1/20 Tamiya Lotus Type 79

[kyledehart5]

Sept 14, 2023 15:30:17 GMT -5 project510 said:

For reasons I am not 100% sure about yet, the compressor is back to working normally. Best idea is it had something to do with where it was plugged in. I took a couple days to test it out making sure it wouldn't die on me half way through something. So we are back to work. That's the good news...



Now for the bad news. Those who have been around since I started posting, or who go back and review the previous photos will notice something very important that is missing...
Yup, that would be the Ford Cosworth. My son, bless his 6 year old race car loving heart, took it off the workbench and "tried to put it into one of his cars" so he could drift better. 
It has as of this morning, not yet been found.

I mean, half of me is so annoyed but the other half is sort of proud I guess? I dunno. Hes 6 and is trying to mod cars already. So Ill focus on that. His mom is just thrilled with his new hobby. LOL

While I am sorry to hear about your Cosworth, I am also sort of proud of your son. 😂 And I’m sure he thought it was a very important powerplant for whatever vehicle it was going in.

[handiabled]

I hope you can find it (still intact) When my oldest son was young he used to "help" me with projects on my bench. By "help" I mean unauthorized activities usually being done

[project510]

Yea, its hard to be mad. He's a chip off the old block for sure. After his bath he asked for a new temporary tattoo on his arm, and we watched one of our favorite Youtube builders assemble an 8 valve Saab engine before bed tonight. I mean, I couldnt really ask for more.

[maverick]

I have two cats that pull that stunt! Darn wheel thiefs!!! Finally had to start putting work/sub assemblies and parts in containers/boxes to keep em safe...

[project510]

Sept 18, 2023 15:17:05 GMT -5 maverick said:

I have two cats that pull that stunt! Darn wheel thiefs!!! Finally had to start putting work/sub assemblies and parts in containers/boxes to keep em safe...

Cats are evil.

New kit arrives tomorrow. Guess Ill have extra parts. I really dont want to buy another set of the PE parts... but well see.

[handiabled]

Sept 18, 2023 21:54:54 GMT -5 project510 said:

Sept 18, 2023 15:17:05 GMT -5 maverick said:

I have two cats that pull that stunt! Darn wheel thiefs!!! Finally had to start putting work/sub assemblies and parts in containers/boxes to keep em safe...

Cats are evil.

New kit arrives tomorrow. Guess Ill have extra parts. I really dont want to buy another set of the PE parts... but well see.

One of my Wife's cats likes to time jumping on my bench when he can make the most little parts go flying. 

[project510]

^^^ Evil

Not a huge amount of progress. But some none the less. I should have started with the body so I could let it fully cure to apply decals and polish. Tamiya's directions may not be the best.. but boy do their parts fit perfectly.

[buddho]

That is one good looking engine. Watching this build.

[deafpanzer]

Looking good... yeah can't go wrong with those Tamiya kits!

[project510]

Rough week or so with other stuff. Have not gotten any time at the desk to work on this. Finally got SOME time. 
Nice change of pace to sit and work on something to relax a bit. Even if only for a short time.



I also got the 2nd kit in the mail and have a new tree of engine parts. I called Tamiya, which was an ordeal on its own. They didn't have the parts and said it would take months to get which is why I bought another one.




I also scanned ebay hoping to get lucky on a tree of parts but failed. I did however manage to find more aftermarket parts to try out haha. I bought some 3d printed suspension arms that looked cool. When I got them however... that was a different story. This is gonna be hard to remove..







Also, found this photo book of the 79 that I thought was much larger, but has some great detail shots of the car.







Taking a short trip for the kids birthday on Friday so I will get back to work after we return. Ill probably be spending the rest of the week repairing 2 of our three vehicles before we leave.

[Real G]

I experimented with making springs using plastic rod.  I used two parallel 0.020 rods, coiled them around a drill bit, tightly taped the ends down, then dunked them in boiling water.  After running them under cool water, the rods can be carefully threaded apart to give you a pair of springs with nice, even pitch spacing.





Being plastic, the springs are easy to trim and taper, and take paint well.  But they don't like being pulled on too much, as they will deform.

[kyledehart5]

Glad you managed to get some time at the bench. Some of the 3d stuff looks like a real chore but the detail available does make them hard to pass up.

[kyledehart5]

Sept 26, 2023 13:19:22 GMT -5 Real G said:

I experimented with making springs using plastic rod.  I used two parallel 0.020 rods, coiled them around a drill bit, tightly taped the ends down, then dunked them in boiling water.  After running them under cool water, the rods can be carefully threaded apart to give you a pair of springs with nice, even pitch spacing.





Being plastic, the springs are easy to trim and taper, and take paint well.  But they don't like being pulled on too much, as they will deform.

incredible. Great tip.

[deafpanzer]

What a huge improvement making those springs!!!

[handiabled]

Your springs look great! Great idea!

[project510]

Thanks for the tip G. I do plan to try something like this.

Started engine build #2



Also got most of the body in primer.

[kyledehart5]

Primer already showing off the iconic look of the 79. Looks great.

[project510]

Sept 27, 2023 16:05:40 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Primer already showing off the iconic look of the 79. Looks great.

Right? I love the primer look sometimes. The all black paint job will hide some of it. But that's just how it goes haha.

[project510]

My goodness have not touched this car in quite a few days. I have been so busy at work that, during a meeting one of my coworkers asked if I was excited for my trip. At that point I realized the next day I was supposed to be getting on a plane for a small trip with the family. Good thing we went to Hawaii where all i needed was a few pair of shorts and a few tanks lol. Was packed 20 minutes after I got home.

Back home, and back to work. Building this engine for the 2nd time. Maybe I should put this one in the safe haha.

[kyledehart5]

Well, hey! That one looks really nice too! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Work has been killing my bench time recently as well. It's a bummer.

[handiabled]

Great to see you back on this one again! Guard that engine well!!

[project510]

Oct 12, 2023 5:24:09 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Well, hey! That one looks really nice too! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Work has been killing my bench time recently as well. It's a bummer.

Seriously, I dont have a physically tiring job, but I get home mentally exhausted and after time with my boy im wiped out some nights.

Oct 12, 2023 8:26:25 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Great to see you back on this one again! Guard that engine well!!

Yea, I hid this one haha.

[kyledehart5]

Mentally exhausting can be just as bad. I work outside, blue collar, but there’s days I walk several miles with a 300 pound machine and come home and can work on things. Other days are just soul crushing and I come home and go to bed. One of my favorite things about picking this hobby back up is that it’s always there for me, just as I left it whenever I feel like working at it.

[406 Silverado]

Oh man......I can most certainly see where you were torn on that engine disappearance James. My son broke my landing gear once on my prized Fw-190 D-9 that I worked my tail off on. He was trying to see what the plane would look like with the gear up. He's 19 now and while he doesn't build models, he does build big Lego sets. The kid's good at it too....he can put 1000 piece kits together in a fraction of the time that other folks his age can.

Your new engine is looking great and I'm looking forward to seeing more on this.

[project510]

Oct 13, 2023 13:57:24 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Oh man......I can most certainly see where you were torn on that engine disappearance James. My son broke my landing gear once on my prized Fw-190 D-9 that I worked my tail off on. He was trying to see what the plane would look like with the gear up. He's 19 now and while he doesn't build models, he does build big Lego sets. The kid's good at it too....he can put 1000 piece kits together in a fraction of the time that other folks his age can.

Your new engine is looking great and I'm looking forward to seeing more on this.

We are a big Lego family also. Ill get a shot of our temporary Lego storage up here tonight or something. I want to build something more efficient for my son, for now its just plastic storage bins on a book shelf.

Yea, I mean honestly the stories on here of other Dads having the same issue is probably why I didn't get upset. Its pretty much standard procedure. 

[406 Silverado]

Oct 13, 2023 18:56:06 GMT -5 project510 said:

Oct 13, 2023 13:57:24 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Oh man......I can most certainly see where you were torn on that engine disappearance James. My son broke my landing gear once on my prized Fw-190 D-9 that I worked my tail off on. He was trying to see what the plane would look like with the gear up. He's 19 now and while he doesn't build models, he does build big Lego sets. The kid's good at it too....he can put 1000 piece kits together in a fraction of the time that other folks his age can.

Your new engine is looking great and I'm looking forward to seeing more on this.

We are a big Lego family also. Ill get a shot of our temporary Lego storage up here tonight or something. I want to build something more efficient for my son, for now its just plastic storage bins on a book shelf.

Yea, I mean honestly the stories on here of other Dads having the same issue is probably why I didn't get upset. Its pretty much standard procedure. 

You're definitely going to have to show some pics of that Lego storage. My son'll have a blast in looking at that.

On our kids and model handling.....if it were anybody else....someone would've gotten hurt.

[project510]

Ill get that photo up tomorrow 406. I totally forgot to do it tonight.

Some updates on the 79. Started messing around with some fine details and started painting the body.
Ive got some parts coming in to dress up the engine, and I want to get those before I finish it up.

I want to copy this dimpled heat shield


So I cut a piece of foil, and looked around the garage for a way to copy it. Wouldnt ya know it, an old xacto knife had a knurled end that worked really well.



Also took a dive into painting the body. I started with this piece here in case I screwed up. It has no fine details to sand away in case of any errors so I figured it would be a good starting point.



You can already see my issue in this poorly shot photo above, but I got a bit of orange peel. I started with thin coats, but wasnt getting a wet look after the 2nd. So on the third I increased the amount of paint, and maybe went too much? I may drop a PSI or two also. Im at 20 but it sure feels awful strong. If I back further away its instant orange peel also

I did get the glossy look though, so If a bit of 3000 grit can clean up the peel, I may be in luck!



Also, I need to scrub the walls of the booth. Im certain its causing a ton of dust. Itll sand out but wont be easy on pieces with fine details like rivets and panel lines.

[kyledehart5]

Black is unforgiving to anything at all. Always a tough color. Note to self, when I build this car, pick a different livery. LOL. Kidding. I'm sure you'll get it as smooth as you need it.

[406 Silverado]

Oct 14, 2023 1:16:21 GMT -5 project510 said:

Ill get that photo up tomorrow 406. I totally forgot to do it tonight.

Some updates on the 79. Started messing around with some fine details and started painting the body.
Ive got some parts coming in to dress up the engine, and I want to get those before I finish it up.

I want to copy this dimpled heat shield


So I cut a piece of foil, and looked around the garage for a way to copy it. Wouldnt ya know it, an old xacto knife had a knurled end that worked really well.

Now THAT.........is definitely a great solution to how to replicate that piece, James! That's dang near perfect!!! 

As to black paint jobs, Kyle is right as black is not a very forgiving color but sounds like you're sticking with it good which is gonna make all the difference in the final stages of the build. I went through a phase where I painted several auto builds black just to get better at it for a while. After the second build I started feeling pretty good about the efforts. Body prep and smooth primer coats are the keys to a good black paint job. I'm sure this is gonna smooth out well for you. Don't get in a hurry with the wet sanding and polishing and you'll be golden. 

[project510]

Oct 14, 2023 1:59:44 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Black is unforgiving to anything at all. Always a tough color. Note to self, when I build this car, pick a different livery. LOL. Kidding. I'm sure you'll get it as smooth as you need it.

Oct 14, 2023 6:33:16 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Oct 14, 2023 1:16:21 GMT -5 project510 said:

Ill get that photo up tomorrow 406. I totally forgot to do it tonight.

Some updates on the 79. Started messing around with some fine details and started painting the body.
Ive got some parts coming in to dress up the engine, and I want to get those before I finish it up.

I want to copy this dimpled heat shield


So I cut a piece of foil, and looked around the garage for a way to copy it. Wouldnt ya know it, an old xacto knife had a knurled end that worked really well.

Now THAT.........is definitely a great solution to how to replicate that piece, James! That's dang near perfect!!! 

As to black paint jobs, Kyle is right as black is not a very forgiving color but sounds like you're sticking with it good which is gonna make all the difference in the final stages of the build. I went through a phase where I painted several auto builds black just to get better at it for a while. After the second build I started feeling pretty good about the efforts. Body prep and smooth primer coats are the keys to a good black paint job. I'm sure this is gonna smooth out well for you. Don't get in a hurry with the wet sanding and polishing and you'll be golden. 

Thank you both. I love Black cars so I will definitely need the practice.

Prep was good. Mr Color 1500 primer thinned 1:1 2 coats. Wet sanded at 4k for a smooth finish.
Im pretty sure I just need to get the technique down. PSI, amount of paint, distance etc.