@AussieReg @cosimodo
Thanks gents !
I’ve made a start on this Stone Age kit - 1968 !
52+years old - the real car had only just begun racing in 1967.
The kit is not without some problems and most of them stem from Tamiya’s philosophy at the time - part scale model / part motorized toy . The battery box occupies the space where the driver’s legs would be and consequently you cannot see anything forward of the dash panel in the cockpit , so no pedals , tub floor etc.
The monocoque tub on the actual car was so narrow that it needed two wells let in for the driver’s elbows. Oddly Tamiya included the right one but not the left , so scratch building the left one became necessary.
Perhaps as a concession to working steering the dashboard is overly thick ( with the attendant sink marks everywhere) , it is located too far back and the steering wheel is centered when on the real car it was offset to the left to make more room for gear changing.
the scratch built left well.
More work yet to be done on these.
To correct the problems with the dash I surgically removed the instrument bezels and the switches with a razor saw and will make an overlay of sheet styrene.
I also sawed off the mounting lugs on the tub sidewalls that were too far aft .
Great start Richard, you’ve got a fight on your hands with this one my friend! I’m sure you have the skills to overcome, and if you’re anything like me you will enjoy the challenge and take pride in the end results.
Richard,
Great catch on the missing elbow well. Clark was small so I guess it wasn’t a issue for him but Hill was taller and I’m sure that his elbow rubbing the side of the cockpit shell was an issue.
Looking forward to seeing how you deal with the bottom of the shell. Are you planning any of your magic for the where the driver’s feet go including the 3 pedals?
I made a start today, assembled the seats (3 parts each) and started going over the main body to remove a bit of flash around the edges and mould lines from the top of each of the 4 quarter panels.
Some progress - not much bench time for a bit .
I’ve begun to consider this kit as bit of a test mule for some techniques and for working and painting in a large scale . This kit has so many issues that I am loosing enthusiasm but I will soldier on because I have ordered a 1/12 MFH kit and as they are a bit pricey it will be good to learn a bit on a lesser kit .
The MFH kit is the Tipo 158 Alfetta and as it has a lot of aluminum finish on the interior I am trying some things toward that on the Lotus . Reference photos show a bare aluminum tub interior on some present day cars but photos of this car in 1967 seem to indicate the interior was finished in grey . I am going to play the artistic license card and do aluminum to practice for the MFH kit .The seat as supplied by Tamiya is minimal, perhaps because as a motorized kit it would be expected to have a driver figure .
The real car had some padding / upholstery…
Aston Martin and Lotus in the 1960’s - what could be more Union Jack than that. I was thinking it is just as well it didn’t have to be current ownership otherwise I don’t think there are any left? Funnily enough if you Google best British cars it comes up with Bentley, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Lotus etc.
I spent some time with a ceramic scraper, sanding sticks and pads to remove them hopefully without impacting the profile too much, then gave the body a good shot of MS1500 Grey primer to check for imperfections (yes, there will be plenty!).
I also shot a pair of plastic spoons with Grey and Black primer to test the Zero Paints Silver Birch on and see which looks best. Once I have the body prep finished I can then re-surface it with my choice of primer colour.
OK D, keep it up with the detailed steps, I’m going to have to try them to recover from Airfix’s tooling blunders. Just to be sure, the real DB-5 didn’t have seams along the top of the fenders? Never used Mr. Surfacer as a primer. Hve to give that a try.
There’s that hatch again. I don’t see one on D’s sample.
There’s a “chrome” fitting that goes over the hole in the front fender (I’ve got to supply the chrome) but what should go behind it?
@md72 , great to see you making a start here Mark! I had pretty much exactly the same seams all around the shell on my build as well, even across the rear end!
The panels on the rear pillars are fuel filler doors, one on each side.
They are not present on either side of my kit shell, so maybe I got the new electric version
Looks like there’s not much detail on the plate that sits in the vent on the front guard. My kit has the outer chrome strip moulded to the body, but nothing behind it.
Some more progress on the Lotus -
Underside of monocoque dressed off and shot with rattle can high build primer - a little more work to do on some seams but that can be done later…
The kit gear lever and it’s well looked nothing like the original so scratch building of lever , well and linkage was needed . Lever is straight pin with knob of epoxy putty.
Linkage made of brass shim , rod and epoxy putty.
Well is sheet styrene.
Interior largely done - sidewalls painted grey .
Box at bottom of tub under dash done with aluminum foil .
Seat and gear lever well Tamiya semi gloss black .
Dash flat black and bezels/switches picked out with silver permanent marker . Instrument lenses of clear styrene set with Future . Knob on gear lever base color sand yellow - woodgrained with burnt umber oil paint . Lotus emblem on top painted with yellow and green - Future clear coat over all.
I purchased another set of Tamiya rivets as used on my RC 166 motorcycle build and used them on dash , gear lever well , sidewalls and seat .
Beginning to sort out the issues of the ill fitting coaming .
In addition to the poor fit there is next to no contact area down each side between the monocoque and the coaming , making it difficult to get a strong joint .
Gaps filled with sheet styrene. Going to need Archer resin rivet decals to replace rivet detail after filling and sanding.
Very nice progress Richard, the interior has come up really nicely! Great tip using the silver marker for the bezels. I have used red and yellow markers for the needles in the gauges.
Looks like you’ve got the body fit issues well under control also.
Body work largely done . Cockpit coaming tuned up as best I can - total PITA . Primed and blocked out and rivet detail lost to sanding replaced with Archer resin rivet decals. If anyone needs to do the same I used their O scale (1/48) set # AR88032. Rivet size and spacing matched the kit molded on rivets nearly perfectly.
Nose cone primed and blocked out as well .
Engine nearly complete - I will need to find some clear tube for the fuel lines to replace the ancient stuff that came with the kit as it went hard and brittle . I may try monofilament if I can source the right diameter.
For the benefit of Damian I tried to make the Ford lettering on the cam covers ( of the longest lived and most successful F1 engine in history ) look like the Chevrolet Bow tie but the paint brush would not obey …
tee - hee
Cheers - Richard
British Racing Green paint on. SMS lacquer is pitched as being ready to spray from the bottle but I couldn’t make it behave and had to thin it nearly 50/50 to get it to lay on nicely.
The Indycal decals also did not fit . Perhaps it was my mistake in assuming they were engineered for the Tamiya kit . The only other 1/12 Lotus 49 kit that I am aware of is the MFH kit and at nearly $800. I can’t imagine there are many people buying aftermarket decals for it , especially since it comes with these markings and it is also apparently sold out . I suspect that the decals are generic and since they are offered in multiple scales they are simply enlarged or reduced as needed and not specific to any kit . If this is the case it is a shame because it would have been far better to have them too long and cut back as needed rather than have unsightly patches which is what I had to do . I will compliment them however in that they are thin , tough and settle down beautifully with Microsol.
Cosworth Ford DFV plumbed and wired. I wound up using Monofilament for the fuel lines to the injectors and leftover black tubing from the RC 166 build for the ignition wires as the 50 year old material in the kit was unusable .
If a 1/12 scale Colin Chapman should appear I may be in for one of his tirades as I don’t know the firing order and consequently the fuel and spark may not be happening in the right place and at the right time .
The tubing from the motorcycle kit was also smaller and more in scale. Tamiya supplies black tubing for the coolant hoses but the line from the rear of the right cylinder bank to the expansion tank was hard pipe on the real car so that was scratch built using a piece of sprue.
And here is the state of mine - paint largely done - 2 coats SMS BRG - decals - 3 coats SMS gloss clear .
Only rubbing out done was primer and first coat green - afraid of losing rivet detail . Decal edges showing a bit and in the interest of full disclosure I got the Team Lotus decals on the wrong sides - the short line should be at rear by number roundel .
As the nose cone will be permanently attached I did not bother with paint / details that won’t be seen. Rear bulkhead and front bulkhead done with foil .
Wheel centers Tamiya semi gloss black. Wheel nuts and all suspension components except uprights are Alclad Hi Shine Aluminum over Tamiya gloss black . Wheels Alclad Aluminum over Stynylrez Black Primer .
Just to be sure, the real DB-5 didn’t have seams along the top of the fenders? Never used Mr. Surfacer as a primer. Hve to give that a try. 
