1/8th Stutz Black Hawk Special

[cinqster]

Oh no...I'm off on another project again!

I've managed to get some plans for the car, but I'm not happy about their accuracy, so I am redrawing them at the moment. No plans of the mechanicals exist, so I'm drawing those up as far as possible too.

I've decided I'm not starting the car until I have a good figure of the heroic driver, Frank Lockhart.

So far I've made his head using ordinary Bondo car body filler:






Long way to go, but hope you like it!

[jaykay640]

Looks a bit like a mummy :-)
Nice work though. Carving a portrait is a special challenge! I'd prefer you carve on that Porsche though :-)

[f40]

That sculpted head looks great compared to the pic next to it. Your a man of all talents.

[garnet_garnet]

nice choice! he did have a large head LOL

[cinqster]

Cheers guys! He was quite a short chap (5'3") - hence the proportions! About to start modelling his torso - guess I should use special modelling clay etc. but will continue with the bondo for the moment!

[ScratchBuilt]

Hi Cinqster,

Now that's a bit different! Excuse my ignorance, but what's under the bonnet - something huge and multi-cylinder, I guess? I assume we're looking at a full-detail project here, removable panels, etc? Excellent!

Best of luck, and I will be following with interest.

SB

[klutz_100]

Totally awesome subject and talent in one thread...I'm glued

I'm no expert but your carving of the head looks simply fantastic to me.

[garnet_garnet]

it had a small 181 cubic inch, 30 degree V 16 cylinder
helped push the car to 225 mph at daytona beach, feb 28/1928
in april does a record 199 mph one way speed, but unfortunately is his last ever
http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/...arage-67-stutz

[cinqster]

Originally Posted by garnet_garnet

it had a small 181 cubic inch, 30 degree V 16 cylinder
helped push the car to 225 mph at daytona beach, feb 28/1928
in april does a record 199 mph one way speed, but unfortunately is his last ever
http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/...arage-67-stutz

Nice website that! I'm quite a fan of Steampunk stuff so will keep my eye on that.

I became interested in this car because the engine was based on 2x Miller 91 engines. I've been lucky enough to see some Millers at Goodwood and the innovation, quality of engineering and design in their race cars is unbelievable for the time.

This is the footage of Lockhart's fatal second LSR attempt at Daytona. Lockhart had previously crashed the same car into the sea a few months before...he must have had 'big brass balls' as Alec Baldwin might say!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0y2b7mJqhs

Lockhart is clearly thrown from the car on the last roll. Legend has it that his body landed almost at the feet of his poor wife!

Undoubtedly, America lost a great talent by Lockhart's death at 25. He was a superb engineer and racer and who knows what he would have achieved in later years. Had he not been so unfortunate I'm sure he would have taken the Land Speed Record repeatedly.

[jaykay640]

A really cool car without a doubt :-)
I completely follow your comments about the Millers. I was blown away when i saw the yellow "Perfect Circle" car at Goodwood. The detailing on these cars is fantastic. At least as cool as racing Bugattis and there are many parallels between Ettore and Harry Millers endeavours.
I still bite my lower rear for not taking a pile of pictures of that car. I took many of other Millers since at Goodwood but i really hope to see that yellow 91 again. That begs to be modelled :-)

[cinqster]

Well, I finally got some time to finish the plans last week and to start on the body. I'm still short of mechanical data for this beast so if anyone finds out more, please let me know!



I've based the plans on the size of Frank Lockhart, the tyres available at the time, engine dimensions, a few photos and a cutaway drawing.



My initial idea was to use 1/8th drawings that were reproduced in the 70s, but I decided that the dimensions were taken from period photographs and no allowance was made for lens parallax, which distorted the bodywork.



The true engine dimensions would not fit the body plans so I redrew them, cut the parts out and photographed the car as a cardboard mockup, using various lenses. The drawings were tweaked until the proportions of the car fitted the old photographs when overlaid in Photoshop...very time consuming and hopefully worth it!!!



The balsa then made another appearance, and off I went!



The brass tubes were bonded into the frame for reference for my axles. They also serve as the locating pins for both halves of the body. This allows me to get one side correct before shaping the mirrored side - a lesson leant from my RS60 project.

Here, the body has been planked and drilled ready for good old P38 car body filler. I'm trying to aim for around 4mm depth to keep the strength in the master. The black ribs will be ground out and filled when it's looking OK.



I intend to build this as a curbside in fibreglass but hopefully will shape the spats from thin aluminium sheet. If I feel courageous, I may cast them in pewter.

Not sure how quick this project will be as I have a very hectic year on the way...keeping it as a curbside will hopefully speed things up a bit, who knows!

Oh, and I forgot to mention this thing is huge...600mm!

[Scalemodelfanatic]

Oh heavens, a BEAUTIFUL car and EQUALY impresive work on the model AND figure head, the detail in the sculpting is superb. I once wanted to build the multi-media kit of this car in 1/24 scale some years ago, but never got it.....now I REALLY looking forward to this amazing project in a even more amazing scale, and after seeing your magnificent work in the Porsche, this one is a sure masterpiece in the works!!

I am really,really happy to see these vintage race cars been made in scale and in such a high standards...BRAVO!!

[endac]

Great work so far, really impressive

[quadzero]

Originally Posted by Scalemodelfanatic

I am really,really happy to see these vintage race cars been made in scale and in such a high standards...BRAVO!!

What an amazing project, this is the kind of wip that just begs for more pictures. I am even more impressed with the head, as if you carved that out of bondo. Man alive you got skills. Keep up the fantastic work.

[cinqster]

Thanks guys!

I got it coated in bondo today and it's not a pretty sight right now! It's such as big area that it's akin to plastering (which I was never much good at!). I've probably used less than a kg of filler so far, which is a nice surprise (and cheapy cheap!)

Freezing cold outside today, so resorted to using a heat gun to cure the filler...not a good idea with balsawood!

Will post some more pics when it's sanded and looking less uuuurgly!

Forgot to mention - finished his shoes today with the excess bondo.