Mario's first Lotus first.

[quattro]

Quickie. Interlude from that mega T4 build.

Just finished off another slot job in 1/32nd from a master created by meself.
Still getting someone else to cast it so I can focus on making more.

Andretti end of season Lotus 77 from 1976. Japanese GP winner.




Whilst there is an old Lotus 77 out there from one major British manufacturer
I always felt it was never right. Taken me 40 odd years to get round to doing this.
Finally built up the courage.




Did the body from styrene then put a Cricut to good use to do the peripherals.
Got the Airbox wrong to start with but got that sorted.
The 'wrong' airbox ended up being used on an early season 1977 Lotus 78!




Went mad with the front suspension and piping with really useful reference from the Tameo and MFH instruction leaflets.
Even dropped in some Tameo 1/43rd front springs which do add so much.
Sorted out some custom fashioned six spoke fronts and raided the spares box for other bitz.
Got the fronts to spin on the track even without a front axle by use of tiny screws used as wheel nuts.




Decals were home made and have to admit I took my cue from how the Indycals JPS decals are laid out.
The simplest of liveries but needing everything to be just right with the keyline thickness and the position.
Just wish I could paint as well as many of you chaps.

Runs very nicely so will go on to do two other versions of the car from earlier in that season.
And gonna do Mario's first Lotus 79 version from Zolder in 1978.

Why did it take me so long to get round to doing this?

Leave the master making bit for a while and get on with some more builds I think.

Interlude over and back to the T4 before long I hope. Loving that one.

[Gary Davis]

That's really looking good Quattro. GREAT fab work and decal making.

[kyledehart5]

Very cool!

[raceparke]

Very nice work!
Love the non wing cars. And that front end!
You’re developing quite a grid-ful of cool cars.
Dan

[quattro]

Appreciate the comments chaps.

Just throw this one in.
I had a trial run on getting the JPS decal making done on this one.
Matched the Lotus 77 livery to this and hope to get it right on the Lotus 79 I am planning.

Retro fitted Lotus 78 to represent the early season version.
Gunnar Nilsson took 5th in Brazil.



Modded from a standard readily available slot car of the 78.
Main difference from the 78 most people see in pics nowadays of Mario from 1977/78
is the flat top of the side pods and the lower airbox.

The livery was an evolution from the late 1976 car which was later changed to make logos more prominent.
Forum member 'Orso' posted a beautiful version in 1/20th on this forum a while back.

mb2501.proboards.com/thread/6402/2x-lotus-78-built

The only time Gunnar raced this spec car before the upgrades came in for round 3 in South Africa.
He had to hand over his car to Mario in Argentina in the first race of the season.
Mario had an on board extinguisher explode in practise which had all the then Junta's troops
all around the Buenos Aires circuit duck for cover.
In Brazil Mario's car had a fire in practise and he bailed out before it had come to a halt.
Apparently it was so hot in Argentina and Brazil that the black bodywork soaked up too much heat
in both cases.
Lucky for Gunnar, the team got that car fixed up by race day so he could take the start.

[Gary Davis]

That one looks good also. Great info too..

[Orso]

40 years, well it was worth waiting for. Beautiful builds. I don't understand how you dare to use them on a slot track.
But Mario's first Lotus? That must have been the Lotus 49B back in 1968? One on my "to do list"

[hurtubise56]

Orso - No, the first Lotus he finished first with!

Quattro - Great looking slots, I always enjoy seeing your work, don't always comment!

[quattro]

Just finished another Andretti first first.

Given we do not see many of this version if any I thought I would chuck it in.

His Lotus 79 from the 1978 Belgian GP.

Debut World Championship win for the car and set him on his way to the World Championship.




This version had a run at Monaco in practise before being raced at the Silverstone International Trophy.
He spun off there in torrential rain and then the car was hit hard by another spinner as it sat there in the mud.
By the time of the race at Zolder the team were convinced it was good to go.
And boy, did it go.
Team mate Peterson ran the Lotus 78 which made for a good comparison run and that was still good enough
to beat everyone else taking second place.




Main difference between this and the regular Lotus 79 is the roll hoop, the cockpit side and the livery.
Used another set of home made decals to get this completed.
By the next race Olympus had become co sponsor and we ended up with the spec and livery that many
have modelled in 1/20th and 1/43rd down the years.

It has all gone a bit Classic team Lotus here at home of late and I may not stop there.
There is a 1974 Peterson Lotus 72E coming soon as a slot car. I may go back and do a couple
of Lotus 76 racers at 1/32nd just to fill the car evolution gap.




Tools down for now. I am actually off to Zolder for this coming weekend's ETCR racing.
Electric race cars without the slots!

In the meantime I will leave you chaps with this link.
Not suggesting we need more slotcars on here. Not at all.
But there was a neat 4th July slot club meeting held here that featured some amazing models
based on Indy, Nascar and Sportscar racing from the USA many of you may find interesting.
Sure there are plenty more examples being run over there but I was taken by this lot.

www.slotforum.com/threads/some-of-the-entrants-at-rockingham-apple-pie-meeting.208173/#post-2538727

[kyledehart5]

Some cool ones in that collection for sure. And great work on the lotii as well!!

[indy]

Great collection of Loti(?).... Lotuses(?).... Lotus race cars! Great to see the cars changing from model to model through your builds. Fabulous scratch building and customizing!

Jordan