Aston Martin DBR1

For a long time I’ve been waiting and hoping that a kit manufacturer would produce a 1/24th multimedia kit of the fabulous Aston Martin DBR1 so when Profil24 announced theirs I placed my order.
The kit represents the car in it’s victorious 1959 Le mans trim with rear wheel spats, front wheels partially covered, rear exiting exhausts, single rear lights and number lights.
Only four cars were built by the factory and a fifth from parts and all have evolved and are subtly different.
I may either build the kit out of box with details added or perhaps modify to represent the cars as they appear today.
What ever I decide I need to identify the correct colour, can anybody help? I think it may be Almond green which is available from Zero.
This looks like a great kit and your opinions of how I should build it would be very welcome.

Cheers, Lee.



DBR1/2 as it appeared at Le mans in 1959.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/wp3a833c5d_0fx.jpg
DBR1/2 as it is now.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/aston-Martin_DBR1-010x.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/DSCF1053.jpg


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/DSCF1054.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/DSCF1055.jpg

Sorry administrator, 'hand spasm'! Please move to WIP motorsports.

Amazing car and kit mate!

I'll follow this build! Have a nice start:wink:

i much prefer the open wheel modern version of this one.
somehow, it makes it look more purposeful, more aggressive and mode like it's ready to pounce.

Hi Lee,

I have this one too and have been wrestling with the same issue. I bought some of the '50's Aston Martin racing green from MCW and it looks maybe a little dark. Unfortunately I have no real basis because I still haven't been able to find a decent color photo.

Mike

This is going to be way beyond cool. A beautiful car and a beautiful kit.

This is going to be great!!!

I have mine almost finished. It is almost impossible to tell which would be period correct color, at least from the pictures. Colour changes so much depending on lighting conditions, film used, etc. Cannot help you with the colour choise, because i use automotive spray cans (Motip) for painting. Here is a picture though:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/nniemi/DBR1/DBR006.jpg

Just take a look on pictures in this thread, couple of interesting pictures from '59 and some useful reference also, specially on dash and tonneau cover:

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110290&page=2

-Niko

Thanks guys for the support and thanks Nniemi for the great pictures, I have a few of these but the paddock photos are amazing.

Nniemi, my kit has only one coil but my reference shows this car had one for each distributor. I'd like to know what you did and some engine shots of your build would be very interesting.

Thanks again,
Lee.

I'll be watching you! :)

Great start and interesting subject.

You need to check with Steve Devaux of Vintage Racing Miniatures for the correct Aston Martin color. He researched AM colors and, although they are not listed on his website, I think he will have them. See his colors on his Fotki page: http://public.fotki.com/VRM/model_cars/astonmartingreens/

http://public.fotki.com/VRM/model_cars/astonmartingreens/

I'm having some trouble pasting that address:http://public.fotki.com/VRM/model_cars/astonmartingreens/

This is the correct address: http://public.fotki.com/VRM/model_cars/astonmartingreens/. I don't understand why the url will not paste correctly. Check the rest of his site, there are a lot of pics there.

I typed that address out correctly and it still doesn't print correctly?? Why is that? Where the .... is, insert "rs/asto". That should get you there.

Ettore, the link is fine. It's displayed in the shortened form but if you click it, it works

Thanks for the information. I don't post here often and am not familiar how links work.

A nice gentle start to this project.
As usual I started with the wheels made up from photoetch and white metal lots of clean up required and for realism, etch primed, airbrushed silver after assembly and the addition of some tyre valves, one of which I had to turn on a watchmakers lathe. I wish they would supply these in packs of five!

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1733.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1740.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1758.jpg


Next I’ve made a start on sorting the body which is full of air bubbles on the bottom side. I’ve drilled out and filled countless holes but the detail is generally good.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1734.jpg



http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1755.jpg
I’ve assembled some of the chassis plate resin but I need to find a way of securing this to the body accurately with screws so I can make a rolling chassis that I know will fit nicely under the body.
That and cleaning up the body is for the next update.

Cheers,
Lee.

Coming along nicely, I haven't even finished the wheels on mine yet! Enjoying the progress shots, keep 'em coming.
Steve.

great choice great start

Great kit Lee I am waiting on mine from Strada Sports in the U.S. to arrive in Australia and was wondering on the steering wheel you will use.The kit one or an after-market one.If so which one?I have been lurking for a while and have now registered so this is my first post. Cheers Mick

I hope you're watching the Le Mans Legends race now. This is one gorgeous car :)

The Aston is out (again - just like two years ago if I remember correctly). Tough luck.

Great kit Lee I am waiting on mine from Strada Sports in the U.S. to arrive in Australia and was wondering on the steering wheel you will use.The kit one or an after-market one.If so which one?I have been lurking for a while and have now registered so this is my first post. Cheers Mick

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes I'll use the kit wheel Mikman, although I'll proabably modify it, ie thin it down a bit etc.

Cheers,
Lee.

Hi Lee,
this is shaping up to be a very nice build! I've just made a start on my kitand will be modifiying mine to represent the car which Moss/Brabham partnered in 1958 Nurburgring. I"m a huge Brabham fan so it's only logical for me to do so.
How is progress to date? I'll be watching this one closely !

Sean

Hi Sean/Guys, Slow progress! I’m trying to sort out the basics before I move on.

Profil24 have produced a nice model but the engineering is poor. I’ve removed the dodgy chassis mounts from the body, rebated the inside of the body and glued in some scratched brass mounts.

The chassis rails have been partially fitted and now it fits nicely inside the body. Next I’ll sort out the back end of the chassis.
Cheers,
Lee.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1764.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1765.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1763.jpg

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http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1766.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1767.jpg

Hi Lee what is the brand name of the putty/filler your using Please?

Sean

Hi Sean,
It's Milliput superfine, takes an age to cure but it's tough & good to work with.
Lee.

Hi Sean,
It's Milliput superfine, takes an age to cure but it's tough & good to work with.
Lee.
Cheers Lee thats what I thought it was !

Sean

Great Kit Lee of a very wonderful car!

Ton

Nice work Lee.Great job on mounting the chassis to the body.I'm still waiting on my kit,has anyone dealt with Kevin at Strada Sports in the U.S.? as thats were i have ordered my kit from and i now see that it is out of stock on Profil's site.Hey modelmaker i see your in Mildura i gather that is in Vic. where did you purchase your kit from?Cheers Mick.

Nice work Lee.Great job on mounting the chassis to the body.I'm still waiting on my kit,has anyone dealt with Kevin at Strada Sports in the U.S.? as thats were i have ordered my kit from and i now see that it is out of stock on Profil's site.Hey modelmaker i see your in Mildura i gather that is in Vic. where did you purchase your kit from?Cheers Mick.

Kevin is one of my main places where I order kits. He has always come through for me so no worries. Sometimes he buys in bulk so you may have to wait a couple of weeks. That's where I got my DBR1. I had to wait a few weeks until he got enough to order, but as always, it arrived at my door with no problems.
Nic

@LeeABC: Excellent progress so far. Great idea on mounting the body on chassis.

@mikman24: I also got mine from Kevin at Stradasports. I preordered the kit and waited a few weeks. He always packs nicely and ships fast. I never had a unpleasant surprise when ordering from Stradasports.

Sorry Lee for butting in on your W.I.P. but I wanted to make sure i had a proper dealer able to get me this kit.Cheers Mick

No problem Mick, the more information we can get on this car/kit the better, information and reference is sparse.

Cheers,
Lee

As with previous builds I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get the wheelbase/ride height right. (The front inner arches needed a lot of resin removed to get the correct ride height).
I set the body/chassis on a jig to give me the dimensions I want and then set about building the suspension around the wheels.
This may seem long winded but without this there is no way this model would finish up with all four wheels on the ground and in the middle of the arches.
As a result of using this method there will be a lot of detail painting required later but I can now be sure that the model will sit correctly when completed.

Cheers,
Lee

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1773.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1772.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1774.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1775.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1769.jpg

Splendid solution Lee! The jig is a kit on its own

Ton

Great work Lee.My kit arrived from Alice (Profil24) France today.It was the last one.I'm following with great interest as i get organised for my build.The DBR.9 le-mans green looks pretty good for the DBR.1.Cheers Mick

Thanks Tony and Mick.
Mick don't buy the DBR9 paint yet, In my opinion and as a result of speaking to a few well informed and very nice people including Steve Barnett this colour would be too light unless you're building the car as it would appear today in which case it is almond green.
I have some colour codes for near matches and will hope to get nearer the darker green that was used in period but will need to do some more searching first, watch this space!

Good luck with the build.

Cheers,
Lee

Hi Guys, progress is slow but I’m hoping to start assembly soon.

I wanted to enhance the engine detail and test fit the drive train. The cam covers had the bolts very badly & unevenly moulded in so these were removed and filled. 32 new positions were then marked & filed into the side of the covers and stainless steel syringe cut to length and inserted. Theses will have a suitable bolt glued in after painting. I’ve scratched some engine mounts and a pin to secure the gearbox to the transmission tunnel.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/CopyofIMG_1841.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1844.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1863.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1864.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1881.jpg



The front section of the chassis and cockpit has been primed.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1868.jpg


Next painted Alclad dark aluminium.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1871.jpg


The chassis rails were then detail painted with a custom mixed light blue/green and the complete assembly black washed, dry brushed & weathered.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1875.jpg


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1877.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1878.jpg

I know this build may seem disjointed but it’s the only way to guarantee it will all go together later.

Cheers,
Lee.

Awesomeness!!!

Looking good Lee>good progress,don't forget to check the oil.Cheers Mick

I love your jig...

For the rest, very nice start !

R :)

Lee.... amazing..

Thanks Guys for your comments.
I've now finally got the mysterious metallic green paint from Steve at Hiroboy. As usual a fantastic service.
From my research I was looking for a dark green not the more commomly used Almond green that the DBR1 is now painted & faded photographs suggest and Steve's Zero paint looks spot on, thanks Steve you're a star!

Cheers,
Lee.

Hi Lee
What Zero Paint green ZP-? number did you buy for the DBR-1
Cheers Mick

Great building, cool car!
I may be a little late, but if you need some pictures let me know. I took them at LeMans this year with the car semi disassembled in the paddock.

Thanks Jaykay, any info would be helpful.

Mick, Steve at Hiroboy mixed me two greens based on a formula he had for a previous customer who had some information on the correct mix.
Iv'e got a metallic and a pearl and to my eye the pearl looks the best, it's just a bit more subtle than the metallic that I feel doesn't always scale well.

If you order a custom mix online and put in the comment box it's for a DBR1, I think Steve will know what you need but feel free to use my name for reference to the mix he did for me.

Cheers Guys,
Lee

Thanks for the info Lee and if you don't mind jaykay uploading or passing on the pictures from Le'mans of the DBR1 you have that would be nice.
Cheers Mick

Thanks Jaykay, great pictures.

Mick, I'll post any relevant pictures that Jaykay has kindly sent but I think the car has changed so much since '58 that this build may just have a bit of artistic licience.

Cheers Guys,
Lee

Just a small update, I’ve been working on the engine details to prepare it for fitting into the chassis.
The kit distributors were terrible despite cleaning up so I set about making new ones on a jewellers lathe, using brass/prolab and stainless tube to push the ignition leads into.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1883.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1889.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1891.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1897.jpg



The kit only had one ignition coil and as this part was of poor quality I also made two new coils from turned brass soldered to a base plate.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1884.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1890.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1893.jpg

More soon, hopefully!

Cheers,
Lee

Wow, I feel the need to throw my Profil kit in the bin! Those parts are superb, well done.
Steve.

Now we know you are insane!! Those new parts look perfect.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2012-Chicago March 2012

Hi Guys,
I’ve finally got the engine finished & in the chassis, over 100 parts have been added, many off the shelf bolts & I’ve made replacement coils, distributors, ignition lead guides, bearing caps for the front of the cam covers, brake fluid reservoir, hoses, fuel system, brass starter motor belt & bottom pulley & a hand brake lever. I’ve really enjoyed detailing this engine and hope the rest of the model will live up to it.

I'm sorry some of the pictures aren't great; I really don't have the equipment.

Cheers,
Lee.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1898.jpg

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1899.jpg

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http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_1927.jpg

Really a great job...!

R :smile:

Really nice work. One of the better engines I have seen in 1/24th scale.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2012-Chicago March 2012-Pan Americana model class at Ferrari Expo 2012

model links:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180496&page=56

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37433&page=8

Holy mackerel! Don't know how I missed this thread, but I'm glad I found it now! Superb work, that engine is a jewel!

Engine's looking very good in there!

This is getting better and better!!!!

I have two thoughts after seeing the progress update: God, that is an amazing looking engine and crap, how am I supposed to deal with mine?

Thank you for your appreciation Guys.

Cheers, Lee

Really a good job,congratulations.
:smooch: I will copy your work,having the same models as well.

:cool:
wow ...



Health WARNING



MASTER CLASS.

Stunning detail!!!