Ace-Garageguy

Historic Racing Miniatures. Be prepared to pay a lot, if you can even find one. It's a beautiful kit, and worth every penny. https://www.modelbuilderswh.com/products/cheetah-race-car https://www.scalemates.com/kits/historic-racing-miniatures-hrm103-cheetah--1112077 Or...you can use a slot-car body and scratchbash the rest.

HOWEVER...this car is represented as a real S2 1962 Seven, essentially the same car as depicted in the Tamiya kit. It shows what looks like a molded seat. So from this photo, it appears a narrow enough molded bucket can be squeezed in... EDIT: Here's a link to lots of photos of this car, including interior shots: http://classiccarsexport.com/lotus/179995-authentic-1962-lotus-super-seven-series-2-rhd-race-car-sb1587.html

A GT40. Not looking too likely at this point... I was in line for a Safir JWA-licensed "continuation" MkV back in the late '80s, but the crash of Eastern Airlines wiped out the funds. I've driven the CAV and Superformance versions, and they're both great fun and look the part. Maybe later...

1:1 seats. And of course, correctly-scaled model seats will fit (or not) the same in a correctly-scaled Seven model.

Anyone with even a semblance of a brain can't help being increasingly grumpy with the state of most things these days...among which is the decline of semblance-of-brains in the general population.

In a real Lotus 7, you sit on a 2" thick cushion that's directly on the floor. The seat back is basically a padded plank. The side of the frame and the driveshaft tunnel are the seat-side bolsters. And yes, I have actual experience here, as I owned and drove one for many years. The cars (real ones) are built to fit a driver who's not much over 5'10" and 165 pounds. There's simply no room in a real 7 (built to the original dimensions, like the Tamiya kit represents) for anything like a bucket seat from something else, or any normal "racing" seat. I've occasionally seen molded seat backs, but that's about it. Look at photos of real Sevens prepped for racing. MOST will have some variation of the cushion-on-the-floor-and-a-padded-plank seat. Sometimes, you will see one with a manufactured seat, but this car is built considerably wider, taller, and longer than the Tamiya Seven. EDIT: Again from my own personal experience, the interior of a Porsche 550 Spyder is cavernous compared to a Seven, and the fiberglass buckets represented in Cool Hand's post will fit a 550...they're in my current car...but still mounted almost directly on the floor. No way in hell will they fit in a Seven as represented by the Tamiya kit without being all hacked up.

Far as I recall, their motto was "no aircraft shall be deemed eligible for return-to-service until the relevant paperwork weighs as much as said aircraft".

Always a treat watching you build a race car.

Man...those are gorgeous, both the dragster and the GT40. I've found the 1-part Tamiya putty to work exactly as you describe, and still use something catalyzed for heavy fills.

While working on something largely unrelated, I had a flash of insight as to how to solve a thorny electronic interface problem on the DeLorean-from-hell project. Not only will this little gizmo get that job out of my hair finally, but it'll have potential applications for lotsa stuff down the road...from cars to model-train controllers. I'm unusually happy.

If you want a good engine, throw the silly mess that's in the kit out. Same goes for the rear axle. Work slowly and carefully on the multi-piece hood and opening features. For all the whining and complaining, this kit WILL make a great looking model with a little applied intelligence.

Yup, I used to get that at least a couple times a year. Sometimes all it took to trigger it was picking up a light bag of groceries...and then immediately I could barely make it up 5 steps. Crazy part is that I could usually still lift and carry bare V8 engine blocks and assembled US car gearboxes with no problem whatsoever (still can). I've found that conscientious core-muscle exercise and hamstring and quad stretches pretty much keep the back problems in check. Staying hydrated helps too. Your body is a machine. Maintain it and use it or lose it.

The roof over the windshield and doors is stupid high too, too flat, too square-edged (particularly on the panel), the windshield shape is wrong, the hood needs a mild sectioning job to look right...among other things, like yes, correcting the curve at the front lower edge and fenders as you mentioned.

Excellent. I'll be using that, for sure. "...and we have you tied up in so many knots there's not a damm thing you can do about it."

Here's a couple of built AMT '53s:

The AMT kit is really very nice. I don't know what you're referring to as a "weak" chassis, but there's nothing wrong with it. The engine and gearbox are just fine too. I like the Revell kit, but it's considerably more challenging with the opening doors.

Got heem.

Very ambitious, and looking good so far.

VERY nice. Every time I think I'm done buying models, along comes an inspiring build like this.

Yes, it's not just for breakfast anymore.

At least there's some redeeming value for that rag...

MMMMMM...emu.

Very nice. Is this 1/24? About 100 years ago, when I was working for Alfa-wizard Paul Spruell in Atlanta, one of his clients ran a TZ on the street occasionally. Those were the days.

And when some drivers and teams find it necessary to start with the hypocritical virtue-signaling, I look elsewhere for my motorsports fix.

Replica and Miniatures has real nice ones too...