40 replies to this topic

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Hello All.

 

This is the first time I post something in this section of the forum.

 

As some of you might know, I love Colin Chapman's creations. So here is the way I build a Lotus Eleven, from a NOS kit and a chassis found in a slot car swap meeting in the south of France (near Toulouse).

 

And all this, in more pictures than words (or more likely so).

 

I might only comment few steps.

 

Let's start!

 

 

Now I just put the chassis in the lower part of the body, to be able to draw with a pencil where plastic will have to be cut off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

[SlotStox#53]

The Lotus Eleven is a beautiful design/shape, share the love of Colins creations

Great start !

[Jean-Michel Piot]

 

 

 

The rear corner of the rear wheel arch has to be modified. From square in the kit, it has to become round (here with Tamiya epoxy 2 components mastic):

 

 

Underneath, at the rear end, a U line has to be engraved. Inside the line, the area will be covered with bare metal. On the real car the rear bonnet is articulated on this part that we delimitated:

 

 

I then reinforced the lower part of the body:

 

 

 

On this picture of the left side, I marked up the lower genuine separation line of the front bonnet with a slim band of masking tape. This line goes down too far and the line of the wheel arch is wrong.

 

 

We can see that it is wrong with this picture taken from a book:

 

 

Here is now the other side of the body, after modification:

 

 

It is now time to modify the left side, from bellow, where the exhaust should be:

 

 

 

Here is a real car, for reference:

 

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jean-Michel Piot]

The way the driver's door is cut for the windscreen is totally wrong. It just cannot remain as it is.

 

The windscreen also has to be cut, one should be able to place it on a plane surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For engraving the lines that are embossed on the kit, we have to file down the embossment and then use a dry point guided with Dymo tapes.

 

 

 

 

Now the headlight housing:

 

 

 

 

 

The lenses themselves are turned into the clear parts tree:

 

 

 

To be continued...

[Hworth08]

Really nice!

 

The gussets on the body mounts rival the ones Bobby Allison used to sell. No telling how many thousand he sold. About everyone in NASCAR used his various extremely well designed and cut plates.

[Cheater]

Great stuff!

[Jean-Michel Piot]

 

At the rear of the lenses, I apply some bare metal foil:

 

 

 

 

Provisional assembly of the pilot (found in a lot on ebay, should some-one recognize the origin, any information will be welcome.)

 

 

 

 

 

As for the rivets on the dashboard, we will see later on how I do that with a hot needle:

 

 

 

To be continued...

[Jean-Michel Piot]

 

 

 

 

This now how to make a resin copy of the front, with headlight housings filed up with epoxy mastic, which copy will be useful for creating transparent covers (thermo formed).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The windscreen also has to be engraved:

 

 

To be continued...

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Now, the way I create rivets, with a woodburning apparel on which I added a needle.

 

An Eleven without rivets is not an eleven... (juste like a D type Jaguar by the way).

 

We will also see the inside of the genuine body, to understand why and where there are rivets.

 

When the system is at the right temperature, the entry of the needle creates a little plastic mushroom. And there you are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A picture I took myself, this year at the Lotus Show at Donington Park in the Middlands (UK).

 

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Taken at the same place:

 

 

 

 

 

The lens covers, just put in place...

 

 

Now, it's time to paint, with a mix of colors as I did not find the exact green I wanted in the spray cans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jean-Michel Piot]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the tank cap, I used a Cox part, the one that can be found in the Lotus 30/Lotus 40 kit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jean-Michel Piot]

How to create the instruments?

 

1. Drill holes in the dashboard, 

2. create a circle in metallic thread and glue it,

3. paint the inside in black;

4. glue the pictures of the instruments on the rear side (here, decals on their paper support),

5. Fill in with 2 components epoxy glue, like araldite, to simulate the glass.

 

You will have beautiful instruments in depth and not only some flat representation...

 

Et voilà ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the model is almost completed.

 

I just have to create the lateral fastening buckles.

 

I will do this when I will be back home. I'm outside now, enjoying holidays in my 1:1 Lotus Elan M100 SE. 

 

But meanwhile, if you have questions... I will be happy to answer, my friends.

[Tex]

Absolutely fantastic, Jean-Michel!

[Tim Neja]

Your INSANE!!!  And I mean that in the nicest way!!! That model is SIC!!

[Dennis David]

We are not worthy ...

[mdiv]

 

Totally awesome!

[Noose]

That is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

[SlotStox#53]

Totally amazing and beautiful Lotus , thanks for showing us your handy work and the wickedly cool outcome!!

Just WOW!

[Duffy]

Just fantastic.

[Gator Bob]

Absolument parfait ! 

 Bravo, Je lève mon chapeau.   

[slotbaker]

What a little jewel of a model.

 

Excellent 'how to' as well.

 

Thank you for sharing your magic with us.

[Samiam]

Beautiful job.

 

 Your attention to detail is amazing. 

 

 Thanks for sharing this build with us.

 

 Did you salvage those body mount posts off a junker?

[Gary Bluestone]

Wrong Forum, can't be amateur ! Must be professional or work of ART forum !

[Mark Johnson]

SUPERB

[Jean-Michel Piot]

All those nice comments, and on my birthday in addition to this! Many thanks to all.

 

A special thank to Bob, for his perfect French and kind attention. Merci mon ami, cela me fait très plaisir.

 

To answer Samiam: yes the body mount posts come from a junker; a Dino Cox. I don't care about the red color as all the interior of the body has been sprayed with primer and then painted flat black, just as I do on my other cars and just as my friend Chris Clark does as well (he inspired me in fact).