WIP: 1/20 Lotus 25 Jim Clark '63 Mexican GP

[SeanyG]

Guys,

after completing the Stratos the next project is the 1963 Lotus 25 of Jim Clark, the Mexican GP winning car. Another car I have been looking forward to building from my to do pile for a long while.

I have a couple of acustion aftermarket sets and the Thunder Valley set. Looking at the kit it is upto the usual Tamiya standards however to get it to be accurate I think Im gonna have to add a lot of scratch built parts especially around the engine and front bulkhead areas where there is lots of scope for some good detail work. I am not fortunate to own a lathe yet so its going to have to be plastic additions.

So firstly here's what we start with...



and my three reference books...



I have bought a further book the Lotus 25 FWMV and hopefully this will give me further insights into the details on the car. I have been suprised just how difficult it has been to find good detail photographs of this car considering how much of a milestone it was in F1.

This is the main motor/transmission as it comes...





to begin with I have replaced the bolt heads with some Scale Hardware brass versions - I have alot more planned for this though.





Test fitting the front section...



The area just in front of the bulkhead where the fluid reservoirs sit needs alot of upgrading as does the driver pedals which are far too bulky in the kit version. So far I have removed the bulkhead and replaced it with some thinner card. The brake lines and the 3 reservoirs will then be re-attached to this
Removed the moulded coolant cap and replaced it with an etched version...



These are the new pedals housings I have built compared to the kit versions...


and in place on the cross m
ember...



finally, had a look at the dashboard, I will remove the moulded dial surrounds and again replace them with etched versions.



just waiting for my last book to come before I start making more adjustments, more soon hopefully

Sean
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http://www.scalereproductions.co.uk
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[mike@af]

This is going to be a fun project to follow.

[robrex]

Sean,
Great project again! You are really on a roll at the moment.

[quadzero]

Originally Posted by GTmike400

This is going to be a fun project to follow.

It sure will be. I love the subject matter and find this car very interesting. I'm glad you taking your time to add all the details and goodies. Looking forward to more of this beauty.

[CeeElle]

i'll be watching this one, as i love that car and your WIPs are always educational. i really like the looks of the Thunder Valley detail kit on the Web site... what's it like in person?

[deltableh]

Wow, your attention to detail goes so far beyond the point where I would get frustrated that I am in awe of your skills and patience. I look forward to following the build-up of another masterpiece.

[billypee]

If only you could see me rubbing my hands together in eager anticipation.

I used the AcuStion detail kit on mine. Lotus of items that I couldn't figure out where they went wheel rims that didn't fit and the mesh that I assumed would fit from underneath but didn't.

Have fun,
Billy P

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by CeeElle

i'll be watching this one, as i love that car and your WIPs are always educational. i really like the looks of the Thunder Valley detail kit on the Web site... what's it like in person?

You took the words right out of my mouth!

Sean, please review the Thunder transkit. I ordered one from them but somehow the whole transaction didn't materialise - I don't really know why because from our correspondence they seemed like really nice guys.

Where did you purchase yours? Directly? Is there a European distributor?

[puffyrs]

Hi Sean
I don't know where you get all your time from.
I get to build about 4 - 5 hrs a week.
But I do enjoy watching your update and builds.

[racer917]

Please tell us more about Scale Hardware bolt heads, scale available, price, types, where you got them.

[enzotoys]

Originally Posted by racer917

Please tell us more about Scale Hardware bolt heads, scale available, price, types, where you got them.

Simply go to their web site : www.scalehardware.com

All*your questions will be answered. I ordered from them yesterday and my order was shipped the same day.

[radfilm]

I look forward to following this build. I have this kit and need to build it.
Watching how you work the detail sets will be very valuable.

Cheers
Dana

[godfather23]

WOW. Another stunning build from you coming around the corner. I must say that you have a nice taste of different and unique subjects you choose. Adding all these bolts looks really impressive. How long did it take you to do this?

[SeanyG]

Thanks for the comments and encouragements again guys, to answer some of your questions...

Originally Posted by CeeElle

i'll be watching this one, as i love that car and your WIPs are always educational. i really like the looks of the Thunder Valley detail kit on the Web site... what's it like in person?

Originally Posted by klutz_100

You took the words right out of my mouth!

Sean, please review the Thunder transkit. I ordered one from them but somehow the whole transaction didn't materialise - I don't really know why because from our correspondence they seemed like really nice guys.

Where did you purchase yours? Directly? Is there a European distributor?

The Thunder Valley kit is very good and it allows two variations to be built - the '62 and '63 cars.

Included in the kit is two versions of the body (cast in resin) again these cover the '62 and '63 versions, they will require a fair amount of clean up and prep work but this is normal for resin casts. These bodies will allow you to build the R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7 chassis versions of the 25. There is 2 lots of mesh to cover the trumpets, 2 excellent vac formed wind shields and finally as I said there are a large number of white metal parts. In my opinion they need alot of cleaning and prep work in order to make them look as crisp as the plastic versions but then again you can achieve a much better finish using the metal parts so the decision is yours. Also included is 8 turned Velocity StacksThere is no photoetch and no decals which is a shame - the '63 Indy version of the car requires a few decals to be added and it would have been nice if the kit had included this option along with a nice sheet of etch, in the US you also get a can a BR Green too.

I was lucky enough to get this one for a song on ebay, I dont know of any Euro distributors however they are still available from Thunder Valley and it is realistically priced ($29.50) rather than some of the ridiculously inflated prices we are seeing these days for grade up parts.

Originally Posted by godfather23

WOW. Another stunning build from you coming around the corner. I must say that you have a nice taste of different and unique subjects you choose. Adding all these bolts looks really impressive. How long did it take you to do this?

thanks, godfather - the bolts took around an hour to do including removing the old ones and drilling each hole for the new bolt, time consuming yes but well worth it I think.

I will have more updates over the weekend guys, thanks again for your interest.

Sean
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http://www.scalereproductions.co.uk
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[SeanyG]

a further update...

firstly thanks to Andy Mathews (ClearviewF1.com) for the Lotus 25 FLMV book - it has proved to be wort its weight in gold it terms of clearing up missing details for me... thanks again Andy

So anyway onto the progress...

firstly added more brass bolts to replace the moulded versions on the front wishbones



also completed work on the front bulkhead and cross member including drilling the holes required for the pedals and surrounds.



then gave it a prime and spray...



added an extra junction to the pipe that runs the length of the monocoque, this is a coolant pipe and the junction is for the cable which connects to the water temp clock on the dashboard.



onto the radiator, I attached the grill from the Acu-stion etch set which fitted extremely well, this was then all sprayed gloss alu and left to dry. I then washed the front with thinned matt black and once this was dry I dry brushed the edges of the body of the radiator with gold to show a slight discolouration which can be seen on my ref pics of the real car.





and so onto the dashboard - having removed the moulded dial surrounds I primed and sprayed this matt alu, I then filled the back of the dials so they were solid rather than having a large hole in each one as they come in the kit. I then masked off and sprayed the front top side of the dash with red and then picked out the back of the dials in matt black.

On the real car the rear of the dash is a hive of activity with each clock having a metal fastener across it which secures the clock to the dash and of course a lead from each one. I made my fasteners from etch sprue and bent into the correct depth/width using an etchmate.

Having attached each one using CA glue I then drilled a small hole into each clock and used a thin piece of guitar wire for the metal cables which run from each clock. These all run down each of the dashboard and are secured with two more pieces of etch sprue either side, they continue under the drivers padding as per my ref pics.







Finally a dry fitting of just about where I am now...



the alu tub was primed and sprayed matt aluminium, once dry I gave this very light wash with thinned matt black to give it that slighly worn look.

Im still finishing the pedals assembly and will update with that next

Sean

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http://www.scalereproductions.co.uk
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