**FINISHED** Louis Rosier 1949 Talbot Lago T26C GP winner

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

I'm running a long thread on the Scale Motorsports forum on this so I'll summarize here in a few posts to catch up to where we are now.


  Inspired by Pascal's exquisite Bugatti, (one of the main reasons I joined this forum) I pulled this from the stash.  
This is the Atlantis reissue of the very old Smer/Merit kit.  This kit was originally released in the 1950's.  It is a very basic and crude kit by today's standards and it does not lend itself to super-detailing unless you scratchbuild and replace pretty much everything.  I'm not in the mood for that on this car. Besides, I'm far from been an expert on these cars. So it will be an exercise in the basics.  I'm promising myself to refrain from going wild.  From the research I've done I want to make it as the 1949 Belgian Grand Prix winner driven by Louis Rosier.  Similar to Pascal's Bugatti, Louis Chiron won the 1949 French Grand Prix in one of these Talbots.
This will be a long term project.  



This is all there is to it.  Very basic. Even the tires are molded in plastic.



As previously stated, I'm not an expert on these cars. But the proportions look good. This will take some work to make fit properly.



Cleaned the body halves, hood and nose of considerable flash.  Prepared the body halves and gluing.    Hood fit needs help.  Added material to improve fit. That will take some fiddling around but no big deal. Started working seam lines.

























  Hood fits much better now. Seams progressing.











 Remember when I said it was going to be a quick build with no modifications?












Yeah, I lied
I don't like the kit's windshield so I'll make my own. 



  What do you call a stylized piece of styrene with a little hole in it?


 

... a dashboard 



It fits properly. It is just the the weight of the steering wheel crooked it a bit as it is not glued in place yet.


I'll continue posting until we catch up.
Hope you like it.

Thanks,
Ismael

[1961redlegs]

I’m really liking the fixes you’re making to this venerable kit. I’m taking notes for future reference.

[indy]

Great work so far. I like the fixes - nothing too complex but should really make a nicer finished product.

Jordan

[Chris]

Ismael's excellent build log can be followed here link race-car-models.proboards.com/thread/2525/1949-talbot-belgian-grand-winner This is an amazing transformation of a relatively simple kit into a Great Model and I have been following his progress closely, we discussed the Deeks wire wheels he used and his result was very nice.. Chris

[tatocorvette]

Thanks guys!
As Chris mentioned, I have a full detail thread going on at the Motorsports Forum. I'll summarize in a post or 2 here to get both threads in sync 


  Test: Do you see a 1949 Talbot Lago transmission hump in this picture?



No?   Wait, how about now?
















 

What molded grille?

Reshaped as per references



The exhaust is molded solid as expected.  No real place where I could split and use aluminum tubing.  So I'm just carefully drilling the tips. One almost done, the other still untouched.  This makes a big difference.








  Still a long way to go...








  There is very little reference on the car I'm doing.  For some reason, the 1949 French Grand Prix is very well documented and so are the English race and others.  But not the Belgium GP.  So after extensive research online, this is my estimation on how the pedals may have looked on Rosier's T26C.  This is based on hours of research of period pictures, restored cars  and road going T26 Talbots.  
By the way, you can barely see this anyways 
The stick is not the gear selector.  These cars used Wilson pre-select transmissions.   That lever is to select forward, neutral  or reverse.









Added some texture to the seat. It is well taken care of but still a 70+ years old seat



Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

  This is about 2 weeks of trial and error.  Thanks Chris for the guidance!
Still a long way to go but moving in the right direction.  This will be a challenge all the way since the tires are plastic halves and need to be glued at the end of the process. That means seams and painting after assembly.




Hope you find it amusing

Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

And the end result!

  Forget the car. I'll just display these wheels as a finished model 

Geez! 3 weeks on 2 wheels?  Good thing this is not an 18 wheeler!

OK, I'm happy with where this is going.









Oh my! These 70 years old tires are really bald!  I don't think they can handle triple digit speeds...


Can't believe these are the kit's tires...


And now we are caught up to today, about a month and a half into this project.

Thanks,

[Gary Davis]

This is looking mighty fine Ismael. Great job on the wire wheels.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

 I feel like I'm done! oh wait, I still have the rest of the car to do 
Forget the car, I'll display just these   



Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  The seat is in great shape for been 70 years old...
I'm desperately trying to make this car NOT to look like a show car, but rather a lovingly preserved old race car.



Thanks,
Ismael

[jj66]

Good improvements on this ancient kit! Waiting to see it finished

[Gary Davis]

I would've had a hard time believing that those tires are the kit tires too, Ismael. They look fantastic. What black paint did you use on them...they look like real rubber...

[tatocorvette]

Thank you guys!
Gary, that is an acrylic paint called "Pavement" which is a very dark gray, just a hint from black. The challenge was to work the seams and paint them AFTER assembly.

Thanks,
Ismael

[Gary Davis]

Apr 25, 2021 14:44:33 GMT -5 tatocorvette said:

Thank you guys!
Gary, that is an acrylic paint called "Pavement" which is a very dark gray, just a hint from black. The challenge was to work the seams and paint them AFTER assembly.

Thanks,
Ismael

Thank you for the response Ismael. Is the paint a ZERO paint brand?

[tatocorvette]

Hi Gary,

  No. It is Apple Barrel craft acrylic.



Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  First color coat.



Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

Sorry for disappearing for a while. Major life event. My father was very ill and unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago. Big shoes to fill and sorely missed already...

So, after that major pause, it is time to slowly crawl back under my rock.
I have done extensive online research and these racing machines were NOT show cars. Exhaust were beaten natural metal and even looked rusty.
I used multiple enamel metal shades and a hint of rust towards the front. Dullcoat killed the shine. Bluish tint for heat discoloration.
Of course drilled tips were painted black.






Thanks,
Ismael

[Gary Davis]

I'm sorry for your loss Ismael.

This build is sure looking goooood!

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Suspension mock up but it needs to be modified to fit the reworked wheels.  Not happy with the steering linkage. Will have to do something about it.
By the way, body paint is not done.  Still more work is needed.










Thanks,
Ismael

[indy]

Ismael, I am very sorry to hear about your loss.

Great work on this build. I am enjoying all of these updates, even if not replying to each one.

Jordan

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

   The toe link / steering linkage system components is very basic.  This is the kit's toe link piece:



So I added grease fittings (just a little pin of wire), cut the bar and added adjustment nuts for the links so the car can be properly toe aligned. 
Pics are bigger than actual size. 






After paint and a black wash:
Again, larger than actual size.












Thanks,
Ismael

[indy]

This is going to be outstanding. Keep up the great work!

Jordan

[Gary Davis]

That is good fab work Ismael!

[tatocorvette]

Thanks guys!

Hello again,

  One of the most prominent features of this car is the Wilson pre-select gearbox.  You preselect the gear you will use next and when you actuate the clutch pedal it will engage that gear.  An example was to pre-select the corner exit gear and while at the apex of the curve you actuate the clutch, downshifting quickly (regular gearboxes required double clutching back then as synchromesh was still in the future) while still wrestling that huge steering wheel with both hands.
  Anyways, the gear selector is prominent behind the steering wheels.

here is an example on a historical racer


So I am trying to see if I can do my own.









Still a long way to go but moving along!

Thanks,
Ismael

[Gary Davis]

COOL for sure Ismael! I'm waiting to see on the steering wheel. Great fab work.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  I may be biased, but I have the feeling that my shifter is becoming a slight improvement over the kit's part. Don't you think?

Much bigger than actual size. Some little teaks left but almost there.


Thanks,
Ismael

[Gary Davis]

OH YEA...I'd say soooo. It sure looks good!

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

Gear selection markings. A hint bigger numbers than I'd like but the smallest I could find.
Don't forget Neutral




Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Sorry I've not been as active as I'd like. Very busy.  After weeks I can finally say I had some progress in the dash.
The steering wheel is the only part used from the kit. Everything else is not.

The gauges are my own, printed at home as both the kit's and the AM decals are incorrect (white faces with black numbers).  Cutting them was a royal PITA.  Wire bezels. Wire switches.















Thanks,
Ismael

[Gary Davis]

That whole setup looks GREAT Ismael!!