I just finished super detailing my Tamiya Lotus Type 49 kit

[JohnnyK]

I am a retired architect. If you happen to know an architect, you know that architects have the patience of a saint and love to get mired in the details. The perfect attributes for building model cars. I enjoy building large scale cars because I can get absorbed in the details. Last Spring I finished my first 1:12 kit, the Trumpeter Ford GT40 MK II.  I learned a lot about detailing a 1:12 kit from that experience. Most importantly, I learned that it is really essential to include a large quantity of detailing to prevent the finished model from looking like a toy. This summer I decided to super detail the Tamiya Team Lotus Type 49 in 1/12 scale. The original kit was first released in 1973, and re-released in 1991 with new photo-etched parts. That means that the basic kit is 42 years old and a lot of the parts show the age in yhe way of mold lines and flash.  

 

Before starting on the Lotus I downloaded numerous photos of the 1:1 car. I then visited Home Depot and my local craft store to purchase wires in a number of gauges. The wire can be used as fuel lines, break lines, battery cables and general electrical wires. I then stocked up on steel bolts, compression fittings, tire valve stems, seat belts, clamps, stainless steel braided lines from Pro Tech, Scale Hardware, and Detail Master. Following are photos of the finished product.

 

 

I used Tamaya rattle can Racing Green paint. I polished out the orange peel as best as I could and then polished the car with wax. The decals are too thick and would not conform to the shape of the car's nose.

The model did not include seat belts, so I bought some on-line. The leather texture that is molded into the seat looks bad, so I purchased an old black leather purse from a Good Will Store, cut it to size and glued it onto the plastic seat. I think it really looks good. Since the back side of the instrument panel is visible I added wires in a varity of sizes. 

 Now the fun part. I added as much detail to the engine and breaks as possible. I removed as many of the plastic nuts as possible and replaced them with metal bolts. Check out the bolts on the starter clamp and on the transmission. The 1:1 car had a metal conduit for the starter cables, so I bought some aluminum tubing at Hobby Lobby and used that as the conduit. I threaded a heavy wire through the conduit and surface mounted a wire that would have been attached to the ignition switch. I used some leftove hose clamps from the Ford GT on the cooling hoses on the Lotus model. Wires in a number of sizes were added to the ignition system. The rubber band wire looms were cut from wire insulation. These closely match those found on the 1:1 car. The rear brake lines are composed of stainless steel braided lines, rubber hoses, wires for brake lines and compression fittings. It took hours of trial and error to make these look correct. I think that they add a lot to the looks of the model. The drive shafts and exhaust pipes had terrible mold lines, so I decromed them, sanded down the mold lines and covered them in metal foil. I found some small brass tubes at Hobby Lobby and glued them into the inside of the fuel injection trumpets.  

I added valve stems to the wheels and balancing weights just like the 1:1 car. In the photo abpve the model's tire is to the left and a picture of the 1:1 tire is to the right. I cut some small pieces of the foil cap that is used on wine bottles to simulate the wheel weights.   I then used some metal foil to simulate the duct tape that was used on the 1:1 car. I think that it really looks good and adds a lot of pop to the model.

This build took a long time, so I plan to build a B-17 before I attempt another large scale car.

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by JohnnyK

[DumpyDan]

Wow great photo's, that is one nice looking kit.

[Crazy Ed]

I just spent the last 15 minutes enjoying all the details and the quality of the build. John you are both a Skilled Builder and Photographer.

[MAGIC MUFFLER]

It looks really nice!!! Well done ...

[Ace-Garageguy]

Beautiful model of a beautiful car. For me, this will always be the golden-age of F1. The cars were elegant, logical and straightforward, with prominent mechanical elements contributing to the design.

[warra48]

Fantastic build of a great looking car. You did a much better job than I would ever do. Excellent photography too.

Contrary to what is generally said at present, the original kit was not released in 1973, but 2 or 3 years earlier. I built the original one before 1973, as I moved from NZ to Australia in Feb 1973, and the kit was finished well before that.

[IceMan Collections]

Jaw-dropping!  Excellent work. Best Lotus I've seen built.

[JohnnyK]

Thanks for the kind words. It took a while to build the kit, but since I am retired, it didn’t matter how long it took because there is “Always tomorrow”.  It took about one year to really unwind from my corporate mind set of go go go.

 

Regarding the photography, I used nothing special. The lighting was from three ceiling  LED can lights and one LED floor lamp. I taped a paper towel to the floor lamp to diffuse the light. I used a point and shoot camera mounted on a tripod. The base for the model is a black foam board from Hobby Lobby with the paper backing removed. The black foam was painted with a mixture of craft acrylic black, white and tan. I used a wadded-up paper towel to paint the foam board.

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[HotRodaSaurus]

Great build. I will save these pages for my own build as I have this model and will be building it in Graham Hill colours, though it is a re release does not contain any photo etch stuff.

I did take a few photo's at the national Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire in England, have to find them.

Edited November 25, 2015 by HotRodaSaurus
spelling

[afx]

Love the old F1 cars. Nice job.

[GTJUNIOR]

WOW! Truly amazing build.

[Greg Myers]

Beautiful model of a beautiful car. For me, this will always be the golden-age of F1. The cars were elegant, logical and straightforward, with prominent mechanical elements contributing to the design.

X2 

[Harry P.]

That is some impressive model building! The engine detailing is spectacular.

[JohnnyK]

Before I started this build I went to The Home Depot and bought a bunch of wires of different sizes. I used some of these wires to simulate the battery cable at the starter, ignition wires, wires behind the dashboard, general engine wiring, etc. Very simple and very cheap.

[JohnnyK]

 

Regarding the photography, I used nothing special. The lighting was from three ceiling  LED can lights and one LED floor lamp. I taped a paper towel to the floor lamp to diffuse the light. I used a point and shoot camera mounted on a tripod. The base for the model is a black foam board from Hobby Lobby with the paper backing removed. The black foam was painted with a mixture of craft acrylic black, white and tan. I used a wadded-up paper towel to paint the foam board.

 

Following is a photo of how I took the pictures. Nothing special. Just three ceiling can lights and a floor lamp.

[JohnnyK]

Beautiful model of a beautiful car. For me, this will always be the golden-age of F1. The cars were elegant, logical and straightforward, with prominent mechanical elements contributing to the design.

Yep, this car has no wings and no ground effects devices on it. However, I can imagine that it was difficult to control at high speeds. The Lotus 49B had two wings on its nose and a huge, tall wing at the rear.

[rmvw guy]

Nice and clean, I love the subject matter, nice photos of high detail.

[MeatMan]

Very nice detail work.  Nice clean build.

[Crazy Ed]

Following is a photo of how I took the pictures. Nothing special. Just three ceiling can lights and a floor lamp.

   And like the Kit you built. Many have the same raw materials, but you happen to have the Eye, Talent, Patiences and Skill to assemble them in a manner that elevates all the parts to the next level.

[drodg]

Great build.  That is a kit I have often thought about building. 

[vintagercr]

Very nice detail!

[bbowser]

Outstanding!  Thanks very much for sharing.

[JohnnyK]

   And like the Kit you built. Many have the same raw materials, but you happen to have the Eye, Talent, Patiences and Skill to assemble them in a manner that elevates all the parts to the next level.

Wow!!  Thank you so much for the very kind words. I really appreciate them.

[peekay]

Nice work! Tons of detail but still looks clean and tidy - not so easy.

(Very crisp photos too.)