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1/12 Airfix Bentley ...or some of it


Jo NZ

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Honest, mate!

Aluminium tubing of 48.4mm dia with a wall thickness of 4.5 mm is perfect for making the rims from. It's also the standard size for scaffold tube.  I managed to buy 300mm  (usually 6m is the shortest length) for $10.

I started off lacing the spokes with 0.3mm soft stainless wire, but it work hardened after being pulled tight a couple of times. So I thought I'd try something else!  For the rivet counters it's 0.37mm 7kg nylon fishing line. The only problem is gluing the free end when it's finished. I've got the plastic friendly Zap-a-Gap, but it's not that good with nylon. I may try roughing up the end of the line with emery.

 

I'd like to say I used some No.8 wire.  Will keep trying...

Edited by Jo NZ
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Lovely work Jo. Great to see this car modelled.

I've often thought about doing this to the 1/24 Heller kit but haven't had the nerve to destroy a perfectly good kit yet. Like you say, there's not too much of the original model left, not surprising considering that Birkin only used the chassis and engine and even the chassis rails have to be extended.

You've done a great job and the wheels are brilliant.

 

Dave

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The wheel looks great. I respoked the kit ones with piano wire as I don't have any metalworking equipment. I may have to try your method for the louvres though as the kit panels are terrible......

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Beautiful work. What a difference the wheels make - much more realistic.

Just one tiny point, Birkin's car didn't have the release lever on the handbrake. This was a feature of the road cars (and a modern replica) but I'm guessing that for racing Birkin used the fly-off type.

 

Dave

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12 hours ago, Fastcat said:

Beautiful work. What a difference the wheels make - much more realistic.

Just one tiny point, Birkin's car didn't have the release lever on the handbrake. This was a feature of the road cars (and a modern replica) but I'm guessing that for racing Birkin used the fly-off type.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave. I hadn't noticed the handbrake - but here it is

 

handbrake

(Photo Gettyimages)

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On 06/10/2017 at 11:58 PM, Jo NZ said:

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...

 

Is the original on a lengthened chassis though??

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2 hours ago, wkennerley said:

The car is in Germany

Yes, it appeared at the Villa d'Este concours in 2016, minus front brakes and looking a lot more like it did in 1932

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2 hours ago, wkennerley said:

Is the original on a lengthened chassis though??

Not actually a lengthened  chassis, but the standard  Bentley long chassis. Only the three blower team cars for Le Mans we're built on the short chassis - and that's what's in the kit.

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  • 2 months later...

I've remade the steering linkages and scratchbuilt the rear dampers - two lever arm hydraulics and a whopping friction damper

 

IMG_2806

 

IMG_2807

 

IMG_2844

 

And now it looks like this...

 

IMG_2854

 

IMG_2856

 

IMG_2857

 

IMG_2860

 

IMG_2861

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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That is just beautiful!

Top work, and the friction damper looks rather familiar.....

 

Ian

Ps I may have a couple of spare decals for the damper adjustment plates. If you're interested pm me!

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  • 1 month later...

More scratch building - the blower mounted oil pump and it's oil cooler

 

IMG_2917

 

 

IMG_2921

 

IMG_2923

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Jo NZ
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