1/12 Tamiya Lotus Team JPS Mk3

[AaronM]

I bought this kit in a bundle from an Auction (as in a legit collectables auction in regional Australia not eBay) in the middle of one of the many lockdowns this year.   It had be started with some pieces of the monocoque glued up and painted.

Since discovering that 99.9% isopropyl alcohol removed paint instantly with no plastic damage I immediately stripped the old paint and started again.

This is my third build since coming back to the hobby, the second being a Monkey bike, and the first an Italeri Alfa Romeo 179.

Step 1: Stripper!

Work out if the already glued bits are “close enough”.

Dummy fit, and eventually glue the large monocoque sections.

Start with the Gloss Black painting (using Zurc Gloss Lacquer)

Definitey black!

Suspension arms and quite a few other mechanicals are gloss black on these.

Over the gloss black base Zurc Hyper Silver gives a bright alloy finish.  Some sections are left black as they are not covered by other bodywork.

Build up small details.  
 

[AaronM]

Like all Tamiya kits the out of box detail is great, but it still takes filler and sanding to bring out the best.

Trying to up the details a little without going too far.

Its such a contrast between the livery and the chassis.

Starting on the radiators.

Engine and gearbox coming together.

Front of the chassis nearly done.

Awesome details in the kit.

Engine parts

ancilliaries are go!

Drivetrain getting close!

[AaronM]

The outer bodywork assembled and into the fill and sand and prime and sand phase

Black primer alternated with grey Surfacer 

it’s looking pretty good now!

but it still gets another rub!

meanwhile the rear suspension and rear structure gets built up.

Those headers

looks good from any angle.

Test fitting body parts and fine tuning the assembly process prior to decals, clear coat and finishing!

[Keavdog]

2 hours ago, AaronM said:

n regional Australia not eBay) in the middle of one of t

Fantastic!  This is looking really nice.  The engine looks great - looking forward to the rest of this build.

[AaronM]

doing the body fit tests.  The main upper section of the monocoque has a bunch of decals to be applied before it can be glued in place, but thankfully it locates well without glue.

as the Tamiya kit decals were in rough shape I ordered a replacement set from IndyCals.  A key difference is that the IndyCals are the correct shade of beige/biscuit like the actual race cars.  On camera it registers as gold, but back in the day the cars were hand sign written in beige!

I was a little worried about getting a good result with the way IndyCals prints the decals, but with some careful trimming and Mr Mark Setter and Mr Mark Softer they went OK.

I did the big/simple ones first to get familiar with the feel of the material.

The pin striping requires a lot more trimming just to get to the point of application.  Then the challenge of assembling the body pieces, applying decals section by section and somehow keeping them all lining up!

I mixed a bit of flat aluminium with the gold to lighten the wheel centers.  This worked out being a good match for the IndyCals colouring while still being a gold rather than beige colour.

[AaronM]

After clear coat letting the body parts get touch dry before curing.

Very happy with how the Zurc Mirror Gloss Clear lays over the decals and settles.

overall the pieces looks fantastic.  After 5-6 hours in the curing oven it come out with an even better finish.  
 

I generally run the Clear coated parts for about 15 hours in the oven at 40 degrees to ensure the finish hardens up before getting back to assembly.

[Misha]

Welcome back into the hobby Aaron, judging by your work you’re not a novice. Great work work on one of the iconic F1 racers, always been a favourite of mine especially in the black livery. It is amazing the detail included in the 1/12 Tamiya kits, and while offering a challenging build, you have surpassed it with your paint and decal work. The Indy Cal decals are a great addition.

Enjoying watching your progress, cheers Misha  

[steveracer]

Aaron, thanks for sharing your build of this kit.  Excellent results so far and it will really look great when finished.  I built this kit back when it FIRST came out.  Still have it and looks good still in my model cabinet.  Expect yours to last 45 years or more! 

[kpnuts]

Looking great.

[Chris Smith]

Great looking build! 

[AaronM]

Started the process of final assembly now that there’s been a few weeks of curing.

[Bugatti Fan]

Nice model. Back in the days of cigarette advertising this was by far the most striking racing car colour scheme.

[AaronM]

 

And done until I can take some better pictures

[Misha]

That’s a great finish Aaron! Beautiful job of such an iconic racer and driven by Mario, what a combo. Imagine this one will take up a bit of space in the cabinet!

Cheers Misha

[Ian McLaren]

A very well done model of one of the best of all time looking race cars.  Nice job!

[Belugawrx]

Nice clean looking build Aaron !

I have this one waiting in my pile, hope it comes out half as nice as yours