Scale-Master

I know, I know, I can hear it already. "Oh come on! Not another one! Aren't you sick of them yet?!" Well, no I'm not, I hope they still hold some entertainment value for you too. Yes, I am building another 7, C'mon, are you really surprised? I know I'm not… I will also chronicle this build as I go along. While it will be much like an out of the box build in many respects, I reserve the right to deviate from what comes in the kit for any reason I choose. It is not meant to “out-do†the Blue Seven. It is to build and enjoy and have fun. (OK, that part is the same as the Blue 7.) Also, if any of you are building, or have built one of these kits, please note that I am going to be all over the place regarding what I build in what order compared to the way the instruction book has you build it. Nothing wrong with following the instructions, in fact I highly recommend it if you have not built one of these kits before, but I have built enough of these to skip around for my own enjoyment and not become ensnared in any of the possible pitfalls of building out of order. Kit: Tamiya Caterham Super Seven 1/12 Scale Master’s Coachwork Series So follow along if you wish, feel free to ask questions, I'll try to be as clear as I can with my answers. And off I go, (again...) I started with the engine on this one. Scale Motor Sport’s Faux Fabrix was used to simulate the sand cast texture of the engine block. Tamiya TS-21 Gold was used for the color. The gloss of the gold was toned down with Testors Dullcote. The head was painted aluminum and the freeze plugs painted a light steel color. The oil pan is Tamiya Clear Orange over silver for an anodized look. Stay Tuned, comments welcome...

I've been using Tamiya TS-36 Fluorescent Red. (It's what they spec for their Marlboro/McLaren cars.) It needs a white base coat, but dries glossy. A clear coat is nice to really make it shine though. At least it is glossy enough that you can decal right over it without worries of silvering...

Wow! I'm not usually a big green fan, but that is the right color for that truck. Love the chop and stance...

"Yes, as crazy as it sounds I'm doing another Seven" Thank you. That never gets old... Well, I've said that more than once, and I'm saying it again... Yes, as crazy as it sounds I'm doing another Seven, seriously, yes, I am. That didn't take long did it! Stay tuned, I'll share the build with pictures and explanations again too. Number 8 is on the bench...

Thanks everyone! I plan to take it to the GSL and IPMS convention. Also display it at the TamiyaCon. Here's a couple shots without the ruler, but they give a sense of it's size...

Well, after two years and seven months, it is finally done! Literally thousands of scratchbuilt and machined parts, most of them made of aluminum, but also including brass, stainless steel and various plastics, resin and acrylic materials. It's quite possible that over the next few weeks I will come up with some small things to add, maybe touch-up or adjust. I see there is a little dusting to be done... But as of now, it appears to be technically finished! This has been a most rewarding and enjoyable build. Seems like all the frustrating times I put myself through have been forgotten now. Thank you to all who have encouraged me and expressed interest during this long term project...

The Cosworth engine is actually de-stroked from 2.3 Liters (Stock displacement for all other Vega's), to 2 Liters.

I have a couple of those Monsters, still in boxes, and a couple the Big Bad Vans, and the Jeep CJ... Nice imposing size for those larger vehicles. The 1/16 Camaro & Firebird came out in '82, and were revamped into an '87 IROC and GTA a few years later. I built most of the box art models of that F-body series back in those days...

And with all the al-yu-min-iyum in this I'll especially have to retrain my tongue... Ok, I guess I'm busted. I took it out this morning. Had it running last night, no leaks. Fired it up this morning, still had some condensation in the muffler as you can see. Bat out of hell properly describes it's acceleration. I need a diaper before I try it on the nitrous...

Thanks all! The round mirrors are completely aluminum. It is 1/12 scale, a little under 10 inches long. The steering wheel is on the right side. Correct side? Hmmm, must be the MIRRORS! I crack myself up... I don't limit myself to the British... Sounds like some Americans might be irked too... Equal opportunity you know. I have a 5 panel Wink in my real car, never really worked for interior cleavage viewing, but it does work for seeing what's outside, especially when parked and you get the panoramic view of the pretties walking by...

Finally got the mirrors done and mounted. Actually they have been done for a while and just waiting to be mounted. A week ago I accidentally ruined the Wink mirror. Freak paint accident. So I had to rebuild and re-machine some of it and this time I used stainless steel for the panels. Gettin' closer to the end...

Wow, that is one clean build! Looks great. Very tasteful. Great balance of metal and paint... - Mark

I have been working this one casting on and off for literally years. It's been many things and has had lot's of stuff added and then stripped off as I changed my mind or got "better" ideas. Never once did it get done enough for even a clear coat. About a month ago I got this last idea. Fortunately it had been stripped (again) and was just waiting to be abused one more time. It is a Hot Wheels casting with Johnny Lightning wheels. The base paint is Tamiya Pearl White over Pure White and the blue is mixed from Tamiya Light Pearl Blue and Pearl White. A mix of freehand airbrushing and custom decals...

Similarly to Bill, I had to get every early 2nd generation Camaro to build a model of my real car. When AMT/Ertl released their '70 1/2 RS Z/28 I had to buy a few. Now I have a whole stack of kits, including but not at all limited to that kit, ready to be bashed into my car, but still have not even started on it. Maybe this year, maybe this year...

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this, not because nothing was getting done, but because nothing really looked much different. Lots of small parts, mostly hardware needed to be made, (and were), and still there are a lot more such items to be done too. The most noticeable additions since the last time I shared anything on it are the windshield, license plate and the "doors", (yes, I know it's a stretch to call them doors...), are installed. Also the cover for the pedal assembly has been replaced with a carbon fiber unit. OK, OK, so it's really made of aluminum, but it has a raised reinforcing "X" on the top and it is decaled with SMS C/F... Still have to replace the mounting screws on it with bolts, and on several other parts too... Stay tuned, I am in the final stretch...

I've been on the fence on Edsel's, not really my bag, but don't dislike them either, ambivalent I guess. I do know now what would make a great model vignette though, thanks to Jairus. (What a visual...) That 68 year old woman dressed and made up as he described in an Edsel with a matching interior...

I can see a use for it, no pun intended.

Thanks everyone. Almost the whole build is in here, lots of pictures and explanations: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/...ad.php?t=566092 Check the threads at the bottom of the first post for all the information...

The premise looks interesting to me, and like something I would like to participate in, but I can't commit due to other projects. I'm sure there are many others who like the idea, but can't commit due to outside demands for their time. Maybe extending the deadline might draw a few more participants in...

Here's a start... http://www.shelbyparts.com/parts/boss429.html

If it were real, I could finally test drive it. Dirtied up the real wheel wells just a bit, keeps it in line with the rest of the build, clean but driven. Also made the hex head bolts for the fenders, had Phillips head screws holding together before. The nose fits correctly, the hood is just loosely placed on it for the photos. It fits, but takes more time than I wanted to put into it at this time, so that's why it looks a bit askew. (Didn't want to loose the sun...) More to come...

I have a real one and have been planning to make a model of it for years, some day I will, sooner than later I hope... Procrastination has helped as the quality of kits to work from has gotten better over the 20 plus years I've been planning it. So far I have decided to use the Ertl '70-1/2 RS Z/28 kit with an AMT original issue '74 annual providing most of the interior. Thanks to Marc, I have the last pieces I needed, the valve covers. Both of my Ertl kits, (the Baldwin and standard Z/28), have the one piece smaller spoiler, even though the box shows different on one of them as I recall. (Good for me as mine has the small one.) The interior console was changed in '73, that's why I'm pulling the '74 parts for mine.

Thanks all. It figures that you would like the color Ismael, it's '96 Corvette Grand Sport Admiral Blue, it's touch up paint from my real car. I've been building this one for about 30 months. I have friends with real ones, they are a blast, but I'm not sure I want a real one in my stable, at least not right now. But it would a lot quicker just to build a real one from the kit than building models this way...

Finally have something more to share. The interior is pretty close to being finished as is the engine compartment. The nose is done and has the cloisonne Lotus emblem bolted on. (It is still a Caterham...) Also made a velcro fastened hide-a-key for the fender... The wheels are done and accessorized with Lotus center caps, (7 sided) and Super 7 valve caps...

For me the Testors Rubber is a bit too brown, except as an accent for older tire side walls. Tone it down with some regular flat black or Black Chrome Trim and it works well...