1:25 Volvo P1800

[AmazonSprite]

Bought this one a while back, and been slowly making progress, and now finally have done enough work for it to be worth posting!

It's by Airtrax, and is moulded in resin. Tyres, suspension or glass are not included, although wheel covers of the correct design are provided.

Photos of the kit parts themselves are here (not my pics - I had already made a start before it occurred to me to photograph them

I'm using an Airfix 1:24 MGB as the parts donor, as the MG's 14" wheels at 1:24 are close enough to 15" at 1:25. The track is also the same, so most of the suspension parts etc can also be used. No doubt, the headlights and other small detail parts will also end up being used too. Headlights (both bowls / surrounds and lenses) are included in the kit, however I don't use alclad, just BMF, & the spare MG ones will be better than BMF on that sort of shape. I will however use BMF on the bumpers.

My overall impressions of the kit are very positive - yes, some cleanup of the parts is required, and there are a few air bubbles that need filling, but no more than expected based on the description from Airtrax. The parts are all well moulded, with lots of detail with all badging on the body, and the dash is especially detailed.

Now for the donor parts - the MG kit front suspension is close enough to the Volvo setup, so is being used pretty much as is but will have a few cosmetic tweaks to better represent the design of the Volvo crossmember. However, at the rear the MG is cart springs, whereas the Volvo is upper and lower trailing arms with coil springs and a panhard rod. The MG axle and hubs will still be used, but I will need to fabricate the rest of the suspension components. Wire wheels were a period optional fitment for P1800s, so I may keep those. If not, they will be milled out to accept the standard wheel covers as supplied in the kit.

Anyhow, enough talk – here’s the pics:

An early shot, whilst still cleaning up the shell, and tweaking the fit of the chassis. Also in process of finalising the position of the wheels:


Pretty much sorted - also added a section at the bulkhead, to represent a box section there, and also to overhang the join between body & chassis:


(Also in the middle of cutting away the back of the finely moulded grille)

Underside is well moulded too:


Grille surround in place - this and the immediately following pics show the grille aperture cut away (compare to the very first pic - the moulding is solid all the way back to level with the front of the radiator):




The front of the radiator (part of the chassis) has the appropriate detail moulded into it, so combined with the opened up grille, it seemed a pity not to show it.

Front suspension - springs have been added, and there are now metal rod pins to locate the crossmember (it still needs further detailing before painting):

The steering is incorrect though, as it still has the MG's rack, whereas the Volvo used a steering box with linkages. I may leave it as it is, but will decide later.

Crossmember as visible from the engine bay - the hollow top will be blanked off, and engine mountings then added:


Rear suspension - the rear remainder of the leaf springs will be removed once the axle location is fixed, and has further location. The front part of the leaf springs will be remodelled into the lower trailing arm. Started fabricating the rear shocks (location point on the body was marked in the moulding) & just need to sort out the axle bracket now before the rear brake / hub assemblies can be glued in place properly:


Front and side glass is in place - just need to sort out the rear window, but in the meantime, here's a view of the very nicely moulded dashboard:


High res pics here

[quadzero]

Very interesting project, in that the car and the kit itself is so unfamiliar to me. Also, I really like all the work thats clearly going into this, very informative to follow along. I say with a project such as this, go with the steering box since you already have nice metal springs in there already and are redoing the rear suspension anyway. Why don't you use Alclad?

[Veyron]

ZoomZoom and I have one of these too, cool car, tough build.

Good luck!

[AmazonSprite]

Originally Posted by quadzero

Very interesting project, in that the car and the kit itself is so unfamiliar to me. Also, I really like all the work thats clearly going into this, very informative to follow along. I say with a project such as this, go with the steering box since you already have nice metal springs in there already and are redoing the rear suspension anyway. Why don't you use Alclad?

Many thanks! I'm not usually very good at documenting my projects, but glad it's of interest! I'll try to remember to take more photos before I start each stage. Loads of info, pics etc of these cars here; an 1800 currently holds the world record for highest mileage car (about 3 million miles & only recently had it's second engine rebuild) and Roger Moore drove a white one in The Saint tv series. I can't use alclad as I don't have an airbrush & also have nowhere to use one - instead I use spraycans outside in the garden for bodywork & larger parts, and the rest is usually brushpainted.

Originally Posted by Veyron

ZoomZoom and I have one of these too, cool car, tough build.

Good luck!

Thanks - so far I haven't found any issues but any tips etc would be very much appreciated, as this is my first resin kit.... Nothing like jumping in at the deep end - I also have Airtrax's Amazon / 120 Series saloon & estate kits, but won't be starting them for a while! Have you built yours yet?

[Veyron]

Thanks - so far I haven't found any issues but any tips etc would be very much appreciated, as this is my first resin kit.... Nothing like jumping in at the deep end - I also have Airtrax's Amazon / 120 Series saloon & estate kits, but won't be starting them for a while! Have you built yours yet?

Not yet, but I have the donor kit.

Just take your time and make sure you clean the mold release from the resin before any painting. Also dry fit every part before any painting in case any of the parts need tweaking.

[Hartford]

Wow, excellent work so far.

I didn't know you could get this car in kit form; one of my favorites. I remember watching Roger Moore in the Saint and thinking what a beautiful car the P1800 is.

Do you have any information on how i can purchase one from Airtrax please? I have done a search on the web but without success.

Many thanks and i look forward to watching this build.

Regards

Hartford

[drunken monkey]

ahhh, one of the cars that would go in my dream 100 car garage.
There's a bright red one that is seen in Soho here that always stops me in my tracks.

[AmazonSprite]

Originally Posted by Veyron

Not yet, but I have the donor kit.

Just take your time and make sure you clean the mold release from the resin before any painting. Also dry fit every part before any painting in case any of the parts need tweaking.

Thanks - been doing plenty of dry fitting already! However, does resin need any special adhesives though? I imagine that regular cement isn't much use (haven't had the chance to try on some scraps yet), so was intending to use super glue, as I'm using that already for attaching the brass locating pins.

Originally Posted by Hartford

Do you have any information on how i can purchase one from Airtrax please? I have done a search on the web but without success.

Some info on Airtrax, including contact details here and here

Sadly haven't had the chance to make any more progress since my first post, but been thinking more about the suspension, especially as whatever I do, will need to be replicated a further two times for the Amazon kits I have (the 1800 is essentially an Amazon in a short skirt). Constructing the steering arm, idler, track rods, and cross link will keep me out of trouble for a while!!

[Veyron]

Thanks - been doing plenty of dry fitting already! However, does resin need any special adhesives though? I imagine that regular cement isn't much use (haven't had the chance to try on some scraps yet), so was intending to use super glue, as I'm using that already for attaching the brass locating pins.

Yup, superglue works, or white glue.

[Hartford]

Thanks for the contact information, much appreciated.

Hartford