1:12 1978 Lotus JPS Mk III -- FINISHED!!!

[Nacho Z]

Here is what is up next for completion. I am really excited about doing this one!!! This is an origianl kit. This build is for a friend who also is into modeling....sort of. He builds and flies some amazing RC planes. These things are HUGE. He scratchbuilds them and he does outstanding work. He bought this Tamiya kit back in 1978 for $27.00! He started it by putting the wheels and tires together and painting the main tub. As a nod to him I am going to leave the wheels and tires as they are. Everything else I am doing. This includes stripping the painted tub.

This will be the most detailed kit I have ever attempted. Its size leads to super detailing. I started this back in 2005. It got boxed up that same year and I just got it back out. (Hey, he had it since 1978.....what's 5 more years ;D) The bad thing is I did not have a digital camera back then. Therefore not too many pics were taken. I will post some progress pics soon. I hope you all like progress pics because I'm going to post a gazillion of them. This is the only way my friend can see what is going on with his model......ain't the net great?!?! BTW, as of this posting I have right at 150 documented hours. I have a lot more than that if you count ongoing research and lots of trips to the hobby store.

[Nacho Z]

Here we go....the first in-progress pics. The first pic is a scan of an old picture. It is of the parts to make the front wheels.




Here is what you get when you stick them in a bag and shake them up real good

[fireguy14]

Very nice!!! I really like the looks of that kit. May have to just suck it up and get me one someday!

[Gary Kulchock]

John, your expert detail painting is going to make this 1/12 kit shine. Keep the photos coming.

[The Mad Modeller]

Great work John.

[Nacho Z]

Here is the battery. I am trying to scratchbuild a good bit of things. The connections are solder that has been flattened on one end and drilled out to fit on brass posts. Wire insulation was added to look like the crimp piece. The battery cables were tied up and routed to the tub. I am not happy with the battery hold down straps. I may replace them.

[oldcoyote]

Your paint and detail work are absolutely stunning .......... my hat's off to you sir

[Nacho Z]

Thanks for the comments guys. I appreciate them. I am open to any suggestions or criticisms too.

Up next is one of the areas I am pretty happy with. This was the first time I used this much aftermarket items. I learned the proper way to install A/N fittings, (which ones go where). It was not easy to get the relatively large braided lines to bend so tightly and then stay in place. I added grommets where the lines go through the walls. I also added hold down clamps on the small lines. Again, finding detailed photos of this car is not easy. If anyone knows where I can find some PLEASE let me know.

[The Mad Modeller]

Great work John.

[prumus99]

You do some great detail work!!! Thats looking great so far!

[whtchevy]

I am not into this kind of race car but your detail work is crazy ...Keep up the great work and keep them coming.

[Gary Kulchock]

Nice work John. What's the coiled metal line under all that braided hose?

[Nacho Z]

Feb 28, 2010 23:35:37 GMT -5 Gary Kulchock said:

Nice work John. What's the coiled metal line under all that braided hose?

This goes back to not having very many good ref. pics or general info. on this car. The few pics I have of this area show this line. I added it and ran it to the tub panels. Honestly I have no clue what it is or does!! Perhaps a fuel pressure line? This will not be the only hose/line/wire that gets put in place that may not end up anywhere let alone in the correct place .

[Nacho Z]

So I was visiting ferrarichip the other night. He was kind enough to lend me some ref. material for this car. He was commenting about the build and the pics. I mentioned the battery hold down straps and got the look that you give your wife when she asks "do I look fat in these jeans?" I could tell he was not impressed with them but didn't want to hurt my feelings. I always ask for comments or criticisms and I'm glad he told me they didn't look too realistic or functional. So here is my third attempt at better straps. They are made from "chart-pak" tape cut into thin strips. Let me know what you think.....

[Gary Kulchock]

Straps look a lot better John. By the way, do I look fat?

[Nacho Z]

With this post you will be pretty much up to date on this build. Again, this work was done back in 2005. These pics are of the front end. The brake reservoirs and one of the fire extinguishers. To the best of my knowledge the brake system is plumbed correctly. Anyone who builds race cars, especially F1, know that these cars can change race to race and even day to day during a race weekend .











You may also see the front suspension in pics. The kit springs looked a little anemic to me. My ref. pics showed them beefier and a gold color. I made mine from wire wrapped around the appropriate sized drill bit.

[ferrarichip]

Now that's what I call proper battery hold downs-that tape looks just like the reference photos.

Chip

[The Mad Modeller]

Lookin good John.

[Gary Kulchock]

I agree. The hold downs look in scale now. Make sure you bring it to the meeting tomorrow night. ;D

[prumus99]

The new hold downs look great! I'm blown away but the work you do.

[Nacho Z]

Thanks for all of the comments guys! More updates will be coming in the next few days.

[Nacho Z]

WOW, almost two years since my last post on this beast . Talk about a building slump, hehehe. I have been working on this model, on and off, (mostly off), over the last two years. I go like crazy until I hit a sticking point and then I put it off. I have been taking pictures as I go. What I'll do is post a few pics every few days until I get caught up to where I'm currently at. If you read the first page of posts you'll get some background on this build. Here's to getting this one off the bench!

Here are a couple of pics of the basic engine block. No detail painting has been done. For reference to size, the Lotus is a 1:43.

[Nacho Z]

Today's installment are the radiators that sit in the side pods and the pipes that run back to the engine. The kit pipes had huge "steps" in them. What I mean is that the two molds did not line up so the two half pieces did not line up. There was no way to sand them down to make them truly round and if I were to sand them down they would have ended up about half of the diameter that they started. I made new pipes from styrene rod.

[Gary Kulchock]

I'm enjoying seeing you working on this project again John. Keep it up buddy.

[zbuckster]

Looks good.

[Nacho Z]

More work on the engine. Here are the fuel injectors. The tubing that was supplied in the kit is 30+ years old. It looks good but it kinks the minute you try to bend it. Also the tubing will not fit over the plastic nibs of the injectors. I cut the nibs off and replaced them with brass wire. I also have added the ignition wires. Here are a few pics of the first go around. Since these pictures were taken I have added more to the engine, tore all of the fuel lines off and replaced them with newer, more pliable tubing. I will post more pictures of the completed engine later.

[zbuckster]

Nice workmanship. The engine is rocking already.

[Gary Kulchock]

Very nice John.

[roadhawg]

Holy moly......thats more detailed than a REAL engine! This is great!

[Nacho Z]

Thanks for the replies guys. To follow up on the pipes and radiator, here are a few pictures of them finished and installed. They are so much better than the kit supplied pipes. The hose clamps are thin strips of BMF. Sorry, the pics are just a tad bit fuzzy.