159 replies to this topic

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Here is the result, with a head...



About heads...

For every 2E with number 65, I will sculpt a Cox head just to please Philippe de Lespinay... (well, not just him...)



















And the result (can be seen more easily with a second one already sculpted, with the helmet painted):



So the 2 different models of 2E will differ from each other not only with the color of the wing and their numbers, but #66 will have a stock head for Jim Hall and # 65 will get a tribute to the late Phil Hill.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

I juste wanted to show you the six 2E, as they are today:

[Gator Bob]

So nice !

Not doubt, you are a "Plastic Surgeon"

[shadow]

Nice Job These Cars look Beautiful ..You need one of those 3d printers to help you make parts that you cant find

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Dave, I have to thank you for your interest which made you suggest the use of a 3D printer.

Now, I'm sorry to disagree with you, and this for several reasons:

- Finding missing elements is a part of the pleasure for a collector.

- And unless you have a certain part, you will not be able to measure it and get it 3D printed; though, once you get the part you have no more problem unless you have several cars to restore, in which case the resin casting and silicon molding is an excellent solution, with better surface than a 3D printer.

One of my friends is a professional designer, he has several 3D printers at work and happens to also be a slot car builder and one among the best there is in the world: Pierre-Yves Lebeau. He did many masters for Proto Slot Kit (PSK - Ghost Models) cars.

His 1/43 chassis (the one of PSK should I say) are made with a 3D printer. He prefers to reserve this technique for parts like a chassis, notably because of the poor state of the surface and create the master of a 1/32 or a 1/24 Aston Martin from scratch, using more traditionnal methods.

- By the way, restoring slot cars is only a hobby for me and it happens that working with my hands rather than with my head is a real pleasure. When I do this, I feel relaxed, so relaxed that I sometimes find solution for my real job without any appearent effort. By using a 3D printer, I would not use my hands. I know that this would be rare and not a real argument, but in my profession you try to list all the arguments you have in your hands...

- At last, my "phylosophy" is to restore slot cars and build them just as a good modeler would have done at the time the kit was issued. And at that time there was no 3D printer...

But indeed this tool is facinating and perfect for the creation of prototypes!

To revert to the missing parts of the 2E: As you can see at the beginning of the thread, my friend Don Siegel had a complete car that he proposed me to build up. This gave me access to a complete car with no glue on the parts and it was perfect for making silicon moulds.

For the wind screen (that cannot be 3D printed), apart from 2 genuine parts that were perfect among the 8 cars I had in my workbench, I used the excellent repros made by Classic Tin Toys.

I may add general consideration about values of 2E using repro parts or with parts repaired, about whether or not to paint those kits, etc, as I saw debates here and there on this subject. But I feel this is not the place to do it. This thread is only about the restoration and modeling technics and if we want to keep it as short as possible for practical reasons, making it a possible reference for those who need it, I should stop talking.

As 3D printer is a tool, I took the liberty to give my opinion, that is all.

But thank you again Dave and all the other people who came and left few words or asked questions or suggested a different technic, for your kind interest.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Ok, we have seen how to sculpt the head in order to get Phil Hill's helmet. Please not that the grey tape is made with a band of masking tape, painted.

May be a thick decal would be thinner and closer to the surface. I shall try this.

It is now time to paint the face.

I start with the eyes, this way:

[Italy slot]

I HAVE NO WORDS!

Thank you Jean-Michel to show us your perfect and artigianal works: I like it so much and as I said in another post it's a way to push us, low - medium level modellers, to try to imitate you.

Still thank you!

p.s. just a ask: where to find the photo etched grill in right scale?

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Angelo, the meshing is not photo-etched. It is real meshing.

I found it in a shop specializing in metal parts, profiles, threads, nuts and bolts etc. A hardware store.

For the few French people reading this topic: Weber Métaux, rue du Poitou, in the center of Paris.

May-be you will find equivalent meshing on some kitchen hardware, like protection you put on top of frying pans.

[Italy slot]

Oh too bad,

i was in Paris just 2 weeks ago for vacations (was my first time there , easy to say wonderfull town!).

Mercì beaucoup monsieur et bonne soireè,

Angelo

[Jean-Michel Piot]

To revert to the painting of the face of the pilot...

Here I use artist oil paints.

First of all I paint the face with mid-tone flesh color.





Then I use a darker tone for the shadows (under the gogles glasses, under the nose, the lips, etc.) The closer to the embossement, the darker.

Here I start under the lips.



Thereafter, I use lighter tones for what should be more exposed to the light of the "sun".



now, for the lips I use the same paint than the rest of the face, but with little more red.



Then I can paint the area inside the glasses, with the same principles: darker where there must be shadows, etc.

And here is the result, where you can see that a view from below shows the darker zones.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

The rear view mirror is turned into an aluminium rod:



The mirror itself is polished.



Now, for several cars...

[Jean-Michel Piot]

At this very step, the final assembly of a 2E is straitforward. Nothing special there, apart may-be from the final result (at last!)















I will show you another 2E with # 65 and Phil Hill's head (at least the shape of the helmet) in few days.

But now...

[welslotcar]

Très magnifique!

[Jean-Michel Piot]

I just wanted to mention one thing about this car: I tried it with Ortmann tires ordered at Electric Dreams (together with Cox pilots by the way). This car drives perfectly well and the wing moves just as expected.

It is a real pleasure to see the wing move every time the car brakes or accelerates.

This gives life to the car and participates to the fact that the 2E Cox is my favorite slot car!

[Jairus]

I have to copy Bill and say that I agree, "Très magnifique!"!!!

[Michael Rigsby]

Simply beautiful work, Jean-Michel. You are a true craftsman and lover of fine details. One of my all time favorite cars made better in the hands of an artist.
I applaud you

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Hello!

Yesterday I was adjusting the wing rods and their corresponding pits on the 2E bodies. I want to point out that it is necessary to have a tight fit in order to maximize the actuator's effect on the wing itself. Otherwise the rods will move and this movement will diminish the rotation of the wing.

Here are pictures of the parts (few originals and the result of the casting I made) and of the blank fitting before painting (well, although the wings are not painted they got a coat of primer).

[Jean-Michel Piot]

A nice pair ...

[Tex]

Very nice, Jean-Michel! Jim Hall on the left and Phil Hill on the right.

[Jairus]

A nice pair indeed!

Jean-Michel, do you take these cars to the track for testing or are they just for the shelf? Either way is no big deal, but I am interested in whether you also take the effort to be sure the cars preform at least as well as they did when new.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Tex, thank you for the compliment.

Indeed all the Cox Chaparral with # 65 (not only the 2E but also the 2A) will have a sculpted helmet based on Phill Hill's one.

Quite easy to do if you take a look at the pictures I posted on that topic.


Jairus, I also take them on the track. With Ortmann tires.

Now, among all those I restored/built, "only" 4 Chaparral 2E shall be for me. Those four are 2 genuine Cox cars that will from time to time be used on the track for the parade and 2 copies that I will more likely play with.

I chose a different livery for the copies, by the way.

What will my friends do with their 2E (among which Don Siegel, for whom I restored a 2E few years ago), I do not know. I guess that at least 2 would rather stay on the shelf with some times a gentleman's drive.

One thing for sure: when well assembled, the wing moves extremely well and it is a real pleasure to see it.

By not using a Cox 2E, you would miss this magic feeling that makes you figure out that this is the real thing (in our still childish brain of course).

Because of this, the Cox 2E is my favorite slot car.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Hello folks...

I'm about to complete five 2Es.

And could not find the copies of actuators I made or the silicon mould! I only found one imperfect resin copy, with air bubbles.

So I thought of making another mould from this resin part when I had a second thought. Indeed the genuine part (or its exact replica) is far from perfect. Not strong enough, too narrow as for the area that slides into the engine can, which implied as we have seen to modify the part by adding something. Efficient but not so elegant. Then I remembered what TSR once answered to a member, something like "better use a plastic bit and cut an actuator into it"...

He was definitely right: by sculpting a thick plasticard foil, I could have an actuator at the correct size by widening a little the part where needed.

Well, not one, I had 5 to do ...

But am-I a plastic surgeon or not ?

[slotbaker]

But am-I a plastic surgeon or not ?

Yes you are J-M.

Beautiful work.

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Thank you, Steve.

As we somewhat go back in the process, see an enhancement, here is another one...

For those five cars I decided to improve the pilot by adding the sponsor badge and the names. There shall be 2 different liveries for the cars and then there is 2 different set of decals for the sponsors:



The names are painted.

I used this picture as an inspiration for one of the 2 liveries:

[Jean-Michel Piot]

I guess we do not see this everyday...

3 genuine cars and 3 copies with Cox chassis: