Hi, long time lurker, first time poster.

Quick introduction, I've been building for a few years now, originally 1/24th, then I switched to the dark side (43rd).
Like most folks here, the hobby now sucks money from my bank account and time from my life faster than a demanding spouse with a penchant for diamonds.

I know most of you build in 24th and bigger, but I thought some of you might like to see this lovely little kit from the French company MEA 43.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/bits1.jpg

Loads of photo-etch, the entire chassis has to be build from this, as well as all of the side panels and rear.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/bits2.jpg

Resin covers the upper panels, seats, nosecone etc, as well as the engine block.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis1.jpg

The base of the chassis, a whopping 75mm long (less than 3" for old folks and americans :) )

Rather than try a glue such thin parts together, I decided to solder them, it would be much stronger.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis2.jpg

Handy, clampy thing holding the base and one of the sides, now if I can just keep my hand steady and not burn myself...

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis3.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis4.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis5.jpg

Et voila, a tiny reproduction of the Lotus 7 chassis.

Next installment, the side panels (assuming I dont accidentally crush the thing).

Cheers - Rab.

Edited: 'cause I'm a total noob and made a mess of the pictures.

Yay! :p

I'm always happy to see that there's someone here crazier than I am. :rolleyes: It looks utterly adorable. I'm of course a big 7 fan, so I will definately watch this with interest. I can hardly imagine how small it must be to work with. :uhoh: Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

Welcome to AF!

This is just tooooo cooool! Super!

What a great way to say "Hello" :)

Hope you don't keep us waiting too long for updates and make sure they are as detailed as NASA blueprints! ;)

Welcome to AF and don't be a stranger

EDIT: :lol: I was so glad I was going to be the first to reply but Andy, you sneaked in front of me :p ;)

great. I like it.

Looks great!! If you have a 1/24 anything, (preferably Lotus 7) take some pictures with both chassis and 1/24 in frame - put it into perspective for us!

Anyway, I can imagine just how small that thing is. Good luck with it, and hoping you get some P-man shine on it.
Cheers.

Whoa! that thing must be tiny! I'm keen to see more progress!

Cool, cool, cool. I have been thinking about building that kit for months. Maybe your thread makes me deciding to do it.
I'll be watching you, man.

Fantastic kit. I just love those spaceframe.

Thanks for the welcome folks and for all of the comments.

@ MPWR: I'm nowhere near as crazy as you, at no point will I be attempting to machine working hubs and rotating brake discs for this thing :)

@ DSM-Mark: I don't have a 1/24th Seven, but I'll find one of my old 24th and photograph them alongside each other.

@ cabarbe: I hope this encourages you to get started, I'll try and point out any assembly problems along the way.

And now the reason we're all here; photos.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/trans1.jpg

The rear axle and propshaft painted, drybrushed, smoked and washed, measuring in at a whopping 1.25" wide it should be easily up to the task of handling the torque :)

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis7.jpghttp://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis7.JPG

Rear axle installed, along with rear struts, the struts are white metal with a separate spring, all provided in the kit. However, the tops of the struts are too narrow and just fall through the hole in the chassis, so I made small top mounts out of plasticard.


The chassis also had all the excess solder filed down and was sprayed in aluminium.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis8.jpghttp://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/chassis8.JPG

The floor panel in place, the rivet marks are already etched on the part, all I did was glue it in.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/panels1.jpg

The panels were sprayed on the fret in Tamiya X-5 then glued to the frame. The panels have bending lines etched into the metal, so no guess work required.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/hold_n_fold1.jpg

Handy tool for bending photo-etch.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/panels%202.jpghttp://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/panels2.jpg

The rear panel's a bit trickier, getting the bends to follow the chassis and keeping them symmetrical took a bit of marking up and careful bending around the handle of a file, but it all went together fairly well.

Stay tuned for part 3, front suspension and brakes.

Cheers - Rab.

Hi - fabulous job on what looks like a very difficult kit - is this the same as the Feeling 43 kit by any chance?

Keep it coming.

Martin

Hi - fabulous job on what looks like a very difficult kit - is this the same as the Feeling 43 kit by any chance?

Hi Martin, thanks for the compliment, the kit's not that difficult, it's very well engineered, it's going together surprisingly easily.

The kit manufacturer is MEA 43, a French company, I wasn't aware that Feeling 43 did a Lotus 7 kit and at 80 GBP, it was a lot cheaper than most Feeling 43 kits.

I do have one of their "Basic 43" kits to build, the '53 Le Mans C-Type, that's fairly high on my to-do list.

Cheers - Rab.

It seems I was mistaken there - I could swear I'd read a write up on a detailed Feeling 43 '7 but as I can't find one anywhere either it must have been the MEA kit. Sorry for any confusion

Martin

Astounding work! This is a pleasure to watch. The PE chassis is a work of art.

Thanks for all the comments so far folks.
I must say, posting progress on here provides real encouragement to keep moving on the build, if only so I've got some new photos to post, speaking of which:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/sus1.jpg

Front suspension under way, the uprights are photoetched and the lower wishbones are white metal. The upper arm is fixed (photo-etch) so the lower arms seem to sit at a rather steep angle, still the hub seems to be level with the rear axle so it should be OK.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/sus2.jpg

Anti-roll bar and steering rack in place. In hindsight, it would have been easier to put the steering rack in before all the other suspension components. It took a bit of fiddling and bending to feed it past the shocks, good job it's white metal.
Front discs in place too and the whole thing's been given a lick of paint.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/sus3.jpg

Rear drums and propshaft fitted.

A couple of photos for scale:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/size2.jpg

I didn't have a 1/24 Lotus 7, but this old GT40 was the smallest of the models I had handy.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/size1.jpg

The paint jar is a standard 10ml Tamiya pot.

Next step engine and a bit of wiring.

Cheers - Rab.

very nice build !
I don't think I have good enough eyes to build anything smaller than the 1/24 super 7.
An 1/43 seven must be modeling at molecular level almost ;)
And you are talking about wiring this thing...
I'll definatley be watching !

OMG! :eek2:

I knew it was small but I didn't realise it was THAT small!

This is a great thread - thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

Thanks for the continued interest folks, it's motivating me to do at least one thing every day, even if it's only a small thing, although on a model this size, everything's small.

On with the photos:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/engine2.jpg

The engine block & gearbox is a single piece of resin, fairly well moulded. I drilled out the plug holes and mounting points for fuel & oil pumps, distributor and starter motor. I then painted the whole thing black before subjecting it to a variety of drybrushes and washes to try and get a "well used but looked after" look.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/engine3.jpg

Dizzy attached and wired, I later realised that the coil wasn't mounted under the dizzy, but was a separate piece, fortunately before I glued the whole thing into the car.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/engine4.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/engine5.jpg

As you can see from the first photo, the photo-etched drive belts & pulleys didn't line up at all, so I cut the pulleys off, attached them to the block and wound some thin wire around them to simulate the belt.

You can also see the starter motor, fuel pump and oil pump in these pictures.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/engine6.jpg

Carbs on, all she needs is the cylinder head and ...

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/enginein1.jpg

The Seven has a heart, a throbbing, beating heart. The kit includes rather nicely moulded, white metal motor mounts which I stupidly neglected to photograph. I've also added the feed for the starter motor.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/enginein2.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/enginein3.jpg


And now the engine has fuel, the transparent line was included in the kit, the accelerator cable wasn't so I made one. I used the thinnest wire I have (Detail Master detail wire) and stripped off the insulation at each end.

The intake trumpets were way too long so I trimmed them to length, I think they're still too large a diameter, but I'm not going to try and scratch build new ones.

That's all for now, tomorrow brake lines, battery and whatever else I get done.

Cheers - Rab.

Lovely detail Rab - I keep having to remind myself that this is 1/43!

I would brake this one 30 times till I got to this point. Amazing, so small.
Great work so far, how are the wheels?

Welcome.
a great contrast to marks big scale 7's too.

Once again, thanks for the comments, I'm flattered by the compliments, given the standard of modelling I've seen on these forums.

A small amount of progress:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/brakes1.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/brakes2.jpg

Brake lines and clutch line in place, the wire is 5amp fuse wire, sanded to reveal the copper underneath, I used insulation from some of my Detail Master stuff to cover the clutch line.

The calipers are yet to be painted and I need to shape the lines at the wheels a bit more.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/battery1.jpg

Battery installed and wired.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/wheels1.jpg

In answer to Sjelic's question, here are the wheels, they need a bit of clean up, but not too bad.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/compare2.jpg

Just for comparison, here's the Seven alongside a Lamborghini Murcielago, the Seven's tiny even for a 43rd scale model.

Tomorrow, interior.

Cheers - Rab.

I keep having to remind myself that this is 1/43!
EXACTLY how I feel :) Really quite amazing.

Having just finished a 1/24 Super 7 myself, I recognize all the details but when I remind myself that this is in 1/43, well....I am just simply stunned.

I can't imagine what size wire you are using in 1/43 scale for plug wires. Human hair perhaps? LOL

Thats crazy small. But you are making the detail look real. Nice work on this!

EXACTLY how I feel :) Really quite amazing.

Having just finished a 1/24 Super 7 myself, I recognize all the details but when I remind myself that this is in 1/43, well....I am just simply stunned.

I can't imagine what size wire you are using in 1/43 scale for plug wires. Human hair perhaps? LOL

Thanks Klutz, It was your build that inspired me to start this model.
I'm actually using your suberb build as a reference for the engine in mine, I've found a couple of engine shots online, but your photos have been a huge help, so thanks :)

The plug wire is Detail Master detail wire, 0.16mm diameter according to my calipers. I was considering adding plug boots, but for the sake of my sanity, decided against it.

That's umbeliveable, it have almost same details or more than our 1/24 stuff...

Thanks Klutz, It was your build that inspired me to start this model.
I'm actually using your suberb build as a reference for the engine in mine, I've found a couple of engine shots online, but your photos have been a huge help, so thanks :)
I'm honored - and pleased to be of help in that case (unless of course you are confusing me with someone else ;) LOL)

I was considering adding plug boots, but for the sake of my sanity, decided against it.
I'll bet you did!! :lol:

Woah.

Excellant build!! Detailing is amazing for such a small kit!!

Smallish update, mainly due to last night being a beer & curry fest :)

I made a carpet using the spare chassis base as a template.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/mats1.jpg

Thin sheet styrene was cut to shape, flocked and fitted to the model, along with the painted side panels.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/carpets1.jpg

The seats and transmission tunnel were painted and fitted.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/interior1.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/interior2.jpg

I also had to file down the battery and relocate it to clear the bodywork.

Now the first problem, the nose doesn't fit at all, their isnt enough space for it to sit far enough back.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose1.jpg

I thinned down the interior of the nose cone, but the lower part is far too short and doesn't reach the botton of the chassis.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose2.jpg

This is going to take a bit of work to fix, updates as soon as possible.

Cheers - Rab.

Now the first problem, the nose doesn't fit at all,
Ouch!

Everything else is looking great though :)

Smallish update :lol: That's a bit hard to avoid isn't it? :grinyes:

Good luck with that nose. It looks like a bit of work!

Wow, you are really doing a nice job. This point has obviously been established but that thing is TINY!! Excellent--and good eyes and fingers!

Alex

Wow now thats small good luck and good work so far

:lol: That's a bit hard to avoid isn't it? :grinyes:
Indeed it is with this model :)

Bigger update today.

Sliced the nose in half:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose3.jpg

Styrene to extend the sides:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose4.jpg

Front of nose cone fitted with Blu-Tac and styrene strips used to hold it in place.

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose5.jpg

Showing styrene strips and a fillet of styrene used to fill the gap:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose6.jpg

Nose cone puttied and ready for sanding:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/nose7.jpg

I also made some new mudguards (fenders) and supports for them and fitted the rear mudguards:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/guards1.jpg

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/guards2.jpg

Nose cone sanded, painted and in place:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/guards3.jpg

Funny how a weekend's work can be summed up with hals a dozen pictures and a few words isn't it?

Anyway, thanks for all the comments & compliments, I'll have some more updates tomorrow

That thing is SICK!!! Keep it up!

Just remember the old adage about what a picture is worth.

That is simply outstanding. One really has to keep reminding themselves that it is only half if not only 1/3 the size of a 1/25 car!

A final update, the next photos will be of the finished model, sorry for the delay, but real life has an annoying habit of interfering :)

Got the windscreen and supports fitted:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/screen.jpg

Final test fit of the nose and bonnet:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/panels_on.jpg

Wipers and headlights:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/lights1.jpg

Spare wheel and tonneau cover fitted:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/rear1.jpg

Stripes and wheel covers fitted:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/side1.jpg

Front 3 quarter view:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/near_done1.jpg

I hope to get the model finished tomorrow and post some pictures in the finished section.

Cheers - Rab.

woah man, just stumbled upon this model today. and i thought my 24th scale miura was hard work.

Youve just got me back into modeling. thanks :)

nice

Just awesome work! Such great skill to be modelling on such a minute but detailed level. As much as I can't wait to see the finished photos of this, I hope you could include maybe one photo of it next to either a 1/24 scale or a coin or something to give a scale of how small this really is. Hats off to ya :icon16:.

Great job :thumbsup:

Well, it's done, the completed pictures are at http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=755869

Here's a teaser:

http://www.miniaturemotorco.co.uk/builds/lotus_7/complete_rquarter2.jpg

@nicecar: Thanks mate, stick with your Miura, don't let the setbacks get you down, overcoming problems is what makes us modellers.

@Kev: There's a couple of pics for scale back on page 1, but just for you. I've added another to the completed thread.

Thanks to all for the support and encouragement, I couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome to these boards.

Cheers - Rab.