Coors54 Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 I’ve finally beaten this into some sort of submission, it’s the Magnifier nee Trumpeter US Sports Car issue. It has several well-known detail short comings, mainly in the chassis, engine, suspension areas but having built it I can see why the designers did it this way, for despite my detailing those areas are pretty much invisible on the completed model. The consensus is that the body shape is pretty much spot on but the separate panels don’t fit together very well, this was my experience too. So, despite spending quite a bit of time during assembly to try and get a snug fit they still refuse to close very well. My builds all reflect drivers or cars that I’ve seen race and although I never saw the Ford race in anger, I did see Mario drive both Formula 1 and IndyCar several times during the Seventies and Eighties so his number 6 car from Le Mans 1966 lets me include the model in the collection. Mario’s car was chassis number P/1031 and was one of three cars prepared by Holman Moody for Fords push to win Le Mans. The HM cars differed in details from the three prepared by Shelby Racing and are certainly different to the car in the kit which is a mish mash of MKII, MKIIB and restored cars along with a good pinch of Trumpeter imagination. The colour scheme is also a change to all those Ken Miles and Bruce McLaren finished models. Unfortunately, the car retired after 6 hours with a blown engine cutting short Mario’s first visit to La Sarthe. Anyway, here’s a couple of pictures of the real thing and one of Mario as a young gun, 26 years old fresh to Le Mans after success in USAC stock cars. The model is finished in an approximation of Ford Night Mist Blue using Halfords rattle can Nissan Indigo Blue, in retrospect it’s a bit light. The dayglo yellow race markings are again Halfords rattle can and do glow in the dark! The markings and paint masks are from Indycal and were fine but the roundels weren’t pure white and show grey printing lines in them under close examination. I used parts from a 3D printed 427 engine but again, the extra detail isn’t really visible. P/1031 had lines of rivets on the rear clip aft of the window and also on the front hatch, these were probably holding reinforcement plates on the inside, the rear ones were painted, the front ones were bare. I used Master rivets in pre drilled holes to replicate them. The kit seats were pretty basic so I covered them in black silk to replicate the parachute nylon on the originals and added RBMotion washers for the vent eyelets. On the whole I'm pretty happy with the final result, I would love a MKI model in 1/12 to do a Gulf car, are you listening Tamiya? LOL 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Rivard Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Masterful model sir! The weathering of the body and aging of various components are very, very convincing. Be proud, this is a masterful execution of a tricky kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 That's awesome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Congratulations on a well executed replica and noticing and adding details that really make a difference. It’s a catch 22 in this scale as there are more things that can be added to make the difference between looking like a toy and a model but making it look “right” can be a challenge. When this kit came out I ordered some extra resin parts like the “spare” tire and distributor but I’ve yet to tackle the kit and I have the MENG one on the shelf also. You nailed this one despite the shortcomings. I remember these kits were in the $200 plus price range when they first came out but I’ve seen some for around only $100. 😦 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Looks very nice to me. I built one not long ago and it was a PITA. ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 2 hours ago, cobraman said: Looks very nice to me. I built one not long ago and it was a PITA. Ha ha, I followed your build @cobraman, and like yours it was a struggle but I think you managed to beat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 3 hours ago, vamach1 said: You nailed this one despite the shortcomings. I remember these kits were in the $200 plus price range when they first came out but I’ve seen some for around only $100. 😦 Thanks Ray, I did pick mine up for £89 which I think is a bargain but the initial price was way too high. I would be interested to hear what you think of the Meng kit. I've not been too impressed by what I've seen online, in particular the method of construction and the shape of the nose doesn't look quite "right" to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Very well done with incredible detailing, Dave - the seat cushions or the spare wheel - great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Outstanding build!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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