1/12 Lotus 47

[cinqster]

Well, I've had to put the 1/8th Spyder on hold for a while as I'm going back to college for a couple of years. The scratchbuild takes too long to get into and takes up too much brain power, plus I'm away from home for a couple of nights a week and need something that I can pick up and put down quickly.

The ideal kit would be something that I can make straight OOB but I can't stop myself from messing with stuff so I'm going to tackle the 1/12th Nichimo Lotus Europa and add a few mods.



This kit is starting to become very collectable which always gives me an perverse incentive to cut kits up...so here we go! The kit is actually very good but my main problems with it are that 1. it's based on the S2 body (which I've never been very keen on) and 2. the kit tyres are far too tall and small.

I planned on converting the kit to a road going S1 body but I've decided that whilst I'm at it I may as well make a type 47 version. The 47 looks amazing with it's clean lines and big fat tyres, but I'm not sure which of the following cars to make:

Type 47 'snorkel'



or, the John Miles type 47:



Both cars look good, but the snorkel car has the same colours as the Sid Taylor Lola T70 (that I will build one day), and I already plan to do a Gold Leaf type 72C and type 49.

Which do you guys think I should go for?

My first task will be to make the wheels. The centres will come from a casting from the type 49 (with new scratchbuilt rims) and tyre choice would be the Dunlops from the Porsche 910 for the snorkel version or the Firestone's from the type 49.

Keep you posted!

[jaykay640]

I was about to ask for the Porsche first...but you answered that :-)
For the 47 my vote goes to the snorkel version. That makes an odd shape even stranger and i somehow don't like the Gold Leaf livery on non F1 Lotuses...:-)

[daniel_k]

cooool subject ! please make the gold leaf verison, so I can copy ypur build report :-) because I want to build that car one day also, do you have some reference material that you can spare ? I have a hard time finding something

daniel
-germany-

[cinqster]

Originally Posted by daniel_k

cooool subject ! please make the gold leaf verison, so I can copy ypur build report :-) because I want to build that car one day also, do you have some reference material that you can spare ? I have a hard time finding something

daniel
-germany-

Daniel,

I've found very little referenece for the Gold Leaf 47 - none in my books, so only web pics:



Photo in background - not the car in foreground.



The John Miles car externally looks like a generic 47GT (apart from the missing front indicators). A good websearch for 47s will get you all the tweaks needed (side cooling ducts, cut out rear panel, triangular dzus fastener plates etc). Bare in mind too that there are a lot of lookalikes when picture searching! Some of these are based on original 47 cars but some arer based on repro kits like Banks.

I tend to agree with Jaykay about the Gold Leaf scheme so I'm going for the snorkel car - really fancy trying to make those evil scoops!

[daniel_k]

thanks for the pictures. I found a few of that GL car. I guess it's currently somewhere in Japan...but whatever car you do, do it soon, I'm very curious because it will be an amazing build with your skills !

daniel
-germany-

[zitzit]

Hello.

Interesting project.

You'll find some pics here: http://www.lotus-europa.com/rega47.html

Maybe not what you are looking for, but at least you can be "sure" that you are looking originals cars.

Zit.

[zitzit]

Hello.

Interesting project.

You'll find some pics here: http://www.lotus-europa.com/rega47.html

Maybe not what you are looking for, but at least you can be "sure" that you are looking originals cars.

Zit.