Audi sport quattro, Pikes Peak 1985

[Bengalensis]

Seeing @Sabrejet lovely ERA R4B hill climb racer here, I found some inspiration to drag out a sleeping hill climb project of my own from the shelf, even if it's quite a different type. Time to finish the Audi sport quattro of Michèle Mouton and her fantastic record win at Pikes Peak 1985.

 

 

This is based on the nice resin transkit from Scale Production, and the reason for it being nice is that all the master work was made by prolific rally car modeller KEN in Japan, a very nice guy as well as extremely talented modeller. The transkit uses a shortened Tamiya quattro chassis and some other small parts. It came with decals for Tour du Corse and Monte Carlo, but I always intended to build the Pikes Peak 1985 car, which means among other things I needed new wheels, tyres and some different decals.

 

I started this some 10 years ago, then it stalled for some reason, and it's been resting in its box since then. The transkit was later released in a Pikes Peak version as well, but I was already well underway with my work, and something didn't convince me in that release, might have been the decals, can't exactly remember. The transkits are now long gone from production.

 

 

This is the only earlier build photo I have, dated July 2010. The chassis was done, new wheels prepared, still not the tyres, and body preparation had started.

 

 

The 3D-files for the new tyres are dated January 2011. Me and my friend Johan Brusefält had already started 3D-modelling and printing parts since a year or so, using the printing service from Printapart, who returned quite lovely parts in blueish plastic from our 3D-models. A new world of possibilities had opened. A year later Printapart closed this service, and it took several years for Shapeways to even start approaching what we had been spoiled with... I can't now remember if it was me or Johan who modelled these tyres, we were always sending files back and forth, we still are.

 

 

The newly printed tyres were soon received and work continued in 2011 alongside a few other quattro projects. This is how it appears today.

 

 

The shortened Tamiya chassis with roll cage and modifications.

 

 

 

Here are all the parts, they are mostly prepared and ready.

 

 

I'm not exactly sure anymore at what state the project is. I think all is done and close to paint, except for some preparation and fitting of photo etched parts. I will have to do some dry building to find out. I also have a number of decals I have to produce art work for and print.

 

Also I would prefer to receive a couple jars of white and yellow Zero paint, which means I will probably have to wait for that delivery at some point. The reason for a couple jars? Well, there are actually seven quattro projects in some state of work around (one S1 E2 missing here), all with something in common (except the Pikes Peak '87 S1 far left), six will need the same white and two the same yellow paint. If I ever get that far, some other time...

 

 

[Sabrejet]

That's a lot of resin! Right up my street. And those Sport Quattros sound awesome. Looking forward to this one.

[JeroenS]

Oh yeah the Quatro at Pikes Peak! Awesome. 

 

And while you're at it, finish the rest of them as well please  

[Windy37]

It’s the evolution of the Audi Quattro ! Did you know  Aoshima / Beemax are set to release a Sport Quattro kit ?

 Gary . 

[Anteater]

Fond of Quattros then...?!

[Bengalensis]

3 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

That's a lot of resin! Right up my street.

There are, how shall we put it, an interesting amount of resin on my shelves. No doubt someone would define that differently... 😎

3 hours ago, JeroenS said:

And while you're at it, finish the rest of them as well please  

Hopefully there won't be another ten years, but who knows, there is so much to build...

27 minutes ago, Windy37 said:

Did you know  Aoshima / Beemax are set to release a Sport Quattro kit ?

Yes I know Beemax announced it. We shall see what they come up with. Their choice of decal version was not the most inspiring though, if my memory is correct. I have the Beemax S1 E2 kit and I'm not totally convinced of some details of their body, although the kit as a whole looks nice. I will probably get a Beemax sport quattro as well, for the sake of it if nothing else. Also I will have Tour du Corse decals left for it from this project. I have two of the S1 E2 resin shells that KEN mastered (one is becoming the Pikes Peak '87 car above) and it's better shaped and proportioned than both P24 and Beemax IMO. Then of course Beemax will have an ease of buildability the other's will never have.

8 minutes ago, Anteater said:

Fond of Quattros then...?!

Fond of quattros yes, even more so when Michèle Mouton raced them.

 

The tyres were given a dusting off and they seem already having been prepared for washing and then primer.

 

 

The rear mounted photo etched oil cooler was folded together and glued. The rear wing is from the Tamiya rally kit.

 

 

It will fit something like this.

 

 

All the mesh pieces will be sprayed some dark greyish on the fret, and then I will cut them, check the fit, and adjust the body if needed before final painting.

 

 

The mud flaps were on the photo etch sheet, but needed some modifying for this version. Other photo etched parts were also cut off to make painting different colours easier.

 

 

Front and rear screens had already been cut and fitted so all is well there. I will deal with the side windows when I get to them later, it looks fine for now.

 

 

One major detail I had apparently missed, or never reached, was the fuel cap that is exposed on this version. I drilled out the flap and created a cap from some sprue and Evergreen strip.

 

 

As far as I understand this now the body needs a light surface sanding and then it's time for primer and paint on everything.

 

[Hamden]

 

Nice collection of Quattro's you have there. Looking forward to watching you work your magic on these

 

   Stay safe                    Roger

[Schwarz-Brot]

Your latest builds were inspiring, but this is going to be epic! Had the joy of seeing some Pikes Peak cars gathered together at Eifel Rallye Festival. I think that was in 2018. Like most older rallye cars they were brutal and quite rough in finish, not the highly polished machines we see today on the stages. Many parts look like bodges and afterthoughts, giving the cars so much character.

 

I'll follow and would love to see the other quattros as well!

[Bengalensis]

22 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

Nice collection of Quattro's you have there. Looking forward to watching you work your magic on these

Thanks a lot, I will do my best. I'm a little tempted to continue with the older ones as well; the two Gr.4 and Gr.B A2, but so much is begging for attention...

18 hours ago, Schwarz-Brot said:

Your latest builds were inspiring, but this is going to be epic! Had the joy of seeing some Pikes Peak cars gathered together at Eifel Rallye Festival. I think that was in 2018. Like most older rallye cars they were brutal and quite rough in finish, not the highly polished machines we see today on the stages. Many parts look like bodges and afterthoughts, giving the cars so much character.

Glad you like the projects. Indeed the cars back then had so much character, brutality and unrefinement. That goes for all kind of motorsport. I will happily admit that 99% of modern competition cars of today, or even plus ten years back, leave me completely untouched. The same goes for road cars; I hardly even notice them. I live in the past...

 

I sanded the bodyshell yesterday evening and today I decided to have an hour of work break so I could rig all parts and spray the surfacer.

 

 

Paint is leaving England tonight, DHL is estimating I will receive it in 8 days. That sounds great. Although, it remains to be seen what the reality will be...

[Bengalensis]

First round of spraying parts done.

 

 

I also updated on the special decals needed and found references covering everything I have to make, that's the worst. Now there are just a few hours of work ahead on that matter.

[klubman01]

The Audi Quattro.  What a fearsome beast!

I will follow this build with a great deal of interest.

Trevor

[keefr22]

Those tyres look superb - something that can't be said for those in the Beemax kit! 

 

I've got the Reji S1 and S2 kits, but unfortunately the S1 has a major warp in the screen pillars that I haven't been able to get out. Now I've got the Beemax S2 I'll probably try to cut the pillars and roof off the Reji S2 and graft them on the S1 - one day! I have to say your resin bodies look miles better than Reji's....

 

Looking forward to more quattro goodness...!!

 

Keith

[Schwarz-Brot]

On 6/22/2020 at 7:24 PM, Bengalensis said:

Indeed the cars back then had so much character, brutality and unrefinement. That goes for all kind of motorsport. I will happily admit that 99% of modern competition cars of today, or even plus ten years back, leave me completely untouched. The same goes for road cars; I hardly even notice them. I live in the past...

I am totally with you on this. There's a few outstanding cars, but you have to search for the gems between the mainstream lookalikes. Supercars, hypercars, whatever, I don't care about toys for the super rich. I'd like to see more accessible sports cars at the lower end of the spectrum with an unique and simple styling. Less blown up cars and back to really basic and fun, leaving more scope for individualisation.

 

To be honest not long ago I thought about getting me that ugly Fiat Multipla thingy... Just for fun. Just to have a little controversal element as project. When I look at recent cars and especially SUVs I really can't see nothing wrong with this beauty... Then along came the Z3 and I have my project car.

 

 

Gladly in modelling we can all access the monsters and beauties of all eras. And I'm always happy to see them being built. So, back to the bench! Show us some progress! 😉

[Bengalensis]

On 24/06/2020 at 09:32, klubman01 said:

The Audi Quattro.  What a fearsome beast!

Indeed! The sound of that 5-cylinder ripping through the gears will always stand out.

On 24/06/2020 at 13:49, keefr22 said:

Those tyres look superb - something that can't be said for those in the Beemax kit! 

 

I've got the Reji S1 and S2 kits, but unfortunately the S1 has a major warp in the screen pillars that I haven't been able to get out. Now I've got the Beemax S2 I'll probably try to cut the pillars and roof off the Reji S2 and graft them on the S1 - one day! I have to say your resin bodies look miles better than Reji's....

Thanks a lot, descent tyres are quite important for a good model.

 

The less said about the Reji's two sport quattro kit efforts the better... They completely missed how the sport quattro body shell is configured; obviously believing it's just a shortened quattro shell...

On 24/06/2020 at 21:23, Schwarz-Brot said:

To be honest not long ago I thought about getting me that ugly Fiat Multipla thingy... Just for fun. Just to have a little controversal element as project. When I look at recent cars and especially SUVs I really can't see nothing wrong with this beauty... Then along came the Z3 and I have my project car.

Ouch, my eyes hurt! I'm afraid that grey thing counts into that group I only see like blurred transport capsules on the roads... A Z3 is a way better option 👍

 

More details have been painted and most parts are now ready.

 

 

Much to my surprise the paint arrived already today. Wonders still happen. So now that excuse is also gone. It's just that the yellow looks far too bright in my opinion...

 

[Hamden]

 

Your dash looks stunning

 

      Roger

[keefr22]

1 hour ago, Bengalensis said:

They completely missed how the sport quattro body shell is configured; obviously believing it's just a shortened quattro shell...

 

Indeed - unfortunately I was so excited to get them I started working on them without really looking and only later started to realise how bad the shapes were. I have so many things to build before them that if I ever do get back and finish them I shall make sure they're kept in the dark somewhere....!! 🤣

 

Keith

[Bengalensis]

4 hours ago, Hamden said:

Your dash looks stunning

Thanks a lot. It's a good casting which helps painting.

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Indeed - unfortunately I was so excited to get them I started working on them without really looking and only later started to realise how bad the shapes were. I have so many things to build before them that if I ever do get back and finish them I shall make sure they're kept in the dark somewhere....!! 🤣

I fell in the same trap many years ago and also bought them, only to discover the bad shape and relegate them to the hopeless trash corner. Some time later KEN started his magic work which led to this transkit, and the S1 E2 shells he kindly sold me. I have used a few small parts from one Reji kit though in the Pikes Peak -87 project.

 

With Beemax S1 E2 looking really nice, albeit perhaps not perfect, and with them having now also announced the S1, there is probably little need to mess with the old Reji kits.

 

Quite unexpectedly I could close my work after lunch today, so instead I got time to make some progress on the decals needed. There are still a few to do, and some others still need some tweaking, but they are getting there.

 

[keefr22]

1 hour ago, Bengalensis said:

there is probably little need to mess with the old Reji kits.

 

I think you're right!

 

Keith

[Bengalensis]

Some more tweaking done to the worst offender from yesterday. Still not perfect but this will do for my needs.

 

[Bengalensis]

With a little bit of help the last artwork has been done.

 

[Bengalensis]

Sheets for colour and white printing are assembled. I need to do a test print to double check a few of the sizes before printing the real ones, and that can't be done until after the body is painted and striped.

 

[keefr22]

They look great!

 

Wonder if our cat would be better at designing home made decals than I am....?!

 

Keith

[Sabrejet]

This is looking lovely! Great work on the decals too: it's often detail like this that really makes a model. Race cars in particular can be a nightmare to model at a specific time or event.

[pau10wen]

Great work so far, and love to see so many quattro projects on the go 👍👍

[Bengalensis]

21 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Wonder if our cat would be better at designing home made decals than I am....?!

Thanks a lot. Give her/him the confidence and you might see wonders happen... 😎😼

17 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

This is looking lovely! Great work on the decals too: it's often detail like this that really makes a model. Race cars in particular can be a nightmare to model at a specific time or event.

Thanks a lot. I like details like this on race cars with their often individual and unique appearance at a specific time. It's also frustrating when references are inadequate, as is often the case...

16 hours ago, pau10wen said:

Great work so far, and love to see so many quattro projects on the go 👍👍

Thanks a lot, I hope I will have inspiration to continue with the 1981-83 cars as well at this time.

 

A detail on this car is that the top tip of the wastegate pokes up through a hole in the bonnet. A reasonable position on the model must be determined using the decals and photo etch that surrounds it.

 

 

I drilled a 1 mm hole.

 

 

This was counter sunk with a 5 mm drill from behind to leave a thin edge.

 

 

In one of the scrap boxes for small details I found this little turned brass piece. I drilled a hole in some thin piece of styrene and glued it.

 

 

When installed from the underside and centered it will look something like this. It will probably be sprayed in Alclad steel.

 

 

While sanding the body I also test fitted all the photo etched mesh. All looks fine, as long as there are no over thick paint coats.

 

 

Another improvement was called for around the fuel cap. On the real car the flap simply is not fitted, so I decided what I did first was not good enough.

 

 

To look right the hole flap area had to be recessed, carefully chiselling and scraping off resin to get a smooth lower section.

 

 

And with everything sanded we are ready for white.

 

 

And no, Michèle Mouton is not only about Audi quattros. Here is a 20 year old build; 1976 Rallye Monte Carlo, Alpine A110 1600 SC. Tamiya base with most decals from C.B.Com (of which few were correctly sized so didn't fit very well).