Revell BMW R75/5 motorcycle from year 1973, scale 1:8

[Rakentaja]

The next scale model should be built from these parts shown in the pictures. I chose a rare green instead of blue which is in the building instructions. The color is Metallic Green, also known as Nürburg Grün.

This bike is a long wheelbase model with the Toaster tank.

Revell has made a few mistakes in this model as well. I'll need to fix as much as possible. It will take a lot of time for this, but it should be completed this year. ?
In the package there is two bags of grey 1mm tubes that has to be painted black. Why didn't they put black tubes? Was the grey cheaper than black? ?

Changing the spokes will be the biggest job from plastic to metall (0,45mm thick) 

I haven’t found in any forum that anyone has made this model. Not found on Youtube either.

If I remember right, the previous motorcycle I've made was in 1973 and it was Tamiya Honda CB 750 1:6

[Rakentaja]

All parts removed from sprues and traces cleaned. Tank halves glued together. Some engine parts are also glued before painting. The center of the tires is cut off. Turn signals and taillight painted. Small changes have already been made to the front and rear brakes at this stage.
Missing parts have been added to the handlebar and the wrong attachment part for the gas cables has been replaced. Hole added to the headlight housing for the turn signal light. The choke was also incomplete, it lacked a small lever that is now added to it.
Installed a small 3mm led bulb in the headlight reflector. Led bulbs are also mounted on the turn signals and the tail light will also have led bulb after the housing is painted. They are not operational, only imitating real bulbs.
Chromed surface removed from some parts because they are not chromed even on the real motorcycle.
Next i'll have to start replacing the plastic spokes (80 pcs.) with metal ones.

 

[peteski]

That looks like a nice kit!  I agree that changing the spokes will make a big difference in realism.  It also looks like changing spokes on this model, the way the wheels are split up should make it fairly easy.

[Rakentaja]

6 hours ago, peteski said:

That looks like a nice kit!  I agree that changing the spokes will make a big difference in realism.  It also looks like changing spokes on this model, the way the wheels are split up should make it fairly easy.

 

I started this replacement today and I can say that it is not very easy. 3 spokes replaced and 77 left. The change lasts the whole of January, if I don't get more than 3-4 pieces a day. The inner end of the spoke is immersed in the center of the rim. It is very difficult to drill diagonally two 0.5 mm holes side by side in the middle. It may be easier if the inner end of the spokes were folded in the same way as in Japanese motorcycles, for example.

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by Rakentaja
Added two photos.

[peteski]

I see what you are doing.  Why can't you drill the holes in the hub the same way they are on the 1:1 bike (perpendicular to the hub's face)?  Tat would be much easier then drilling diagonal angled holes in the hub.  Then bend one end of each spoke 90 degrees like 1:1 spokes, then install them in the holes and use some CA glue to hold it in place?

[Rakentaja]

6 hours ago, peteski said:

I see what you are doing.  Why can't you drill the holes in the hub the same way they are on the 1:1 bike (perpendicular to the hub's face)?  Tat would be much easier then drilling diagonal angled holes in the hub.  Then bend one end of each spoke 90 degrees like 1:1 spokes, then install them in the holes and use some CA glue to hold it in place?

In BMW the spokes are not in 90 degree angle, they are just straight ones as you can see in the picture and links.

BMW spokes in eBay

Wheel Building BMW R75/5

 

[peteski]

Looks like I misunderstood your post Jouko (I thought the photo of the Japanese bike wheel was the BMW).  Sorry!

I see that you are correct - it will be a tedious modification.  But it will make the model look very realistic.

[Doug 1061]

I know the feeling.  Once you tear into it you're in deep.  It's like, what did I do?   That is a huge improvement and will be well worth the effort when finished.  Looks like you're off to a good start here, gonna have to follow this build.

[Rakentaja]

10 spokes done, 70 to do. No matter how much time it takes, it will look quite different when ready.

I've also painted the fenders and the tank with primer.

 

[r60man]

I have an R75/6 in 1:1 scale in the garage. The color is "Monza Blue" same as the /5 you are building. Doing great so far. I would like to get one, but I have to say the spokes scare me, and I would want to do a /6 like mine. Not too different, except different gauges, different handlebar controls for the lights and such, and disc brake in front as opposed to the drum brake.

[bisc63]

Wow!! First; what a beautiful bike, it just looks so solid and sturdy, like a Panzer on two wheels. Second; What a cool model! And lastly; fantastic upgrade to the details you are doing here! Will follow this one with interest! Best of luck to you!

[Rakentaja]

A small update. Half of the front wheel is ready and started with the another half today. I only do 5 spokes a day, so the wheels will be ready by the end of January.
The pictures also show the first metallic green layer in the tank and fenders.

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Rakentaja

[Rakentaja]

9 hours ago, bisc63 said:

Wow!! First; what a beautiful bike, it just looks so solid and sturdy, like a Panzer on two wheels. Second; What a cool model! And lastly; fantastic upgrade to the details you are doing here! Will follow this one with interest! Best of luck to you!

Thank you Rusty.

[peteski]

That wheel half with metal spokes looks excellent!

[JJ Deuce]

On 1/12/2021 at 7:14 PM, r60man said:

I have an R75/6 in 1:1 scale in the garage. The color is "Monza Blue" same as the /5 you are building. Doing great so far. I would like to get one, but I have to say the spokes scare me, and I would want to do a /6 like mine. Not too different, except different gauges, different handlebar controls for the lights and such, and disc brake in front as opposed to the drum brake.

I recently acquired an R75/6 as well, but mine is Havana Gold.  My neighbor has a Monza Blue 90/6

[Rakentaja]

2 hours ago, peteski said:

That wheel half with metal spokes looks excellent!

 

Thank you Peter.

[Rakentaja]

I finally got everything done with spokes. Next I need to paint and glue the halves together. After that, the rims are ready.
There was a slight delay when the last 0.55 mm drill bit was broken. No one sells drill bits of that size in Finland, they must be ordered from Germany and it takes 10 days to get them here.

I also noticed one day that this Revell model also has an error in the tires and rims that cannot be corrected. The size of the front tire should be 3.25 x 19 and the rear tire 4.00 x 18. The tire has markings on the sidewalls. They are correct for the front tire, but the rear tire is marked 4.00 x 19. The rear tire is therefore an inch larger than it really should be. By measuring with a caliper the front tire is 2.90 x 19.4 and the rear tire is 3.60 x 19.4. So the dimensions are pretty much wrong.

I have a model from another manufacturer about a similar bike and it has the tire sizes correctly marked and the correct values when measured with a caliper. In terms of dimensions are 3.25 x 19 and 4.00 x 18.
Why do others know how to make more accurate models than Revell in Germany when it comes to a German motorcycle after all?

[peteski]

21 hours ago, Rakentaja said:

Why do others know how to make more accurate models than Revell in Germany when it comes to a German motorcycle after all?

Nice job on the spokes!

I'm also disappointed that model companies unfortunately make such mistakes, especially when the 1:1 vehicle is readily available for reference, and they design the model in CAD.  And German workmanship (accuracy and quality) used to be well known all over the world.  But those  times seem to behind us. This is also not the first time I see inaccuracies on models. Older models also often have inaccuracies. 

[Rakentaja]

The wheels are now 99 % ready. Valves are in wip.

 

 

[Kromolly]

Those look incredible.  Nice Job.  I'm learning a lot after 25 years away from this hobby.  I am in awe of the skill level, like your work for example, Jouko.  Thank you for sharing the details.

[Rakentaja]

I think everything is painted now and I can start the assembly line tomorrow. 

 

[peteski]

This is my favorite part of model building - when all the subassemblies come together to complete the model.

[Rakentaja]

A little progress: 
745 cc, 57 Hp engine with frame.

 

[mustang1989]

You're really putting alot of well spent time into this build Jouko.  The end results are a true "tell-tale" of your efforts. Well done so far.

[Rakentaja]

Almost done, 14 parts are missing and after that it’s ready.