mattcrackers Posted December 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Cheers Shadow, The shell was off a $20 R/C body. This car was originally the Craig Lowndes Silver 888 Vodafone Commodore. I had purchased a few of them for my kids to use in the different liveries, (3 kids, 6 cars lol) Knowing they would get bored pretty quickly and having two of the Silver Vodafones one was always going to become a slot car. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 what a wonderful build. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH PVC. When produced or burned, PVC plastic releases dioxins, a group of the most potent synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer (dioxin is the most potent carcinogen known to science) and harm the immune and reproductive systems. ...PVC products also release toxic fumes if they catch fire. Try and source some styrene if possible. Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Actually thinking about it, is there any reason you couldn't use laminating pouches, they are PET which is relatively safe and they are super cheap and easy to come by. Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Hi Grant, Thanks for having a look, and thanks for the info regarding the PVC. I haven't tried any of the laminating pouches yet but might give them a try next time I need to vac-form something. My wife is a teacher so she's always laminating something for the kids so there's always some different sizes laying around. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 I just tried and they are a bit thin, don't heat very well, they shrink and wrinkle. These were 80 micron though, don't know about the 125 micron whether they would be better. Where is a good source of styrene sheets and what thickness works best looking for around 300x300ish. Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Finally managed to make my way back to racing at WASCRG on Saturday night. With the Weddings, Birthdays etc out of the way I might be able to make the rest of the meets this year now. Anyhow, a fellow slot racer asked me to look at a car he had and if I was able to fix , repair, restore it for him. The car in question is a Tamiya 1:32 Lotus 30 kit from quite a few years ago now, seen in the pic below. Pretty old I hear, probably like most round here . The kit itself has been assembled and painted, but does need a little tlc. The chassis is in good nick, needs a bit of spit and polish, and a new set of tyres for the rear, motor runs well. The front mount has broken off and a hole has been drilled from the top of the body to accomadate this . There's a few nicks here and there but all in all should be an easy repair. As you can see by the pics the original assembler loved to use glue, and plenty of it, even got his fingerprint on the back. The screen also has some glue on it, only a little but I'll get to that issue later. I've stripped the body from the chassis, carefully removing the screen, carbis etc. With the amount of glue used on the screen it was a wonder it came off at all. I've also managed to strip the existing paint off using some metho but as you can see by the pics the metho does not remove the glue or decals as with modern cars. I have started the slow process of removing the glue with a scalpel, picking and scraping away at it. I have a couple of questions for those in the know though. Can I get some replacement tyres for this model?, see pic above of rear wheels please. How, can, you remove glue from the screen and carbi cover without damaging the clarity of the screen?. Or did anyone ever make any? Anyway that's where I'm up to at the moment. I'll post some more progress pics as I go. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalbfellp Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Think I still have a Couple of Tamiya 1/32 body kits somewhere,I think they were rereleased during the nineties. Quote Phil https://www.hobartminiaturecarclub.com/ Email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slot car tragic Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Great project, they were really competitive in the club I was in back in the day! If you have trouble getting the old decals off, I'd try caustic soda. I've had success with stripping back '60's bodies with it. Keep an eye on Pattos site, when he is back up and running he would have tyres to fit plus he has a vac. formed Lotus 30 for the windscreen at a pinch. Worst case scenario, you go to Pauls Slot Car Shop on e-bay and he does a ship load of vintage tyres. And he is a good guy to deal with! Chris. Quote Late Model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munter Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 That is a great find. Those pressed chassis!! I like em. Phil should be able to sort a screen for you. Quote John Warren Slotcars are my preferred reality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Thanks for the input. I did have a look through DM's post from a few years ago regarding the Lotus 30, was going to add to his thread but thought I'd keep it in my restoration thread. It's a pity this kit isn't mine, although I do have a Hawk Lotus 30 kit that I purchased some years ago to turn into a slot car. Purchased the decals to do the job too, pity when I went to assemble it I found it was missing one of the sides. So at least I already have the decals for the car. If you have a screen you'd be prepared to part with Phil, the car would look so much better. I could probably vac form one myself now with my limited skills but I'd prefer to have something more like the original. I'll have a look at Pattos site and around the net for the tyres as well, hopefully he's in good health soon. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalbfellp Posted May 8, 2018 Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Pretty sure I have a mould here will look over the weekend. Quote Phil https://www.hobartminiaturecarclub.com/ Email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2018 Thanks Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 Managed to get a little more done over the weekend. Chassis has been stripped down, cleaned and re-assembled. New front screw mount added (used an old mount from my Scalextric V8) The pic below is of the assembled car. Will give the car a prime to see where it's at, sand and see how it's come up. There are a few cracks over the body, hopefully the glue I've applied to the inside of the body will help with these. Have sourced new tyres online for the front and back. Not happy with the decals I have at the moment so I'll search for more. The windscreen and clear carbi cover are both covered in glue, not sure how to deal with these. They don't really show up in the pic but once the body has been painted they definitely will. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted May 14, 2018 Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 That scrubbed up well Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalbfellp Posted May 14, 2018 Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 As far as I know the Tamiya body kit does not have the clear cover over the intakes,that may be from a Strombecker body. I have the Tamiya kit here and will do you a screen later this week. PM me you mailing info. Quote Phil https://www.hobartminiaturecarclub.com/ Email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 Hi Phil, Thanks very much for the screen Phil. I know nothing about these kits, only what was in the box and how the car was assembled. Looking at the pics on the net (searching for Tamiya Lotus 30), some show the clear cover, some don't. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slotspeed Posted May 21, 2018 Report Share Posted May 21, 2018 That car looks beautiful, even in its partly restored state Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2018 It's slowly getting there Steve, still a bit to go yet. I managed to get some paint on the Lotus 30 over the last week. Grey primed it first, sanded, refilled and grey primed again. I then applied a coat of white undercoat, allowed it to dry, sanded then applied another coat of white. I've now applied one coat of green, will sand this when it's hardened satisfactory and give it a light sand and give it one more coat as I've missed a bit on the tail. Here's a few progress pics. I've masked the cockpit, will finish this by hand, still deciding what colour to paint this area, thinking either black or beige at the moment. I've ordered some decals from Pattos too, good to see him up and about . I'll give the car a coat of clear before applying the decals as well. cheers Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted May 22, 2018 Report Share Posted May 22, 2018 Beige, definitely beige .... or tan, yeah tan .... or maybe aluminium, that's the one aluminium ... or maybe beige. Hope that's some help Matt The green looks very nice. Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted May 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2018 Haha, I was going to try and replicate the Tamiya Lotus 30 box cover but you can't see the interior. Driver, steering wheel and racing suit I can see. Probably Black, but maybe beige. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted June 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Update time. Painted anther coat of green followed by a clear coat. Started applying the decals on Monday. Was coming along nicely until my fingerprints were all over the clear coat which hadn't hardened properly. Bloody cooler weather takes it toll on painting times. Here's where I was at, even blackened the interior. And here's where I'm back to. Will recoat when I get a warmer day. The tyres turned up yesterday from Paul Gage, fit nicely too. cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slot car tragic Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Gee, the way the decal curves around the nose fits it like a glove. Lookin' great! Chris. Quote Late Model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesx Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Hi Mattcrackers Nice looking car. I am in process of putting same together for SCCA 1951-1965 proxy in USA. Body I have is very old - bought on NZ Trademe. Appears to be some kind of resin??? over fibreglass. Currently completing some minor body repairs as it was slightly damaged when I purchased. Will have same colour scheme but number 4. See there is one running in IPS Proxy at moment as well. Regards Chas Le Breton (charlesx) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattcrackers Posted June 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Hi Chris, Pattos decal sheet came with 3 types to use (for Lotus 30's and 40's), I'll see which fits/looks best. Hi Chas, I see on the decal sheet there's the number 4 as well. I did want to do the No 33 like the cover on the Tamiya 30 box, still might. The resin/plastic on this Lotus 30 is quite fragile really and had quite a few cracks in it. I'll see how the weather is over the next few days, might be able to get it back on track. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesx Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Hi again Matt. My Lotus 30 also looks a little fragile. Not sure how old it is although still in plastic wrapper when I bought. Had thought of rubbing some resin with lots of sanding filler into surface. Would try a small patch first. Is Betta & Classic brand but nothing like the bodies produced by the likes of Munter (John Warren) and Tassie Phil. The topside appears quite shiny and hard but you can see glimpses of the FG clothe and underside even more so. Hate to think how it would go if it crashed to the floor. Hopefully will never get tested. Best of luck with your. Regards Chas Le Breton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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