Pete75

Cool. This may be next up for me so I'll enjoy watching. Really like the weathered effect on the engine, what did you use?

A bit more progress. First got the engine bay done. It's nicely detailed, like everything else on this kit, but the Aventador only really has the top section visible, so I skipped detailing the bottom end. (Also note that more of what's visible here will be obscured later on). The kit wins points for the cool decals on the intake manifold, although the CF strip needs a lot of setting solution to get it to sit properly on the irregular surface. Points too for the rear shocks which have exact space for 1mm masking tape to be wound between the spring coils! Next I got the brakes painted & added a bit of dark grey wash. The full detail-up PE kit has nice looking discs but I couldn't get hold of it so paint must suffice. Purists may note that the Aventador actually has rather dull looking ceramic discs but I prefer silver. (Got to love any kit that provides caliper decals - awesome!). Then it was surprisingly simple to assemble everything. The suspension is ultra straightforward compared to Tamiya & allows for full wheel movement/steering, although because the front assembly isn't supposed to be glued (just held in the arms by locator pins) it's quite loose & I found the wheels came off easily. I think I've fixed it with tiny bits of Blue-tack. (Not sure what it's called in the USA - it's the putty you stick posters up with!) I'm pleased I decided against painting the calipers black: they're much cooler in green!??

Fascinating work, Shawn. To a novice like me such scratch building is pretty mind-blowing! A couple of techniques here may be useful to me soon, whilst the rest has expanded my understanding of what is possible. Thanks for sharing; I'll be following ?

Love the results from that wipe-off technique. Will definitely have to remember that! ?

Super job! ? I've got TS-33 stocked ready for a Porsche interior: don't have to wonder whether it's right now! ?

Fantastic job. I've just been through your WIP thread: unbelievable attention to detail & patience! ?

Just watched it - a surreal 80s gem! Love finding old stuff like that. I can now officially say that you nailed your build!! ??

Cheers Kurt. You should give in to the styrene sirens & get one! ??

Back on this one again. My enthusiasm instantly took a hit when I came to sand the bodywork & encountered totally unexpected trouble in three separate places. Extensive repairs were required (no photos); mercifully, the huge number of panels on the Aventador meant that I could mask off individual sections to respray rather than having to take a trip to the bath. I'm pretty much back to where I was, but it's been testing! Progress has been smoother with the interior: Because of the loud exterior colour, I decided the interior colours should be muted & went with grey/black. This is my first experience with flocking & I found it pretty straightforward & am happy with the effect. I have to take my hat off to Aoshima so far: 10/10 for the interior design & detail. I added the extra CF on the dash binnacle, which is something I saw on a 1:1 car. Got the wheels & door cards done too. The wheels are hilariously big & fat, expecially compared to the 70s Wolfrace alloys I've recently done on a Lotus build. Onwards to the engine bay next...

Awesome - love it!?

Wow Josh, that's awesome! I reckon you NAILED the colour - love it. I would hop online & buy the kit now but I don't have an airbrush and I don't think I can accept anything other than that blue!! Added to wishlist though!?

? Thanks Gareth! The handles are not a selling point, that's for sure. At least the 007 model didn't have the "deluxe" chrome effect Marina handles that appeared soon afterwards!

Great job Anthony & love the backdrop too. Given how well it's reviewed I can't believe I've never seen this movie; I'll definitely be rectifying this soon!?

Nicely done ? A shame such a cool car gets treated so badly in the movie!

Thanks very much Josh?. I'm especially pleased you like my new collapsible diorama that I used here for the first time; the retro UK signs might not totally suit most other builds, but they do fit the Lotus at least!

Thanks guys, appreciate it ?

Cheers Atin! The good thing about brushing, I've discovered, is you can sand the surface back & touch up as many times as you like ?

Nice start Atin! I've just gotten around to taking under glass pics of my build I finished earlier this year. I found it a pretty challenging project, but it taught me a lot & it increased my love for the car. Definitely one I want to do again, or maybe the Fujimi 512TR. Will be following ?

Welcome Dave - never mind that life stuff, time to get building again! ?

Great job sir. Love the engine detailing & weathering. Brings back memories: it was one of the first cars that beguiled me as a small boy, along with the Triumph TR7 ??

Thanks very much Chang! Although the interior was tricky, I was delighted to discover that the windscreen affords a full view of the cabin, right down to the carpet; so at least all the work isn't wasted!?

Thanks Trevor, much appreciated. The stance turned out better than I had thought, but I'm sure you're right about the wheel dimensions being a bit off. Before I started, I think I would've chosen the Esprit Turbo as my favourite (more masculine etc.) but this build has converted to the S1: Guigiaro's original lines have such elegance that I don't think they needed messing with! ?

Thanks Nigel - I see you are a local! I had to look it up, I didn't know PW was the old code for Norwich. ? For any non Brits that may be curious, UK plates used to start with 3 letters, the first indicating the year of registration and the second two the place. PPW indicates 1975 and Norwich, which is the nearest city to Lotus HQ in the county of Norfolk. I also discovered that if the car had been registered in Guildford, it would've been PPK... ?

Thank you sir. Not a patch on your awesome Cobra: that's really something! ?

Thanks very much Tommy. I remember having a diecast model of the submarine version that fired (and quickly lost!) little plastic missiles. This was before my first Bond cinema experience, which was Octopussy in 1983: this only had an Alfa Romeo 155 which, although cool, doesn't compare to the Lotus! I totally agree about the Esprit Turbo, someone really should do a kit as it was awesome! ?