Retrofitting MFH Funnels and Ignition System onto 45 Year Old 1:12 Tamiya "Lotus 78 JPS Mk. III"

[4knflyin]

I first saw these parts a while ago, but they were never in stock. At first I was only interested in the mesh for the trumpets of the Ford DFV to replace the solid, horrible  things that came with the kit. Sometime later, I noticed the ignition/funnels detail kit and bought them both a couple months ago. I needed a break from my headache Benetton B192 kit, so it occurred to me to just pop these in after I had reason to look at how I did something on the Lotus. Not many parts... a simple and easy quick win to pause the frustration. I've read/seen a few forum blogs about MFH kit builds, all the various pluses and minuses of the metal parts, questionable fitment, etc. It would seem from my experience with this "quick win" that I need better glasses. Surely those other MFH threads talked about the prep work required. Here's my first encounter with MFH:

These particular detail kits are super simple, not much to them:

The parts felt a little clunky. For all the props directed at MFH, they seemed "cheap." And the fit was way worse than I would ever expect from a heralded manufacturer like MFH. So out comes various files — sandpaper is next to useless, it seems — to fix all those fitment problems and mold leftovers on every, each and every one, of parts. What I missed in all that I've seen about MFH builds is how careful you need to be when filing. It's like an amateur haircut, a little more on this side to even it out, and then back again, until you're bald. 

This is all the parts to paint with a couple coats of Tamiya TS primer (and proof of life for the B192).

It says on the can of primer that it's good for plastic and metal. I've always thought that a dubious claim that they make a metal primer. It's that, or they're just gouging us by selling a metal primer. I'm going with the dubious claim theory. This is what one part looked like after two coats of Tamiya primer, two coats of Tamiya semi-gloss black lacquer, and the handling required to append the addon styrene (more about that later).

Even after repainting and almost no handling, paint has come off corners and whatnot. The fact that little of all this will be visible (and still we put in the hours!) makes it less frustrating, but I can't help thinking I got something wrong. 

I washed the parts with dishwashing liquid and even took a brass brush to some of them. As for the brass brush, I must have misunderstood a modeler when I read that he used a Dremel with a brass wire brush. I did that and regretted it. I had to go back over the parts I used it on to return some of the detail that the wire brush muted. It left the surfaces looking pitted. Shiny bolt heads were now dull and the like. Lesson learned, but I'd like to know the correct procedure for prepping and painting metal parts.

 

Edited March 20 by 4knflyin
Duplicate photo

[Chris Smith]

When I clean white metal parts I put them in a magnetic tumbler with a polishing solution. I don’t think you need to go this route.

A nice bath in lacquer thinner and a stiff brush.

i use Tamiya primer and also both acrylic and lacquer paints on my MFH builds.

[4knflyin]

2 hours ago, Chris Smith said:

When I clean white metal parts I put them in a magnetic tumbler with a polishing solution. I don’t think you need to go this route.

A nice bath in lacquer thinner and a stiff brush.

i use Tamiya primer and also both acrylic and lacquer paints on my MFH builds.

Thanks. I'm beginning to thing I should cancel my preorder for the MFH F2003. Seriously.

That's only the second time I've heard about a "magnetic tumbler." The first time was yesterday in an old magazine article on line about a Wolf W3 build. LOL. 

You're using the plain old "Light Gray" stuff, or their designated "metal primer?"

I'm guessing you still actually do need to use extra care to keep paint from chipping off corners, etc., no? Also, do you want to give me a link to one of your builds where you may have gone into extra detail about dealing with prepping white metal parts, as in filing, sanding?, use of putty, and whatnot? Or maybe another thread that really talks to the uninitiated.

Edited March 20 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

Well, this was supposed to have been posted this morning, but I think I forgot and wiped it out when I replied to Chris.

My first thought was to just do the mesh intake screens. When I was looking at the Lotus, I turned it upside down and a few parts I didn't glue into place fell in my lap. One of the so called screens also fell into my lap, and that's what got the ball rolling.

When I pulled the trumpets off, what was there looked okay. 

But I decided to wiggle one of the rails to see if I should go further. Then I got out a tool to crow bar them off... I was going further.

But, honestly, the electrical end of things looked as good as the MFH, as far as I could tell, and it was stuck pretty good, so I decided to leave it. Maybe 15 minutes later I was wedging it off. Why? That part has caused me the most grief of all. From the chipping paint to the over-filed end plate, I'd say it's cost me three hours. But I ended up here:

And this is the graveyard. When I saw those crimped fuel lines, I was immediately taken back all those years and remembered my disgust with the material they used as I installed them. Note the black sausages they passed off onto us as funnel screens.

 

Edited March 21 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

While I was at it, I noticed the outlines for the Dzus on the side pods and the front end. In anticipation for a day when I built a model of a car that used them, I bought some nice NiAg PE ones and a decal sheet. Unfortunately, the PE ones are probably 1:20 scale. But I was still glad to apply the decals. In fact, there are actually eight Dzus on the body of this car in every historical, and not-so historical, photo I've found of a Mk. III.

For the fasteners that had 3D outlines, I experimented by decaling over one of them and removing the other before decaling. The results for the one that I didn't remove convinced me that you either remove them, or at least file them down to nubs. Filing them is what I did on the one on the front. The other problem with the decal over the 3D outline on the sidepod was that the decal is too small. I noticed that before proceeding and actually expected the contorted result. I may leave it, I may redo it.

3D:

No 3D. This one gets my vote:

And here's all eight:

Also, while I was at it; I bought exhaust springs a while back in anticipation of this moment (I didn't notice the cockeyed washer until I saw the photo. No way I'm going to fix that. No way.):

[Chris Smith]

2 hours ago, 4knflyin said:

Thanks. I'm beginning to thing I should cancel my preorder for the MFH F2003. Seriously.

That's only the second time I've heard about a "magnetic tumbler." The first time was yesterday in an old magazine article on line about a Wolf W3 build. LOL. 

You're using the plain old "Light Gray" stuff, or their designated "metal primer?"

I'm guessing you still actually do need to use extra care to keep paint from chipping off corners, etc., no? Also, do you want to give me a link to one of your builds where you may have gone into extra detail about dealing with prepping white metal parts, as in filing, sanding?, use of putty, and whatnot? Or maybe another thread that really talks to the uninitiated.

I’m using the grey primer for plastic and metal.

My last complete build blog was the Ferrari 333 SP.

As for any MFH kit , you have to drill, sand and do some filing. Plus a lot of dry fitting.

I am currently working on the F2003GA … Lots of resin and not a lot of white metal. As far as prep goes

sand and or file the seams and any other burrs. Drill appropriate holes, so other parts that connect will fit , put into tumbler for 20 minutes, rinse and dry then apply primer then paint. Sometimes the metal has pits in it and you could use putty to fill it and sand it smooth. As far as putty is concerned, I use 3m automotive spot putty.

[4knflyin]

7 minutes ago, Chris Smith said:

I’m using the grey primer for plastic and metal...

Excellent info. Thanks. That's the first ever I've heard of somebody using 3M automotive putty. Makes sense.

[4knflyin]

Before my updates, I need to say that the original intent was simply as the title of this thread states. Then, using the Google "site:modelcarsmag.com" approach to searching this site, I looked up a topic I've been searching on for, oh, 20 years?: What is the proper way to plumb (no, not level) the late 70's DFV? And I found this, the first fully documented answer to my question, both ends of every line clearly visible:

It's an extraordinary build by John Brolin using minimal third-party parts. It's the identical kit as the one in this thread, which is where, including that both were gifts, the similarities end. I built mine in a matter of days, his was attended to over a period of a decade. I only decaled one side for expedience, he soldered brass pipe to add authenticity. Mine is a demonstration of disinterested model building, his is a work of art and dedication.

I'm glad I have the opportunity to return to modeling and redeem myself, starting by finishing and updating two kits, this one and the B192, as a way of learning how to do things I never before did. And it's fitting that the first thorough description of the plumbing for this kit is from John, one of the people who have taken the time to help me learn. (I find it amusing that my first pic of this kit was the finished product and John never posted the final product... all but. 🤷‍♂️)

Edited April 6 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

OMG, I mistakenly swiped left and lost an hour of writing.😭😭😭😭😭

I apologize to those who would wish for a better description of what's going on, but I can't. I can't. Edit: but I did. I don't think I left anything out.

To avoid the mistakes I've seen in other applications of the MHV hardware, where the two plate have an uneven gap between them, I placed the lower plate over a gap in the vices. Then applied glue on either side of the attachment points, dropped the upper plate in and pressed like hell.

 

In this pic, you can see how ridiculous the MHV spring size is. The attached one is a TS 6 mm exhaust spring. Before gluing the tine PE bit and the lower plate, I drilled out all the holes, 0.7 mm for the alignment pin and 0.2 for the spring points.

 

I modified the upper spring to reduce the amount of wire between the coil and attachment points. Fail. There's just enough tension in the coil to undo do it. A half-hour lost.

 

Next step was to cut the fuel lines to length. My first attempt to temporarily attach the trumpets with UV resin, almost always a reliable method, didn't work. Next was to think that the tape would close the gaps enough to make a tight fit. Nope.

 

This worked. Regular old, thin and weak, double-sided Scotch tape. Time will tell if it holds long enough to finish the task. One thing I already know... I regret giving in to the temptation to see if my limitations would make me bail on the attaching spring, because one of the tiny PE attachment points on the other side came off when the assembly fell into the gap between the cylinder heads. That's a whopping, what, 1/4 inch? Does this side, with the springs already attached stand a chance, my fear it is it won't survive my inevitable ham-handed handling. The slits were to make it easier to push through the trumpet attachment points.

 

So, this is where I'm at. Turns out, I think just stretching the lines and snipping them will not please me in the end, so I need to put in the 0.4 mm pipe I'll use to attach the lines when I glue them into place.

 

Oh, and again giving in to temptation, I wanted to see if the paint would stretch without cracking during the bending when I put the two PE parts together. It's not the most elegant, but so far, so good. (The mesh parts are just sitting on top of the trumpets.)

 

I'm glad to say there's more on other parts, like the tire seams, but the earlier fail means I'm tapped out. Til next time. I appreciate your tips and critiques.

Edited April 6 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

Okay, so what the hell is it that thing we spend time putting together?

Does anybody know what the function of that plate and springs is? I mean, I've never seen it talked about, function described, or even named. What's it called?

I really should have ordered some of the green that WWII airplane builders use.

[Nacho Z]

7 hours ago, 4knflyin said:

Before my updates, I need to say that the original intent was simply as the title of this thread states. Then, using the Google "site:modelcarsmag.com" approach to searching this site, I looked up a topic I've been searching on for, oh, 20 years?: What is the proper way to plumb (no, not level) the late 70's DFV? And I found this, the first fully documented answer to my question, both ends of every line clearly visible:

It's an extraordinary build by John Brolin using minimal third-party parts. It's the identical kit as the one in this thread, which is where, including that both were gifts, the similarities end. I built mine in a matter of days, his was attended to over a period of a decade. I only decaled one side for expedience, he soldered brass pipe to add authenticity. Mine is a demonstration of disinterested model building, his is a work of art and dedication.

I'm glad I have the opportunity to return to modeling and redeem myself, starting by finishing and updating two kits, this one and the B192, as a way of learning how to do things I never before did. And it's fitting that the first thorough description of the plumbing for this kit is from John, one of the people who have taken the time to help me learn. (I find it amusing that my first pic of this kit was the finished product and John never posted the final product... all but. 🤷‍♂️)

You are much too kind, Marcus, thank you!  I am not trying to hijack your thread, but I did post a new thread of the finished JPS Lotus, back in 2014.  Here is the link:  

One more thing that may be of help.  You can look at my Fotki account, it is BrolinWV.  There may be photos there that were not posted here.

[Chris Smith]

5 hours ago, 4knflyin said:

Okay, so what the hell is it that thing we spend time putting together?

Does anybody know what the function of that plate and springs is? I mean, I've never seen it talked about, function described, or even named. What's it called?

I really should have ordered some of the green that WWII airplane builders use.

They act like the butterflies on a carburetor. You nail the accelerator and the plate opens and air and fuel enters and make it rip

[4knflyin]

7 hours ago, Nacho Z said:

You are much too kind, Marcus, thank you!  I am not trying to hijack your thread, but I did post a new thread of the finished JPS Lotus, back in 2014.  Here is the link:  

One more thing that may be of help.  You can look at my Fotki account, it is BrolinWV.  There may be photos there that were not posted here.

Did your mother send you to Miss Manners after one spitball too many? I'm not being "too kind." It's a terrific build and better documented than any model from that era I've seen. As for threadjacking, have at it. You guys don't add unhelpful stuff when you engage in side discussions.

And one more thing (see what I've done here?), what the hell is a Fotki?? lol. I'll look it up.

I really do appreciate how many questions of mine you indulged in your great MS-11 build. However, I think the point has been made, very subtly and gentlemanly, that you get one question per post. Anything more is threadjacking on the minds of people on this board. Do I have that right? I've been doing that and worse... I've posted pics of my errors to better describe my question. I think that's a no-no. Pics to assist? Yes. Pics about my work? No-no. And that makes sense. It's nice an orderly around here, not like my racing forums... not at all like my racing forums.

Edit: Those brake ducts. While I vehemently disagree that the slinkies were anything but an elegant solution, yours, save for the need for some glossiness, are exactly like the real thing. I have some (orange) on one of my 1:1 cars. (Qu: do we not say "real car" here as to not offend? Learning, still learning.)

Edited April 6 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

5 hours ago, Chris Smith said:

They act like the butterflies on a carburetor. You nail the accelerator and the plate opens and air and fuel enters and make it rip

BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, they are the carburetor... they're throttle plates. I won't go into detail, but I've spent a lot of time maintaining my track car, and the throttle has been off the manifold more times that I can remember. Of course it's the throttle. I mean, that thing is called a Throttle Plate if memory serves me. Thanks for that!

Also, that MFH steering wheel on your F2003 is an abomination. Somebody has got to provide an aftermarket one where knobs look like knobs, not blobs. Don't cement it on! Wait for the detail kit or 3D code to print one. You know somebody with a printer is going to tackle it.

Edit: "BLAH_BLAH..." Where did that come from. Is "BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH" a bad word? (I think I said, "Holy BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.")

Edited April 7 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

38 minutes ago, 4knflyin said:

Edit: "BLAH_BLAH..." Where did that come from. Is "BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH" a bad word? (I think I said, "Holy BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.")

OMG 😐

[4knflyin]

On 3/20/2024 at 5:54 PM, 4knflyin said:

… That's only the second time I've heard about a "magnetic tumbler”…

I meant to add an edit after I looked it up. If somebody had said a “gemstone tumbler” or something similar, I would have known exactly what they were talking about. “Magnetic tumbler“ is not what it was ever called when used in discussions that I’ve been party to. I’m glad to know the correct name.

i’m learning things I didn’t even know I came here to learn! It’s great.

[4knflyin]

Would you accept this in your own work?

This is an honest and serious question, as I frequently wonder if I’m sweating certain details, details that are holding me back. Please do not take into consideration my limitations, and focus only on what you would do with this product.

As I predicted, the ears and springs came off the one completed throttle body due to mishandling, so last night I had to attach all four springs. In addition, I added the goal: reduce/eliminate the uncoiled portion of the spring ends.

What you see what you see that bothers me is springs that are no longer straight because they were slightly too long or needed to be twisted to them hooked (once you turn one to the point that the hole is into the coil part, the spring gets wonky). On one of them, you can see that I attached it from above on one end, and from below on the other, which isn’t the greatest look, either.

Reducing the amount of uncoiled spring required first stretching them so the coiled portion was 6 mm in length. The second step was to cut off the loops and bend the coil ends so that they were in the center of the coil radially. (Think of a circle with a diameter line.) This turned out to be the most fraught part of my process.

The problem was that, because you’re bending it to a 90° angle perpendicular to the spring, it’s can’t help but end up resting against the part of the coil that is 180° from the 90° bend, if you follow me. This made it impossible to get the spring into the loop. And, incredibly frustratingly and time consuming, trying to bend that diameter line such that there is a gap between its end and the coil can only be accomplished, by me at least, with luck.

An alternate solution, and one that I would have preferred, would be to cut that diameter line such that it was shorter than the full diameter of the spring. That would’ve been the best solution if I could make that cut. But I couldn’t. None of my myriad nippers could get in there and do that. 

Thank you for your frankness. I’m going to hold off installing them for a bit, hoping to get at least a couple of responses before I do. So, please, do respond, if only with a single word.

 

Edited April 10 by 4knflyin

[Nacho Z]

Marcus, I am not one to blow smoke up someone’s backside, if I don’t like something I will just not comment and move on.  IMHO, these look fantastic.  I know, as we all do, how small these springs are, even in 1:12.  To address something you said in your post, the comment about details holding you back.  I know plenty of guys who never finish a model because they get hung up on details or hung up trying to attain the perfect model.  Don’t fall in that trap.  Do your honest best and move on.  No one has built a perfect model yet.

Keep up the good work!

[4knflyin]

2 hours ago, Nacho Z said:

... if I don’t like something I will just not comment and move on.

... Do your honest best and move on.  No one has built a perfect model yet.

Keep up the good work!

Re: the former: I get it about commenting. I'd ask you to make an exception in my case. I need the critical input. I got more from your Mk. III thread than you wrote or pictured. One is that many of you have been doing this at an advanced level for decades. It told me a lot about why your master cylinders and brake lines on the MS-11, pretty much all that you completed on the forward bulkhead, had me looking multiple times before I could declare they're 1:12, not 1:1. Truth. Not being too kind :). I don't want to take months or years to learn something where somebody could have, accepting the risk of "offending me," or maybe because of that :), corrected me in a singe post.

Re: the latter: Yes. Getting bogged down into a state of paralysis is not unfamiliar to me. I had that MS-11 model only a few years after it came out. I never started it because I knew I couldn't live up to my expectations. In this case, if you look at the 2nd spring from the left, the upper mount, it is with the spring end bent so that it divides the spring diagonally perfectly. And now I remember how I did it and it's easily repeated. And I have four serviceable springs remaining.

Back to the former: they stay as is... all wavy as two of them are. If for no other reason than to demonstrate a lesson learned. Thank you!

Edited April 10 by 4knflyin

[Brudda]

On 4/9/2024 at 8:31 PM, 4knflyin said:

Re: the former: I get it about commenting. I'd ask you to make an exception in my case. I need the critical input. I got more from your Mk. III thread than you wrote or pictured. One is that many of you have been doing this at an advanced level for decades. It told me a lot about why your master cylinders and brake lines on the MS-11, pretty much all that you completed on the forward bulkhead, had me looking multiple times before I could declare they're 1:12, not 1:1. Truth. Not being too kind :). I don't want to take months or years to learn something where somebody could have, accepting the risk of "offending me," or maybe because of that :), corrected me in a singe post.

Re: the latter: Yes. Getting bogged down into a state of paralysis is not unfamiliar to me. I had that MS-11 model only a few years after it came out. I never started it because I knew I couldn't live up to my expectations. In this case, if you look at the 2nd spring from the left, the upper mount, it is with the spring end bent so that it divides the spring diagonally perfectly. And now I remember how I did it and it's easily repeated. And I have four serviceable springs remaining.

Back to the former: they stay as is... all wavy as two of them are. If for no other reason than to demonstrate a lesson learned. Thank you!

Honestly they look pretty good. But I have had the same issues. I have some black wire I picked up somewhere (cannot remember where)cut that a little shorter than the spring, and insert it into the spring to keep her straight. It worked for me. But I think your springs look good just as they are. You’re using mfh parts. Chris Smith is right. I also have a tumbler for white metal parts. I clean up the lines or imperfections by sanding them, then put them in the tumbler. Cleans off all the mold release agents on the parts. I use an acid etch primer on all my white metal parts to bite into the metal. Then paint. Do not feel bad as one part may take hours to be the way you want it. I have spent over a year ( on and off) trying to finish my 917/30 engine. Still not finished. Just fitting the fuel system and misc parts on her. Taking a heck of a lot of time. So my friend, welcome to our insanity. Great job on your car. Here is a pic of my 917/30 engine. 

[4knflyin]

5 hours ago, Brudda said:

I have some black wire I picked up somewhere (cannot remember where)cut that a little shorter than the spring, and insert it into the spring to keep her straight. It worked for me. ...

 

Thanks for chipping and chiming in. Before I remembered how to do it in a reliable, and repeatable way, that doesn't even take very long, I thought of ramming a SS rod in there. I chose stainless gambling that it would be the least noticeable. Then I realized I'd have to do that before I modified the spring and I didn't want to risk the few springs remaining that I had. But knowing that you did it means it woun'b be a gamble me me if there's a next timer with this problem.

Your 917 is great. Know how I know that? I was an earlier follower of that thread. Everything so clean. Oh god, I can't even do that with my microscopic (1/:2) Cessna 150 test subject. I'm serious about the 917. Everything is so tight, like all the other guys' work in this forum. 

Bottom line: I'm enjoying myself. I appreciate that you took the time to respond with helpful comments and suggestions. Come to think of it, maybe black is a better idea, especially if it's matt.

Keep the shiny side up.

[4knflyin]

My first save courtesy of my new Dremel drill press

... In excruciating detail. You may want to skip to the next post. I've wanted to be able to do something like this for a long time. It feels good. Only problem is, now I realize I got the wrong tool and what I really want is a mill. What I really, really want is a mill and lathe. I've wanted to learn machining for a long, long, very long time. Honestly, probably starting in my early teens. That and welding.

Edit: If at any point you say to yourself, "I would have...," or, "he could have just...," or words to that effect, pray tell. It's not only appropriate, from my perspective, it's desired. I would love to know the alternative you would have used. It may be my preferred alternative going forward!

Anyway, more stuff has broken and/or come of the model than I intended. A very incomplete pic of repaired damage so far:

 

Learning to make repairs that actually cover the damage instead of just suffice to keep me going was one of my few stated goals upon returning to the hobby. I'm happy to say I established my seriousness toward achieving it while working on the B192 (it's resting, so much damage, honestly).

As for the repair made possible by the drill press: A locater pin (or whatever they're called) broke off a delicate crossmember part of the rear wing support. The hole in went into is 1.0 mm dia. I think the pin measured 0.8. The problem with what otherwise is an easy fix is that where the pin was located is hardly bigger around than the pin itself. I didn't trust myself drilling out such a thin-walled hole to insert some brass. I needed the hole to be a whole lot smaller than the surrounding plastic.

My idea was to drill a small hole, say 0.3. mm, to fit an anchor for a bigger piece that would be attached to it and serve as the pin. But how to attach the pin and anchor? I decided drilling a hole in the center of the pin was the way to go (telescoping sized brass pipes would have been a better way to go, but alas...). But the pin had to have a diameter no bigger than 1 mm across. I couldn't drill that by hand without a whole lot of time and a whole lot of swearing. Time for Amazon. 

When the drill press arrived, I went right to work. I drilled a 0.9 hole in 1 mm styrene and inserted a 1 mm dia plug. I filed both sides flat 1) so that the styrene substrate could be placed over a solid area to provide the resistance I needed to drill, and 2) the hole the part fits into is 1 mm deep, so I won't have to do any more sizing in that respect.

Bottom (I think. Hmm.):

 

So I set it up and started drilling. Never letting up to release some heat (and save the bit), it finally melted its surroundings and came off stuck to the bit. (The distortion sure make that look longer than 1 mm, doesn't it?)

Notice that the drill bit is a "bit on a stick," and as we all know, they are very brittle. Gently unscrewing the part was not gentle enough and that bit is now toast. I did it again, but this time, at the end, I heated the plug before twisting... success! Man, I had know idea brass heats up so fast. It was red-hot a couple seconds after putting it over my lighter. I should add that I didn't heed my own advice on the second go and melted the plastic again. I need to get some hardwood and also be kinder to my bits.

I also need to get better acquainted with the materials we use, in this case brass, to aid us. I don't know how many times I attempted to CA stainless steel to make a part before I googled it. Back to the drill press.

Well, it worked:

My jaw dropped when I saw how the previously virtually impossible was now possible.

And the piece of 0.3 mm stock fit quite snugly:

 

Curiously enough, despite the hole in the crossmember being dead-on center as is the brass, it fits weird. It actually wobbles when turned. 

 

But all that matters is that it will do the job and I learned a new trick. That's all folks... for now.

Edited April 16 by 4knflyin

[4knflyin]

Parts were falling off left and right and I was breaking off others by bad finger placement. Even the motor was a bit loose. I resisted separating it from the chassis for a couple weeks or more, but finally grabbed a screwdriver and started prying. It's plastic... it gave in. The damage the body, both parts and decals, has suffered is stupid. I knew it would suffer. Cripes, you knew it would suffer, and still I went along like there was nothing to see.

Until I couldn't stand seeing one more part break off. I should have attempted to separate it as soon as I decided to do more than just add the MFH screen to the kit... a total of six parts. Separate a couple of pipes, disconnect two really long trailing arms, and Bob's your uncle.

With my new freedom, I went to work on the brakes. TS banjo fittings type B. John, now I understand why you were insisting on developing your own solution. Although the TS ones work, they are not at all accurate. For one, the banjo bolt head is way off... out there in its own orbit. I don't don't want to go down this rabbit hole... for now. Still, they're better than nothing by a mile.

Like I said, type B was the only wrong set for this car:

You can just barely see what set 'A' looks like. Very simple. Very appropriate for this project and, as an added plus, the banjo bolt head looks a lot closer to what you'd expect than for B and C. Set C, while too long, at least it's straight. But I have set B.

I snipped off all but about 2 mm. The remaining stub was much too thick to fit the wire insulation and hex fitting over it, so I filled each of them down. I put a 1 mm tapered hex fitting on the line I cut, and then simultaneously pushed the brake line and the fitting over the stub. This worked great. When I put the wire on first, after sliding the hex fitting into place there would be a tiny but noticeable bit of the insulation showing. Trimming that caused the parts to separate in one instance; not a chance I wanted to take on every one of them. Plus it's just plain a more elegant process.

The halves were my original attempt, which was too short. I don't know if I'll ever figure out a way to attach them to the in-facing part of the calipers, but I'm holding out hope that I'll figure something out, OR, you'll provide me with a suggestion that works for me (hint, hint). Unfortunately I painted them match the reference photo and it didn't turn out all that well. May as well have left them alone.

 

Hope to hear from you.

Edited April 16 by 4knflyin

[Randy D]

You have a really cool rebuild project going on here Marcus!!!!

Looking forward to following along.

Randy

[Nacho Z]

I think that you are doing a good job on this, Marcus!  You are attempting things that most modelers wouldn’t even consider trying.  Things almost always look way worse in pictures than they do to the naked eye.  We don’t get to zoom in on things with our eyes.  I know how small those banjo fittings are.  You are doing a fine job with them.

I didn’t have a lot of good reference pictures when I built mine.  I would have loved to have the picture that you posted above.