white metal Ferrari Sharknose and white metal Lotus 25 - Spy vs Spy ...

[Rich Chernosky]

Coil over shock units all assembled and painted. Special care had to be take to ensure these were the same size as the originals. I traced an outline of both units front and rear, on a piece of paper when they were uncut. Then lined them up when glued. Hopefully this will work. I canstill bend tyhem a little if they are off slightly. 

[Rich Chernosky]

I see Andy will probably go full detail on the chassis of his Lotus.  That is his style.  Andy takes some of the best detail shots of racecars I have seen anywhere. With that kind of reference, I say why not go full kamakazi. I choose not to because I already have a full detail Ferrari 156 in my collection. This is a 1/20 Revival that I did some time ago. It already  had a full chassis and interior. i still added some extra details but was very satisfied with the result. An interesting story behind the aquisition of this kit. About the only place i could find it was Ebay. Going rate at the time was around $120-130. Had it in my email search and whenever one came up I was notified. No matter what I did, I always seemed to get out bid. This happened over 25 times.  One Christmas I decided I was going to get one these no matter what. I put in a bid of $225, almost twice the going rate. That oughta fix em. I got out bid by over $20. A few months after the Christmas debacle, another one came up and the bidding started out at $49.95.  At this point I didn't really care so I only went as high as $90.  I wound up getting it for $82.   Go figure !!!  When the kit arrived I discovered it one of the ones Phil Hill signed.  Either the seller didn't know or didn't care. It was a bonus and I'll take after all the suffering I did.  It is the only signed piece in my collection.  Pays to wait sometimes.

[1959scudetto]

24 minutes ago, Rich Chernosky said:

I see Andy will probably go full detail on the chassis of his Lotus.  That is his style.  Andy takes some of the best detail shots of racecars I have seen anywhere. With that kind of reference, I say why not go full kamakazi. I choose not to because I already have a full detail Ferrari 156 in my collection. This is a 1/20 Revival that I did some time ago. It already  had a full chassis and interior. i still added some extra details but was very satisfied with the result. An interesting story behind the aquisition of this kit. About the only place i could find it was Ebay. Going rate at the time was around $120-130. Had it in my email search and whenever one came up I was notified. No matter what I did, I always seemed to get out bid. This happened over 25 times.  One Christmas I decided I was going to get one these no matter what. I put in a bid of $225, almost twice the going rate. That oughta fix em. I got out bid by over $20. A few months after the Christmas debacle, another one came up and the bidding started out at $49.95.  At this point I didn't really care so I only went as high as $90.  I wound up getting it for $82.   Go figure !!!  When the kit arrived I discovered it one of the ones Phil Hill signed.  Either the seller didn't know or didn't care. It was a bonus and I'll take after all the suffering I did.  It is the only signed piece in my collection.  Pays to wait sometimes.

 

This has to be a special place in your Ferrari collection, Rich  - great !

(I have two Ferrari/Niki Lauda books signed by him and a Clay Regazzoni book also with original signature - these hold a special place on my bookshelf as both drivers are long gone)

[Pierre Rivard]

The coil overs you scratch built are great and since they are so visible on this car they will add a ton of realism.

[MarkJ]

Andrew, looks like you've got your work cut out for you on this one. Will be watching intently as you take your journey and carry us with you.

[Rich Chernosky]

2 hours ago, 1959scudetto said:

 

This has to be a special place in your Ferrari collection, Rich  - great !

(I have two Ferrari/Niki Lauda books signed by him and a Clay Regazzoni book also with original signature - these hold a special place on my bookshelf as both drivers are long gone)

Helmut...some people really go nuts over famous peoples signatures. I guess its proof that they met them or maybe they think its valuable.  I owned a collectibles store for almost 30yrs and most of my customers were under the impression that a signed collectible was worth more.  Fact was, they were not. As a matter of fact, signed collectibles were difficult to sell. Most people did not want to pay extra for the autograph because it was more than likely done for free or it was possibly a forgery.  I actually met Clay Reggazoni at a Watkins Glen gran prix.  His English was about as good as my Italian but it was nice that he took the time to try and talk to a fan. That alone is a treasured memory.  I realize that those books are treasures to you and\ you probably have no intention of ever getting rid of them.  The signatures just add to the memory for you so this is no criticism on my part. I feel the same way about this model. Thanks for sharing. 

[Rich Chernosky]

1 hour ago, Pierre Rivard said:

The coil overs you scratch built are great and since they are so visible on this car they will add a ton of realism.

Thanls Pierre. They were not as hard to do as I thought they would be.  Yes, they are exposed which is why I went the extra yard to make them look good.  There are a few other details that will get this kind of attention. 

[absmiami]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/all_stood_still/S/72157633538102876/

this is one of Flickr's stars - goes by All Stood Still

Its a great old post of the Jim Clark 50th anniversary ...

features two restored late spec 25's

great stuff

[1959scudetto]

9 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Helmut...some people really go nuts over famous peoples signatures. I guess its proof that they met them or maybe they think its valuable.  I owned a collectibles store for almost 30yrs and most of my customers were under the impression that a signed collectible was worth more.  Fact was, they were not. As a matter of fact, signed collectibles were difficult to sell. Most people did not want to pay extra for the autograph because it was more than likely done for free or it was possibly a forgery.  I actually met Clay Reggazoni at a Watkins Glen gran prix.  His English was about as good as my Italian but it was nice that he took the time to try and talk to a fan. That alone is a treasured memory.  I realize that those books are treasures to you and\ you probably have no intention of ever getting rid of them.  The signatures just add to the memory for you so this is no criticism on my part. I feel the same way about this model. Thanks for sharing. 

Rich, I don't think that it's real (monetary) value increases - it is more of ideal value.

Anyway, your coil springs add very much to the look of the suspension.

[1959scudetto]

3 hours ago, absmiami said:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/all_stood_still/S/72157633538102876/

this is one of Flickr's stars - goes by All Stood Still

Its a great old post of the Jim Clark 50th anniversary ...

features two restored late spec 25's

great stuff

Very nice pictures, Andy !

[Mark W]

16 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

I see Andy will probably go full detail on the chassis of his Lotus.  That is his style.  Andy takes some of the best detail shots of racecars I have seen anywhere. With that kind of reference, I say why not go full kamakazi. I choose not to because I already have a full detail Ferrari 156 in my collection. This is a 1/20 Revival that I did some time ago. It already  had a full chassis and interior. i still added some extra details but was very satisfied with the result. An interesting story behind the aquisition of this kit. About the only place i could find it was Ebay. Going rate at the time was around $120-130. Had it in my email search and whenever one came up I was notified. No matter what I did, I always seemed to get out bid. This happened over 25 times.  One Christmas I decided I was going to get one these no matter what. I put in a bid of $225, almost twice the going rate. That oughta fix em. I got out bid by over $20. A few months after the Christmas debacle, another one came up and the bidding started out at $49.95.  At this point I didn't really care so I only went as high as $90.  I wound up getting it for $82.   Go figure !!!  When the kit arrived I discovered it one of the ones Phil Hill signed.  Either the seller didn't know or didn't care. It was a bonus and I'll take after all the suffering I did.  It is the only signed piece in my collection.  Pays to wait sometimes.

Awesome find! Sometimes it just works out for you.

[Rich Chernosky]

Some major progress on this project. Front and rear suspension all installed, interiort panels fitted, body halves fitted, wheels ready to go.  Now i just have to do saome more sanfding to getrid of some file marks, give the body a good brass wire brushing, then prime it with some   Plasti-cote white sandable primer. More sanding and if that's OK I plan on using Tamiya Pink fine finish primer. After that a couple good coats of Tamiya TS49.  Can see the light at the end of the tunnel here. More comments below.

Front suspension all installed.  The spindels already turned in the a-arms so why not add a tie rod.  Some .032 brass rod, some tubing and wire insulation and it worked quite nicely.  I always enjoy doing this . Most of the suspension fit easily including my re-worked coil over shocks. 

Rear suspension was a little more problematic. Re-worked shocks were just a tad bit bigger and did fit in exactly. Upper body had to be carved a little bit to clear them.  Other that it was a good solid assembly. 

There are 4 interior panels, two sices, the dash and the rear bulkhead.  They fit together to form a square and as expected did not allow the upper body to mate up with the bottom,. Some bending, cutting, curse words and filing eventually solved the problem.  The metal on this kit works easily so I did not need as many curse words as usual. The seat and dash detailing will be added later. Also note the top of the engine and six holes for some aluminium intake trumpets I found in the stash. Wire mesh over these has been fabricated and fit. 

I wanted to see what this would look like on its wheels. Was not disappointed. They sit nice and flat.  Note how the body halves fit together. This was no easy trick but I am quite pleased with myself for pulling this off.  I am now all ready to glue this assembly together. Everything that will finish this kit  has either been fabricated or painted and fitted. The front and rear seams will be filled in and sanded smooth.  JB Weld will be my weapon of choice. It trims and sands smooth. The side seam (between the wheels) will  stay as this is on the real car. Some interesting masking is ahead.

 

 

 

[absmiami]

JB weld should work well …

[absmiami]

So - this is what a Lotus 25 monocoque looked like …. And merry holidays one and all …

[absmiami]

This will be mine - Resin casting Hall of Famer Norman Veber cast this in dark gray resin - my master was made fr strips and sheets of Evergreen plastic - this is actually the casting for my Lotus 29 project  …

[absmiami]

The 29 monocoque was slightly bigger - wider and taller and longer - than the 25 - to allow for Indy wheelbase and fuel tank size rules - but not much bigger - by removing/ sanding some width and some height - and by sanding the side/bottom contour - I’ll have a scale accurate Lotus 25 monococque …

[Pierre Rivard]

Rich, the Sharknose looks fabulous already. Opening up the intakes and adding mesh will look great no doubt.

Andy, looks like white metal will be ditched in favor of a more elaborate resin cast. More work but your gig is getting all the details reproduced so this should be great to follow as always.

Super combo build. Happy holidays guys!

[Rich Chernosky]

7 hours ago, absmiami said:

The 29 monocoque was slightly bigger - wider and taller and longer - than the 25 - to allow for Indy wheelbase and fuel tank size rules - but not much bigger - by removing/ sanding some width and some height - and by sanding the side/bottom contour - I’ll have a scale accurate Lotus 25 monococque …

That's mighty ambitious Andy.  That reference picture is outstanding and I can see why you would want to do this.  We differ on this project as i have had this so long I just want to see it finished and in its place in my 1/24 Ferrari F-1 case. I applaud your efforts however and I am sure this will be a great model for you. I am glad to be part of it.  I remember being at the Glen for the first race on the new track. That was 1962 and I was 14 at the time.  There was almost no security and we were allowed to go everywhere. We were in the pits about 45 min before the start of the race. I got up close and personal with all the Lotus, BRM and Ferrari's.  I was a little disappointed.  I thought these would be made like airplanes. Instead they had tube frames, beat up bodywork, tool marks everywhere and interiors that wouldn't get the good housekeeping seal of approval.  What a piece of junk I thought   to myself.  You would have to be crazy to drive one of these things at speed. I got to talk to some of the mechanics and a couple of the drivers....and yah...they were crazy.  Afterwards we walked right across the track into the concrete grandstands.  The cars started  and did a few laps then stopped right in front of us.  Some guy in a white suit and cowboy hat came out , jumped up in the air waving a green flag and the race started.  The noise, the smell, and the tires screaming was something I will never forget.  I was hooked.  The next year all the cars had changed and I got a look at the new Lotus. Now...that was a work of art and definetly worthy of your attention. 

[Rich Chernosky]

Update on the Ferrari. Body halve are glued together.  JB Weld Quik is great and can be handled and worked right away.  I will trim some of the excess but will wait til tomorrow to do and serious sanding and filling.  JB Weld achieves maximun strength in 24hrs. Some of the masking techniques are in the picture captions.

Here it is all glued and masked.  The white tape (front and rear) is bottle sealing tape.  The forst layer is put on like regular tape but the next layers are stretched (almost double) I usually do 3 layers. As the stretched tape shrinks it clamps the two halves together. Kinda like electrical tape but much stronger. Great fro clamping irregular surfaces. The suspension is coated with Parafilm then covered in masking tape. Parafilm can get gooey if too much paint  (solvent type) is applied. I will be decanting and airbrushing the primers to also help avoid this.  Poster tack is used in the other openings. The interior has masking tape reversed to stick to the interior then more stuck on top of that. The dash had to be masked with craft glue.  Hopefully tomorrow primer will hit metal. 

 

 

 

[absmiami]

Bottle sealing tape ….  Hmmm …

[MarkJ]

You are both doing fine jobs on these. I'm learning a lot of good stuff that I will never have to put into practice but I'm still enjoying the learning process. 

[Rich Chernosky]

Last update.  Out of the paint booth after much sanding, three coats of primer and 4 coats of TS49 Red. All the masking removed.  Ready for final assembly and decals. Still have a little paint touch-up to do as well.  Next post will be in Under Glass. 

[absmiami]

Alrighty - back fr the big city - with my new I phone - wifey took this shot ….  

[absmiami]

And whilst i was away RC enhaled and finished the Ferrari - well - he did warn me - I’m going to focus on the Lotus 29 monocoque casting -  which i must trim - the Lotus 29 was based upon the 25 design - but was wider, deeper, and a bit longer … if i get my sums right - the nose and cockplt cowling fr the Finecast kit will be a good match …

[absmiami]

Removed a scale inch from the height - a couple of scale inches from the fr and back - and an inch was trimmed from the left and right chass boxes ..