Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Lotus Europa custom... finished!


jaymcminn

Recommended Posts

Here's the WIP thread for this one... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77115

This is a mild custom buildup of the Tamiya Lotus Europa Special kit. Paint is Testors One-Coat Fiery Orange with One-Coat clear. Carbon fiber decals are SMS High-Def. Wheels are Fujimi Minilites. Wing is an Aoshima Tuner Series wing with the uprights modified and scratchbuilt end plates. Exhaust was constructed from a parts-box muffler with styrene pipes and tailpipes from the Hasegawa Ferrari 250 TR.

P1030219_zpsfb36090d.jpg

P1030217_zps33a4e0c8.jpg

P1030225_zpsf845a572.jpg

Blacking out most of the trim really makes the little Europa look a lot meaner. I got it to sit as low as possible given that any lower would have meant major surgery to the kit.

P1030218_zps2d14930e.jpg

Kit carbs were replaced with Accurate Miniatures Corvette Grand Sport units. Engine bay heat shielding is Wilton cake foil.

P1030213_zpsa07e725a.jpg

Overall this was a fun little build... the Europa kit is pretty much par for the course as far as Tamiya's 90's releases go. It goes together great with no surprises. If I can get my hands on another cheap enough, I might have to do a widebody version! As it stands, I already have a Lotus 7 on the way... it will wind up as a companion piece for this one, but that's another thread.

P1030223_zps85c6f697.jpg

As always, any questions and comments are welcome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, everybody!

Superb work. Super clean and beautifully finished. A bit too much metal flake for me, but photography can make that look more extreme than it is.

Skip, photos actually don't lie in this case. The Fiery Orange, like most of the One-Coat paints, has a LOT of flake in it. Normally I tend to stay away from them for that reason, but on this particular car I wanted that heavy metalflake effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the 90's Tamiya has a magic to them, the are so accurate looking and the engineering is just amazing. Details are among the best in the business. Too bad, they started to simplified their current offering. You did a great job on this one and I will make one of these in the near future. The 7 in 1/24 scale is also a classic piece. But i am sure you will need to make more modification on that one since it is one of their early releases. But overall the 7 is a great piece too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...