Formula One Group Build 2022 - CLOSED

Thanks Kevdog....

Now that the end of this build is near I begin to question how it should be displayed. Do I want to put it on a shelf and leave it? How about placing it in a plastic presentation box? Or,... what about creating main display of the car crossing the finish line in one of the many races it won through the 30's? After asking on three modeling forums it was unanimous that the third option was the most desired. 

So while I'm still resolving the decals and final details on the car I decided to come up with an idea and place it on paper, then a diorama base. If you recall, I made a team mechanic to add to the presentation beside the car. I painted him in a while set of coveralls and used the pose provided by Tamiya. To be honest, I was not satisfied with the finished product and thought he might be better utilized. Here is how he looked prior to the transformation.



Since then I changed is coveralls into a two piece pants and shirt outfit retaining a white shirt but changing the pants to a more period color. IN his unmodified stance he looks like he is telling the driver all is OK and to go out there and win. Looking at the pose I reimagined him as one of the race officials waiving a flag at the finish line. The figures pose remained unchanged, but I used a micro drill to make a hole through his clenched right hand. I then cut a hardened steel wire to an approximate 2 foot length for the flag staff. After looking through around 100 piecemeal decal sheet I could not find any kind of black and white checkered decal (that surprised me too considering the drawer and book full of decals I have kept). 

So how to make a realistic looking checkered flag, purchase it, print from on-line source, free-hand paint, etc. ? Being rather thrifty with my purchases and knowing my limitations, I chose to find an on-line source, adjust the scale and print it on top quality from my laser printer. Once it was in print it was simple to use a razor knife and straight edge to make the flag. I wanted to get photos of the newly painted figure with flag staff in hand as well as the flag, but I got carried away and finished the assembly. The inside of the flag was first coated with clear to avoid the bleeding of the ink with the CA cement. It was then folded in the middle to create both sides.One side was cemented to a flat piece of cooking foil to dry. Once dry I cut the foil surrounding the half flag and folded the other half of the flag to the other side of the foil and cemented it flush with the first half. The reason for the foil was to allow me to simulate the billowing of the flag in the wind, thus creating the rolling furls of the flag as it is being waived (the foil make the foiling shape stay in place). So, how did this all turn out? You will have to wait and see at the next update.

Using one of the wood bases I had sitting around, I applied the thoughts from my paper image to the surface using a permanent black marker. One corner will have the edge of some stones, grass, and foliage. That is where the flag man will be. To show a slight terrain variation I cut some 1/4 inch foam board for the upper left corner using a razor knife. While the display end is symmetrical with the wood display corner, the part of the foam inside the display was shaped with a jagged irregular shaped edge. I then bent the edge down toward the wood for a smoother transition. Along with the transition I also added a few dimples to part of the foam surface to simulate earthly contours instead of a glass smooth surface. The last step was to paint it a flat dark earthy green. This will be the very basic start of the display. Here is what I'm talking about:



Next for those not use to doing model landscaping was to add any major (larger) natural elements to the base. This is done now because you want the stones or even grass and bushes to look like they are part of the landscape and not hovering above it. In this next photo you can see the scale stone applied along with my first grouping of grass. It should be done in that order to allow the stone to appear as partially under the dirt and melding into the earth as if it was there for many years. You can also see the 
texturing of the wood base to accept more groundwork. 



And what material looks most realistically like dirt?, well dirt does. So I went to a couple places on my property recently and gathered various types and amounts of rock, dirt, sand, clay, etc. After sifting it through a couple of typical wire food strainers I got what I thought was scale appropriate fine dirt and rock for 1/20 scale.  

I don't have a picture of it, but the next step I did was to mask off a perceived boarder around the top of the wood with painters tape. This will give you protection on the routed edges when building up the base with various materials while simultaneously giving your display a more finished or professional appearance. The glue I'm using for the base is a very thick type of white glue often used in landscaping of model railroads. The thick glue does not spread naturally so I used an old fan brush to spread it evenly approximately 1/16 inch in depth across the desired area. While wet I began applying the sifted dirt elements to the prepared surface. This process took a couple individual layers to begin to achieve the build up effect. Warning up front, this is a messy step. 

IMPORTANT: While the white glue and dirt was setting but still plyable I removed the painters tape from the edges and then finished this level by using a soft brush on the edges to remove any roughness and keep the display edge clean. At this point here is what it looks like. There are still a couple more elements or layers as well as steps that need to be done to the display itself. Then the exposed wood will be either stained or painted (still to be determined), and the whole thing sealed. 



Next update I will show the flag bearer and the finishing steps for the base; possibly the full completion depending on the detail work and decals. Till then live, laugh, love well, and model something. 

Ben / DRUMS01

Great progress Ben.  The detail is just outstanding.  Looking forward to the final product, though this has been fun following along.

Well, I haven't given any kind of update for some time. So while I can tell you it's nearly done I want to show you some photos that I took along the way.

The final step is STEP #6. While Step #5 was very basic, this step adds the rear suspension, upper and lower body, ties in the various hoses and lines adds the wheels, etc. Before I get to the pictures I want to share a couple more strange issues I found with the build process. 

STEP #6 (FINAL)



- If you remember, in Step #3 we were instructed to assemble the front suspension. Well here in Step #6 we are instructed to disassemble the wheel spindle and brass backing plate so you can screw in the tie-rod. Why would they have you assemble it in one step just to disassemble part of it in another? Why not assemble the front hubs in Step #6 and leave it at that. By following the instructions in Step #3 and adding CA cement to the parts, I was unable to disassemble it later. Why did I cement them together you ask? Based on my experience with other Revival cars, it is very common for the wheel spindle to become unscrewed when rolling spinning your wheels or rolling the car on a hard surface to demonstrate the rolling wheels. Nothing like a wheel sub assembly falling off and worse if it falls to the floor and takes off to a hard to reach location (don't ask me how I know this).

- Not too far from the first note, in Step #3 again you were instructed to assemble the rear axle components but leave them off the car. You guessed it, in Step #6 you are instructed to disassemble part of the assembly for installation through the body and then reassemble it again, why assemble it the first time? Once again foiled by CA cement as they would not come undone, so I had to modify the rear axles to finish the assembly of the car. Future builders, remember these issues and do not assembly them in Step #3.

- In the center of the Step#6 diagram they instruct you to add a screw through a tab inside the center of the body to tie the top and bottom together. Surprise!, the upper body does not have the tabs so it is impossible to perform that step.

- When adding the wheels, in order to tighten them properly you need to have a special miniature flat tip screwdriver with the center removed (it sort of looks like a miniature micro forked screwdriver. While I've assembled other Revival kits and was expecting this, so I modified one of many small screwdrivers in my stock during my first Revival builds. So if your planning on building a Revival kit, be prepared for this tool. You can also substitute a pointed set of tweezers to fit into the wheel nut notches and perform the task. I just think it is strange that they tell you that you need a speciality screwdriver that they do not provide and you have to make it (?). 

- Just a strange observation, in Step #6. In the image of the body they display the number #4. In the decals provided with the kit, they are a red number #22 set (??). The only number #4 I can find in Hans Stuk's Auto Racing history is at the 1937 Monaco GP, and it was not a dually car. I suppose Revival copied the image from the single wheel kit that is also available (?).

So, enough about the kit instructions, lets see some progress photos!

Here is the model with the front internals all added except the hoses and fittings; the front and rear suspension added through the main body; and the cockpit nearly completed (less seat and steering wheel).



If you look close you can see where the engine favors the left side of the compartment. I triple checked the rear guide pin and front mounts and they are square/centered in the frame. The engine is balanced on both sides with the same overhang. When I say favors, I mean the magnetos on each side are placed tight against the body. I'm not sure if its a mold or casting issue but it does impact the alignment of the belly pan to the main body (more on that later). 



The belly pan is attached with four screws, two in the front and two in the rear. Now if those tabs would've been present it would have been 6 screws and allow you to pull the two parts together in the center. Since they did not exist there was a gap between the body and belly pan between the wheels. In hindsight, and if your building this kit in the future, I would recommend looking to see if your kit has those tabs to screw through. If it does not I would add a plastic shim to the upper body to give it the extra 1/32 inch space to close the gap. It should be easy enough to add after you true up the body and then smooth with filler prior to prime and paint. I managed to add a very thin amount of superglue between the parts and add a clamp to apply pressure to hold them together until it cured. So far they gap is still closed (fingers crossed).  

Here's a photo of the rear section with wheels attached.



If you recall, I accidentally worked myself into an issue when adding the scratch built internal details to the body, specifically once the ribs and reinforcements were added I could not remove the internal body parts from the build. That means the dash was fixed to the cockpit prior to my paint and detailing (crap). To make it worse, I was not using the kit dash as it was incorrectly sized, leaving a 1/16 inch gap at the top and the molded in gages were totally incorrect in design and position. I tried several different methods to create and add aircraft instrument style gages but was unsuccessful. I think I could've came up with something if I had the dash out of the body, but oh well. So my dash is closer to the original but not completely authentic. 



To offset that issue I found some beautiful gage decals in my spares. In addition I also used the kit's white tach decal but painted the yellow, green, and red areas with Tamiya clear as on the real car. If your not a rivet counter it looks good enough for what can be seen. Especially after adding the steering wheel and driver.



This is where I'm going to leave it. My next update should be the completed car. Thanks for looking and please share your thoughts and opinions. Till next time live, laugh, love well, and model something.....

Ben / DRUMS01

Real G

I picked it up from a vendor at a contest. My car modeler friend said "Buy this - you will need it."

Ha! Thanks!

Good to have friends like that.

Greg

G,

Thanks for the info on the clear brown tubing. I'm having trouble with ordering it from SpotModel, and it is out of stock at HiroBoy. Where did you get yours?

I'll be back with a proper reply to other things later.

 

Greg,

I picked it up from a vendor at a contest.  My car modeler friend said "Buy this - you will need it."

G,

Thanks for the info on the clear brown tubing. I'm having trouble with ordering it from SpotModel, and it is out of stock at HiroBoy. Where did you get yours?

I'll be back with a proper reply to other things later.

I love the look of that car.  Those monster fat rear tires just scream race car..

Oh, and Greg had asked about the fuel line I used on the Tyrrell, so in case anyone else is wondering what to use, here it is, along with the mysterious "soda line" that I used between the front and rear oil reservoirs:

So anyone know what the deal is regarding the "soda line"?

And Greg, I have not forgotten about doing a tutorial on the springs!

Awesome work going on in the GB, keep the pressure on the pedal guys!

After a lengthy pit stop, the Brabham is back on the track!

I am finding the Fujimi kit has a lot of what I call "95% fit" problems.  That is, parts almost fit, but not quite.  I already know that these little fit issues will compound as more parts get layered on, so forewarned is forearmed is the MO for this build.  I am not a huge fan of lift-off cowlings, so I am leaning towards gluing all body panels on.  I don't know, I'm still on the fence about this one.  It WILL save me a lot of work on the engine if I hide everything away though.  

Oh, and I blame everyone for pressuring me into adding those darned little blue & red pipe connectors.  I cannot unsee them, so now I MUST add them as well!

Wow everyone, I'm really enjoying your builds and the details you're adding. I especially like the hybrid and scratch building like those fittings, etc. Over the years I've found several details in resin, plastic, and metal for those kind of fuel and oil fittings in numerous scales. Of course the metal are the strongest and resin the least. They are out there if you want to spend the money, but I've also used nothing more than extruded plastic shaped in a 5-6 sided bolt patttern. That along with a proper size of solder can make just about any scale and quantity for little money. One thing about bending solder though is that the smaller dia. can easily change shape if you pull or push to hard.  The only challenge in the nut s for the fittings is drilling the plastic to accept the line/hose. Sometime you can add the hose to a hollow extruded brass or aluminum (easier to cut) length of tube and then glue the hexigon nut shape to the end. Speaking of easier to cut, I've also found the resin nuts and bolts available for 1/35 through 1/16 military armor a good source for these fittings. Once cut stacked and painted they look as good as anything professionally manufactured. 

For a frayed end of braided line, I normally apply a very small amount of medium CA cement to the end, wipe off all excess and roll it lightly with your fingers. Be careful to not add too much as it will show on the braided line and also make it harder to bend when it adsorbs up the braid. Also too much pressure will cause it to become pointed if your not careful.

The amount of male and female fittings are limited only by your imagination to make them. I do agree with most of you in that there is a challenge to make the fittings scale authentic, and the smaller the scale the harder it is. For instance 1/8 or 1/12 is easy while 1/24 and smaller gets harder really quick. From what I see, and I'm no expert, you all are making really nice stuff. Keep up your inspiring work and above all, have fun with it.  

As for me, thanks to everyone for your kind words, when wrestling with this build they are appreciated. Now I'm going to ask you to help me with a small part of it. 

Thanks John.  A bit sloppy in some areas but it's better than the last car model and I'm having fun.  What more can I ask for?

Exhaust looks great, but I get lost in all the awesome plumbing!

Getting exhaust to lineup is always an anxious part of an open wheel race car kit.  Not bad this side.   Hopefully I can repeat this for the opposite side.  

I agree.  Ben, Greg, John, and the rest here are fantastic modelers.  They all take the top step on the F1 podium.

The details that are in these cars in real life is crazy to begin with and then getting all of that to look right in scale takes alot of work and patience. I have nothing but admiration for those that can pack all of that detail into these little gems. I'll be popping in regularly to check all of this out as I've already learned a thing or two, namely how to make plastic springs which I never would've thought of. 

I'm in for pretty much anything race car 

And maybe an IMSA GB - so many cars!

wpwar11

Oh thanks for the encouraging words Greg!

You're welcome, Paul .....and I'm very glad you are enjoying your first group build. That's what it's all about.

As I stated on this thread earlier in the year this is my very first group build.  I've been a member of my local modeling club for two years now and I haven't participated in any of those group builds.  Some of the themes are interesting but it never matched my enthusiasm at the time.  This group build has been great.  Long story short I would happily enter another next year.  

Happy modeling from southern Md

your buddy,

Paul 

Oh thanks for the encouraging words Greg!

Greg

James, glad you put a bug in our fearless leader's ear. I'm game for another GB on subject, these F1 cars seem to be a lot of fun.

Glad to hear it, I found two kits so Ill use the spare time to research and decide which one to build! Gonna need the extra bench time to keep up with ya'lls excellent work!

John (Eaton) and G, thank you for your nice comments and for your thoughts about the black cylinder.

Paul, thanks! Your workmanship is very clear and crisp, and like G's Tyrell (in a separate thread), could be easily mistaken for a larger scale.

John (Keavdog), thank for for your kind words as well. I used thin CA and capillary action to secure my braided line. What failed to occur to me is the the capillary flow goes both ways, not just towards the connector. (Duh!) So I ended up with some stiff braided line where I don't want it and hope I will be able to bend it convincingly when the time comes, and I figure out where it is going!!!

James, glad you put a bug in our fearless leader's ear. I'm game for another GB on subject, these F1 cars seem to be a lot of fun.

Ben, before I get dragged off to the grocery, just a quick comment that it's starting to seem that every time I do a clear coat over a metallic, it's a new adventure. I've been looking for a consistant solution, but since I keep trying different metallics, results vary. As has John (Eaton) I have also had pretty good results with Alclad Clear Aqua over Alclad metallics.

I've been messing with various Vallejo Metal Colors (the newer ones in the larger bottles, not the old ones in the typical Vallejo dropper bottles. They dry really fast and are so far incredibily durable, perhaps to the point of not even needing a sealer....but not quite sure of that yet.

Just saw this thread come across my radar. Great stuff across the board going on in here. 

Ben, I have had good luck using Alclad's Acqua Gloss when I didn't want the look of a nmf to change.

Great details Ben.  Looking very sharp.  That's quite a change to the aluminum after the clear coat.  I wouldn't have expected that.

My apologies as I believe I'm over due to update this build.

The delay stems from the time it has taken for the bodyworks paint to dry. I'm at the point where I can't do much until it cures. So, as the paint was drying on the body I began work on other small items in the build. 

Step 4 is rather basic and consists of nothing more than adding the dash, the firewall or bulkhead behind the driver, and the oil tank. To be honest, I had already jumped ahead and completed this step when scratch building the internal body panels for the footboards. The rear bulkhead was added to gage exactly where I needed to place and glue the fuel tank to the chassis to ensure the fuel filler tube and cap align through the body into the tank. By adding the firewall it gave me the tolerances I needed to know before fixing the fuel tank in place. The oil tank was added and removed numerous times when building the front compartments internal panels. It's final details were completed while waiting for other sub-assemblies. Here's the instructions for Step 4 (and 5):



So since Step 4 is already done, and Step 3 and 4 implied the adding of water and oil lines running on the left side of the main chassis rail I began work on more detailing.

- In the photo below you can see a few items I added to the engine area. First off, the drawing in the Step 3 and 4 instructions implies you can add the oil and water lines in a parallel format beside the chassis, that is not true. The upper and lower body panels will not fit if you add them as shown in the drawing (I tried and had to remove them after completion). This is the final configuration I settled on. It will be seen through the engine compartment and when looking into the cockpit. You will notice that the front ends of the piping stop on the chassis just behind the front wheel versus going all the way and being fitted to the radiator and oil cooler. The reason for stopping where I did was because of the internal panels I created in the front of the car. As they currently are, it will give the appearance of being fully connected as they will disappear under the internal body panels and the end from the radiator and oil tank will feed through a hole in the internal panel thus completing the look of a single line. 



In the photo above you can also see the scratch made oil filler tube which sprouts up just to the left front of the engine, between the engine and fuel tank. The leading link of the rear suspension dictates the shape of the oil line at the engine. 

- next was finishing the build and painting of the driver (yes, the bodies paint was still drying). As previously mentioned, he is an accumulation of three different figures that was then modified to a position appearing to be shifting and holding the steering wheel. Here he sits in the seat in the bare chassis. In the photo the head looks larger than the body. I think part of that is the angle of the photo. When he sits in the car with the body on it, it does not look that way.



And since I had a driver I thought he needed a crew member too, so here he is.



Did I mention that the paint on the car body was still drying? Well after it was left for nearly a week I thought it was safe to handle. Little did I know that the metallic finish did not like the body oils from by fingers which then created a kind of tarnished look when I touched it. I tried polishing it out but it did not work. After sanding and spraying the body again it had to rest and cure one more time. Again, several days later I proceeded to spray the body with acrylic clear coat. Well, the bright metal paint on the bodywork did not like the clear coat either and change from the shiny metal look to a silver/gray metallic look when the clear coat contacted the paint (see below). While it still looks good, and is actually more authentic to the real cars, it was not what I was initially after as I really liked the metal look.

Aluminum paint prior to clear coat:



After clear coat:



So now I'm waiting on the clear coat to fully cure before moving forward with assembly.

I also started the removal of the mold lines on the rubber tires but the rubber wanted to roll up and not simply scuff like normal tires. Now the tires look like the have hair or a build up of used rubber from the race track. I will have to solve that before they go on the car. I guess the material they use in Italy for the Revival rubber is not like that of Tamiya, Fuji, Revell, etc. The fun never ends does it?



More on the next update.

Ben / DRUMS01

keavdog

James - I'd be happy to do another GB next year as my wife and I moved right in the middle of this one and all my stuff is in storage until December at the earliest.

 

Thats great. Ill start looking for the right kit and be ready. 

Wow Greg!  Great details.  I struggled with the braid as well.  What did you used to cement it? 

James - I'd be happy to do another GB next year as my wife and I moved right in the middle of this one and all my stuff is in storage until December at the earliest.

Fantastic builds everyone. Im a little late to the party on this GB. I am wondering, are their plans for one for next season? Another GB that is.. Id like to find a kit and join. Im worried if I rush to find something now, I wont be able to complete it in time with yall. Rather take my time, plus I have two other builds going on.

Cheers,

James

Greg the braided hose looks great.  I'm having a bit of an issue with those silver braided hose's fraying at the connection points.  You can see a sloppy job on that black cylinder thing behind the engine.  Since this picture I used thin CA to get the connection cleaner.  It only looks slightly better.  My answer for the braided hose below the wing upright was thin tape at the connecting point.  I then painted it red.  It's ok.  Yours are better.  Nice job.  The other hose line was too small of a surface to use tape.
I also used clear red and blue to paint the connectors.  I think mine are too big also.  These were the smallest I could find.

If anyone has some constructive criticism I'm all ears.

Greg,

Those connectors look fantastic.  The tank might be an oil reservoir.  If two lines go to the oil coolers and one goes to the engine sump area, that would confirm it.

And your springs look fine!