Le Mans Contest Entry: 1950 Jaguar XK120

[bigfrit]

Hi, this is the progress thread for my Le Mans Project (one of them )


I dont have anything to show to you yet, just wanted to inform you of my choice and if anybody might have any other info on this nice little car, please feel free to PM me at any time.

This car entered LeMans in 1950, it was basically a scout car for the c and D types, so it wasnt really that different from stock, but surprisingly it surpassed the more powerful rivals and ended on a 12 th place.

The kit I will be using is the Aoshima (which is a revell rebadge(which is an old monogram rerelease)) and scratchbuild the different things on this car, I ll keep you updated.

If anybody knows where I could get those kinda rims without having to scratchbuild them, feel free to tell me! Oh and reference pics, are always welcome, I had such a hard time finding these!



Ciao

PS I m first planning on finishing some other cars too before I tackle this one...

could people please advise which green to use? I thought of British racing green, dunno really???
Olivier

[RallyRaider]

Coolness Olivier. I hope we get lots of Jags, I was thinking of doing one too. Doesn't the Aoshima kit come with steel wheels?

As for the colour, in 1950 I think the three cars were each painted a different colour (red, white and blue). But don't quote me on that!

[bigfrit]

Well, the aoshima kit somes with whitewalled steel wheels but with a hubcap on them so it s not exactly what I am looking for.

As for the colour, it could very well be that it s what you are saying, as I ve seen a ref pic of a white one (number 17) and I dont know the 16 nor 15 s colour...

although Paddock made a 1/43rd kit of this car, and they wanted it to be painted green, so I still am in a dillemma here, I hope somebody has final info on this, as it would be kinda stupid to make everything according to the black white pics but the colour completely wrong.

I guess it s impossible to see the colour from black and white pics...


Olivier

[RallyRaider]

Yeah black and white pictures make it impossible to discern the colours I'll check the books I have on the weekend and tell you what I find.

[bigfrit]

quote from a site...

"In those days, the drivers would come with their own cars"
Ecurie Ecosse first secured the talents of three private owners of XK120 Jaguars - Bill Dobson, Sir James Scott Douglas and Ian Stewart.First time three cars in Scottish colours.


so red blue and white right?

[labandabonnot]

Yes but I saw the white no17 (year:1950) for selling on a site*... Red-blue-white seems right, for the white part! Is there any historic Jaguar forum to ask this color question?...


Olivier, it seems you've made the hardest choice for this contest till now! Congratulations! The XK 120 is so.... , & .

If you have the Karmann Ghia from Gunze Sangyo, maybe the wheels could match your needs, but I'm not sure, as I don't know this kit (just from pics, so I don't know if the hubcap comes as separate part or not...)...

So: 15?, 15? or 15? ...

Just do the white 17! (*http://www.gregorfisken.com/ > cars for sale > 1950 jaguar xk 120 ex le mans!!!!!! )

1:30! I'm going to bed now! Those Jaguar at Le Mans stories really make my nights... white and short! I'd better go back to Paris some day and buy some good books! The money would be worth the sleep!

[bigfrit]

OK francois!

Thanks for the usefull link it s superhandy!
And actually I dont think I ve taken the hard road, as it s basically a little altered stock xk120 I m going to make, yours is way more interesting yet complicated, but you ll do fine.

as for the kit , it s with a separate hubcap, so I guess I ll use some styrene and putty to make the pieces under that hubcap look right.

as for the colour, I dunno... problem is I really want to make the number 15, it s the one that ended 12 th opposed to a retirement off the race from number 17...

It s twenty to two here now too, guess I should try to sleep, although it s storming all over the place, so hey, I guess I ll read some magazines before sleeping!

Ciao
Oli

[Cychalen]

Here are some but they are not the racing version. Hope they help.
http://www.gtdreams.com/_Tour_Auto20...&page=8&part=2
http://www.gtdreams.com/_Artcurial/i...&page=3&part=1
http://www.gtdreams.com/_Tour_Auto20...&page=6&part=3
http://www.gtdreams.com/_Tour_Auto20...&page=3&part=3
http://www.gtdreams.com/_LVC2003/ind...&page=8&part=2
http://www.gtdreams.com/_LVC2003/ind...&page=9&part=2

[bigfrit]

Thanks, dude !

Those pics, especially those in the first link will be very useful, as I needed some detail shots of the rear and the front!

Oh, and I think I might do the number 17 car, as this one was the one that came closest to winning the actual le mans race, I have been told by RR.

Olivier

[Gainsbourg]

Where are the helmets, seat belts and the protection bar?
Those were the days of the real pilots.
That an excellent choise Olivier and I can’t wait to see you posting the progress of this classic.

[bigfrit]

Originally Posted by Gainsbourg

I can’t wait to see you posting the progress of this classic.

You asked for it!

Here s the first in progress pics, as I wanted to build this a long time ago in a superbad colour (lavender ) and I hated it, it s passed the last weekend in the brake fluid and somes out nicely, with the mods I did to it then back ni the days...

I fixed the hood fitting problem(warp galore) and had to fix lotsa spots on the front of the body where there were cracks and gaps...


Secondly I built a steering mechanism ( as I hate non-posable steering) and sprayed the chassis


then checked the kit again...

these will be the hardest parts to get right I guess...


The seats will be have to cut out and replaced with different ones, and a plate will be fitted at the back of them.

A new tranny tunnel will have to be made too.
The wheels will have to be intensively changed too, I ll use the centre cap of the wheel and build the interior part of it with styrene, patience and lotsa styrene and putty and nuts and bolts.
then the window, won't be that hard to do I guess because a similar part is in the kit, it's just a matter of fitting and getting to look right with some styrene...


that's about it,
I think I ve got parts to make this (would be nice to have the correct rims tho-

Olivier

[RallyRaider]

Hi Olivier, yes the white car is the way to go! According to Paul Parker in "Jaguar at Le Mans" it ran in the top three for most of the race until the 21st hour when the clutch broke I cannot find where I read the cars were painted red white and blue maybe I was dreaming it? Impossible to tell from B&W photos but the 15 and 16 cars do look to be different hues. The 16 car appears darker than 15

The three cars were not official works entries rather privately owned with "subtle" factory support. A toe in the water for Jaguar to see if they could be successful with a purpose built car. The fact that number 17 came so close to the podium gave Jaguar the confidence to build the C and D types. So that white XK120 played a very important role in Le Mans history

[Murray Kish]

Olivier,

Nice choice. Another good one...

Murray

[bigfrit]

Hi guys!

Here s a little update with almost all the body mods done, it just needs the glass and the windscreen deflector.


I already started this car about a year ago, in street spec but the model was too difficult and horrible to get right it went in the box.

The arrows on the pics show where stuff has been done now.

First of all, the rims were mated to correct dunlop racing tyres from teh revell XKSS kit. Then the side inlets next to the doors , gascap, rear license plate holder and holes for the bumpers were smoothed, and I made a hole in the front to make it more realistic once the engine will be shown. I also made a hole in the left side for the cooling, as was there on the 15 car.
A hole for the upcoming gascap was made also, and the hardest of the mods was definately make the hood close properly, as you can see on some parts of the hood the fitting was so bad I had to add about 2 mm of putty, but that did work out pretty well, I believe



Now I have a few questions I d like to ask you guys.
For the white paint, I was thinking of five layers of pure white over grey primer, to have that racing white effect, or should I better use white primer, racing white, covered with pure white? and all of the paints will be tamiya, who can help me here????????????



Also the second question is if anybody knows where I could source the right middle piece of the rims (or a lookalike)
with this I mean the internal part the one raised with the bolts and stuff, as I already have the outer part ( see first pics)


Thank you for your interest, and good luck to participants.

Olivier

[mikemechanic]

Don't know about the rims. But I would spray the white over the gray primer and build up the coats untill you get the desires color. I never have sucess spraying over the white primer because I can't tell if I have never covered all the primer. Just my 2cents.