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Pocher F40 with Autograph transkit upgrade challenge build


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The kit is pretty basic out of the box. Much more simplistic than the modern Pochers. That said the kit has "good bones" for detailing. 

 

Thanks Pascal. Those are the areas I was planning on covering up with some plastic card. Based on your feedback I will look into filling vertically

 

Rich

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Rich, you and Wayne sadly have much additional needed work thanks to Pocher. How much would they have charged for the kit back then if they got all the shapes and proportions right?

 

Pascal, your research input is most helpful not only to these builders but we enthusiasts also. Many thanks.

C

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the input Pascal; after reading your post, I went back and did some more research and discovered that, both sides had the  small sliding Lexan windows. Even though I haven't been posting for a few days, I haven't been entirely idle. I cut one set of the Lexan frames out using the PE templates and trying to cut them on clear acetate was just too difficult for me. My perspective kept changing and I couldn't be sure I was on the line so, I thought about it for a day or so. After a while I came up with a very simple idea of, just covering the acetate with low tack tape and drawing the outline on the tape and cut it out that way. So what we have is the result of that exercise here.

 

The layout

 

IMG_6341_zpsgfyx2tbp.jpg

 

I thought when I first saw the templates, how cool, the side window frames are PE. Then, that idea went out the window by finding out that, there are sliding windows on both sides. There is only one set of templates so, it was time to cut them out of the acetate! 

 

IMG_6342_zpscjenhzaf.jpg

 

OK, two sets cut out

 

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I checked them on the side window glass and made the mistake of drilling some holes in the window before realizing that, the holes were too big for the tiny watchmaker screws.

 

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My next conundrum was which, frame went on the inside and which one on the outside of the slider. Back to the reference pictures

 

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The inside one is slightly wider and has the half round hand cut out so, it's the inside one.

 

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Now, I have to cut out two more side windows and the two sliders before I assemble them. That was really not a big deal and it's way down the road as far as assembly goes but, it was something that, I needed to get out of the way for the doors. Before I do anymore work on the doors and body and paint work, I needed to ascertain that, I could get the windows done. The doors can keep the roll up windows and would require no modification to the inner door skin or the trim panel or be done with the Lexan type windows. Lots of things have to be thought about way ahead of time if you are going to make it work.

 

I also did, get the front suspension attached and it is a bit rough. I need to go back and touch up some paint and fix some of the brake rotor screws that got loose and a little out of shape. There's a lot more that has to happen here on the front end so, I'm going to wait a while before I touch up anything simply because of all the handling I'm going to have to do with it. So, no sense in doing that more than once.

 

Right side attached:

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A little look with the body mocked up to check spindle placement after all of the mods

 

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Slightly different angle

 

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Both sides are on now and I added the front tub to check clearances on the radiator

 

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The radiator slipped out of the frame braces so it looks a little crooked here. I also have some new PE screen mesh and I'm going to correct the front section of the radiator that is inset too far. I'm just going to make a piece and insert it in the opening to extend it out a little farther. It probably won't ever be seen but, it's one one of those things that, I know was a mistake.

 

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Left side of the front end. There are some PE pieces that cap off the cut ball on the top of the spindle that will finish off the look. It's hard to see here but, there's also a re-worked front stabilizer bar and steering rack that has to go in here to finish the front suspension. There's the radiator fans, hoses etc that will fill up the front space as well. The whole front tub gets carbon fiber decals and brake master cylinders and bottles up here as well but, it's a good start so far.

 

IMG_6376_zpsxxzcg7no.jpg

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A clinic on how to do a complex and somewhat problematic transkit justice.

 

The key Wayne, that I applaud is that you constantly review the work and take the time to go back and correct or improve.

 

Some think that slapping on the PE and other materials will make it a sharp model. You are proving with diligent work that it's way more than that. Your prep and assembly would make this 'track ready' if it were 1:1.

 

This is chapter and verse a tutorial for any transkit builders, either in progress or planned. However, few are as talented as what you've done here. :worthy:

 

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Thanks guys! You know me well Chas, I have been going over and over this stuff and as you say, I've even been looking for outside sources to improve on certain things within the transkit. When I see something that, just doesn't look right, I'll look for alternative things to improve on it. Just because this is the highest end transkit ever made for a Pocher F40, it's not perfect. Additionally, after reading other build threads I've seen where there are areas for improvement. I keep going back over the instructions again and again and I find things that I've overlooked or missed. Case in point is spindle and the ball connection points for the upper and lower control arms and the steering rack and tie rod ends. I completely missed that, the balls have to be cut off to connect the new tie rod ends to the spindle. 

The first picture shows the tie rod end with the big hole for the ball to pop into and the new tie rod end that replaces it circled in red. Well, sort of circled, you get the point.

 

If Photo Bucket was working this where a picture would be. I can't get anything to copy so, that I can post any pictures. I did manage to get the front stabilizer bar rebuilt and the steering rack and new tie rods are done too. So, in lieu of posting any pictures tonight, I will just stop the update here until I can get the pictures to upload. I will continue on with some paint work and more assembly tomorrow and hopefully, I will be able to post tonight's pictures and tomorrow's progress tomorrow.

 

Oh, and, I don't know if this is chapter and verse for other transkit builders but, I appreciate the comment.

 

Edited by larchiefeng
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16 hours ago, larchiefeng said:

 Case in point is spindle and the ball connection points for the upper and lower control arms and the steering rack and tie rod ends. I completely missed that, the balls have to be cut off to connect the new tie rod ends to the spindle. 

 

It is a truly dedicated transkit builder who will cut his balls off for realism. :blink2:

 

I know Rich will be following chapter and verse...

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Yeah, well in the best tradition of "Game of Thrones"; I cut off the balls and post on the tie rod connection on the spindle. After I cut off the balls, the small little post that, was left was going to be extremely difficult to drill a 1.2 mm hole through for the bolt. So, I put the micrometer on the post and it's about 2.3 mm in diameter or 3/32". I have both 3/32" aluminum and brass tubes so, I just cut a couple of 1/8" or 3.5 mm long pieces of tubing to replace the plastic with. Much easier than trying to drill a 1.2 mm hole in a 2.3 mm post! 

 

Again, I still can't post any pictures because I can't copy anything in Photobucket yet. I'm pretty much over Photobucket; does anyone have a better idea for uploading pictures to the forum? 

 

I will post the pictures as soon as I'm able.

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I can recommend Imageshack.com

Not free, but cheap enough, add free and no Problems so far. Using the cheapest option for about a year now. Works great.

 

Another option is phoximages.de

This is a plain modelbuilding picture hoster. No adds, but somewhat esotheric to use. Some options don't really work which was the reason to switch to imageshack.

 

Never used it, but in the Lego community Flickr is the way to go.

 

Imgur

Private webspace

...

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Thanks SB, I'll look into it if this doesn't get resolved soon. I did stumble across a Photobucket blog about the problem and it seems that, it's been going for a few days and a lot of people are pretty unhappy. The only thing that I like about PB is the ability to edit the picture size and upload to the forum. When it's working it's really pretty easy but, lately there have been a lot of problems for a service that, we pay for. The biggest issue that I have with them is the inability to contact them but, I think that this blog is the way to do that.

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As far as I know Imageshack offers options to adjust your images when uploading them. I am not sure, though. I always crop and compress my pictures before uploading using Gimp since webspace is expensive and PC based tools are more flexible and powerful and consistent.

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OK, here's some pictures from the previous post. Apparently, I created the problem myself with Photobucket when I was experimenting with a VPN; that's a whole other story. Anyway, everything is back to normal.

I'm not sure where I left off so, I will just post the pictures and pick up the narrative later on. Brass piece replaces the end with the big hole.

 

IMG_6378_zpsx3vtyfkx.jpg

 

Replaced

 

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Stabilizer bar to be worked on some

 

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The specific area to be modified

 

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This piece needed to be cut off and drilled out for the bolt and nut 

 

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Modified part

 

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Sort of a before and after of the stabilizer bar; it just looks better and is stronger

 

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Both parts now modified

 

IMG_6388_zpsae8ug5my.jpg

 

Here we have the aforementioned ball and post to be removed circled in red and the results of too much handling circled in green; that's to be repaired after all this gets resolved and I start touch ups.

 

IMG_6383_zpsgi0wb5s2.jpg

 

Still catching up from yesterday now. Here is the tie rod connection that has to be removed for the new tie rod ends. The ball and rod are circled in green. Circled in red is the top part of the upper ball that needs to be cut down more for the PE cap to fit on and cover it.

 

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Ball and post removed and drilled out

 

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Just mocking up here to check the angle of the tie rod to the spindle. I think that the 1/8" long aluminum tube is too long and needs to be shorter or molded section right below the bolt head needs to be rotated and the aluminum tube removed. Either way, I will get it dialed in but, for now I'm just checking the fit. I still have to cut down the upper ball and you can see how much of the axle hub had to be cut off for the new axle on the brake rotor to fit on. The brake rotor is screwed on so none of that will ever show that's why it looks rough.

 

IMG_6396_zpsftyoodw4.jpg

 

I also did some more mocking up with the body on to check the axle and wheel placement to make sure everything is in the proper position.

 

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IMG_6391_zpst4bzrwnt.jpg

 

Looks like it's right where it's supposed to be after all the frame work.

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Nice work all around.

A question about the sway bar; looks 'plasticy' soft with a bow in center. A brass rod with tubing end fittings for those links might be stiffer and more tidy. I know it's not taking stresses so feel free to disregard. Not trying to make more work for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yeah, you're right about the plasticy look and feel. I was going to make one out of brass rod but, the only thing that actually will show are the ends with the bolts. The bowing in the middle is completely hidden and the flexibility actually helps during assembly. I had take the whole front suspension apart today to address the upper control arm balls and get the steering rack and stabilizer bar installed. I decided that while I was at it I might as well do some touch paint work too. I'll post some pictures later.

Edited by larchiefeng
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A small bit of progress. I had to take the whole front end apart and you can see the bendy nature of the stabilizer bar

 

IMG_6397_zpslas8rddg.jpg

 

Back assembled without the cover for the top control arm ball

 

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With the cover on which will get painted black when I start with the touch up paint part of this area

 

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I think that I'm about done with most of the assembly here on the front suspension for now and I can now go back to the rear frame area and play with some PE and solder.

 

IMG_6404_zpsezjiwh9y.jpg

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hey guys, I know that I haven't posted in a while but, I've been doing some major work on my house and that's been taking a lot of my modeling time. However, I have been doing a few small things here and there and I have finished the front end. I moved to the rear frame and have built most of the PE stuff back there as well. I've also been looking for an alternative wheel center to replace the stock wheel centers and I think that, I've found something that I like and have begun the process of making the modifications to make them work. In order to get away from the frame work for a while, I've completely taken apart the assembled engine and begun drilling out the molded on bolt heads. I'm going to go with the brass bolts like I used on the Testarossa engine. So, that's about where I'm at, at the moment. I will post some pictures at a later date due to the whole Photo Bucket issue. I have taken progress pictures of everything that, I've done so when I do come back with pictures all of this has been documented. I do have a PB subscription but, I will not be paying the $400 ransom they are demanding for third party hosting of the pictures. So, rather than post pictures that I know will disappear i will hold off until I decide which service to use going forward. I know that Rich is also doing the same thing so, when we do come back on this build more full time it will be with pictures that, hopefully will stay around for the foreseeable future. 

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OK, here are a few random pictures of some small progress as time has allowed between days when I'm not working on the big house project. The last couple of days has been devoted to looking for a new replacement for Photo bucket. These pictures are from postimage.net and so far it seems to be working fine. I still have a paid subscription to PB but, my PC crashed about a month ago when doing the forced Win 10 update and I had to start all over again Fortunately, all of my photos are backed up on a separate HD in the PC and on two different external HD's; can't have enough back up. However, I did lose the subscription start date and given the impending issues with PB and the ransom being demanded to keep any pics up I'm not going to use them any longer. If I have time, I may go back and edit what's already up here and get it all off of PB. Anyway, here's some various pics of where I'm at.

 

This was the new screen I added to the radiator after I did it originally and it was set too far back. Rather than tear it all apart, I added this mesh and it doesn't look so out of balance

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Front end mostly done for now

 

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Testing that everything is lining up correctly

 

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I will post some more pictures of the wheels that I'm toying with the idea of using when I get them loaded into the host site probably tomorrow.

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Thanks Mr. C, it's more like a mini return for now. Due to the ongoing construction project on the house.  I will try and get more done and post as I go along. In a way, I'm almost glad that I wasn't posting for a while given this whole PB ransom issue. I want to thank you for the heads up on postimage.net. The interface is much easier to use than PB and it's fairly painless to use. I keep all my pictures on my computer and have at least three sets of backups for all my data files and pictures. I'm a little anal with that but, it's saved me more than once. Just recently the forced Win 10 update rendered my pc into a brick with zero help from Microsoft. Fortunately, when I built the computer I had purchased Win 7 and had the DVD to reinstall Win 7 and not go back to Win 10. 

I'm hoping to come up with a more permanent solution for the third party picture hosting because, as others have pointed out, free sites will probably continue to change their terms of use and then we'll right back in the same boat again. I'm probably going to create a blog and then use that to link the pictures. I don't really have to write about anything but, I probably will do something, even if it's just a copy of what I post here. It's a way to insure the build log is preserved.

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So, in keeping with catching you guys up on some of my idle toying around with different ideas regarding the wheels on the F-40, here is the direction that I'm leaning towards. This idea started back when I was working on the Testarossa and I bought a bumch of aluminum bar stock with the intention of turning the outer wheels and installing new wheel centers. I've looked at just about every RC wheel and bought a few with the thought of just using the center in a turned outer. When I got the transkit for the F-40 I realized that, I now have the perfect template for the wheels that I want to turn. So, I really wanted the OZ wheels for the car that, I'm building rather than the stock Ferrari wheels. After a lot of time searching, I found a set of wheels that seem to match my criteria. These wheels are adjustable and are two piece wheels with separate inner wheel sections. Other than the scale being 1/10 they are almost perfect. Here's the wheels.

 

IMG_6440.jpg

 

The center inside the transkit outer

 

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The two pieces

 

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Comparison between the two styles of wheels. Obviously, there will have to be some modification done to the center of the wheel to remove the lug nuts and go to just the single center hole but, doable

 

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The only down side is the slightly small spokes but, I could live with that because the difference it makes in showing off all the detail of the brake rotor and caliper compared to the stock wheel.

 

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Keeping in mind that this car is not going to be a stock F-40 but, a weekend racer with an interior more like an LM car but, without all of the body work modifications. Anyway, I'm open to comments good, bad or indifferent. Next up, I start taking the engine apart and start the process of drilling out all the molded in bolts which, at last count was somewhere around 75.

 

 

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An overall improvement to the OE wheels. Only nit I would pick is that tire tread blocks look too aggressive in this scale. I'd take them down to half depth - especially for a weekend track car. My Cobra street tires (actually vintage racing Goodyear rain tires) were half - depth. Also note for when you get to the weathering, track tires are sticky and pick up every little pebble...:devil:

P9030033.JPGM.jpg

55_Medium.jpg

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