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Lc Lj Torana Scratch Builds


rosco01

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WoW Rosco,

You certainly are a man of details. And I thought my OCD had me by the never regions.....

I am in the process of making a master for a 1/32 LJ when I stumbled onto this thread. If only I knew someone was already making them..... 

Mine will be a bit different to the body you have though as I plan to make them with separate bumbers, headlights, tail lights and grille.

I have a few PCS32 chassis so I'm going to start with one of those and see where I end up.

I will watch your build progress with a lot of interest 

Cheers

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Hi Shedbuilder - please post many pix of your progress. Mine has stalled, not due to lack of interest - but just a tad of distance between me and the project. I won't be able to do any further work until near the end of the year.... so, don't for one moment believe that my sudden lack of progress reports suggests it has terminated - it most certainly has not.

So, in the "race" (excuse pun) to complete these builds - you will have quite a few laps up on me before I return to the track.... 

I considered removing the bumpers, but the casting from John is so darned good, that all that is needed is to scribe and scrape faux clearance between them and the body - his casting is very, very good...... I have "tweaked" some of it to appease my own known prototype similarity - but for the most, the model is excellent for a bit of a clean-up and paint... 

 

I have much work to do on it yet to bring it to my satisfaction - and yet to make a start on the chassis... turning the wheels has taken a lot of time and patience, and  I am now considering not using any of those already made... the width of them is not prototypical of what HDT were limited to run with.. I am looking at MJK tyres which were made for a Cortina at present.. I believe they will be a much closer size to prototype.. I can make wheels to fit them and also the magnificent inserts from John's kit... 

 

frats,

Rosco

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G'day Rosco,

I don't know if "race" would be the appropriate word for our builds. I have many projects that I am working on, including house, car, motorbikes and making a living. The LJ build is just something I am toying around with.

I am definitely taking a different approach to you. Yes, I want the 'rana to look the goods from the outside, but I think I'd like the little beast to be on a level playing field with the likes of the Falcon so increasing the track is my thought process at the minute. As a slot car the LJ doesn't have the advantages it had on the real race tracks. Brakes, fuel economy and agility don't come into play on a slot track.

I'm definitely not an expert on what makes a great slot car, which is part of the reason why I joined the forum. I have a lot to learn about what are the best set ups to use. At this stage, I'm liking what parts are available from slot.it so i reckon I will start the chassis (PCS32) with their parts. I don't have a lathe so I won't be making my own wheels either. I like the idea of having a wider rear tyre so the LJ is on equal terms in that department as well. Sprintmaster inserts will definitely be on the list as I want the model to be as accurate as I can achieve on the outside. As for Diameter, I'm figuring 14" will have to be the choice.

I also don't have a clue as to what the different classes of cars are (at club days etc.) so I think I want to make a model chassis  that is basic and is easily modified. At this stage I'm thinking of the pioneer typhoon short can motor, slot.it rear axle and crown gears, brass bushes and a quality guide that I am yet to figure on. Is the Scalex guide good enough? Is the Pioneer guide better? Or is there another guide that is the "must have"?

I will seek out a club to join once this covid world has settled down. I have a heap of Scalex sport track to set up for testing cars on but "racing myself" isn't much fun. Setting up track on the floor isn't much fun either. I'm yet to get (make) a big enough platform to set a track up on so I don't have to pack it all up when I've finished for the day.

Any suggestions/advice for wheels etc. will be much appreciated.

Stay safe!

Cheers

Mark

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Hi Mark,

just a little of my background history in slot cars.... with huge breaks in between.

Fascinated in them when I was a kid and couldn't afford one, neither could my parents make a gift of one for me... so, I had to work and save.... piece by piece, part by part... 

Eventually bought a transformer (Triang P2 - still have it, but don't use it)... and enough track to make a circuit.... two D straights, four 90 deg curves... 

Until I had these, I put together the track pieces in every conceivable configuration... then, my neighbor bought an oval set with two AC Cobra cars... 

I then went through a successive number of new cars.. about one every six months.... and amassed a (all Scalextric) Offenhauser rear wheel drive, Mini Cooper and Triumph TR-4A.... 

None of them were competitive with my neighbor's Cobras.... and I wouldn't concede to purchase one... 

 

All my cars became "ill"... needing work to keep them running. I started to learn how to repair them and what made them go ..... and what could be done to make them go faster.. this was when I was all of 13 years old (1968)... 

My fascination with slot cars took its first huge break when I bought my first motor bike.... but, I kept everything... 

From motor bike, to motor car... learning to drive, driver's license and "girls" were enough to keep my mind otherwise occupied from slot cars... 

In 1980, my eldest son showed an interest in them... and out came the track. In the meantime, I had started work and on one visit to Hearns Hobbies in Melbourne, I purchased another two cars.... Ferrari P4 and Lamborghini Muira.... but they only saw the track a couple of times before going into storage themselves.

 

When Alan Jones won the F1 crown - I bought the MRRC Williams... and my interest returned.... we bought some "dud" Scalextric cars - the Rally series Triumph TR-7 and Escort .... I was never happy with either of these cars, but the Williams was very fast... it had steering front wheels and was faster than any of my Scalextric cars... 

 

We bought more track and ended up with enough to build a four lane figure 8 circuit.... my friends and family took a keen interest as to when I was going to have a "racing car" day... and we were never short of visitors... 

 

My attention was drawn back into model aircraft (I have had nearly every hobby a boy can have)... and I finally broke into radio control... leaving slot cars behind again for another great mothballing... 

 

It wasn't until my kids had left home, that I started to think of that AC Cobra.. and getting one of my own - it haunted me all these years.

I looked on the internet for sourcing one, and the prices for the original Scalextric model almost frightened me away permanently... it really wasn't such a great model... but, I still wantedo one.. I most certainly wasn't going to pay over $200 for a car in "used" state.. and almost walked away for good... happy to leave my collection intact for use on whim... 

I just happened to do a search on Cobra slot car... and a new world opened up to me.... I was not aware that the slot car hobby was still in full vogue... and the variety of manufacturers.... 

I very quickly found a local supplier (Ged) and ordered two Carrera Cobras... then went out to pick them up. To say I was delighted with both these cars is an understatement - they were simply exquisite in detail and performed very well out of the box.. after changing the guide to a shallower one (supplied) for Scalextric track... 

I began to collect more of these beautiful Carrera models... which have now amassed to around 10.... including Mark Webbers F1 and Daniel Riccardo's RB-7..... 

Bump.... I joined a local slot car club (Phoenix), but could not make meetings... some practice sessions mid-week, but never an event.. weekends are always out for me with family... none of my hobbies are allowed to take any precedence on weekends... 

Having joined Phoenix, I was linked to forums.... and this was probably the nucleus of my becoming very deeply involved with scratch building.

I had scratch built model locomotives using styrene card (looks like plastic) and brass .... and also wagons and carriages, so I had a little bit of experience with detail and accuracy.. 

I joined this forum and learned of the Tasman Cup proxy racing.... I was very keen to watch models being made.. and one of the members (Fading Embers) was posting regularly on her progress... I simply had to buy into this... 

Many members of the forum and that proxy group were ever so helpful and encouraging.. and I finally produced my first model... a T-53 Cooper - the excellent body coming from Munter, the chassis being produced by myself... a very simply piano wire and brass construction.. the front and rear axle frames being supplied by a forum member... 

It took me nearly three months for the first build - at no time, did I have a track to test it on.. and most of the set up was done on a slotted steel plate...

I learned as I went, and learned what made a model go better... learning also, that "tuning" is not limited to the motor - but the model.... just so much to learn and understand.

I first got the chance to run the model at Stubbo's holiday house in the south east of Vic... up until then, it had not run. Stubbo put it on the track and asked me if I wanted to "test" it... I told him "no".... and for him to find out how my build came to perform. He was very impressed with the lap speed of my efforts. Asked me a number of times about the motor - which I later checked and was very happy to learn was the lower powered version of the two that the English manufacturer produced.. it, I was told - was a fast car. and I entered it in my first ever "proxy" series..... it came in 4th overall in the series.. best placing was a second.... I was pretty chuffed.

 

So, Mark... you have now learned from where I have come to this build... the Torries will be the third and fourth scratch built models I have produced... the second model is an unfinished Cooper T-53.. it stalled when we went interstate for one of our three month absences up north over winter, and failed to continue on return... it is still on the "books" and will be completed.

If not for me finding one of these Torana's in a pic on this forum... I would probably be nearing the completion of the second T-53.... 

I chased up the owner of said LJ XU-1 and again, found that Munter produced the "kit"... which is again, an excellent kit... 

I'm not a lover of "generic" production chassis.... after building my first scratch built one, and gaining good results.... 

I was never going to fit a production chassis to these models.. and have gone a bit further this time with the purchase of some additional items to build the chassis.

 

The lathe and mill, another hobby I have always wanted to get into - came a few years back... I was a high school pupil, not a technical school one.... our subjects were limited to woodwork in a trade perspective.. this new metalwork hobby fascinated me.. and I have been further helped and guided by "Stu" ..... he has been exceptionally patient and forthcoming with guidance... my turning of wheels has thus far been the jewel in the crown of anything I have turned in the lathe, but its potential is way beyond such a relatively simply process... so too, the Mill - when I start to work that to a modest level of its potential... 

 

My suggestion, Mark - is to consider scratch building a chassis...... it is not difficult, but demands some basic tools to make life easier... namely a jig of sorts to hold pieces in place whilst they are being soldered... a jeweller's soldering tile is an excellent place to start.

You can literally design and produce an almost unlimited variation of chassis for the model bodies you quest... 

There is a huge following, and number of members in this forum who will aid and guide you through the process.... of course, many will keep their "best" secrets to themselves, not wishing to divulge "that" edge in competition.. but, for the main - you'll get every piece of advice and suggestion you need to produce some very fine work.. and it will more than likely out-perform anything you can purchase off the shelf. and at a fraction of the price... parts excepted.

Brass sheet and piano wire plus solder are very cheap... the componentry is what we all must bow to in cost.... but, as you work through each build - you'll more than likely amass a considerable stock of "parts"... 

You would be well advised to continue with Slot-It componentry.. it all works, and is produced with an extremely high standard of accuracy ..... there are other manufacturers who produce equal if not better parts... but, as an entry level into this hobby/sport - you will not be disappointed with anything that comes from the Slot-It range... I have not.

Wheels - hmmmmm..... courses for horses... I have developed a huge respect for wheel manufacturers since producing my own.... but, understand the basics..... 

Most would consider finding a tyre to fit a wheel.... my application is the reverse... I am producing wheels to match the tyre that I can best fit my needs.... so far, I have more than two sets of perfect wheels for these two Torana's.. but, I am now firmly of the belief that I will not use them.... having found a more scale suitable tyre - and hence, my need now to produce 8 wheels to fit them onto.

Currently, these MJK tyres are out of stock - but, when they come back in.. I will be ordering a few sets of them.. then set about designing and making wheels to match both the tyre, and the more than excellent inserts which come with this Munter kit.... they are exacting for the wheels used on the HDT LJ Torana... sadly, the LC XU1 ran steel wheels - and I need to either make or procur inserts to replicate those.... the tyre size will be identical.... 

So, Mark - don't hold yourself back - don't put a time frame on this build... but more so - please consider attempting a scratch built chassis... very simple and basic... and if you keep within the specs - it will more than likely out-perform that of a production version....... you can build weight into such a scratch built chassis at certain locations that will result in some very stable and fast lap times.... don't be fooled into believing that wide tyres and diameter will produce a fast model... it's in the "tuning"... providing you use good quality tyres and "true" them down - you will get some very fast times out of a model with a narrow track..... just take our F1 models for example... they have narrower track than most of the saloon type cars - but their weight distribution and weighting height affords much of this.... the tyres allow for grip... which is something you really don't want up front, as best I have come to learn. 

Getting the right amount of weight in the right spot will reduce your lap times... and as such, don't fret about not having anyone to race...... if you can get consistent times on a layout,  you can tweak and tune the model to improve it's lap times.... 

Don't be fooled either, into believing a big motor will produce a fast car.... yes, it will be fast in a straight line... but some of the models I have with the most powerful motors - are not what I would call fast cars.... they become "twitchy"... trying to get any smooth and consistent (this is important) lap times out of a twitchy car on full 12v is demanding for the best of slot car racing enthusiasts.... a lesser powered model which has consistent times will usually win against one which is quick down straights, but is a nightmare to contain either going into or out of curves.... a cigarette paper thickness too far or less on the throttle trigger makes these twitchy cars very difficult to get smooth laps out of.... until you can get smooth ones, you are never going to get consistent ones.... and it's the consistent ones which will educate you into bringing the model up onto the "edge"..... where your fastest laps will begin to emerge.... just like the full size prototypes.... anyone can plant the foot and go down a straight with a huge motor and tyres with great grip...... let's just go back to where this topic came from.. the "giant killers"..... 3.3 litre 6 cylinder cars vs 5.8 litre V8's..... and these little pocket rockets won the larger variants over....... don't sell them short in our world of slot cars - produce a balanced chassis and they should be as competitive as the combatants they were up against in 1972.... 

As for the L34 Scalextric Torana - sadly, that car is a slug... out of the box (OOB).... I have one, and it slips and slides all over the place... won't go, and won't stop... I'd love to build my own chassis for it, but I bought that model as a collector's item... I need some Marlboro decals to finish the livery.. and will more than likely approach Patto for those. I have MJK tyres to fit to it, and may just turn some aluminium wheels for it then use the supplied wheels as inserts....... currently thought in process on that.... how far do you go before it is no longer a collector's item...?

 

Ok, Mark - this has probably given you more than enough to digest and think about... I would encourage you to consider scratch building a chassis - you will learn ever so much about the dynamics of what makes a model fast.... or slow.... and the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands and developing skills will bring much joy and pride to your ownership... 

 

I might further suggest you read the Tasman proxy series thread... it is in there, that you will gain much understanding of the information you seek... guides, motors, gears etc. etc. etc.... 

Big, fast turning motors and high gear ratios (high reduction) are not what your mind may perceive the to be.. they make a model as twitchy as all get-out... I built "Godzilla" (a Slot It GT40 white kit with a huge motor and heavily reduced gear ratio)... it is a monster to try and drive.... leaps off the track on anything more than a modest crest and peforms better (faster lap times) with voltage set down to around 9v... at 12v.... it is almost uncontrollable..... so - try a modest motor size to start with, and purchase a number of differing pinions and crowns to "tune" your model for controllability..... then start shifting weight around in it to achieve the fastest (smoothest edge) lap times.... 

 

A good hand controller will help you greatly.... I have two Slot-it SCP-2 controllers... I find these excellent for adjusting curves and braking.... but, you must get the model right before you can make use of the numerous parameters that a modern electronic hand controller will enhance your skills and control....

 

'nuff for now.... welcome aboard to the "dark art" of building - for me, it is the main focus of my return to the hobby.....

 

frats,

Rosco

I also now have all three of Allan Moffatt's GTHO's.... and they likewise will stay as collector's models. The only thing I will change - is to scratch build some scale wipers for all four models..... the supplied ones are ridiculously over-scaled for durability - they look darned well ugly.... and the model would look better without them entirely... 

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Hi Rosco,

WoW, thank you for such a terrific reply.

Me, well I've had an interest in all things related to wheels since I began to walk and talk I think. I started off with matchbox cars that I used to play with in the yard where I would build tracks in the garden and drive the cars around. Sometimes my neighbour would come with his cars and we have races, crashes and car shows. Nothing like imagination! I ended up with 2 stanford school cases full of cars that were bought with my 50c a week pocket money for keeping the yard clean. I think the cars were 20c back then.

I did have a battery powered figure 8 slot car set. Long gone now but my best slot experience was with a Grp20 womp womp that I bought from a slot car centre in Sydney. I think it was about $5 second hand. I put new tyres on, an EH holden body that I painted metallic burgundy with silver detailing and brown tinted windows. It looked a treat and I had a heap of fun racing it against more "slippery" womp womps. The owner of the centre put clear "wings" (like a speedway sprint car) on my car for me and I was allowed to keep running with the "slippery" bodied cars. That was even more fun as I was racing for wins instead of just hanging on. I sold that car to help fund my Speedwell push bike and that was the end of slot cars for a while.

I had some AFX set ups over the years but other interests took over. Real cars, motorbikes, girls, surfing and work took over my life. I had developed an interest in building model cars and drawing for my "indoor" hobby but eventually building and restoring motorbikes took over as a hobby. I raced dirt bikes for a while and even got into vintage racing. I still build/restore bikes but don't race so much these days.

Being so bloody cold in rural Victoria over winter, I needed an indoor hobby (instead of staying in the shed til all hours) and rediscovered slot cars. I have a good collection of Scalex and Pioneer road cars but there aren't many Aussie cars to be had. I have only used my rally cars on track, as like you I think the others are more a collectors thing. I also have some AFX again as there really is more race in less space!

I have toyed around with developing a new 1/64 chassis for the AFX size cars as I want to have old muscle cars that actually belong on the chassis and not just "sit" on it with wheels sticking out way past the body line.

I've taught myself how to do resin casting and have had some pretty good results with "test" bodies for the AFX and the new chassis which got me thinking about 1/32 cars. The torrie was my first choice as not only is it my favourite Aussie car but I hadn't ever seen or read about a slot car version being available until I stumbled onto this forum and this thread started by you. Seeing as I had already started on my Torrie project before I got here, I will continue on with it.

I do like the idea of building brass chassis. It is well within my skill set. However, I'm thinking of making a molded chassis to start with as I have some ideas on how to make the "plastic" chassis work better. Getting it lower to the track would help for a start I think. An adjustable height motor pod and steering would be nice too. On that note, I have sent an email to "chase-cars".com but I haven't heard back from him and all the bits on his website are labeled as zero stock. I'm guessing he lost interest or the business wasn't viable. I'm not attempting to start a new business. I'm just attempting something different for the fun of it and hopefully make something better than what is currently on "off the shelf" models. If I get it right, making the plastic chassis will be done within an hour and ready to put the running gear into.

It is all just a thought bubble at the moment. Like you, I do like tinkering and that is a big part of my interest in slot cars as well. I don't have anyone other than the Mrs to race with out here so building cars has piqued my interest.

Interesting that you mention a narrow track width slot car with skinny tyres will handle just as good as a wider track slot car with wide tyres. These are the type of details I don't know about slot cars. I do realise that having a really fast motor doesn't translate into a fast car. Just like anything with a motor and wheels, the biggest limitations are found in geometry, suspension and feel rather than all out power.

What is it with the Scalex Torana that makes it such a slug? Tyres aside, is it the long can motor? motor position? (balance) ride height? What makes a car brake? Is it the type of motor or does drive grip make the difference? I'm thinking a higher "torque" motor will brake better than a higher rpm motor?

I hear you on the wipers that Scalex put on the cars. They are fugly and way out of scale. Leaving them off would indeed look better. Better still would be to have them molded into the body and the screen, then they can't break off. I may be able to make up some suitable glue on wiper assemblies. I have both the the SLR and GTHO models so making a revised set shouldn't prove too difficult.

Anyway, I should get off my arse and do some actual work.

Cheers

Mark

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Thanks Mark,

I now appreciate that you have considerable modeling skills, and now further suggest that you attempt a piano wire and brass chassis.. there are/have been some amazing chassis build around the world.... you'll find these in the scratchbuilder's section... detail in some of them is simply exquisite.. and they darned well go fast to boot!

 

Of course, you will get better traction and braking with wider tyres ... but it's a job lot.

One thing which many people don't appreciate, is that the outer "corner" of the rear tyres must be "radiused"... having an edge on the tyre makes the model prone to tipping when pressed into corners... getting the right radius for the model is as important as getting weight positioned correctly.... too much radius, and it will slide out too easily - not enough, and it will roll over before letting go... 

 

I simply don't know what it is with the L-34 Scalextric Torana... the motor is in-line, rather than my preferred side-winder config. But, the little Coopers I built are also in line, and they go very well for the tiny motor it is limited to run with... 
I am not messing with the L-34.... but, I may very well build a chassis that can be swapped over with the factory one for competition purposes... in an "open" class.... 
It simply doesn't make scale sense that the L-34 should be a slower car than the LC or LJ... the A9-X, which is backordered and we are all waiting with baited breath for it's release - was an excellent prototype racing car... winning Bathurst.... against the Ford Coupes... there is no reason that the L-34 should not be a fast car in scale.. other than the engineering Scalextric put into it... I believe I can manufacture a chassis which will very much improve perfomance of this model... but, competition wise - it cannot be raced within the guidelines of class competition in our hobby and at club events... 

 

You will pick up an awful lot on this tuning as you progress.

Probably one of the best methods to improve OOB models that I have purchased of late with a plastic chassis - is to completely strip them down to bare plastic, and to "reset" the plastic memory.. I have done this to many models now, and there is a considerable improvement in performance... even some of my Slot-It GT40's have revealed an out of "true" chassis.... 

The method to do this, I have posted a while back.... involving a "bath" of boiling water poured gently over the chassis, and then insulating it so that it cools very slowly over a long period of time... this resets the memory of the plastic

I mount the chassis on a true metal plate, hold it down with small magnets so that it is absolutely flat on the plate - then slowly pour boiling water over it until it is covered.. plus more so that the greater volume of water in the bath cools out a lot slower... 

This method produces an almost perfect flat chassis..... which allows it to "flex" under strain, yet returns to it's flat state on release... 

 

Truing the tyres and removing all backlash between gear and pinion, plus any gap between the wheels and axle bushes also makes for a much quicker model... we use "shims" for this... with thicknesses down to 0.2 mm...... getting a good mesh with very little backlash and no pre-load is the aim.... arranging the mesh by this method of using shims on the axle/bush area provides much greater control of it..... using the "guide slot" of the crown on the end of the pinon shaft of the motor is a very much outdated method... from early Scalextric days... it causes drag and the mesh is not constant.... you can shim the mesh to the point of virtually having no backlash, and no pre-load.... the gears of both pinion and crown will last for eons... I find using a grey lead pencil on the teeth of the pinion to be an excellent method of lubrication.. it really doesn't need much... but graphite, in this form will provide many hundreds of hours of operation without need of further lubrication... and - it does not attract grit.. which every other form of lubrication does - if it's "wet" ... it will attract and add into solution the grit... 

I learned this little trick from my r/c helicopter days... the ball joints of the rotor and head connections... 

Removing moulding lines is another great way to improve performance... but, with Slot It - their quality is so good, you won't need to do much - if indeed anything at all.. the Scalextric stuff really needs a good looking at.

 

We are moving from a "toy" racing car set .... which Scalextric have built a wonderful history on.... to a hobbyist/sport domain... Scalextric can be "tuned" for much improved performance.. but, with clubs - there are limits on just how far you can take a model before it no longer conforms to rule.... best check with a club before getting serious about bringing any "purchased" model up to a performance level... 

 

Brakes - we have come a very long way in the past 10 years... our controllers now will "effect" a brake which can be so advanced that braking can be left to limits previously not attempted...without de-slotting or worse.

I do not understand the physics of how the controller does this, and I am under the impression that it does not "throw the reverser"... that is, apply power in reverse... well, not directly anyway.

We have electronic whizzes in here that perhaps can explain modern braking by electronic control... 

My initial attempts (before I learned of these modern controllers) was simply to run an extra lead across the controller resistance winding... so that, when the throttle was released completely - it bridged both rails of the track... effectively destroying emf... this worked well to an extent... the larger motors being more responsive. 

But, compared to the braking ability of electronic controllers - my very much neanderthal method is so far behind that i discarded the entire method and simply purchased two Slot-It SCP-2 controllers.....if you are yet to look into this... they will very quickly expand your current (excuse pun) method if, if you are using a resistance wire controller... the available options and parameters are such, that I have to write down the settings under the box of every model... it really makes such a difference - not limited to just on/off for functions, but the ability to set very fine parameters for each... and - they are convertible (with a different plug pack) to the modern digital system... which I have not engaged into.

 

Ok Mark... hope this brings a little more enlightenment to your return - be warned though - the number of models will begin to increase with a very parabolic rate of increase... 

Some members here will tell you that they literally have "hundreds" of models... me, I suppose all up I have something around the 40 mark.. with two recent additions in the first GTHO of Allan Moffatt and the Hamilton Porsche 911 which Brock drove... Brock's A9-x is on backorder and I have procured one when they first arrive in the country... 

 

Old Holdens... you might like to message "Munter" on the range of these that he offers as a kit.. his products are right up there.. I siimply love the Cooper and the LJ is also another great model... mine is going through a fair bit of scaling... but, for the most - anyone who cleans up any flash and produces a reasonable job in painting and detailing will enjoy a great looking scale model.... 

 

Chat later,

 

frats,

Rosco

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  • 2 months later...

Bump... we're back. 4 months up north in Qld escaping the winter and troubling virus down here in Vic.. timing was perfect.

 

Ok.... we probably need to pick up a bit from where we left off.

I have now ordered some different tyres - I was not in love with the wide tyres in these builds, and have ordered two sets for the 13" Cortina.... I will make up wheels to suit both the Munter inserts and these tyres... now that I believe I can achieve this

My lathe is still in bits - having left the job when we made our dashed escape out of this state back in June.. so, I'll need to fit those tapered roller bearings to that and set it up before we can get to any wheel turning... 

 

I have chased up decal sets for both the LC and LJ XU-1's of PB... and they should arrive in the coming week - thanks Patto - really looking forward to getting an optic on these.

Patto suggested I have the red deleted from printing - as I have chosen to do.... this will allow me to airbrush the LJ in white then mask up and spray the red.... the decals will finish this model off beautifully.... I hope.

As for the LC - I will have to do quite a bit of research into this "kit bash" model... I know what I want - and it will be the HDT version of the LC... at this stage.

 

Further, I have now ordered two of PB's A9-X Torana's.... I will change the livery of the second one to bring it in line with successive years that PB ran these cars.

 

My Allan Moffat 1969 XW GTHO arrived... what where Scalextric thinking?... those wipers!.... have to go.... I have the three set now of '69, '70 and '71 of these great period winners... but, the wipers on all three will have to be made up and the "tree branches" removed... 

 

So folk - we're back... and I will have to get a footing on where I was before we left..... lots of work around the house, cleaning up the van and truck yet before I can commit to serious modeling - but, we're back on deck and I am very keen to return to modeling...

 

frats,

Rosco

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Almost forgot about the press jig, Shaynus..... nice to know there are members here who have a better memory than I. 

I'll have to go look for it... I'm sure I've put it away in a "safe place".... when I find that place - I'm sure I'll find a lot of other hidden "things" as well.... 

Two cars coming this week, and Patto's decals - so, it will give me drive to open Pandora's box... and more than certainly some "inspiration"... 

 

The press idea works famously, but there's a lot of work in making up the two matching jig pieces.

Drilling the holes in the blank is an exacting process - get that right, and I believe the assembly will match any commercially available alternative - plus, you can literally make up any design requirement...... and not rely on what is available then be forced to conform to it....... wheels, as I have experienced are even more demanding - give almost limitless option to need...

As stated above, instead of finding tyres to match wheels - I can now make wheels to match tyres... the Escort/Cortina tyres I have ordered (MJK 4272) - I believe will be a lot closer match for the LC/LJ XU-1's than those I had ordered. The tricky bit is to make up wheels which will allow the magnificent Munter inserts to fit..... end result should be very pleasing if successful.

In my mind, I can see PB's LJ XU-1 materialising.. Patto's decals will do ever so much to bring this model to life.... along with my little applications of body detail.

My fear, is that Scalextric will climb on board once this model is finished - which I also believe will attract considerable interest from "downunder"..... and mass produce their own.... limited run or not ...

The importance of Brock's LJ XU-1 - is that it was his first "Bathurst" win.... the first of 9.... I will stop at the A9-X. don't really have great interest in what came after that.... "my" period was mid 60's to late '70's... an exciting an developmental era for what evolved from the simple harsh "road" conditions of Mt. Panorama - to the "raceway" it became.... prior to the "Chase".... 

 

I believe most of us modelers have a "theme"... for my Australian theme - I model 60's and 70's.... a very impressionistic era in my growing youth and early adulthood...

 

frats,

Rosco

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ok folk, "stuff" has arrived and I can continue on the builds.....

Hit a hurdle though - paint colour.... 

Can anyone tell me what the red is that the LJ HDT Torana's were painted in....? please... 

I have Patto's decal set with the red deleted.. so, this decal set is applied over a red base.... it's much deeper and darker than the later A9-X series... probably more like the L-34, which to me is more of a blood red... 

If you know what the colour is - and have had success in modeling it - I'd really appreciate what paint and colour you used...

My LJ is currently in grey primer - I can just about go ahead now and apply colour... 

 

frats,

Rosco

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi OS-62..... I intend to use cellulose sheet for the windows at this point in time - however, the kit comes supplied with window inserts, if I'm not happy with the result - I'll make up my own and flush fit them using "Canopy glue".... which I have found to be perfect in the r/c aeroplane world.

 

Timely you should post - I'm about to pick up in this thread again. I have done a lot of work on the body since last posting. I believe I am getting close to colour coating now but am in the sordid business of fabricating a grille out of brass.... it's fiddly, but will give the model an awful lot more lifelike look.

I have removed the door quarter vent windows and made replacements up out of brass... and moved them back to where they should be.

I have also cut open the radiator intake below the bumper...... and removed those unsightly number plates altogether, making up a very thin flat section at the rear and none at the front.

Patto has been in touch a number of times regarding his decals and paint. He sent me the formula (CMYK) for the red that he prints - but we have decided to go with the red deleted, and I will spray the body instead..... the decals will then "clear coat" over the body red.

I put a bit of work into sourcing "the" red for this model - and as many would be aware, the early HDT LJ and L-34 Torana's had a deeper red than that which the A9-X livery came out in.

I trialed some Tamiya X-7 and found it to be too "magenta".... 

Using Photo-Shop, and taking some pix under a "natural daylight" artificial source - I have come up with the following, if anyone is interested.

C 9, M 99, Y 100 and K 1........ this was obtained after decanting some Holt's "Holden Radiant Red".... allowing it to come to room temperature then spraying some over a light grey primer base...... I believe this is a very close colour for the earlier HDT Torana's..... but happy to be corrected.

Amongst other things, if you want to improve the look of this model - remove the 1/4 vent windows and fit a thin brass rod further back - it should be located to follow the curve of the front window upper aperture line. The rear spoiler needs work too - it needs a deeper dish and the rear rake brought up more vertical... they would be the two major changes I would suggest... that rear spoiler really stuck in my throat until I fixed it.. the quarter vents weren't far behind.

 

I'll put a post up shortly - with some pix of my latest bit of work.

 

I am yet to start on the chassis - but believe I now have the tyres I want.... MJK, to fit a Cortina. I will make up my own wheels once I put my lathe back together with the replacement tapered roller bearings for the spindle.

 

OK..... let me know if you need any further suggestions, OS-62..... always happy to help, advice might not always be the best available - but it is the best that I can offer.

 

frats,

Rosco

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@rosco01 thanks for the reply. Looking forward to the painting. I have an airbrush at home but have not air brushed models before as I have hand painted all of them so I am looking forward to this stage of your build. Do you clear the entire car once you apply the decals. Also with the Tamiya paint I hand painted from the pot. Do you think it down?

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Hi again OS-62.... 

You'll love airbrushing a model - you will obtain a far superior result than if using a paint brush.

Firstly, yes - a clear coat over the decals once they have fully dried out is essential - at least 24 hours.

I am in a learning curve with Patto's decals - they are a little different to what I have used in the past. These decals are ultra-thin and must be treated with more respect than the "kid" type we used to get in Airfix and the like boxes..... but, they are a most excellent decal - detail is brilliant. We'll get to the bit in my thread when I have colour coated it.. which will also come, so it is timely that you are following the thread - and I invite your own experience in this model as we continue.

 

You must thin paint to airbrush it. Depending on which airbrush you have... can you kindly tell me, please.

I have been using a wonderful single action/internal mix Badger 200 for some 35 or more years - it has been a very faithful servant, and like all my tools and equipment - it has been flowered with great care...... however, I have just purchased two new airbrushes - both Badger, but double action and gravity fed... one for "general" work, and one for very fine work... 

 

I was sent a link to an excellent You Tube description of Badger airbrushes, it goes for 1 hour 32 min and only addresses airbrushes and their use... it would be well worth your time to watch this... it does not show any actual airbrushing, but will explain the differences and what is necessary to operate one very, very well..... link - 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=introduction+to+airbrushing+with+Ken+Schlotfeldt&docid=608037953692897065&mid=C1CBAAD4AD6F2E10EB23C1CBAAD4AD6F2E10EB23&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

The ratio for thinning paint for an airbrush varies a bit - but if using an acrylic paint, most recommend a 50/50 mix.... which I find quite acceptable for my application.

 

I am in discussion with Patto at present and am about to try something different which is his recommendation for the decals he supplies - floor polish.... "Future" brand, but it is not available in Oz.. but a suitable alternative is - from Bunnings etc.... for around $12 for the 1 litre bottle. 

It is called "Long Life self-shining floor polish"...... it is a derivative of Future. If you look at the back of the bottle, it is made by Pascoe's - but unlike the previous version which I have used on the floor of our caravan - this one does not have "Pascoe's" on the front.... and is an "Improved" version... 

Patto tells me to apply this unthinned - but of course, this depends on your airbrush.

We'll get to this when I have applied the decals.

What is important, is if you want a good finish - you will need to use a primer first.. then your colour coats. I have found with the resin body that Munter supplies, it is not necessry to apply a protective etch primer so that the harsh solvents of the Tamiya aerosol primer do not attack it.... but, I did anyway.... and used a 1K etch which is alcohol based, not tolulene or the like.

If you want to follow my lead, and use the Holts touch up paint for what i believe to be an accurate colour - you should decant it into a jar, then bottle it.... and allow it to come to room temperature for a day or so...... paint from an aerosol is almost at freezing point (propellant)... and if you spray it too soon using an airbrush - you'll be disappointed with the results.

I do this with Tamiya fine grey primer as well... decant that, and bottle it... allow it to come up to room temperature, then thin it before applying it to a model... 

it is then a very good primer to work with and will sand back resulting in an almost perfect finish.... using 1200 or 1500 wet/dry..... then colour coat.

 

Patto tells me that I can spray a coat of floor polish over the colour coat.... let that dry for 24 hours then apply the decals..... leave those for another 24 hours and then a final clear coat of floor polish.... this is what I now plan to do.

 

I have applied some of Patto's other decals to my L-34 and also two A9-X's.. and used Tamiya acrylic clear coat, thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinners - there is something in Tamiya acrylic which is aggressive..... even though it is acrylic and should be safe - it's not..... and some of the Patto's decals became very slightly wrinkled - so, I won't be doing that again..... and will go ahead with what he suggests.... this floor polish.

 

The decals for the LJ XU-1 are exacting, and will result in a wonderful model.. the fine pin-striping around the main panels will show through over the base coat of red - I am looking forward to getting to this point.... 

 

We are still working on the grille and rear fuel filler section at present. I removed the molded filler cap and made up a brass and piano wire one.. it will look a lot better than the "outline" one cast into the model.... it will be applied after all painting has finished - which is good modeling practice for fine detail - but, I'll drill the hole first prior to painting.

 

Ok... that should give you something to work on.... yes, airbrush the model, and yes - paint (not this floor polish) does need thinning.... starting with at least a 50/50 mix... and thinner if needed... you are not going to lay down your colour coat in one go... it's a process of building up the coats until you have solid coverage.. with "flash off" periods between coats..... unlike brushing by hand... where you simply lay down your paint from the jar and "lay off"... allowing it to flow out and self-level..... airbrushing is applied in thinner coats.. and as many of them as it takes to get solid cover... this will both extend and also expand your appreciation and experience in modeling, OS-62... 

I'll send you a PM with my email address.... if you need more explanation or detail - it would be easier (and less annoying to the forum) if we banter on privately.... 

I can then send you blow by blow pix as attachments for when you come to start work on your LJ.... 

frats,

Rosco

 

 

 

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Thanks for this my airbrush is an old Paasche kit that I bought secondhand a few months ago. An old friend prime in the late 70's was An amazing airbrush artist who used to blow me away with his work. 

I am going to buy an airbrush compressor in the next few weeks to save buying compressed air. 

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Your friend would know an awful lot more about airbrushing and airbrushes than me, OS-62..... as for compressor, I'm spoiled - with a 14 cfm Peerless that I use for spray painting 1:1 scale vehicles.... it doesn't blink at what little the airbrush uses - one tank full of air lasts me all day.

Aerosol cans are a waste of time and effort - a modest little piston compressor will outlive your needs... but, if you can - get one with a "tank" and a regulator/drier... which operates up to working pressure then cuts out...... you'll thank yourself many times over for the extra yards taken now.

Is your airbrush an internal mix?... does it have a paint jar underneath? and does the trigger only open the air to the gun... ?

You can do really good work with an airbrush that is an external mix - but internal mix will give you the ability to do finer work (the dots of paint are a lot smaller with internal).

An airbrush with a paint cup at the top will allow you to use lower pressure - a great help when it comes to working up close with very little air pressure (10 - 12 lbs in most cases, down to 8 if you thin the paint right out).

A single action airbrush (where the trigger only controls air) works fine - which is all I have used over the years.. but I'm now going to a dual action, where I can control both the air and the paint fan width with the one trigger.... 

 

the sooner you get away from aerosol cans - the better. 

For some time, I used a number of spare car tyres on wheels for my air supply - drove the local garage nuts with me coming up every now and then to pump up six or seven tyres - he never knew what I was up to.... a tyre lasted me some time. But the issue with doing it that way, was as the pressure in they tyre got lower - I'd have to adjust the valve to allow more air into the air line.... 

I was given a home made compressor (from a Villiers 4 stroke motor - and a metal plate was fitted in place of the head. Into that, two fuel pump check valves were fitted in opposing directions.... that allowed the air from the motor to go though, but not come back. The supply then went into a small LPG gas bottle... with a relief valve at the bottom of it. Adjusting that relief valve controlled how much pressure was in the tank (bottle)... a 240v electric motor from a hard waste fridge powered the Villiers.. via pulleys and a fan belt.... tension of the belt taken up by sliding the Villiers along the chassis and tightening down four retaining bolts.

 I worked with that in modeling for a couple of years - then along came the Peerless... and my faithful little Villiers was sent off to another modeler.

The only issue I had was burning out the check valves (Holden AC fuel pump0 and having to replace them a couple of times a year.... they were cheap, and readily available.

The other issue was that it worked continuously.. which meant when i was airbrushing, I was making noise... 

Aerosols are a quick fix - sadly, the air which comes out of them is cold - and you will learn soon that warming up paint before you spray it allows it to flow out better for a greater gloss or leveling of the finish.... not hot, but just "warm"..... 

This is the issue I have with aerosol paint cans..... the propellant is just above freezing point.. and the paint applies cold.... if it is applied lightly - it can dry on the surface without flowing or leveling out.... I don't like aerosol - great for insect repellent and silicone lubricant etc. etc.... but not for painting.

Ok... given you some more to think about... exciting stuff this - you will be more than happy with results once you start to learn to airbrush your models..

 

frats,

Rosco

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8 hours ago, Oldskool62 said:

Thanks for this my airbrush is an old Paasche kit that I bought secondhand a few months ago. An old friend prime in the late 70's was An amazing airbrush artist who used to blow me away with his work. 

I am going to buy an airbrush compressor in the next few weeks to save buying compressed air. 

No need to buy compressed air even without a compressor. A workmate picked up an old spare wheel that was passed its best for nicks and painted many model aircraft with that and a quick trip down to the local garage would replenish his air supply for a while.

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bram1_zpsfkhrhndv.jpg
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51 minutes ago, Wobble said:

No need to buy compressed air even without a compressor. A workmate picked up an old spare wheel that was passed its best for nicks and painted many model aircraft with that and a quick trip down to the local garage would replenish his air supply for a while.

@wobble Mate I love the way Kiwi's think outside of the square. 

NB: I will be in NZ quite a bit with work once the restrictions are off. Your beautiful city is one I will be visiting frequently. So I'd love to catch up with a few of the Kiwi enthusiasts over the time. 

 

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8 hours ago, rosco01 said:

Your friend would know an awful lot more about airbrushing and airbrushes than me, OS-62..... as for compressor, I'm spoiled - with a 14 cfm Peerless that I use for spray painting 1:1 scale vehicles.... it doesn't blink at what little the airbrush uses - one tank full of air lasts me all day.

Aerosol cans are a waste of time and effort - a modest little piston compressor will outlive your needs... but, if you can - get one with a "tank" and a regulator/drier... which operates up to working pressure then cuts out...... you'll thank yourself many times over for the extra yards taken now.

Is your airbrush an internal mix?... does it have a paint jar underneath? and does the trigger only open the air to the gun... ?

You can do really good work with an airbrush that is an external mix - but internal mix will give you the ability to do finer work (the dots of paint are a lot smaller with internal).

An airbrush with a paint cup at the top will allow you to use lower pressure - a great help when it comes to working up close with very little air pressure (10 - 12 lbs in most cases, down to 8 if you thin the paint right out).

A single action airbrush (where the trigger only controls air) works fine - which is all I have used over the years.. but I'm now going to a dual action, where I can control both the air and the paint fan width with the one trigger.... 

 

the sooner you get away from aerosol cans - the better. 

For some time, I used a number of spare car tyres on wheels for my air supply - drove the local garage nuts with me coming up every now and then to pump up six or seven tyres - he never knew what I was up to.... a tyre lasted me some time. But the issue with doing it that way, was as the pressure in they tyre got lower - I'd have to adjust the valve to allow more air into the air line.... 

I was given a home made compressor (from a Villiers 4 stroke motor - and a metal plate was fitted in place of the head. Into that, two fuel pump check valves were fitted in opposing directions.... that allowed the air from the motor to go though, but not come back. The supply then went into a small LPG gas bottle... with a relief valve at the bottom of it. Adjusting that relief valve controlled how much pressure was in the tank (bottle)... a 240v electric motor from a hard waste fridge powered the Villiers.. via pulleys and a fan belt.... tension of the belt taken up by sliding the Villiers along the chassis and tightening down four retaining bolts.

 I worked with that in modeling for a couple of years - then along came the Peerless... and my faithful little Villiers was sent off to another modeler.

The only issue I had was burning out the check valves (Holden AC fuel pump0 and having to replace them a couple of times a year.... they were cheap, and readily available.

The other issue was that it worked continuously.. which meant when i was airbrushing, I was making noise... 

Aerosols are a quick fix - sadly, the air which comes out of them is cold - and you will learn soon that warming up paint before you spray it allows it to flow out better for a greater gloss or leveling of the finish.... not hot, but just "warm"..... 

This is the issue I have with aerosol paint cans..... the propellant is just above freezing point.. and the paint applies cold.... if it is applied lightly - it can dry on the surface without flowing or leveling out.... I don't like aerosol - great for insect repellent and silicone lubricant etc. etc.... but not for painting.

Ok... given you some more to think about... exciting stuff this - you will be more than happy with results once you start to learn to airbrush your models..

 

frats,

Rosco

@rosco01I have a compressor for 1:1 painting as well as for running pneumatic tools. Real cars and bikes (had and did up a lot of Harley's, European and Japanese bikes) have been a lifelong passion for as long as I can remember; particularly muscle cars. Currently I have a 1978 Camaro that is what I call a mean looking beast; a bit like an old dog that's been in many a scrap; plenty of scars but  mean looking. Next year I will re-paint it plus the plan is to start on another old girl.

The plan is that we will be moving to the mid-north coast of NSW early next year. The place we are trying to buy has the garage away from the planned slot car / hobby room which will be in the house. So i need an air compressor that's going to play nicely inside the house :).

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Hmmm.... you may be more fortunate than I if you are allowed or feel comfortable with airbrushing inside the house. The small compressors are noisy, but more modern ones seem to have addressed the noise issue to some extent. As for the paint - some of it is nasty, mainly the lacquers..... but Tamiya acrylic has "something" in it as well.... if you look at the bottle, it has an "infalmmable" warning on it. I have also found that it slightly attacks Patto's decals - so there is something in it which is not in other water based acrylic paints.

I continue to suggest that if you go ahead with a small compressor, to purchase one with a tank and a cut-out/cut in governor...... of course, the larger the tank, the greater the period of "silence".... 

I have recently built a spray booth - which could be used inside, when backed up to a slightly open window. It now has three extraction fans in it and four diffused LED lights.

The fans run in series and I simply use a small AGM battery (7 Ah).... in series, they "extract" the booth, but do not draw in so much air flow as to compromise wet paint.

Camaro - hmmm... I have two of the Pioneer Camaro's... did some tuning to them, they look great - but leave a bit to be desired as for being up there with the best of fast cars. I could easily upgrade the main parts - tyres, motor etc... but with these two, I am going to keep them as Jules supplied them.... along with the two Mustangs that I bought from Pioneer. Body and paint are really good - especially the metallic Mustangs.

 

Ok... back over to you... I'm really jammed at present with this grille for the LJ - it is proving to be a very difficult part of the build - see how I go by the end of today... I'm hoping I don't have to revert to leaving the cast in grille as is.. too fiddly to drill and cajole out each of the little rectangles in the grille...

 

frats,

Rosco

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2 hours ago, Wobble said:

No need to buy compressed air even without a compressor. A workmate picked up an old spare wheel that was passed its best for nicks and painted many model aircraft with that and a quick trip down to the local garage would replenish his air supply for a while.

Yes Bram - as mentioned, I used a number of spare tyres inflated to 50 psi at the local garage. It works fine, but as the pressure drops in each tyre - the valve has to be adjusted minisculey to adjust pressure at the brush. I sprayed "40" sized r/c aircraft using that source.... using "hobby poxy" paint (two pack  epoxy mix- model version) which was very "heavy". I have no idea at what pressure I sprayed that at..... but it used "heaps" of air.

It would also be possible to fit a regulator in the line to the airbrush if using the spare tyre method.... they can be picked up quite cheaply these days with 5 mm or 1/4" fittings.

If you could roll a blasted huge tractor tyre into your room - you'd probably go all day on that - so, as a given - the larger the tyre/wheel - the greater supply of air you would have to play with...

 

frats,

Rosco

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Ok, time for a break - starting to believe that GM would not have spent as much time on the grille of the LJ than I have, but I'm getting there - took a lot of thinking out how to set it up and solder it..... 

I cut out 9 verticals and slotted them for the three horizontals. Spacings were 1.25 mm vertically for the horizontals and 2.25 mm for the verticals.

I had three differing methods which were all failures in setting these up before I came up with making a wooden jig - slotting the three lines through them to hold the horizontals in place then sliding in the centre and outer two verticals..... setting them in place using balsa pins after drilling 0.8 mm holes in the jig.... 

I had to set a slight backwards and downwards "rake" from the top horizontal to the bottom... I did this by cutting the jig slots deeper in the centre and even deeper in the lower horiontal.

Once the three were soldered in place - the assembly is very rigid. I won't need to solder each joint for the remaining six inner ones - just a tack solder top and bottom to hold them to the assembly.

The "plan" is to assemble it all together - then take to it with the Dremel ..... removing all excess - mainly the verticals, but also just the ends of the horizontals.

I used 0.42 mm brass strip for all. The 0.62 mm was too thick, and I found the 0.25 too difficult to cut slots into.

I used a jewellers saw for all cuts, dragging it backwards through the thin metal seemed to prevent warping as the brass deflected against my blows.

 

Progress pix - all self explanatory

 

3000-grille-mail.jpg

 

3001-grille-mail.jpg

 

3002-grille-rake-mail.jpg

 

In it's current form, it would not be difficult to do another of these for a VH Commodore - if anyone is scratch building one of those.

 

Update pix on body... work continuing pix self explanatory, but pay attention to the revised door quarter vents and removal of the number plates.

 

5001-rh-mail.jpg

 

5002-rear-mail.jpg

 

5003-front-mil.jpg

 

5004-top-mail.jpg

 

5005-rear-left-mail.jpg

 

5006-quarter-vent-mail.jpg

 

And here we are with paint colour - I applied Patto's suggested formula onto a pic in Photo-Shop and believed it to be too "pink"... 

I intend to use Holts touch up aerosol paint, after decanting and bottling it... it is Holden "Radiant Red"..  I believe the LJ and L-34 Torana livery was a deeper and darker red than that used on the latter A9-X.... 

Couple of work pix... first, messing around with Photo-shop and playing with CMYK values.

Second pic - both paints applied with small brush to the roof..... on the right is Tamiya X-7 and the left -  intended radiant red...

 

Pix..

 

0000-Pattos-red.jpg

 

radiant-red-Tamiya-X7.jpg

 

Ok, time to get back to the grille - I'd like to have it assembled by the end of today.... it's been a long and drawn out plan and process to replace the cast in grille of the model - there will be before and after pix... 

 

frats,

Rosco

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4 hours ago, rosco01 said:

Hmmm.... you may be more fortunate than I if you are allowed or feel comfortable with airbrushing inside the house. The small compressors are noisy, but more modern ones seem to have addressed the noise issue to some extent.

@rosco01the house I am looking at buying has a garage in the middle of the house so that's the room for the hobbies.

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Ok, all together - about to start trimming and fitting into the body, once I gouge out the resin cast one..... 

Bit fiddly, and a few issues with getting the fine point of the iron into tight spaces - but I got there.... I found that tinning each new piece then "sweating" it into place resulted from the easiest way of placing and setting it into the assembly... 

It looks very much like a VB Commordore grille at present - but I believe it's much smaller than the VB.... 

My components may be a little thick in scale size - but I believe the overall effect will be worth the effort... perhaps, it's just the shiny brass which makes it look so heavy - matt or satin black will more than likely give the appearance a reduction in size... 

Pix..

3003-assembled-mail.jpg

 

3004-assembled-mail.jpg

 

back later, hopefully with an installed pic or two......

 

frats,

Rosco

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