Ford GT40 -chassis 1083 - JW car, Gulf flared 1/24

[lovegt40]

As from my name, I really love the mighty Ford gt40.
The origin of the nickname I use since may years is coming from my wonderful expereince with the gt40 enthusiast club uk, coming from early 2000s when I joined the amazing nice forum gt40s.com

In this british club many owners have wonderful replica cars, and for me was incredible to see how nice where those cars for real. Amazing to see theme on the road with ordinary vehicles and even more the trip we made together at 2006 le mans classic event.

So of course I would love to have a proper gt40 in my collection,and I try to buy all the models I found around.
Of course I also end up with all fujimi models , but here for me come the biggest disappointment. Probably neither my skill at the time was good to finish this car as it deserves, but something really in fujimi model was strange.

Recently I discover the so many differences between the dynasty of this racer, and I end up understanding what I love, and what is my favourite model.

The latest gulf flared cars from 1968 and 1969, raced by JW, with the modified body of the mk1 cars.
It is always nice refer to original chassis, despite the 90% of the amazing replicars around copy the style of this last car, much wider than original ford racing mk.1

As paulo souza just explained me, fujimi started with mk2 models, with some body mistakes too in the front clip, and then modified the existing mould to mk1, cutting the rear hatch and providing a different lower mk1 tail.
If anybody of you build the fujimi kits you probably already get my point. That shape is a gt40, but not THAT gt40...

here fujimi (check front end..)


and here THAT 1969 real car


I started scrap my previous models....

[lovegt40]

fujimi...


and this..


fujimi..


and this..


something is not really convincing me....

[Scalemodelfanatic]

There was a website where they show almost step by step tye restoration of the Corvette Grand Sport 004...they are also on Facebook...in their page menu was an area showing a restored 1969 GT40 in Gulf colors, as you very well pointed out the fujimi body is way off, I to have their "Gulf 1969" and when I saw the photos of profile and clouseups of the JW GT40...the diference in body profile, details and overall look became very clear.

Knowing your amazing work ....which I follow in facebook to...this GT40 corrections will turn amazing in your hands!!...hope to do the same to mine some day....some day!!!

[lovegt40]

so as said first of all i started scrap my old build. Something with paint went bad at the time, so all the beautiful gulf livery simply fall apart and i couldnt stand it. big work and time consuming trying to strip it off...





then i cut the front clip and enlarged with 3mm thick plasticard in both sides.
So thick material allows me to sand it in the proper dimensionwithout any worrying





I think is also better cut away the lights mounded in the part



and in the meanwhile also enlarge the rear clip





rear part of the car should look like this










real sexy curves from john Tojeiro...the 69 car is something special really...

[lovegt40]

in those pictures I took in our last IPMS sweden meeting I spotted 2 (amazing as usual) models of my friend lmracer, and you can cleraly see the body differences. He told me he used resin clips , think from lemans miniatures. the look is this:





where car no. 12 is the fat one. Also here in this other pic from great master modeller paulo souza you see the differences in the (fat) ass of 68 and 69 car..



without those important informations I could not proceed in my work, and so here my mk1 fat body primered..
I also removed front nacelles for lights. think is easier in the painting process











in the same time I started to fix also the bodyshell for her winning previous sister, the 1966 Mk2 le mans winner car.
In my opinion also here fujimi made the front end a little too bit narrow. Front end will be enlarged then..



model scrapped and surgeons in a different way, but same thickness plasticar material (2mm)










note mk2 fujimi kit is a little better than their mk1s, but anyway decals are mistaken and of course the white or silver bands over the body are not covering the bodyshell color. My idea is to make this mk2 as the famous black le mans winner, so I am forced to buy spare better decals.
It is anyway a pleasure to see the 2 bodyshell near. The rear clip is temporary fixed, cause I still didnt decide if to show or not the engine, misteriously missing in all fujimi boxes.





the mechanicals provided by fujimi are quite basical,and of course they end right before the v8 blocks.
For the 1966 car I found a Cobra 427 engine, and for the 1968 mk1 I found a ford 289/302 coming from a nascar. In both engines Youhave to cut away the different bellhousing. At today I still dunno if fujimi copied properly the unique specific Ford T44 gearbox used by gt40s.

big block 427


and small block 302 ex nascar


to be stripped off and cut...but the fitting becomes quite precise in fujimi empty engine bay





in both engines edelbrock carb must be changed with webers IDA48.

[freakray]

Great stuff, I love your approach to building. Wish I had your skills!

[lovegt40]

thanks mate. Forum is a great way to learn new techniques and tips

[Hemi Killer]

when you opened the fenders to put in the extra plastic, did you cut out a piece of plastic, or just make a slice, then spread it open and stuff the plastic in there?

I really want to learn how to do wide fenders on cars without a whole bunch of putty and reshaping, I like this method you used.

[lovegt40]

Originally Posted by Hemi Killer

when you opened the fenders to put in the extra plastic, did you cut out a piece of plastic, or just make a slice, then spread it open and stuff the plastic in there?

I really want to learn how to do wide fenders on cars without a whole bunch of putty and reshaping, I like this method you used.

I made only a slice on the part with an earth disk about 0.2 mm thick and then spread it with real thick plasticard of 2 mm, and only in the widest point. The remaining part is filled with filler and glue mixed with plastic debrits to give structure.
Note this enlargement method is only suitable for some kind of fenders. The ones (many unfortunately) as from my 997 gt3r cant be done this way.
And YES, is definitely much better and easier than shape milliput or any other filler (took neither half time of that other method)

[vintagethunder]

Nice! We had a guy in the GPMA who did this 20 years ago in much the same way. He also split the tires and inserted one more row of tread to bring them to what he said was proper width.

Tom

[lmracer]

I Think it was Jörgen Stendahl from Swedenthat has built it.

[afxracing]

Historic Racing Miniatures offer a correct wheel/tire set for the GT40.

[lovegt40]

thanks a lot Jc, I Think I will use the tyres from MFH.

[lovegt40]

so, now it is time to proceed with this double build. 1083 and 1046 on the way.
for 1083 I am following closely a work of a friend of mine finishin a replica by tornado with this mk1 body.It was the confirmation my theories about mistaken fujimi wheel flares were correct.

so I started the fitting with new DDp tyres.
DDp is a company by Pierpaolo Pintarelli, a very skilled modeller and great friend of mine. He has a list of over 20 cars too interesting,curbside resin kits. very very kindly with me and always ready to help in a very helpful way. He casted my wheels and they sit ok onder my body







and then some basic colors for those 3 lads.

[lovegt40]

quick update also on this build.
I am making 1083 together with a 1046. I saved both those kit from my scrapyard. as said i never been convinced by the look of fujimi.
Now finally i found a spare set of MFH tyres and made the test fitting on my 1083. The overall look is really convincing.









I used windsor and newton gloss acrylic varnish and polished it with tamiya 3 compunds.




and then time to fix the interiors. For 1046 car I used a PE steering wheel . In all pictures the overall look of that le mans winner is much more vintage than latest 1083 car. The sear has that caracteristic millions of metallic dots on the pillow. a nightmare to do.







and then time to decalize both the cars. Also this time big thank you to my bro Andrew drawing those special decals.
I dont think anybody ever did the proper decals for 1083 brazilian car. Cool to discover this last gt40 mk1 Jw flared was initally owned by wiston fittipaldi.