DocRob

Congratulations, well earned. Cheers Rob

Very nice dozer, Greg. I really like the multi colored chipping. I have a 1/35 Doobie D9r kit started, where I plan multi layer hairspray chipping. Metal base color, chipping fluid, primer, chipping fluid and finally the body color. I have no idea, if it works. Cheers Rob

A fantastic collection of more or less flying curiosities you have there, Yves. I love them all, but have to admit, the Coleoptere is a stand out. Interesting, that they were not able to calculate the lift of the annular wing correctly. It might have to do with the low speed when converting into vertical flight. Good to have computer simulation now, but your models show, there was a time in the 40´s and 50´s where everything was thought possible. I have a 1/32 Natter in stash and I am considering to build it in plywood finish, when time comes. Cheers Rob

Absolutely beautiful, good to see you back here. Cheers Rob

Somehow I missed your great build, Dan. I really like your methodical approach and the Bulldog looks fantastic. Cheers Rob

This is getting better and better Alan, Your knight looks splendid and I love the idea with the paper insignia. Color rendition and metallic sheen are excellent. On the first picture, the shield looks very shiny. I would have thought it to be matte in appearance, but this is just me. Cheers Rob

Thank you Gary, the Lotus does look good on the shelf, but it was far from an easy build. The pre-printed tires are definitely a highlight, unfortunately not copied by many companies. The added MFH details for the engine and air intakes definitely were a good invest, as the engine is so visible. Due to the fragility of the kit, I omitted further detailing with tubes and hoses. Cheers Rob

Thank you Phil and Allen, F1 cars tend to be delicate to build generally, due to lots of components in minimal space and fragile constructions. It wouldn´t have taken too much to make a premium effort with the kit for Ebbro. There are many details and clever engineering included, but poor implementations in some places, specially where the pr-chromed sprues come into play. Like you, Allan, I love the cars of this period, albeit I wasn´t following F1 racing as a youngster. I detest the later turbo monsters and after that detour, it became interesting again in the late 80`s. Cheers Rob

Thank you Ken, you are right about the cockpit no digital display, no traction control, just what you need for driving. I don´t know exactly, but I think, it was one of the first F1 cars with seat belts. Not all of the pilots liked them, because it was difficult to open them quickly after an accident with fire breaking out. When I remember correctly, Jochen Rindt, the driver of my car died soon after the Monaco race, possibly because he wasn´t wearing the seat belts correctly for the fear from fire. Cheers Rob

I got the Lotus 49c over the finish line. Final assemblies were the rear wing, the tiny metal nets over the air intakes, the steering wheel and clear parts around the cockpit and many small parts. The wing was easier mounted then thought, luckily. The rods were fragile and I can understand, why wings were banned sometimes in F1 due to the risk of flying around and hurting somebody. I hope, I did Jochen Rindt´s 1970 Monaco winner some justice. The build was not always pleasant, but I like the result despite some shortcomings. Cheers Rob

That will end as a nicely busy scene, Greg. It will look like a snapshot with a camera, great. Cheers Rob

Thank you Gary, it´s good to see the checkered flag near by with the Lotus. There will be an extensive touch up session before I call it finished. The sprayed chrome is very sensitive to the touch, luckily a chrome pen works relatively well. With the delicate construction, I omitted further wiring and piping. That will have to wait for a Tamiya Lotus 79 in 1/20 scale. Cheers Rob

Thank you Yves, but the result wouldn´t be sufficient for further macro photos. The Lotus was supposed to be a fun build, but was more of a nuisance then. I hope fot the best with the fragile rear wing construction, but could imagine some more probs on the horizon. Cheers Rob

Almost done, the Lotus and my nerves. Assembly is very difficult due to fit issues and the complexity of the car itself. There were the exhausts with a special PITA award mentioning. I had to break them from the engine, because it would have been impossible to install the four chromed rods, connecting the body with the rear suspension. I had to shave off a lot of the exhausts undersides to fiddle them in and glue them in place. Cheers Rob

A lot is going on lately, not modeling wise unfortunately, but I´m still onto the Lotus 49. Everything is prepared and painted and waiting to be assembled. The kit is a VERY mixed bag quality wise. Some engineering is fantastic and you need no glue to assemble, others areas are downright terrible, specially where the pre chromed parts come into play. I de-chromed the sprues with oven cleaner, because the detail looked soft. Unfortunately it wasn´t the chrome, the plastic got covered in a layer which looks like clear resin as a base for the chrome and this is not removable. It´s also impossible to glue the de-chromed parts with plastic glue, they call for CA. I had to drill most of the holes on the back end out, they were simply to narrow. One of the best aspects of the kit are the pre-printed tires, an approach, I wish other companies would copy. The rims were sprayed polished aluminum and semi gloss black, as the chrome looked wrong. I assembled the gearbox with the rear suspension, an area, where there is great engineering, intersecting the parts with almost no need for glue. One of the worst area of the kit were the exhausts, which were chromed, albeit they need to be painted black or white, depending the car you show. The de-chromed plastic doesn´t take paint well and need CA to glue, not easy, when you assemble the four parts per side with only seconds to fit them to the engine case, moving and wiggling the fragile parts. Cheers Rob