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Restore or Offload for spares & repairs?


Mike

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I've been delving in my pile of old kits that came with me from my parents and have moved twice since, so have become a bit battered in places.

 

The Alfa 155 DTM is in best shape, and will look a lot better if I clean it properly, but it does have a few issues.  Here's a couple of pics straight from storage, complete with dust:

 

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There are few loose parts, and I screwed up a couple of the decals a bit back in the mists of time, with no clear coat over the top to protect them :unsure:  What would you guys suggest?  I'm kind of toying with the idea of a strip-back, but then where do I get replacement decals from? :hmmm: These kits are kind of rare by the looks of things, judging by the prices on eBay. :owww:

 

Now for the Sierra Cosworth, the OG version, not the watered down Sapphire one :yawn: This one has taken a few hits, has a splinter out of the windscreen and some scratches too, then there's a wheel missing and one of the front wheels is semi-broken.  The rubbery tyres have also split over the years, so if I decide to repair it, I'd need to find some replacement tyres/wheels.  The wing mirrors have gone west too, but I might be able to create my own with some luck and a fair wind:

 

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This kit is almost invisible on eBay, and the occasional one I've seen has been for stupid money.  Can I save this one?  BTW, if you're wondering why there were no decals, I just liked black Cossies back in the day.  No idea where the Texaco decals went, but they'd probably be knackered by now anyway.  I've a feeling I could get some decals for this one, but the windscreen is the big issue.

 

If anyone's got any suggestions, I'm all ears :)

 

EDIT:  Here's another one I found while I was looking for the Cozzie's "ears".  It's a Peugeot 405 Ti V6 thingy - I think from the Paris Dakar rally.  I don't know why, but I always liked it, possibly because of the stance and the fact that it's a 2-door jobby, so looks a bit sleeker than the dull boxy standard one.  This one's ostensibly complete, although it's not intact anymore.  The main issue would be getting decals for it.  I've had a look online for the same decals, but don't seem to be able to find any :hmmm:

 

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Why's it on a piece of board?  It was wet and muddy from being outside, so I didn't want to get my backdrop dirty :S

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I do like a nice Cozzie! Did they do one as a John Player Special or am I mixing it up with something else?


Thinking out of the box, why not do them as a barn find, or stripped down in a workshop, saves the bother of finding new tyres.

 

Trevor

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I'd suggest a restoration job on the Cosworth (or as it's referred to in some parts of Essex the Cozzer).

 

You might be able to get some replacement wheels from Hiroboy and they also have some suitable decals in stock so perhaps you could finish it as a tribute car?

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I'd give them both the resto treatment as you won't het hold of others without paying through the nose. 

Put the cozzie on bricks and say it was left in Liverpool 🤣

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Hi Mike

The alfa could just get away with a gentle wash and once dry you could klear coat it to protect the decals etc. That might work. 

Might be worth looking on Ebay for the wheels.  I have just had some Torque thrust replica wheels printed by a guy on Ebay , might be worth a look. I sent the measurements of the real things and scaled it down too and he did a great job on them. 

 

Chris

 

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If you want to get Texaco decals for the Cossie Mike, go for SK ones, Shunko as a last resort. Hiroboy have SK in stock;

 

https://www.hiroboy.com/124_Ford_Sierra_RS500_88_Texaco_Decals_Tamiya--product--12814.html

 

If you just wanted to restore it as a road/ track day car then Hiroboy sell a set of mirrors that you could say the owner fitted as an aftermarket upgrade;

 

https://www.hiroboy.com/124_JDM_Mirrors_3_Designs_PE--product--15388.html

 

You could do the same with a set of aftermarket 18'' wheels and tyres

 

 Whatever you do please don't bin it as I've got a Sierra kit without clear parts so could give the unbroken ones a good home....!! :)

 

SK decals also do replacement decs for the Alfa, Spotmodel have them in stock;

 

https://www.spotmodel.com/product_info.php?products_id=55485

 

Keith

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With the Cossie, you could leave it on its roof and make a Dio. I suppose that’s where most ended up. I crashed mine, still mentally wear a black arm band some 20 years later😪

Edited by speedy
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Thanks for the input fellas. I do have another Alfa left to build, so I might pick up some different decals, or do the other one for a team duo. There are a few schemes out there though, so I’ll have a think. 
 

The Cozzie’s glazing seems to be loose inside the body shell, so I might take it out and give it a look over, to see what can be done. I’m also going to have a good hard look in the box they can from to see if I can find at least one mirror, as I can easily make another using that as a pattern.  I’ve seen some wheels too, so I should be able to make those good for the original cost of the kit :doh:
 

I was quite surprised how well I’d managed to paint the body shells when I got them out. Despite the dirt, you can see they’re quite shiny and have no orange peel. I used rattle cans iirc. Go me! :lol: 

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There's definitely a market for them, you only have to look on eBay.

Especially for some kits as you can't get them unbuilt without selling a kidney and it may be the best option to fill a gap in a collection. You can always post in the for sale section with a pic or 2

 

Ian 😁

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I got the clear parts out in one piece the other day, and have picked up a small sheet of 0.5mm lexan to see if I can form a replacement.  I might try heat forming it using the original (or a copy of it) as the template, as I think that a flat piece would eventually ping off if I just glued it in place.  I noticed that the original glazing is 1.25mm, which is a bit skinny to create a mould by filling the inside and then removing it to use as a male mould, and all my casting gear is gone now, and I've not done any in years.

 

Who's gonna volunteer to lidar scan the original and create me a 3D printed plug?  Anyone? anyone? Bueller? :hmmm:

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I've just updated the original post with another car - a Peugeot 405 rally car.  I'd like to get it put back together, but decals look like they might be an issue.  Mine are a bit shot-at. :blush:

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9 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

If you find anyone daft errr, skilled enough to do that Mike, could you ask for two copies please.... :nodding: :)

 

Keith

I'm currently pondering how best to create a plug myself without my imaginary benefactor.  As I said, I have a sheet of Lexan, and may just try to make something that replicates the curve of the screen first, and see how that goes.  If I can do that, I may replace all the glazing, but we're a way off yet.  Ideally, I'd create a resin or plaster plug within the existing piece, then do some heat forming over the top of it after I've fixed the missing part and given it a damn good polish.  I'd probably be better off using some 1mm Lexan though, so I've sort-off shot myself in the foot a bit with my choice of thickness. :hmmm: If I manage it though, it's just as easy to make a few as make one (hopefully) ;)

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42 minutes ago, Mike said:

As I said, I have a sheet of Lexan, and may just try to make something that replicates the curve of the screen first, and see how that goes.

 

I've made replacement screens from acetate before Mike, just glued in with PVA - none have popped out yet (famous last words!) I have sometimes used some thin square plastic rod painted black inside the screen opening to give it something to purchase on, but that's not always necessary.

 

I've searched for decals for the Pug, but have drawn a blank I'm afraid.

 

Keith

 

Edit - apparently an outfit called Artecno decals did a sheet for the 405, but I've never heard of them, and don't know what they are (were) like.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/artecno-decals-ad24-peugeot-405-turbo-16-gr-837-gps-75-camel--1277462

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24 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

Saw that - I actually owned that kit back in the day and painted it black to mimic a Cozzie at least some of the way, but it got blatted somewhere along the line :blush: £60 minimum is a bit rich for a windscreen panel :owww:

 

There's one instance of my kit on eBay that's up for £140 ono, which is kinda scary considering they were about £22 when new :shocked:

 

3 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

I've searched for decals for the Pug, but have drawn a blank I'm afraid.

Using my limited knowledge of the car modelling scene, I did too.  Basically Hiroboy and Spotmodel :shrug:

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