Lola T-70 Mk III

[Scale-Master]

Thanks.  Even though it's 1/12th, it's not that big.  But then I build 1/8th too...

 

The door windows needed to be fitted now that the exterior of the doors were getting close to being fixed.  A good amount of reshaping the openings including the corners was done.  Since I didn't do anything to the openings until this point I was a little surprised at both how off one side was and how close the other was. 

I tried not to rework the clear parts, but some extending was required on the bottom edges of both main sections and shaping on other sides.  There were also a couple hairline fractures in those parts that had to be repaired too.

 

After I got the windows to fit I seamed the edges with 1000 grit sandpaper then started smoothing the faces with 1200.

[Pete J.]

Mark just a thought on clear windscreens.  I found out about thermoform plastic(AKA PETG) a while ago and experimented with it.  It is available on the internet in various thicknesses and come in good sized sheets. Both MSC and McMaster Carr sell it in up to 4'X4' sheets.  A 24" x 24" x 1/16" sheet runs about $12.  One sheet will last a modeler a lifetime. 

  First advantage is that it is much thinner and thus more "to scale" than the kit pieces.  Second, you can leave the protective plastic on it and tape it to the original part  and hit it with a heat gun to get the proper contour.  The main disadvantage is that it is softer so it can scratch easier. 

  Once that is done, it is much more flexible when fitting it to the frame.  With the protective plastic in place you can handle it all you want to shape and fit it without worrying about scratching it.  Once I have it just right then I do the Future thing to get a high gloss on it.  To me it is much easier than trying to rework to old plastic parts.

  If you are down this way I have a fair amount of it and you could have enough for this project. 

[Scale-Master]

Thanks for the info and even more so for the offer Pete!   

But I'm going (at least right now) with the kit pieces, albeit modified. 

The windshield is actually a stressed member now and helps true up the door frames.  Once I make and install the trim windshield I don't think the thickness will be much of an issue.  This heavy clear in the kit buffs up pretty nice too.  (See below.)

 

All polished out…

[Scale-Master]

I wanted to get the hinge mechanism made for the rear hatch since it's the last part of fitting up the body that needed to be done.

I had to start by reworking the rear bulkhead.

The rear tray has half of the hinges molded to it.  I cut them off and installed a stainless steel tube.

[Scale-Master]

The two little plastic parts of the hinges that mount to the engine cover didn't look like they would stand up to too much action, at least at the joint where they would be cemented.   Plus I could see they are supposed to be added after painting the exterior, further creating fit continuity issues.  The gray pieces are the modified and beefed up kit parts; the rest is scratch-built from sheet styrene.  The plan is to make the hinge system stand-alone from the body shell.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Scale-Master

[Scale-Master]

Final new part with 1/16 inch steel rod laminated in to it for strength.

[Scale-Master]

The outer hinges are made of brass and styrene.

[Scale-Master]

More magnets…

[Scale-Master]

I started reworking the two rear supports that connect the tray to the rear bulkhead so I can continue working on the hinging of the engine cover.  I removed the posts that supported the battery box (used to be a motorized kit) and drilled out the flanges for the spare tire guides.  Since they also have suspension mounting points that will need to accept closed ended fittings I had to engineer them to facilitate those parts (that will be made later).  The first machined aluminum pieces for this project…

[Scale-Master]

Brass tubing was used to make the hinges for the engine cover.  More magnets were also utilized.

 

[Scale-Master]

The gas struts for the doors.

Upper hinges, acid cut brass.

The strut bodies are brass, the shafts are stainless steel.

The lower hinges are machined aluminum.

Closed.  They compress well.

Open.  They slide smoothly and provide just enough friction to keep the door open.

[lucky 130]

Mr. Jones, this is and has always been one of my favorite racing cars. following along with your build has been eye opening event. I have seen some fine model building in this forum, this is not one. This is an artistic labor of love. I have never seen this attention to detail in any other build, especially in 1/12 scale. Just the amount of work that went into making the doors open properly....WOW! Anyway thanks for your build and sharing it with us. I cannot wait to see more. Thanks again.

                                                                                                                                               Mike

[Anglia105E]

Nothing that you do surprises me now, Mark....... All these intricate and hand crafted parts that go to make up a working component of this Lola racing car are fascinating to behold. This is just engineering in miniature, and I should learn from this build. I continue to follow your progress with jaw dropped and eyes wide open....

David

[peteski]

10 hours ago, Scale-Master said:

Upper hinges, acid cut brass.

That sounds so much more fancy than "photo-etched". 

As usual, extremely impressive work.

[Scale-Master]

Thanks Guys!

I refer to it as acid etched because it isn't photo-etched.  It is a different process in the resist phase. 

I used to do PE (I still do art for others), but I figured out a way to make parts with out the "photo" part after I got rid of my photostat camera.

[peteski]

15 hours ago, Scale-Master said:

Thanks Guys!

I refer to it as acid etched because it isn't photo-etched.  It is a different process in the resist phase. 

I used to do PE (I still do art for others), but I figured out a way to make parts with out the "photo" part after I got rid of my photostat camera.

Interesting.

Still, the process is using photoresist-coated metal, and caustic liquid to remove the unwanted material?  So colloquially modelers just lump all these processes under the PE name.  I have a feeling that photostat cameras have not been used in this process for some time.  Nowadays it is mostly done on computers. The resist is exposed by some computer-driven projector device.

[Scale-Master]

My stat camera was obsolete for a long time before I disposed of it.  Yes the industry moved to digital output, but long before then the art was generated by computer then printouts were converted to film.  I was one of the first to incorporate computers for making decal artwork for kits back in the 80's.  

I no longer use photo-resist coatings (still have them...) because I figured out a way to eliminate the need for films and exposure to the resist.  No longer having to do the "photo" processes saves me a full day of tedious work.

[mitchy]

Following with open mouth

[peteski]

On 8/15/2019 at 10:06 AM, Scale-Master said:

My stat camera was obsolete for a long time before I disposed of it.  Yes the industry moved to digital output, but long before then the art was generated by computer then printouts were converted to film.  I was one of the first to incorporate computers for making decal artwork for kits back in the 80's.  

I no longer use photo-resist coatings (still have them...) because I figured out a way to eliminate the need for films and exposure to the resist.  No longer having to do the "photo" processes saves me a full day of tedious work.

Interesting. So what is your current method?  Do you use laser to burn off the resist coating?

In the '90s I used to sent my vector artwork to a publishing bureau to be printed on clear film using a Linitronix Phototypesetter (don't recall the specific model number). But that was still the old school "photo" system.

[John Teresi]

Mark.....Amazing work!!!!!

[Jasper018]

Looking forward to your progress 

[Jasper018]

Hi can i ask how you think the fit would be building it box stock ? And also how nice of a kit it looks built up ? Thanks rob 

[Scale-Master]

On 8/19/2019 at 12:03 AM, peteski said:

Interesting. So what is your current method?  Do you use laser to burn off the resist coating?

In the '90s I used to sent my vector artwork to a publishing bureau to be printed on clear film using a Linitronix Phototypesetter (don't recall the specific model number). But that was still the old school "photo" system.

I use a plotter to make the resist.  If I had a laser I'd probably just cut the metal with it.

[Scale-Master]

4 hours ago, Jasper018 said:

Hi can i ask how you think the fit would be building it box stock ? And also how nice of a kit it looks built up ? Thanks rob 

Most of the finished ones I've seen don't look like they fit very well at all when all closed up, including the one in the kit's instructions. 

The doors and main bulkhead line up particularly very poorly.  All the body panels have serious fit and symmetry issues.  (I spent over 300 hours to get the body to this point.)

In some cases an 1/8 of an inch of material was added and I'm not sure how to track how much was shaved off.  Granted, the real cars were not show cars but racing machines. 

In addition, the engineering makes it difficult to paint/assemble many of the most visible pieces of the body.  As far as the fit of the internals, so far it seems to be OK.

That said, I even with the misalignment of the body panels, they still look impressive when finished.  I'm just trying to do a little better than box stock...

[peteski]

1 hour ago, Scale-Master said:

I use a plotter to make the resist.  If I had a laser I'd probably just cut the metal with it.

Interesting.  I wasn't talking about high power laser - just a small laser cutter, like ones cottage manufacturers and some hobbyists use.  Like a 40W CO2 laser. It has enough power to cut plastic and wood, but not metal.  I was just speculating . . .