. Finished with Tamiya TS paints and urethane clear. Except for the added white decals around the STP logos it is 100% out of the box. WIP Thread:

The last photos of the innards before it is sealed up.

I cleared it a few days ago. No unexpected negative issues have manifested.

SMTS white metal 1/43rd scale kit. I built the Gold Leaf version with side tanks driven by Reine Wisell in the 1971 British G.P. WIP thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/183716-lotus-56b-turbine/

Thanks! Decals for the tractor do not come in the kit. I made them.

Hot Wheels repainted in Morley cigarettes livery. The orange is brush painted and the decals are custom made.

The decals aren't too bad, especially considering when they were printed and the process used, but all of the STP logos lacked the white outlines. So I made new ones.

Once the clear has cured I'll do some detail painting and start final assembly. Minor setback when I shot the clear last week; a gnat landed in a prominent area and flopped around before I could pluck it out and it stained the clear. So once the clear dried I had to spot paint/blend some red in to hide the stain and re-clear that area and blend it as well.

Dirt washes off wheels and tires, oily grime, not so much. Ever look at real cars? The chassis and engine are often dirty, but the paint and wheels are clean.

I too didn't get the correlation/combination for the same reasoning. But it was the early 70's and kits had some fun gimmicks...

This little tractor comes in the MPC Lotus 56B Turbine kit. I machined new center nuts for the wheels, added some wiring and made some decals. WIP here:

This is as much as I can build up of the chassis & suspension until it is installed into the lower section of the body.

I went with Tamiya Italian Red for the body parts. Warbird Decals black & brown woodgrain was used for the push board.

This little tractor comes in the kit too. I assembled and painted the main components first starting with the wheels/tires. The engine… I added some detail to the muffler. And the frame with the battery and transmission installed. I added a little wiring to the engine and battery.

The red is Tamiya TS-36. This is about an hour after I painted it. It will now sit in the drying closet for a while.

Undercoat for the fluorescent red. Yes, it is pink.