Hi all - Starting a new build here - another one of MFH’s beautiful 1/9 scale motorcycle kits .
This time we have a Norton from their flat tanker era - this being a 1927 model year . The Model 18 was a 500cc four stroke OHV single which carried on in various forms throughout Norton’s production until the 1960’s . Here is what it evolved to by 1950 - my own ES 2 .
I’ve made a start on the engine by cleaning up the castings - approximately 90 pieces and drilling various holes - 80 of them at this point. This is my fourth MFH kit and I started using my Dremel to drill rather than doing it by hand with a pin vise. Works well but the problem is the speed control. This my third Dremel and all of them lose the lower speed capacity when they warm up . Come on Dremel - fix this .
Here we have the crankcase and timing chest , timing cover with magneto drive cover , magneto, spark plug , tappets, valve guides , cylinder fins , cylinder base , cylinder head , rocker towers , rockers , Amal remote float carburetor and various bolts , screws. All are now ready for a soak in acetone to remove any oils . This is one of the advantages of working in metal - don’t try this with plastic kits ! !
Not shown in this picture are the pushrods and their end fittings and miniature valve guides , springs and keepers , all of which are supplied by MFH .
Thanks all for the compliments ! A bit of progress to report - crankcase and timing chest and cover assembled and soda blasted - quick and dirty assembly stand made up of flashing…
Real progress here - it’s amazing how much you can get done if you don’t waste time with things like brushing your teeth and getting out of your pajamas.
Frame assembled on the glass plate in an effort to keep all square -
You can buy them directly from Model Factory Hiro in Japan - this seems to be the most economical . Some retailers carry them - Spotmodel in Spain amongst others. Anyone interested in purchasing them should be aware that they sell out very quickly , often before they are ready to ship .
They are expensive indeed but when you compare dollars to time spent building it becomes more reasonable.
Thanks everyone for the interest and compliments. More progress to share -
Fuel tank and oil tank painted , decaled and clear coated. The metal flakes on the fuel tank do not look that large - something in the photography makes them appear that way .
I’ve been working on the chains - primary drive ( from engine to gearbox ) and final drive ( gearbox to rear wheel. MFH supply rollers cast in groups and fixtures to hold rollers while photo etch links are assembled to the rollers . The pins on the end of the rollers are then squeezed with plain jaw pliers forming a rivet like fastening . The sprue on which all the rollers are attached is then cut away . Very tedious and repetitive work but now it’s done.
I built the Tamiya Honda 6 for a mate. There is an accessory kit with a chain with separate links for it. We agreed that for the sake my sanity, we wouldn’t use it. So all kudos for you for this!
Yes indeed - I built it as well and posted about it here
I used all the accessories but the chain was the most challenging. The RC 166 is an amazing machine and one of my favorite bikes .The Tamiya kit is superb.
