Because I don’t have enough Lotus kits. ...

[absmiami]

The clutch and brake fluid cylinders are spare white metal parts from another - older - project.  Got to add some flanges - The steering rack will be attached below these bottles.  

On the real car - the rack sits level with the pivot brackets for the rocker arms - can’t do this in 24th scale. -  not enough room under the shell -  MFH was able to do this in 20th scale - don’t know how they did it - they’re pretty good !  Steering rack and oil tank next     -     I think ... unless I’m distracted and wander off again ...

[Bainford]

On 2/23/2021 at 7:04 PM, absmiami said:

Warning. The IMC Lotus is under scale. Closer to 1/26 

Thanks for the heads up. I figured I would have to widen it anyway, so It still may be a usable starting point. I'm a ways from starting on the 43 yet, many projects in the books, but when I do I'll dig deeper into the research and hunt for parts/kits. When I do start, I'll post it up. In the mean time, keenly watching your project.

 

[absmiami]

The fluid reservoirs have .040 “stems” -  just large enough to accept small drilled holes for the brake and clutch lines ...   the steering rack is .047 brass tube with some plastic “ears” and attachment brackets...   and I’m making the housings for the springs from some spare renshape ...  still lots of adjustments needed - including added width to the pivot points for The rocker arms ...   lots to do ...

[absmiami]

Right hand damper box in ...   more changes - widened the rocker pivots - them glued the front bulkhead in ... pins in the pivot holes while the epoxy sets - need the pivot holes square ...

[absmiami]

Notice that the bulkhead has lost its rounded profile on top - just not enough room in this scale to fit the nose and keep the correct profile - but the fluid reservoirs still fit - that’s OK ...

[Big John]

Great Detailing!  What is the brown product you use for filler blocks?

[absmiami]

Thank you for that question. It is the scratchbuilder’s secret weapon -  that is unless you can draw and print your own parts ...  it’s Renshape ...  this is the medium stuff. Easily shaped with hand tools. The files and random toothed cutters by PermaGrit are best for this. -   It’s like wood without grain ...   expensive but necessary if you want to make your own whatever ...

[absmiami]

That’s what I thought. I think it’s the same stuff that you are using for your Bugatti. If your Renshape is not brown - it’s a different density ...  but basically the same

stuff. -  by the way - you must take the Bugatti to the last GSL to compete in the salt lake / land speed category - and you will have some competition. ...

[absmiami]

Looked again -  I think you are using  the same density  -  and I too am a big fan of the late, great Chris Ethel ...  got an idea ...

[absmiami]

Not Ethel. My I phone does not recognize “Etzel”. Drat ...

[absmiami]

HOT BENCH ...  there’s plastic, Renshape, and resin flying everywhere ...  studying the Lotus 43 build on the Brit Modeler site I realized that the car has curved panels at the base of the monocoque that house some of the fluid lines ...  making these with Evergreen strip ...

[absmiami]

The drawings I’ve got suggest that the Joker resin monocoque is a little short - and this is confirmed by studying the 20th scale MFH build ... so it’s back to the Renshape for the added scale 2.5 inches at the back - and this piece will also serve as the engine bulkhead ...and this should enable me to nail the wheelbase ...

[Bainford]

Looking great. A lot of facets to this project.

[absmiami]

Reaching a point where this build is ready for a nap -  evergreen strip was cut and sanded to make lower rocker panels that housed - I think - the lines to the two water pumps -  and I’m shaping the ridges that covered the suspension pick-ups - these have a different shape than the Lotus 49 - hard to match - MFH’s 20th scale kit got it close to right - mine will be - okay ... the main thing is I’ll be able to fit all of the major components in the forward section - under the nose - somehow ...

[Big John]

On 3/6/2021 at 5:04 PM, absmiami said:

Looked again -  I think you are using  the same density  -  and I too am a big fan of the late, great Chris Ethel ...  got an idea ...

Thanks Andrew.  i was wondering about your renshape since it appears to have a dark speckled texture whereas mine is the texture and density of bondo/filler.  Mixing up a batch would work for anyone who doesn't have the resources to buy the real thing. 

[absmiami]

Do you have any unbuilt Etzel kits ??  Got an idea   ....  ...

[Big John]

Dare I say yes? Locked in the vault are the 1920 Frontenac, 1959/60 Watson, and 2000 Gforce. Thanks for getting me looking bac at them Chris's workmanship and his instructions are amazing and a standard that has inspired me in the presentation of my own kits.

[absmiami]

Once you are done with the Bugatti LSR - would you be tempted to do a build thread on one of your Etzels kits -  I’ve got a different collection of Etzel unbuilts  - including the Duesenberg Indy car -  we could do a combined thread as a tribute to Chris - that was my thought ..

. I have strange thoughts ...

[absmiami]

Caveat  -  we will of course be ruining the value of the kits we choose to build -  oh well ...

[Big John]

And that is why they are in the 'vault'.  My focus keeps shifting but I  am still adding to my early Indy car kit collection.  I've built three of Cris's kits, the Duesenberg, Miller and Frank Lockhart's Stuz Blackhawk.  The Miller was the more satisfying build but you cant fault the lines and Chris's work on the Blackhawk. That kit along with the Challenger 1 and Flintstone's Goldenrod set me on the LSR path. I think if I were to build one it would be the Monroe Frontenac.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Big John

[Big John]

I like the Idea of an Etzel memorial build in. I'm sure there would be others willing to post too.  WIP and completions.

[absmiami]

Been thinking about the Lotus 29..

has anyone ever tried to scratchbuild one in 24th scale ?  
now that we have the Mad Mike Ford engines I think it is doable - I’m bound and determined to over-complicate this ...  the restoration of the Gurney 29 by the Indy Museum has given us all enough info on their videos to get us into some “good trouble” .

..I’ve been convinced for some time that the 25th scale AMT kit is simply not salvageable - but maybe that’s just my scale bias ...   ...

the Made Mike engine to start with is the Ford 289 w Weber’s - although this is not the correct engine for the Lotus 29 - it’s a reasonable staring point ...

[absmiami]

I shot these at the Barber Museum in 2016.  They have what i believe is a spare team car -  which was restored years ago to Gurney Lotus 29 specs - the real one is currently being restored by the Indy Museum.  If you havent been to their site - check  out the restoration videos  - its sort of like one of our build threads - except that there's will make lots of noise when its done ...

[absmiami]

Drawings first- the late Bob Clidinst drew many Indy cars - this is a copy of his 29 drawings on grid paper - to 24th scale ... the notes are mine ...

[absmiami]

Clidinst lived ten minutes from the Speedway and volunteered there - he was given access To the Museum cars and he measured most if not all of the cars that he drew - I’m pretty sure he got the 29 dead to rights - all of the published measurements correspond with the drawing ...