Riley TT Racing Six 1934 ( scratch build 1/12 )

[HK-500]

Following a heavy popular demand 😁 here's the w.i.p of my new project , I'm not going to be rude and explain to our briton friends what

Riley stands for and what is its history,    Suffice to say that the Riley brothers created and perfected the knock-off central wheel nut and that 

the guys at Rolls-Royce had a very close look to the seemingly flawless 9hp Monaco model.

As for the inspiration of my build I had the chance to see a "barrel tail" in the flesh in Toulouse , 2 years ago and I also studied very thoroughly the pictures

of a very peculiar model that traveled from U.K to Texas , via the Nederlands and you can read about the whole story here  https://mikaniki.com/article/fun-corner/2020/12/1934-riley/

But let's stop the talking and do the cutting : I was a bit afraid to botch the front grille , so I decided to fabricate it first hand in order to take care of the chassis afterwards.

I had the chance to be able to buy a plate of aluminium ( the normal variety , not the hardened one ) of 8 mm thickness and I use it for the front grilles that I'm not able

to build with aluminum sheet ( and also when I need big chunks to emulate engine mounts or rocker covers ).

there are so many versions of the front grille that you can chose the one you like

You can see that the base is ok to be sanded , filed and polished

[Noel Smith]

Another interesting classic getting under way. Should be interesting to follow.

[Wouter1981]

I'll folow this with much interest.

[HK-500]

 

a whole morning of work and its looking nicer , indeed

polishing is done and here comes the emblem

it's painted and I managed to scribble something resembling the "RILEY" writing

[dnl42]

Very nice! 

[Vesa Jussila]

This is really impressive. One more super modeller in this site.

[chauncy]

Following with much interest.

[HK-500]

thank you , guys

here we go again, and here's a bit of explaining : I have elaborated 2 techniques to fill my front grilles.

for the metal sheet ones , I cut a small square ( or rectangle ) of thin plywood, make a radiator out of it and place it in the grille body ( as seen

on the MG-K3 or the Delage ).

for the aluminium block ones , I insert a shape made out of black HD foam which is inserted inside the hole of the block ( as seen on the Minerva

Torpedo ).

in the first pic you can see the foam slab and the metal mesh I use ( which comes in fact from a mosquito net ) clamped together for the 

black marker to work correctly and draw the cutting line.

I had to spray clear coat on both sides of the mesh to harden it and avoid the small wires from flying everywhere when the Dremel comes in action for the cutting

they don't exist on the real one but I'm forced to create these little mountings to hold the mesh correctly

the job is done , I glued these fake bolts to have a nice aspect ( there's a small difference between the lower ones... too late🙄)

 

 

[Toftdale]

Ive already got my pen and paper handy to take notes.  I'm looking forward to watching this come together - Andy 

[JeroenS]

I'm in for the ride as well 

[Vesa Jussila]

We are clearly getting higher education course in modelling.  Please continue.

[HK-500]

glad that you like it , guys - I started to assemble the wheels a few weeks ago , that's the reason I can show you the whole

building process in a row : first of all I cut a slice of an aluminium spray can then drill it to install the spokes

( to get a understandable progression I gathered the pics from two different builds hence the differences of color for the rims )

then I prepare the sides of the hub

next operation , the hub central tube and the collar  ( to enhance the aspect of the hub )

first round of interior spokes, the other one will be on the opposite side , then the exterior ones will come ( sewing needles )

the wheel workshop ( and the tool I made to get steadiness and avoid to much discrepancies )

another view

to have more space for the brake drum , I must be careful during the assembly in order to obtain a "flat" side

one big "phew !!"  , it's finished ! ( lucky me  , there's just one spare for this build ) and in case you're wondering ; 48 spokes each🤪

 

 

Edited October 4 by HK-500
typo

[CrazyCrank]

Utterly stunning !

What is your method to drill the rims evenly, and the same way for the five ones ?

[HK-500]

Thanks CrazyCrank , I slide my rim in the tool you can see above and I just mark it with a pencil to have my precise spacings

then start with a 0,5 mm drill ,followed by the 0.8 and to get a nice chamfer I finish with the 1.5

[nick]

This is looking extremely interesting!

[keefr22]

Fantastic! What a great thread - really good to watch a real master modeller put together one of his masterpieces! Thanks for taking the time to post your work!

 

Keith

[HK-500]

I'm blushing , guys 😉 but I'm really happy that you like it !

Like many racing cars, the real chassis is made lighter by having portholes ( not sure if it's the exact word ) cut in the front part of the main railing

( and they can be seen on the sides ). Yeaaahhh... if I do that , it's "overcooked spaghetti" for everyone and the build goes right in the bin 😒.

Well , let's cheat ok ? ( I sometimes do that , due to technical difficulties , absence of intelligible pictures, or plain artistic choice )

I have chosen the aluminium sheet to do the trick

 

the holes will be painted matte black to obtain the visual trick ( the railings are cut in Dibond , which is a PE thick slab bonded between 2 aluminum sheets )

 

[nick]

6 minutes ago, HK-500 said:

Like many racing cars, the real chassis is made lighter by having portholes ( not sure if it's the exact word )l

 

If they’re anything like aircraft, they’re called lightening holes. Boats have portholes and we don’t like them do we?😎👍

[Jo NZ]

6 hours ago, nick said:

If they’re anything like aircraft, they’re called lightening holes. Boats have portholes and we don’t like them do we?😎👍

Oooh, now you're making me think of swaged lightening holes. Specified a lot of those.... Swaged...nice Woody word

[nick]

3 hours ago, Jo NZ said:

Oooh, now you're making me think of swaged lightening holes. Specified a lot of those.... Swaged...nice Woody word

Not tinny at all, that takes me back!

[HK-500]

 

the transversal struts , they are a comin' 😁

the front end one

the rear one ( supposed to be at the end of the chassis ) is not present , leaving enough space for the spare wheel

the most discerning have certainly noted that the mountings for the suspension blades are riveted in place

you will notice that the chassis has been painted with the Tamiya TS51 Racing Blue Telefonica , and for those who know perfectly their Tam' index , you

must start shouting : "whoa, whoa , whoa ! slow down  , cowboy !! It's a metallised color ! Not "period correct"... "

Well , I beg to differ , for in its famed book "Un siècle de carrosserie française" , Mr J.H Labourdette explains ( page 149 ) that in 1925 he presented this

brand new offering during the "Exposition des Arts Décoratifs"😉

[HK-500]

No time for stroll and wander here , the action goes on ! 💪😜

Let's not forget that braking is needed , so it's drums time : first of all I cut these with an axe ( well , not really but you got the image , right ? )

rounding and polishing

and assembly ( impressive volume reduction , isn't it ? )

 

[HK-500]

thanks , guys !😉

[HK-500]

some drilling in these nice parts will help to plug the braking hoses ( yep , hydraulic brakes on this one , but it may be a modern improvement

implemented by the various owners ). and I will also use some of these to fasten the brackets supporting the mudguards.

the steering tie rod is attached ( for the right wheel ) and the cute little air intakes ( impossible to install the right scaled mesh here so I blackened the inside afterwards )

 

[keefr22]

Those parts look really good - probably helps they are real metal, but still takes a lot of skill to get them that neat! 

 

Keith