16 replies to this topic

[fox]

Good morning, gentlemen,
 
Has been I while since I wrote my last post, nevertheless still watching what you guys are posting...
and I love it!
 
A while ago I came around this and bought it .....
 

 
This thing is made of a brownish material that I guess to be Bakelite which was a quite common material back in the times which they made telephones, steering wheels, etc., of during the last century.

It has a metal base screwed on the bottom and weighs 200 g.
 
Since I always loved the Bugatti T52 I shortly afterwards got hold of one of those vac-formed Bugatti Pactra bodies.

I compared the Pactra body with this (now I call it) mold and found out that they are almost identical to all measurements, markings, lines, all numbers of grooves and vents. In fact the Pactra body is a bit larger.

In the end I discovered a number on the bottom, engraved by hand saying "126-2". Researching an old Pactra leaflet I recognized that "126" was the production number of the Pactra Bugatti body.
 
For me personally it seems clear but I would appreciate your professional comments on this.
 
Is it possible that this is an original Pactra production mold to vac-form the Bugatti bodies?
Did anyone of you see something like this before?
 
Does anyone of you know more about it than me?
 
Click the pic for bigger view, I posted graphics as a link to my server.
 
Thanks a lot,
 
Martin

[Steve Deiters]

I can't say that it is a Pactra or not, but that object has all the charecterisitics of a mold to make vacuum-formed bodies.

[fox]

Thanks, Steve.
 
if my Pactra body would be unpainted (in fact it is painted blue) I would be able to put the body over the mold perfectly fine.
 
Best,
 
Martin

[Steve Deiters]

The mold may have been made for a backpour from the original body. I defer to those with experience with such things to fill in the knowledge gap.

[TSR]

This is not a copy but one of the original molds made of Hapex epoxy, that was set on a board with seven others to make Bugattis all day long when the market cried for them.

Nice find, it is decorative and a good piece for a collector.

[fox]

Thanks PdL,
 
So I will try to make some Bugatti bodies...

[Ramcatlarry]

I would save it from the Lexan. Use it to make a new rubber mold and then a new Alumilite hard mold to vac-form from.

[TSR]

Martin,

Larry is correct: polycarbonate (Lexan) will destroy the mold. The old Lancer molds used by REH in the USA are so bad now, that most detail on the body they market is gone.

If you really want to use this old mold, use PETG, much less harmful when separating the mold from the plastic.

[fox]

Thanks again, Dokk.
 
Were those molds coated or waxed (releasing agent?) when used for production back then?

[fox]

And thanks to Larry as well!!

[Ecurie Martini]

I make no claim to being a Bugattiste but have looked at a lot of photos and seen many on exhibit. The front apron of this model appears to me to be too long. Comment?
 
EM

[TSR]

Alan, of course it is too long, but it had to fit the "Competition" chassis (it was actually not used in a Pactra kit or RTR, only by their sister company, Competition).



Martin,

No, these molds were not coated with anything. In fact with the heat generated by the oven over the molds in the vacuum forming machine, no coating would survive very long!

But we were told by the all-time master of vacuum forming, Lloyd Asbury of Lancer fame, that an agent in an improperly mixed epoxy mix caused the beginning of the yellowing that shows on some butyrate bodies and not others. This yellowing does not show on Lexan bodies.

The first Lexan bodies were made by MPC in 1966, and the other companies were slow to follow. In fact, Lancer made very few Lexan bodies compared to the millions they produced in butyrate.

If you are to use this old mold, you should also note that the resin epoxy in which they were made is not always stable, and I personally witnessed a mold that broke in several pieces as the machine pushed the formed material from the mold. So be careful! 

[Ecurie Martini]

Thanks, Philippe - and now, having seen the complete model, I am forced to observe that it sins at both ends - the front apron and the absurd rear wheels!
 
EM

[MSwiss]

it sins at both ends

Legend has it, Pactra was required to stack up the boxes in Catholic confessionals, to first receive absolution, before they could be shipped to the public. LOL.

[Ramcatlarry]

Look up 'pendleracing.co.uk' for Penelope Pitlane frames to fit the body and proper wheels and tires - and other similar era kits like the blower Bentley.

[TSR]

Larry, they are all 1/32 scale. The longest would not be suitable unless you solder extensions in the center pieces once split...
Old Pactra and Competition chassis are all over eBay for cheap.

 

Alan, you did not expect the Competition RTR model to be exacting scale, did you? 

 

[Ecurie Martini]

Alan, you did not expect the Competition RTR model to be exacting scale, did you? 

 
When I was in graduate school (middle of the last century), my major professor's response to an argument that I put forth was "You have an excellent 18th century mind."
 
I'm with the late Rocky Russo on this - control wheelbase, track and tire width and forget the rest of the rules - they won't make any difference (An overstatement certainly but closer to right than wrong).
 
EM