Tamiya Mini Cooper 1275S Rally

[shaunmza]

I started a new model a few nights back. The weather here is so cold and wet I don't have a chance to go outside and spray anything, so all I have done is a bit on the engine.

Here's the box;

 

 

Mocking it up a bit.

I decided to dress it up a bit with some spark plug wires, I had hoped to do more details but these wires look so comically huge on the engine that I am considering just doing spark plug wires.

 

 

Without the body to hide the engine, a lot of green...

 

 

I had to make my own distributor cap, as I was trying to make holes in the kit part it slipped out of my hand and shot who knows where.

It does not seem to show up in the photos though!

Overall I am not too unhappy with what I have done, only the second engine I have done, so not too bad. The wire is from a network cable, with the 'boots' being the insulation around it, hence the blue colour.

I am a bit swamped with freelance work now, but soon I will get the ignition coil painted and glued on, so that the last wire has a place to go.

My first Tamiya kit too, I am impressed with the detail, instructions and how well everything is done!

I told myself 'no more kits till you build all the cars!' so I am hoping for better weather to get some paint on the chassis and all the other places where a rattle can would look better than a brush. I have 2 started and 2 kits not started yet, so it may be a while before I get more at this pace...

What a random assortment of sentences, comments welcome, I am not an experienced builder and am using what I have on hand, so it's never going to be life like 

 

[Kemszi]

Nice start!

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Nunca consegui pintar o motor antes da carroceria. Meu pensamento é: Se eu fizer besteira na carroceria, não passei um tempão pintando peças a toa. 

[HDDan]

This looks like fun.

[shaunmza]

12 hours ago, Kemszi said:

Nice start!

Thanks, I can't believe how long this takes me though.

2 hours ago, HDDan said:

This looks like fun.

It's therapeutic in a way too, I owned a mini many many years back, fun cars to drive.

[shaunmza]

6 hours ago, Lovefordgalaxie said:

Nunca consegui pintar o motor antes da carroceria. Meu pensamento é: Se eu fizer besteira na carroceria, não passei um tempão pintando peças a toa. 

Eu sou estrangeiro, então meu português não é bom, não tenho mais modelos então eu tenho que fazer funcionar.

I hope that made sense, in english, I don't have many kits, so I have to make it work. If I mess up on the body I will have to fix it, one way or another! 

 

Thanks for checking in.

[afx]

The original Minis were surprisingly good racers.  Want to build one myself one of these days.

[espo]

Your engine looks great. I will enjoy seeing what all you do with this build.

[89AKurt]

Last century I built the green road race version of this kit.  It's really nice.  Good for you on the engine!

[Lovefordgalaxie]

9 hours ago, shaunmza said:

Eu sou estrangeiro, então meu português não é bom, não tenho mais modelos então eu tenho que fazer funcionar.

I hope that made sense, in english, I don't have many kits, so I have to make it work. If I mess up on the body I will have to fix it, one way or another! 

 

Thanks for checking in.

My bad, sorry about that. I thought you were Portuguese. I'm not Portuguese, but we here in Brasil do speak the same language... Portuguese!!

What I meant was that I always start my builds by the body. Started doing so after I messed up a body during paint so badly, it couldn't be repaired. And that, before I had spent two weeks detailing the engine, and interior of the car... Ended having to buy a second kit, to be able to finish the build. 

That was kind of a vaccine. Now I always start by the body. 

[Bainford]

This is a very nice little kit, and you are off to a good start. I'll be keeping an eye on this one. Back about 15 years ago when I was getting back into the hobby after a long hiatus, this was the first kit I built once I was back in the saddle.

[geewhiz]

Your engine assembly looks great, Shaun!!!  The more you build the better your skills will become.  I hope you get a break from the cold soon so you can get more painting done.  I look forward to seeing this progress.  Above all, have fun!!!????????

[Dann Tier]

Looking great!!!!.....Love REAL minis!!!

[freddy_fo]

Nice subject and your off to a good start. I have this version in the box still but have built the other two versions by tamiya. 

[Anglia105E]

Hi Shaun.... Your Tamiya Morris Mini 1275S Rally build is looking real good, and I have just bought a Tamiya Morris Mini 1275S MK 1 kit on Ebay, which is not the Rally version or the Race version, so it's the road car. All I needed this Mini for was to be a donor kit for a resin body Morris Minor Traveller that I am building, because I needed the seats and the steering wheel. However, it is such a nice kit that I almost want to build this car! Having used the floor pan / chassis, plus a few more parts from the Mini kit there won't be enough left to build a Mini without buying a second kit. Been tracking these Tamiya Mini kits on Ebay for several weeks but there are always lots of bids on them which pushes up the price. Great work you are doing Shaun, especially with the engine detailing. I used to own several different full size Minis, but never got around to a driving a Cooper version.

David

[shaunmza]

I started this thread with the intention of posting updates often. Unfortunately work and after hours freelancing has eaten up my time, so I plug away at the mini in what spare time I can muster. This means I often forget to take photos.

 

Pretty much the same engine, but in the subframe, then loosely mounted in the chassis for fitting.

I used a silver Sharpie to do the detailing on the bottom. Found at a local Walmart equivalent store call Jumbo.

I would never have thought to have looked for a pen like it if I had not been on this forum! I love this pen!

 

A few more enging in chassis shots...

 

The painted body, this is after having stripped it once before.

I thought I hit the jackpot, finding acrylic rattle can paint. To my horror, when I sprayed it on it stayed tacky for days, eventually I cleaned it off with water detergent and a toothbrush.

Eventually I found a primer that does not attack the styrene (I have spent more on different primers than what I paid for the model originally). I sprayed the primer, then applied the red acrylic. It still does not dry hard, but I don't have much of a choice so am pressing on, it won't get handled much once it's built so it's a lesson learnt.

We will be moving in a few months time, hopefully to house and not another flat/apartment which means I may be able to get a compressor and try my hand at using an airbrush.

 

I decided to paint the brake caliper blue for some pop behind the rim

But it's not noticable at all...

I thought darker rims than the original silver would help, alas no, here they are before I repainted them though.

 

To all the people I have not responded to, thanks so much for your comments. I really appreciate you taking the time to write a response.

[afx]

Coming along nicely.

[Skip]

18 hours ago, shaunmza said:

I started this thread with the intention of posting updates often. Unfortunately work and after hours freelancing has eaten up my time, so I plug away at the mini in what spare time I can muster. This means I often forget to take photos.

 

Pretty much the same engine, but in the subframe, then loosely mounted in the chassis for fitting.

I used a silver Sharpie to do the detailing on the bottom. Found at a local Walmart equivalent store call Jumbo.

I would never have thought to have looked for a pen like it if I had not been on this forum! I love this pen!

 

A few more enging in chassis shots...

 

The painted body, this is after having stripped it once before.

I thought I hit the jackpot, finding acrylic rattle can paint. To my horror, when I sprayed it on it stayed tacky for days, eventually I cleaned it off with water detergent and a toothbrush.

Eventually I found a primer that does not attack the styrene (I have spent more on different primers than what I paid for the model originally). I sprayed the primer, then applied the red acrylic. It still does not dry hard, but I don't have much of a choice so am pressing on, it won't get handled much once it's built so it's a lesson learnt.

We will be moving in a few months time, hopefully to house and not another flat/apartment which means I may be able to get a compressor and try my hand at using an airbrush.

 

I decided to paint the brake caliper blue for some pop behind the rim

But it's not noticable at all...

I thought darker rims than the original silver would help, alas no, here they are before I repainted them though.

 

To all the people I have not responded to, thanks so much for your comments. I really appreciate you taking the time to write a response.

You are doing really well with this one.  Two observations from having a Mk III Mini in the garage,. 1. The engine block is the same as the Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget and should be painted green, the ribbed transaxle and oil pan are a cast aluminum unit and should be left raw aluminum.  (Couldn't tell you whether overspray from painting the engine is normal or not, I've never seen that so I think they must have painted the engine and head seperate from the transaxle assembly.)   2.  Axles should be black in between flat and glossy, mix flat and gloss together 50/50 and you should have the right color.  Minor corrections that will add a whole lot of credibility.

Minilites the color combination that I am familiar with is the color you have, then paint the rim portion a more silver aluminum color leaving the spokes the color you already have them!  You'll have it nailed then!

Free reference pictures of the individual parts can be found at some of the retailers selling Mini parts for the original Mini such as;.  minimania.com  and their sister site in the UK I think it's Minigarage.com (you can find that on the minimania website).  Heritage garage has a website.  Look for Mini clubs like the Vancouver and the Victoria B.C. Mini Clubs, the Oregon Mini Society, Seattle Area Mini Owners Association and others which have links to their suppliers and other clubs. Between all those you should find more information than you require to make a pretty accurate Mk I Mini.  If you really want to make an accurate Monte Carlo Ralley scene then add a snowy  base with a red SAAB 90 and maybe a Volkswagen Beetle racing together..  The SAAB and Mini were pretty much neck and neck most of the times they ralleyed against each other!   You already did the other thing right that many modelers get wrong with the window chrome trim its only around a quarter of an inch wide, I've set models with the whole door  surround painted silver!  Oops!

Edited April 6, 2018 by Skip

[lysleder]

Lots of good work there.

Now a heads up about this kit; Make sure to test fit the front suspension before you glue it in place. It has a tendency to end up sitting low.

[shaunmza]

8 hours ago, Skip said:

You are doing really well with this one.  Two observations from having a Mk III Mini in the garage,. 1. The engine block is the same as the Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget and should be painted green, the ribbed transaxle and oil pan are a cast aluminum unit and should be left raw aluminum.  (Couldn't tell you whether overspray from painting the engine is normal or not, I've never seen that so I think they must have painted the engine and head seperate from the transaxle assembly.)   2.  Axles should be black in between flat and glossy, mix flat and gloss together 50/50 and you should have the right color.  Minor corrections that will add a whole lot of credibility.

Minilites the color combination that I am familiar with is the color you have, then paint the rim portion a more silver aluminum color leaving the spokes the color you already have them!  You'll have it nailed then!

Free reference pictures of the individual parts can be found at some of the retailers selling Mini parts for the original Mini such as;.  minimania.com  and their sister site in the UK I think it's Minigarage.com (you can find that on the minimania website).  Heritage garage has a website.  Look for Mini clubs like the Vancouver and the Victoria B.C. Mini Clubs, the Oregon Mini Society, Seattle Area Mini Owners Association and others which have links to their suppliers and other clubs. Between all those you should find more information than you require to make a pretty accurate Mk I Mini.  If you really want to make an accurate Monte Carlo Ralley scene then add a snowy  base with a red SAAB 90 and maybe a Volkswagen Beetle racing together..  The SAAB and Mini were pretty much neck and neck most of the times they ralleyed against each other!   You already did the other thing right that many modelers get wrong with the window chrome trim its only around a quarter of an inch wide, I've set models with the whole door  surround painted silver!  Oops!

Thanks for your comment and the pointers.

I have already glued the engine into the chassis so its going to be a bit hard to make the changes you pointed out. I followed the instructions for the colours and the box art + a few nline images when I had no idea what to do.

I will have a stab at the wheels though, even though they are glued on as well, I do think it would look good.

I have progressed beyond what you see here, but after work I just want to close the computer so don't get around to posting the few photos I have taken.

I am very green when it comes to model building, so right now I am aiming to get it done, more than getting it perfect. This is only really the second car I have built.

But first I need to fix the paint  last night I tried to apply the decals and ended up destroying one of th numbers that goes on the side. I had it damned near perfect, when I notced the one corner had a ridge, as I tried to move the decal around the get the ridge flat it broke.
I think that corner had folded over on itself, then dried and set up permanantely. After I tore the decal in one spot, then another, I decided to remove it completely.
That one corner would not come off though! Vigorous rubbing, with copious amounts of water did nothing. I tried scratchign it off with my fingernail, but eventually damaged the paint. At that point I gave up and sanded the decal off, as you can imagine I wenat through the paint too.

The lovely weather here in Portugal is cold and very wet, so the paint repair attempt will have to wait a few days.

This has me quite bummed, as I felt like I was so close to being done!

[shaunmza]

6 hours ago, lysleder said:

Lots of good work there.

Now a heads up about this kit; Make sure to test fit the front suspension before you glue it in place. It has a tendency to end up sitting low.

I have glued it up already, thankfully it looks ok, to me anyway. I am a bit behind with the photos.

 

Thanks for commenting!

[GlueTube]

Now this one takes me down memory lane. Owned an EX works 63 Cooper, 997cc  with Red Body and Black roof back in 1975.  Your engine green color is spot on! Keep up the great work.

Regards

Brian Kroon

[shaunmza]

The dash and other miscellaneous items were done and glued in.

Engine and suspension glued in, with the wheels on.

Test fitting the body. At this point I was very excited, it was starting to look like something.

[Brizio]

Nice little kit! Looking good!

[espo]

I like the dash and the paint finish looks very good even without any polishing being done.