1951 Cunningham C1 Master 1/25 scale for resin casting

[Kennyboy]

Hey guys, been working on this body for some time now. The reason for not posting was because in the past, I would start something up and never finish it (for some reason), I figured if I kept vigilant on the build without any interuptions I would be more apt to finishing the build. Turns out I was pretty spot-on with that assumption. Below is the the hopeful end result or a reasonable facsimile.....

Ok, so this idea was posed to me by my friend Greg Wann......thru PM's we decided it was worth a try to produce this body. After much research and measurement, I came to the conclusion that the AMT Shelby 289 Cobra was the closest to the design. I obtained one of these at a local meet and dug in.....now close is just a relative term, it turned out that the wheelbase was different, the side body beltline-to-sidesill height was shorter, the body rear shape was wrong, front clip shape, on and on and on.....1 month in on this and the body rear quarters were swapped out for '37 Chevy rear fenders (with Bugatti front fender spare tire indents for the lower curvature on the front of the '37 Chevy rear fenders.....hard to explain much better than that.) The '37 fenders brought in that much needed outer contour to the trunk section but the '37 fenders were lacking in the lower rear pan curvature.....they just ended abrupt. Ok, so I dug thru the pile of donors and realized the contour I needed was in the rear of the Shelby Series 1 (thank you yet again Mr. Shelby!) Attached those and ended up with what you see below......rough but closer.

 

 

I failed to state earlier in this story, that Greg had sent me a 1/32 scale Aurora Cunningham Phantom to work from. While being quite helpful, the Aurora Cunningham was not quite spot on when it came to the proportions of the body. Therefore I used it for rough dimensions to convert up the scale but body shape and contour came solely from the pictures obtained on the internet.

Ok, so after dealing with the body shape in the rear it was time to deal with the front wheelwell placement. On the Cobra the wheelwells are so far forward they almost fall off the front of the car! Moving the wheelwells was a large undertaking, I ended up going back to the Series 1 again for the front wheelwells from it, after which I cut and sectioned the front fenders on the build and installed the new wheel arches. In the pictures below you can see the difference in size between the 1/32 Aurora Cunningham and my build (I have decided since these pictures were taken though to remove the hood scoop....it was too Shelby.)

[Kennyboy]

Where I am at today on this build is REAL close to completion.

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by Kennyboy

[MrObsessive]

Very nice work Kenny! This is one of those nice early '50's racers that doesn't get much coverage. They were quite potent in their day with those Chrysler Hemis under the hood! Are you going to make it so that the hood is open, or is it to be a curbside?

[Kennyboy]

Thank you Bill! I will be sending it to Greg with the hood closed (due to the massive amount of seams under all the body work) I figure that it should be a relatively easy task to cut open the area for the hood when the body is in resin....or it will make a nice little curbside as well. Either way, the AMT 289 Cobra kit will make this car a rolling reality. Forgot to state, the reason for not cutting open the hood is this is the first of several masters I am working on......the next is the 1954 Kaiser Darrin.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Kennyboy

[oldcarfan]

This is amazing work. I love seeing this kind of thing, seeing how you go about converting and all that. It's funny, I just emailed Greg yesterday about ordering one of his products.

[ProStreetOnTheStrip]

Brilliant! These are some cool cars!

[Greg Wann]

Great Job, Ken, thank you.  My email is:   mastercaster1@cox.net    I will be in the Lafayette, In area for a few days.  My Mother is in very poor health, her Bday is the 24th.  She will be 90.

 

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Greg Wann

[Kennyboy]

Great Job, Ken, thank you.  My email is:   mastercaster1@cox.net    I will be in the Lafayette, In area for a few days.  My Mother is in very poor health, her Bday is the 24th.  She will be 90.

 

 

It's my pleasure Greg. Take your time and enjoy your mother's company.....the casting can wait.   Best wishes my friend

[Greg Wann]

http://barchetta3500.com/

Hey Ken,

  Here is a link to another future project that I like.  Lots of info and photos.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Greg Wann

[Kennyboy]

Would be pretty easy to build that barchetta using the front end of a cobra and the back half of this resin casted Cunningham, a little nip and tuck and voila! 

[Brizio]

Nice work Kenny!!! Beautiful car too!

[GerN]

Looks good.  I tried to help by finding photos of the C1, particularly rear and side views.  I've attached what I found.  The-Blueprints.com does have a four-way of the C4.  I'm wondering about the rear fenders:  the C1 appears to have blunter-ending fenders than the C2.  Perhaps similar to an early Vette.

Edited January 18, 2016 by GerN

[Howard Linscott]

To whom it may concern:

My model car collection centers on 1/32 scale, with the Revell/AMT kits of 1955-56 being the focus point. These kits all need help to embody the level of detail we have become accustomed to in recent 1/25 scale model cars, but they are well worth it. I have also done extensive correctional work on the more recent 1/32 scale kits from Revell and Monogram and Gunze, such as the 57 Ford Fairlane, 55 Chevrolet Belair, and the 57 Eldorado Brougham, to name just a few examples. Always more work to do than you realize when you start the project! I go to antique car shows in Ontario where I live with a measuring tape and notebook in addition to my camera.

I made all the corrections required to the Aurora 1/32 scale kit of the Cunningham C-1 using (and measuring) the photos you have shown, plus many more that I inherited from my Dad's 50s-era magazine collection. There are quite a few modifications required to get that kit looking like the real car, but I succeeded. I have been at it part-time for years! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I can post some if anyone is interested. I have recently been at it again, sanding and smoothing, so all the modifications are visible. I also have an out-of-the box assembled Aurora kit from 1964 for comparison. My plans include making 1/32 knock-offs of the corrected Cunningham body in 1/32 for any slot car buffs out there. Anyone interested?

Howard