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1/43 Matich SR3 Repco, Can-Am 1967


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This is my model of the Matich SR3 Repco campaigned by Frank Matich in the 1967 Can-Am series.

It is based on the Automodelli Studio kit which, in turn, is based on the MA kit to which photo-etched details and turned inlet trumpets have been added by AMS.

 

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The MA base kit was a bit rough and required a lot of work to deal with the myriad of air bubbles and to correct numerous errors.  I redid the intakes on the engine cover, corrected the shape of the wheel arches, the engine cover and rear panel.  The chassis needed to have the chassis tubes rebuilt, and the instrument panel/bulkhead is scratch built.  The windshield was very poorly formed so I vac-formed a replacement.

 

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The body was painted with Xtracolor X211 Dunkelgrun, a WW2 Luftwaffe colour.  The rest was finished with Humbrol enamels.  Markings are from the kit, with sponsor stickers and Tech Inspection sticker from the ever useful Microsport sheet.

 

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Due to the amount of work involved, this one took quite a while to finish, but I am very pleased with the result.  It is one of my favourite models, not least because it is quite an obscure Can-Am car.

Thanks for looking.

Trevor

 

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Very nice Trevor, a shame about the amount of additional work needed, but the end result is lovely.

I need to get some Can-Am kits added to the stash, the Sunoco 917/30 would be top of the list I think.

Any tips on vac-forming, i have a few kits with missing windows and I've no idea where to start with making replacement parts.

 

Cheers - Rab.

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38 minutes ago, RabRoberts said:

 

Any tips on vac-forming, i have a few kits with missing windows and I've no idea where to start with making replacement parts.

 

Cheers - Rab.

Hi Rab.

Glad you like the Matich.

 

For vac-forming new windows, etc. I have a vintage Mattel vac-forming machine which I picked up on eBay several years ago.  I then upgraded it with new/better parts from the wonderfully named "loteckengineering", also on eBay.  They also sell 10thou sheet in the correct size for the vacuum table on the machine, both in clear and white.

 

To make a new windshield for a closed car, for instance, I mix up a large dollop of Milliput filler, cover one side with cling film and shove it into the window opening (the cling film stops it sticking to the body).  Once set, I remove the solid filler lump, strip off the film, and then start sanding the filler to the required shape.  Using finer and finer grades of paper to get a smooth finish, I aim to make the master a tiny bit smaller than the opening to allow for the thickness of the clear sheet - largely done by "guesstimation". 

 

For the Matich, I filled the very poor kit windshield with Milliput and, once set, temporarily fixed it to the body with Kristal Klear to stop it moving.  When happy with the end result, I fill/sand the lower surface so that it sits flush on the vacuum table.  The third picture above shows the finished master.  I carefully used a razor saw to mark the upper edges, and the dividing line between the front shield and side windows.  Then I get the machine warmed up (15 minutes, or so), place the clear sheet in the swing frame and the master on the vacuum table, move the swing arm into place, and then pump the vacuum pump handle a few times.  Hey presto, a new windscreen!

 

Hope that helps.

Trevor

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Thanks Keith.  It was a bit of a struggle to work out precisely what the colour of the original car was.  Period colour photos are few and far between, and don't necessarily give true fidelity to a colour.  The Brabham F1 cars of the same period were a sort of bronze green, so I reasoned that Frank Matich, also from Australia, would choose something similar.  The late war Luftwaffe colours offered a variety of possibilities, and Dunkelgrun looked to be closest.  Xtracolor enamels are nice to airbrush, always giving asuitable gloss finish.

Trevor

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