Codger

Many thanks for fascinating story and lovely pix Chris. But it only makes the pain of not having a new tool, larger scale one available, more painful.

Great link and photo - thanks for both. That's a beautiful 1/72 build. This thread shows that there's plenty of enduring interest in a new one. The earlier statement about the existing 1/32 giants from HK sums it perfectly. I just wish we had personal contact with a manufacturer....

The word 'delicious' comes to mind.......

More great photos-thanks men! I know we always think that Ayrton died doing what he loved - but I could never get past what those terrible last seconds must have been like. Nor the live images I watched on TV.

Great shots 'Jet, thanks for sharing.

Very convincing race-car-in-use presentation. It's the perfect background 'canvas' for all the details to be added in and around it. Don't slack off now, I'm watching how an artist does mechanical things.

Brilliant coachwork Manu. And your driver is of excellent scale and realism to enhance the project. Your fabric tailoring is another skill unto itself. Quite a tour-de-force you're putting on for us.

Nice to see you drop in Mike! And yes we have a few in that class here in car-land. Dan and several others lead the way.

Hint: Instead of drink cans, the supermarket sells baking and pie tins by the million and they are bright, shiny ally and .005" thick - perfect for scale. Here's one on my GT-40 as heatshield under rear glass:

As the builder you are certainly entitled to your choice. I only meant that if I could get so perfect a surface, I would be proud to present it in perfect black. I will love this model no matter the color.

Dan I wish you had chosen black - your reference picture in black is superb. Since black can show every flaw, your perfect coachwork insures there would be none.

Do not give a thought Dan. No technical speeches from me in the face of this excellent work. What you have done is far too important.

Comment: Looks great. Nick's right. Suggestion: POST MORE - the crowd here is waitin' -

Between your work and Dan's my head is spinning...

Dan, I'm not being silly when I say, I wish you could have kitted this. More than any Pocher or part work that exists now, I would buy that kit. Needing only an exact 289 Ford engine (which would yield the correct deck height), this is miles more accurate than any GT-40 in any scale. Probably including the highly praised CMC effort of years ago. And yes I know the impossibility of a manufacturer getting this level of perfection, and the cost of a 1/8 project such as this. You are truly owning a one of one masterpiece in the world. That must feel good.

Yes, ignorance is bliss - until you have to take it all apart again... But you've got nice looking results so far.

Simple - follow my lead. Section it, chop the top, jazzy paint and maybe a 16 cylinder tank engine or 12 cylinder Merlin -! Oh and put Rolls-Royce tail lights on it - after all I put Bugatti tail lights on my Rolls.........

That's strange Poul - very visible on my screen. Hint: It's a mile-long Bugatti...

I suggest something simple for your first try , that your skills can handle -like a BUGATTI ROYALE !

Manu makes a great point Mr H and I will translate his French - what he means is 'WORK IN A LARGER SCALE'

You too are causing tension my friend- By not bringing more updates on this rare and wonderful Alfa of yours..

Welcome Manu. I am quickly learning that France is the scratchbuilding capitol of the world. Between you and Daniel, we are treated to master class workmanship. Please continue.

Terry, I'll be direct; I think your profession of chemical engineer may be complicating you build immensely and the advice to others may mislead them. I sense you're over-thinking things. My original kit being the first design by Pocher of the Phantom (there were 3) is probably older than yours. Yes it suffered from four decades of age, brittleness (mostly in the brown interior door and dash panels) warps and poor clearances. But it is just old Italian plastic. Not filled with metallic particles or any strange combinations of molecules to make it necessary to use unorthodox assembly materials or adhesives. It responds to heat and conventional adhesives such as CA, regular model cement, epoxy and nuts/bolts as any other styrene does, new or old. Indeed styrene sheet and, shapes, sourced from Evergreen or Plastruct was used everywhere in the extensive modifications I made and visible in the 950 photos I provide in my thread. The filler of choice is Bondo, an automotive 2 part catalyzed filler which bonds perfectly and sands to a professional surface. Soaking fractured parts in CA will not strengthen them - fabricate new parts from new styrene. Making new attachments from ordinary styrene is quite easy without need for brass attachment straps. I do not advise using masking tape to hold parts for final securing - you never get accuracy that way. It's fine for mock-ups but no more. Which is why I showed you how to make truss rods to hold dimensions and alignments while final attachment takes place. I have presented all this earlier. If you enjoy problem-solving to your own ideas I certainly respect that but I presented these methods to hopefully ease your rescue of this previously damaged project. Anything of help to you is right in my thread.

Yes Phantoms did John but you don't have all the info to see that. There are hydraulic cylinder shock absorbers forward of the axle inside the frame rails. They connect to the axle with links and levers and there are trailing rods and brake actuator rods running from crossmembers to the axle, preventing fore/aft movement.

It assuredly would and DEMAND you drop anything else you're working on and begin it with a WIP here. RR chassis; they were available in standard 150" wheelbase and 'Continental' (a sort of sporty version) in 144". Pocher's frame yields 146.5" (roughly), so you'd need to decide which version you're after. To help, if you don't already have it, get Raymond Gentile's Phantom II book, an excellent reference to see the cars (in their day-not as restored or modified today). As far as where to add or subtract fame material, you only want to do it within the spring hangers front and rear. Or you'd need to fabricate new springs. Instead I'd recommend MMC's stainless PE spring sets and bronze front axle (as mine has) for their strength and accuracy. Off hand, I imagine it may be quite difficult to achieve a graceful boat tail - this because the gas tank is a great lunk of a thing hung at the very rear of the chassis behind the differential. You may need scratch a teardrop shaped tank or an angled, flatter one like in Alfas, I hope you prove me wrong. Of course, some of the 'Cox Monsters' present novel ideas for gas tanks and rear treatments; Although accused of 'teasing' above, I showed the genius of Dave Cox in creating a straight eight RR engine (which never was in the P II) as his current project Torpedo is nearing completion. I do not have details of exactly where he lengthened the frame to accommodate it - yet. But I will present the whole car and anything Dave shares when complete. But for your purposes, relocating or re-orienting the battery box on an exposed chassis and possibly a crossmember or two may be in the cards. No matter, I look forward to your ideas and work. / C