Sebring 12 Hours 1964 Proposed group build thread

[Ace-Garageguy]

Ferrari 275P, race #23: still ticking

Where we started, a sad little gloobomb:

And recently: Custom outside laced front wheels, mold parting lines removed and smoothed, panel lines re-scribed, first coat of Duplicolor sandable red primer, non-salvageable windshield is now first mold for a vac-formed part, lots more.

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[Pierre Rivard]

Looks very good Ace. Fixing the transition to the body sides is a must for this old kit and you nailed it. Vac forming windshield will be a big plus (something I don't have skills to do) and will further boost the realism of this replica.

[250 Testa Rossa]

Interested in a vac-u-formed windshield as well. 

[afx]

On 10/6/2023 at 1:28 PM, Scooter757 said:

Can Gramps46 or anyone help shed some light on the area behind the front fenders that flair out. Was this required for a reason or a rule?

 

They are called fender spats it was a FIA rules at the time.

 Because the FIA rules required the wheels and tires to lie within the bodywork (seen from above), large curved aluminum spats were riveted into place behind the front fender openings.

https://www.shelbyamericancollection.org/cobras-coupes/1963-cobra-lemans-csx2137

[Misha]

Over the past week I’ve been able to move along on the build, main objective is getting parts primed, then paint and assembly. Prep remains key to a better result, so most of today has been spent in the kitchen! My usual routine is to wash the parts with Ivory soap, rinse and dry. Many dish soaps contain a silicone-like additive to make dishes shine, yet Ivory remains pure; you can tell by the squeaky clean feel of the plastic. 

Avoid drying by using a rubbing action, gentle soaking up wet spots with a paper towel prevents static build up. After air drying the first step will be to give the parts a blast with the airbrush followed by a sweep with an anti-static brush just before applying paint. 

Prep began with the clear molded pieces for the windscreen and fibreglass hardtop. Being careful of the clear portions, a wet sand with 600 gave a tooth for the primer. 

Using my new Tamiya scriber that I picked up at the DSC I deepened the de-misting vents on the dash top to add greater depth to the final look. 

The front suspension builds up into a single assembly to attach to the frame of the unibody chassis. Using my spare body with the chassis I mocked it up to determine if it needed to be lowered. Comparing the photo to the model the front required a slight adjustment, roughly a scale one inch drop to place the wheels higher up in the body. This was easily done by sanding the suspension’s attachment points to the chassis. 

I decided to complete the chassis detail by adding the empty cage opposite the battery. This required careful measuring and assembly with Plastruct lengths. 

As the driving position has changed to LHD the steering column needed to be flipped due to the signal light control. An injection mark needed attention as did the bulbous, out of scale control stalk. Using a section of brass rod with the end tipped in white glue to represent the end of the control stalk a much improved look was achieved. 

With chassis detail completed at this point it received the first primer coat as did a number of other parts. 

The wire spoked wheels are vey nicely detailed with no backing on them allowing a see-through effect. The actual wheels used in competition weren’t stock having been modified with heavy duty spokes. Using a circle template to mask the rims I toned down the spokes with Testor’s Dull-Cote to eliminate the chrome finish on them. A side note, two of the MGBs used the modified spoked wheels while the red one used American Racing mags. This was part of the effort to have the MGs appear as stock as possible for publicity purposes. This also extended to the interiors which kept the factory door cards and seats (with the exception again with the red car where a driver requested a racing seat). 

Next on the list is to mix up the body colour using Tamiya LP colours in a large enough quantity for the project. Going to keep an accurate record of the paint ratios in case more is required. Most of the running gear is primered and will receive its base colour in preparation for further detail painting. Being a curbside with minimal engine detail the concentration is on the chassis. 

 

Thanks to all looking in and especially to members who comment. Always on the look out for more info and hints!

 

Cheers Misha

 

 

 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Coming along nicely Misha. Great dedication and diligence to detail. For what it's worth, I did a few classics with wire wheels, and found that a light wash with some thinned out black added a realistic look to the spokes. Keep up the good work.

[Misha]

5 hours ago, Rattlecan Dan said:

I did a few classics with wire wheels, and found that a light wash with some thinned out black added a realistic look to the spokes. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for checking in Donato and yes, using a wash greatly enhances the scale effect. That was my second detailing stage along with installing R&M resin tire valves for the first time!

Thankfully Norm Veber included instructions to use a #77 drill bit for the install. Originally I dreaded attempting to achieve a decent job because of the tiny parts, yet I found it to be very slick. Drill at the appropriate spot, cut the valve off its sprue and using quality fine point tweezers dip the stem in white glue and install!

The tire valve is circled above. One needs a magnifier to spot it, yet I know it’s there. 

Above is a comparison between the finished wheel to the original on the sprue part.

This shot shows the excellent rendition of wire spokes for an injected piece. Now 3D modelling offers much greater fidelity. Below is the actual wheel on the original car.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Looks great! 

[Misha]

Back at the bench… using the Tamiya panel line washes, I applied black to the body using the fine point applicator to dab a section and allow capillary action to flow along the edges of the doors and body sections.  Having deepened the panel lines helps to create a greater depth effect. For clean up I use a variety of shapes of cotton balls and mineral spirits to remove excess washes. 

With the interior a more liberal wash was applied, then cleaned up with mineral spirits. The aim is to create shadows to achieve greater depth perception for realism. 

The seats show the effect the wash produces by creating a deeper depth perception, giving volume to them.

Top photos show primered chassis and bottom has had the was applied.

Masked the windows and frames on the clear windscreen and fibreglass hardtop in preparation for primer, white for the hardtop for it to be visible on the inside followed on top by the blue body. The windscreen, after priming, will be painted black in prep for chrome and rubber sealing. The side frames on the top will done in a similar manner with aluminum trim. 

There are still a number of parts to be primed, mostly smaller detailed ones. I prepped them by eliminating mould lines, adding mounting pins and installing photo etch parts. I rarely leave parts attached to sprues for painting with the exception of finely moulded ones such as the shift lever and the clutch slave cylinder mounted on the bell housing. 

Above are the modified grill, rear brake backing plates, pedals with a P/E gas pedal, the resin gas cap from R&D of M, and a finely rendered kit sway bar.

The shift lever has been gently sanded while on the sprue. One of my wheel hubs executed an escape! Luckely I have the stock version from which I pirated another hub. 

The photo composite shot is of the actual MG from an auction site. I often find these to be very helpful as they offer a variety of good detail photos. In this case, while being the original racer, it does display current modifications for vintage racing that would not have been in place for the 64 Sebring, such as tow hooks and the racing seat. The blue and white entrants in 64 retained the stock seats while the red roadster was outfitted with a race seat at the driver’s request. 

Sorting thru the parts bin I did locate a set of driving lights to fit behind the grill. There are still a few more tasks before really getting into airbrushing, especially mixing the body colour with the Tamiya LP range. 

The rainy season is upon us and spending more time indoors will allow for greater bench time!

Thanks for lookin’ in, Cheers Misha

[Pierre Rivard]

Very, very nice work Misha. What you have done with the cast wire wheels is pretty amazing. First time I see washes applied at the primer stage (chassis) so I'll be following with great interest. Always something new to learn.

[Misha]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:54 PM, Pierre Rivard said:

First time I see washes applied at the primer stage (chassis) so I'll be following with great interest. Always something new to learn.

Hi Pierre, This is a bit of an experiment from my days of building aircraft and using pre-shading. In this case the chassis and interior are the elements to be weathered or show wear. Much like a cockpit a vehicle’s interior is much more visible and in this case the upholstered parts are black as is the dash. As this is a curbside kit I’m looking at spending greater attention to the chassis, especially to improve my weathering skills. 

Even pre-shading at this point gives my eye a better sense of the space. Black is a very difficult colour to distinguish different parts in an interior. I prefer using Vallejo acrylics for interiors due to their matte finishes, ease of mixing colour, and easy hand or air brushing. In reviewing your great #1 Cobra build I focused on your interior as it is black and used Vallejo paints. Would you have any hints or advice?

Thanks again for checking in,

Cheers Misha

[Pierre Rivard]

1 hour ago, Misha said:

Hi Pierre, This is a bit of an experiment from my days of building aircraft and using pre-shading. In this case the chassis and interior are the elements to be weathered or show wear. Much like a cockpit a vehicle’s interior is much more visible and in this case the upholstered parts are black as is the dash. As this is a curbside kit I’m looking at spending greater attention to the chassis, especially to improve my weathering skills. 

Even pre-shading at this point gives my eye a better sense of the space. Black is a very difficult colour to distinguish different parts in an interior. I prefer using Vallejo acrylics for interiors due to their matte finishes, ease of mixing colour, and easy hand or air brushing. In reviewing your great #1 Cobra build I focused on your interior as it is black and used Vallejo paints. Would you have any hints or advice?

Thanks again for checking in,

Cheers Misha

Hi Misha. I did not do much to the Cobra interior. Focus was mostly on IP gauges & switches. On the paint side everything was brush painted starting with Vallejo black primer. That primer has a semi gloss shade to it and it looked good for the seats so I did not topcoat them. I added Vallejo black color coat to the interior tub to get a flatter finish. What I like with Vallejo Color is that you can move the gloss level with what you thin with. Vallejo thinner medium will produce a bit of gloss, Green Stuff World acrylic thinner will make it flat. Other than black for the metalized parts I start with Vallejo aluminium or chrome and then add a wash of Vallejo Oiled Earth to produce a weathered effect.

[Andrew McD]

I've finally started work on the #59 Jim Clark Lotus Cortina.  Being this is my first resin kit I'm finding it's going to take a LOT of prep work to get this thing assembled.  The basis for the build is the 1963 Cortina Mk1 kit from The Motor Museum in Miniature.  No doubt I'll be leaning on this forum for assistance and ideas.

The first problem I'm in need of help with is finding some 1/24 scale, 13 inch, 4 lug, steel rims.  The kit wheels are wrong for the #59 as it raced at Sebring in 1964.

Here is a picture of the wheels I need.

 

Here is a picture of one of the kit wheels overlaid on a photo of the #59.

As you can see, that spoked kit front wheel is wrong for the vehicle I'm trying to replicate.

I've done some internet searching and haven't found an appropriate wheel.  The closest I've come is the 14", 4 lug, steelies on my Tamiya Lotus Super Seven.  Close but no cigar!  Does anybody have any idea where I might find an appropriate wheel and tire?

All comments and ideas appreciated.

Andrew

[Phildaupho]

3 hours ago, Andrew McD said:

I've finally started work on the #59 Jim Clark Lotus Cortina.  Being this is my first resin kit I'm finding it's going to take a LOT of prep work to get this thing assembled.  The basis for the build is the 1963 Cortina Mk1 kit from The Motor Museum in Miniature.  No doubt I'll be leaning on this forum for assistance and ideas.

The first problem I'm in need of help with is finding some 1/24 scale, 13 inch, 4 lug, steel rims.  The kit wheels are wrong for the #59 as it raced at Sebring in 1964.

Here is a picture of the wheels I need.

 

Here is a picture of one of the kit wheels overlaid on a photo of the #59.

As you can see, that spoked kit front wheel is wrong for the vehicle I'm trying to replicate.

I've done some internet searching and haven't found an appropriate wheel.  The closest I've come is the 14", 4 lug, steelies on my Tamiya Lotus Super Seven.  Close but no cigar!  Does anybody have any idea where I might find an appropriate wheel and tire?

All comments and ideas appreciated.

Andrew

The Mini Exotic Lotus Cortina resin kit I got from Gerry Chevalier a couple of years ago comes with steel wheels that I assume are the correct size. Gerry is on Facebook and might sell you a set of wheels and tires. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, Andrew McD said:

The first problem I'm in need of help with is finding some 1/24 scale, 13 inch, 4 lug, steel rims.  The kit wheels are wrong for the #59 as it raced at Sebring in 1964.

 

I've done some internet searching and haven't found an appropriate wheel.  The closest I've come is the 14", 4 lug, steelies on my Tamiya Lotus Super Seven.  Close but no cigar!  Does anybody have any idea where I might find an appropriate wheel and tire?

All comments and ideas appreciated.

The Lotus 7 wheels are probably as close as you're going to get to the correct centers. Turning them down to 13" isn't difficult if you have a lathe or electric drill, but they're nowhere near as deep as your reference shot.

Aoshima has a set of 14-inchers that have a deeper rim.

You could turn the rims off the Lotus wheels, turn the centers out of the Aoshimas, and swap in the Lotus centers. Lot of work, but it would get you there.

Fat little 13" tires are another problem entirely.

Only kit source that comes to mind is the AMT '69 Corvair...though they'd most likely need some modification to get the right look (again, not too hard, as sidewall details can be removed, and tread details softened, by progressively wet-sanding with 180 up to 600).

[Andrew McD]

Thanks Phil but unfortunately I'm not a Facebook person and couldn't find Gerry Chevalier.

[Andrew McD]

I appreciate the ideas and advice Bill.  This is starting to look like a real challenge.  I do have access to a Sherline lathe but very little experience turning anything on it, no time like the present to try and learn to use it.  I'm thinking maybe I can turn the rims out of the kit wheels and swap in the rim centers from the Lotus.  This is going to be an adventure ...........

[Misha]

It’s great to see all the masterful work being accomplished on these Sebring entries! The research being done is impressive and seeing completed replicas appear is quite a treat.

Cross over at Sebring, 1964 - “MG Safety Fast!”

As I gear up a bit more I’m considering an additional build thread to this one. I enjoy following the ones already posted. The history of the three MGB entries is impressive in light of their grid competition made up of  Ferraris, Vette GS’s, and other high powered vehicles. Yet MG racing heritage goes back decades before. 

Spent time planning out the sequence of body colours.

The primer coat is ready to go having had two applications each of grey, to prep the body and white, for the stripe and meat balls. It is now ready for the blue body colour to be followed by a red decal stripe for the alternate red MG. All three MGB entries alternated their stripes accordingly to their body colour. 

Two of the original entries surviving with current safety items added such as tow hooks and LX switches. The white entry had been lost to history. 
 

Originally I had planned on mixing up the light blue, nearly Sky Blue in a lacquer base colour, using Tamiya’s LP range, as it doesn’t appear as a stand alone colour. Poking thru my paint stores I came upon Tamiya X-14, in their acrylic line.  Having been disappointed by the early water based paints offered I have shied away from using them. The Vellejo range has changed my opinion, using them predominantly for interiors. 

By choosing the acrylic X-14 for the body colour affects subsequent paint applications. Since the MGB was the first  unibody replacing the MGA the Sky Blue was applied to the underside and interior. The curbside plate chassis and the interior will require planning to avoid applying a lacquer (my preferred medium),  over the body colour. 

A question regarding thinning the Tamiya for air brushing , using X-20A would I use a 1:1 ratio, equal parts of each? Thanks!

 

The Scale-Master sheet lies on top of the Club Racing and standard MGB decal sheets. 
 

I also had a look thru my decal collection for the number “48” finding a Scale-Master sheet from the Minicraft large scale 300 SL Gullwing. Just eyeballed it so far. The meatballs will be the masked white primer areas. The Sky Blue will be a matte finish as well so that all decaling will be done after the gloss coat to avoid silvering. 

 

Having had decent outdoor weather for yard work, the past few days have kept me from the bench, today it’s pouring rain! I know where I’m spending the day. Hoping to mask the white stripe and meatballs, get the blue on the chassis and catch up on priming a few pieces. 

Cheers Misha

 

[Misha]

A quick note on progress… I used a circle template to determine what size the balls need to be. Surprise! The ones on the sheet match the required 3/4 “ diameter on the car. With the quality of the sheet, I’m expecting them to be opaque, so only need to mask for the white stripe before body colour. 

Speaking of body colour, I sprayed a spoon and the chassis and it still needs to be lightened by a couple of shades. Also hit the inside of the body shell. 

Tomorrow will see how far I will get, cheers Misha 

 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Good work. Stay after it Misha.

[absmiami]

Yup

[Phildaupho]

Race preparation of the #4 Hall-Penske Corvette Grand Sport 005 was completed today and it is now ready for the Sebring 1964/2024 grid. These are the first photos taken with my phone. I plan to do a proper photo shot and an Under Glass post in the near future. I still have not heard the full story on why the Hall-Penske Team taped over the hood louvers and left them that way for the Road America race in September 1964 and Nassau December 1964. Maybe the original reason was to prevent rain getting into the engine compartment but the team must have found it advantageous for other reasons because Road America was a dry race. - ???

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Phildaupho

[Rattlecan Dan]

Great-looking build. Looks ready to rumble to me.

[Pierre Rivard]

Congratulations Phil. Your GS looks formidable. Rich with detailing and a paint finish that has the perfect 60's race car look.

[MarkJ]

Awesome work, Phil.  Looks perfect to me.