kensar

Very cool subject and a great looking model. Nice paint and finish.

This is progressing nicely - making the parts yourself. Question - if you need to remove the air cleaner for hood clearance, will you have clearance for the distributor?

Thank you, everyone for the great comments and thanks to those that followed this and left encouraging comments and reactions (esp. Mark and Pierre) - they really help keep the motivation and enthusiasm going. And special thanks to Hakan (Force) and Rex (Vamach1) and Randy D who provided detailed info on actual GT40s for reference. Now - on to the next project - to be revealed soon.

Detail shots: A bit of an artsy photo: more detail: Hope you enjoy the pictures. Unfortunately absolutely none of the light weathering I applied shows up in the photos, which is a real shame because I think it really adds to a realistic appearance. Link to the build thread: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/190401-trumpeter-ford-gt40-with-my-twists/#comments

I have completed this project and posting pictures here. I am not depicting any particular GT40, but rather how I would like to see one, with some changes to the exterior, primarily. I think the color scheme works well with an overall darker theme, with a few contrasting details. The body shape is good, but I think the rear fender line should be more curved. Not sure about the length of the nose, but I believe the Mk.II has a longer nose than the Mk.I. Anyway, the kit has shortcomings far too numerous to list. The plumbing is all wrong. I have attempted to correct this and at least portray a vehicle that would work. Also added numerous details like a distributor. So, enough rambling and on to the pictures: I am including some detail shots in the next post.

Very well done. Looks like you have some machine tools (lathe, mill)?

Very nice results on both of these 962s. The paint and finish looks very good.

Last in-progress picture. Detailing on the front clip. I have completed this project now and will post pics in the under glass thread soon with a link to it below. Thanks to all that followed along and commented. Hope it was worth it to you. Link to completed thread: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/193788-112-trumpeter-gt40-kensar-style/ Best Regards, Ken

A small update. I have painted the front clip. and the tire markings were painted on using a stencil.

Hi Mark, thanks for looking in. The aluminum paint is Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminum. I like this paint because it can be sprayed without the grainy look most silver paints give. I decanted the spray paint into a jar and shot it through my airbrush, which gives more control over how much paint is being sprayed. Too much paint gives the grainy look. The GT40 MkII has two air scoops on each side of the engine cover. The upper one splits into two - one going to the rear brakes and one into the back window area where the carb is. The lower side scoops go to the oil coolers on each side of the engine inside the engine compartment. The air scoops I omitted from the back of the car also go to the brakes, which were a weak point of the car.

progress continued

Nice pictures of the contest. I've never seen a contest where the cars are so perfectly lined up on the tables.

Thanks for posting, Pierre and Mark. The weld bead was an experiment to see if it would work. This was the only place I tried it with glue. I also simulated weld beads on the aluminum coolant tank edges using a coarse file. A little more refinement of the technique may give even better results. There is no air filter on this engine. The clear stack above the carb intake is to straighten out the air flow downward into the carb barrels. This creates a smoother, less turbulent flow. I don't know why they made them from a clear material - it doesn't have to be. They can be made of aluminum as seen on some hot rod engines.

This past week I focused on the engine bay and have it mostly completed. I re-made the reservoir for the cooling system from aluminum. Now on to the front and rear body clips.

Looks great from all angles - even the bottom! The Graham Hill figure really adds to the character of the display.

I finished painting the side pod and moved on to the front end detailing. I fabricated the side panels out of aluminum sheet since I rebuilt the front brake cooling ductwork to delete the holes for the hoses. Here, I tried to simulate weld lines by using an excess of styrene glue and then making weld bead impressions with the end of a rod. This was done when assembling this piece to the mid-section some time ago. I moved the Optima battery to this location from the passenger footwell. I decided to use this battery as this is a 'modernized' GT40 and not an 'as-built' one. So the front end is pretty much done, except for the wiring to the headlights. There is an open area just in front of the doors on each side that should be covered over. When the front clip is raised, it is visible, showing a large empty space that shouldn't be there (just below the fuel fillers as seen in the lower right in the picture above). Thanks for looking and following along.

Super work, Charlie!

It's great to see the final product. All of the builders should be justifiably proud of the result. The black paint looks superb. The details give a complete appearance to the model. I, too have ordered Indycals tire markings for my model as the kit tire decals just didn't release from the clear film on the top of the decals. Again, great looking results!

Very nice detail work on the fuel filler. Doesn't look out of scale at all.

Thanks for the comments Mark and Pierre, I appreciate them. I generally airbrush all the paint to keep things sharp. My brush painting can't come close to matching the results. I decant the spray paints and shoot it through the airbrush as well - much more control over the paint that way. The details do get noticed when everything is together. I now have one side pod painted and have addressed the open screw holes on them. A look at what's coming.

This build has reached a significant milestone today. I got the doors painted. I'll put number roundels on with no number. Now I was ready to join the center section of the body with the chassis. Everything went together without issues. The doors don't fit perfectly with even gaps all the way around, but it's close. I was concerned that they would fit worse when the center section was joined to the chassis, but it appears the fit of the doors didn't change after joining. Now I need to paint the bottom side panels and deal with the open screw holes.

That 50 cal needs ivory handgrips.

Always lots to do, isn't there? An IPMS judge may be the only one who looks at the headers once it's completed. ?

It does look like a great color combination.

Latest progress... Finished off the steering rack. Test fitting the radiator and shroud. They will be installed after this assembly is joined to the chassis. I am working through a number of assembly sequences - deciding when they need to be done to avoid any problems. Instrument panel and steering wheel installed. As can be seen, the color scheme will be silver with a dark blue stripe. I'm currently working on the body latches that will hold the front and rear clips. This needed to be worked out before joining the two major parts. Working latches are needed to ensure the body panels fit well.