Jo NZ Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 I'm occasionally struck by madness. I think that this was one instance... I decided that the Airfix Bentley could be turned into Tim Birkin's Brooklands car. So far I've: Lengthened the chassis Built a complete new body - from plastic strip over formers Made a new bonnet from aluminium Here's where it is so far. You may recognize a few Airfix parts... 22 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 That is really rather lovely - but those wheels will have to go as they rather let the side down. Great work on the louvres too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazer Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Wow! Great new bodywork makes it a lovely form, Jo. Look forward to more... Mark D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 That's not a bad job. (Actually, it's stunning!) The finished article will be quite the beauty. Keep us updated please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Amazing work so far - looks like one to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted October 7, 2017 Author Share Posted October 7, 2017 Thanks all. Yes, the wheels will go, but probably after the body is finished. The main attraction of the kit wheels is that they do, in fact, keep it off the ground. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickD Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Really rather beautiful. Outstanding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 So cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 Scratchbuilt front crossmember and giant carburettors and manifold (63mm SU) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 I've seen a lot of the pre-war competition Bentleys, but not this one: any idea where it is now? Cracking work by the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Looking great Jo, this is one I'll be keeping an eye on, it was a most elegant vehicle. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.e.charles Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 nice job squeezing the blower, manifold, and carburetors, under the nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share Posted October 9, 2017 18 hours ago, Sabrejet said: I've seen a lot of the pre-war competition Bentleys, but not this one: any idea where it is now? Cracking work by the way! Thanks! It went through Bonhams in 2014 and fetched about £5M. I think it went to a private collection in the US. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Lovely work, and great to see this being attempted! I'll definitely be following this one. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injidup Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 What a fabulous idea! Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Does make me start thinking about doing an Austin 7 Special, but two questions: are there any basic A7 kits in 1/18 or 1/20 and how do you get those louvres done!!! Could you do an on-topic redux of how you do it and what materials you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted October 14, 2017 Author Share Posted October 14, 2017 10 minutes ago, Sabrejet said: Does make me start thinking about doing an Austin 7 Special, but two questions: are there any basic A7 kits in 1/18 or 1/20 and how do you get those louvres done!!! Could you do an on-topic redux of how you do it and what materials you use? I'll put some pictures together. It took me a year to work up the courage, and only about 5 sheets of 0.4mm ally to get it right!. More soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.e.charles Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 that would be a great service. I think it's a stumbling block in any of the "visible" scales. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbaldbloke Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 13 hours ago, Sabrejet said: Does make me start thinking about doing an Austin 7 Special, but two questions: are there any basic A7 kits in 1/18 or 1/20 and how do you get those louvres done!!! Could you do an on-topic redux of how you do it and what materials you use? There's a metal A7 kit in 1:24 by South Eastern Finecast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) OK here's a short primer on louvres.... I started making the louvres for the Pocher Alfa bonnet panels. I wanted to use ally because they are unpainted on the inside, and the best way to replicate unpainted ally is with..... You're way ahead of me! 0.4 mm sheet, available from K&S, scales up to 3.2mm in 1/8 scale, so it's around scale thickness. I've used the same sheet in 1/12 scale as well. To start with you'll need a hand press. I had a secondhand one, so used that, but a pillar drill will do just as well - as long as you can stop the rotation. Here's the basic setup The male and female tools are made from a scrap piece of steel. The female can just be a slot, the same width as the outside of the finished louvre. The male tool forms the inside profile of the louvre so needs to be sized accordingly. It's important to leave enough room for the material between the parts of the tool... Here's the male part Notice that the edge that cuts the slot (it does the cutting and forming in one operation) is dead flat on the cutting side. It needs to be a close fit to the edge of the slot to shear the metal. I must have formed about 150 louvres while experimenting on the Alfa, and it did eventually blunt. The advantage of a cutting face on the edge of the tool is that it's easy to re-sharpen it on an oilstone and get the edge back again. The other side is profiled to suit the inside of the shape. A file on the corners and a cleanup with emery is all it needs. The most important part is to get the alignment of the tool correct. A tight sliding fit, with the cutter parallel to the edge of the slot is what's needed. Trial cuts will show if it's not right, the metal doesn't cut cleanly, and the top surface of the louvre won't be parallel to the sheet. Here it is cutting louvres Note that I'd made a complex inset for the female tool. It isn't necessary, nowadays I tend to make a longer slot than necessary and I can use it for multiple widths of the male tool. In order to align the louvres, I clamped a fence to the press at the back of the sheet. The gap between the louvres is set by the width from the edge of the slot to the edge of the tool - the previous louvre sits against the edge, and that aligns the next one. It does mean that you need different slot edge distances for different pitches though. I have seen tooling where the slot is filed into the edge of a block, and a plate clamped to the end to make the other edge - a good alternative if you don't have a mill. A section of louvres from the outside, with a mist of primer (and dust!) on them And the finished parts Which reminds me - the louvres are cut into un-annealed plate, cut to the right shape for the panel. If the panel needs to be curved, it will be easier (much!) if it's annealed - after pressing. Annealing is very quick to do. Get some household soap (I use Knight's Castile, it's what was lurking in the bottom of the bathroom cupboard) and rub it over the sheet so that you can actually see a deposit. Use a flame (e.g. butane torch) to gently heat the metal. As soon as the soap turns brown/black remove the heat and drop the sheet into water. It will now be pliable enough to form, either over a former, or with your fingers. It's imperative not to overheat the ally - there's a fine line between anneal and slump.... The tooling can also be brass, but will wear quicker. Mine was made from scraps of what was lying around. I've tried the tooling on 0.9mm ally and it works fine. The louvres shown above are about 13mm long and 1.5 mm wide. HTH Edited October 15, 2017 by Jo NZ 15 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Simples! Many thanks for the tutorial. At some point I will give this a go. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.e.charles Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 ditto; perfectly clear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveyb258 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Excellent tuto!!! Thanks!! Cheers, H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted November 27, 2017 Author Share Posted November 27, 2017 A quick update - now on 4 wheels The first replacement wire wheel - made from ally bar, scaffolding tube and fishing line 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 1 hour ago, Jo NZ said: made from ally bar, scaffolding tube and fishing line I'd love to say "yeah right" to that but its probably what you did use, just that it looks far to impressive to be made from such mundane sounding materials. Either way, I'm impressed to bits. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now