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Post by jamesharvey on Dec 8, 2023 16:58:38 GMT -5
Was the real winner 0f the 1981 race Bobby Unser or Mario Andretti? It took USAC several months before a decision was made and Bobby was declared the winner of the 1981 race. The "pacer light system" was a early attempt at around the track monitoring achieved today by the antenna loops buried in the track at various points along with individual frequency radio transponders mounted in each car. I bet if you asked Mario today, he might be inclined to still say he won. At any rate, this is my attempt at building Lance's PC 9B kit as Bobby's winner.
First, I switched the kit wheels for a set of chrome from my parts box. I also polished all of the metal suspension parts.
Penske's cars always had chrome or polished wheels and suspension pieces from the time he first appeared with an entry in 1969. Since I have had this kit for a while in storage, I managed to break the end of the side pods and had to reinforce them. If you have this kit, please be careful since this area of the body is thin. I have primed all of the cast body pieces and have all of the pattern pieces to finish. A few more things and I will be ready to paint.
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Post by kyledehart5 on Dec 8, 2023 17:03:33 GMT -5
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Post by Calvin on Dec 8, 2023 19:27:48 GMT -5
Awesome! Looking forward to seeing this one.
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Post by kyledehart5 on Dec 17, 2023 15:43:59 GMT -5
A couple more photos from Jim.   |
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Post by jamesharvey on Dec 17, 2023 16:25:52 GMT -5
I try to do all of my painting before assembly. There is a fair amount of careful painting on this model because of the side pods and wind tunnels. I really appreciate Lance including patterns to use in masking. I painted the top of the car white and then masked for the blue. The curves are tricky, I might have been better off using scissors instead of an Exacto knife. The bottom of the car is aluminum, and you can see the two inserts for the wind tunnels. I have made two sets of panels for the side pods, one plastic and one with a cardboard flange. The flange is there in Unser's qualification photo. Thanks for looking and for Kyle's help.
Jim
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Post by indy on Dec 20, 2023 13:19:28 GMT -5
Some great interior shots in the 1981 race coverage. Thankfully IMS was able to post in good clarity. Video should que to 1hr 29min and 7sec when they show a prerecorded piece of Sam Posey in a backup PC9B.
Jordan
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Post by jamesharvey on Dec 20, 2023 20:39:56 GMT -5
Wow, Jordan. How did you know what I was working on today? That is a remarkable piece of video footage from Sam Posey. Thanks to you, I will be going back to my workbench tomorrow to change a few things. This is what this forum is all about. I really appreciate your looking on and helping.
Jim
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Post by mrindy77 on Dec 21, 2023 15:38:21 GMT -5
Was the real winner 0f the 1981 race Bobby Unser or Mario Andretti? It took USAC several months before a decision was made and Bobby was declared the winner of the 1981 race. The "pacer light system" was a early attempt at around the track monitoring achieved today by the antenna loops buried in the track at various points along with individual frequency radio transponders mounted in each car. I bet if you asked Mario today, he might be inclined to still say he won. At any rate, this is my attempt at building Lance's PC 9B kit as Bobby's winner. First, I switched the kit wheels for a set of chrome from my parts box. I also polished all of the metal suspension parts. Penske's cars always had chrome or polished wheels and suspension pieces from the time he first appeared with an entry in 1969. Since I have had this kit for a while in storage, I managed to break the end of the side pods and had to reinforce them. If you have this kit, please be careful since this area of the body is thin. I have primed all of the cast body pieces and have all of the pattern pieces to finish. A few more things and I will be ready to paint. Mine was broken upon arrival, its a delicate portion of the car for sure. I was able to glue and reinforce from the bottom with sytrene. |
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Post by kyledehart5 on Dec 28, 2023 12:53:47 GMT -5
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Post by jamesharvey on Dec 28, 2023 14:09:05 GMT -5
Thanks to Jordan and the interview of Sam Posey showing the cockpit, I was able to add some missing detail. The gauges are from Detail Master. I added the gear shift plus the bars to adjust the front and rear suspensions using pins from a new shirt and from Hobby Lobby. The Simpson labels on the seat belts are from a photo at the Penske Museum in Scottsdale.
I usually paint all of the parts before assembly, but this model doesn't lend itself to that. I painted the body, applied its decals, and then all of the bottom because of the tunnels and the side pods. They will be installed later. According to Lance's instructions, the rear end is next followed by the front suspension. He has good suggestions about how to get the correct ride height.
Thanks for following this and making suggestions. They have really helped.
Jim
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Post by indy on Dec 28, 2023 15:30:32 GMT -5
Wow, Jordan. How did you know what I was working on today? That is a remarkable piece of video footage from Sam Posey. Thanks to you, I will be going back to my workbench tomorrow to change a few things. This is what this forum is all about. I really appreciate your looking on and helping. Jim Jim, I am glad to help. I always love when I can bring helpful references to a build. Jordan |
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Post by Calvin on Dec 28, 2023 15:47:43 GMT -5
Coming along nicely
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Post by kyledehart5 on Jan 14, 2024 17:24:26 GMT -5
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Post by jamesharvey on Jan 14, 2024 18:15:22 GMT -5
A new dog from the shelter cut into my bench time but I got back to the Unser car this weekend. The gearbox, rear suspension, and turbo go together perfectly if you take your time and follow Lance's excellent instructions. His photos are spot on. I really appreciated his suggestion about ride height and placing 1/16" blocks under the car. A popsicle stick is perfect for this. I painted some of the turbo steel, some steel metallic and detailed the end cap to give some contrast. You can see the lower front A-arms are installed so that suspension is next. Thanks to Kyle for the posting the photos and all of you for the kind and helpful comments.
Jim
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Post by jamesharvey on Jan 14, 2024 18:17:45 GMT -5
Idiot! I meant to say a new dog "from" the shelter and not "for" the shelter. I just walked him in zero degree weather so my fingers are still cold. Sorry.
Jim
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Post by indy on Jan 14, 2024 18:31:40 GMT -5
Idiot! I meant to say a new dog "from" the shelter and not "for" the shelter. I just walked him in zero degree weather so my fingers are still cold. Sorry. Jim Fixed original post. For reference, I believe you can go back and edit. Jordan |
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Post by jamesharvey on Jan 14, 2024 20:41:03 GMT -5
Thanks, Jordan. I didn't see the "edit" option in time. I hope you and the other administrators understand how much we appreciate you and all that you do for us.
My best,
Jim and Ollie, our new dog of two weeks.
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Post by kyledehart5 on Jan 21, 2024 19:12:48 GMT -5
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Post by jamesharvey on Jan 21, 2024 20:38:06 GMT -5
First, thanks to Kyle for posting the photos. Sorry, this took so long but the holidays, really cold weather and a new dog cut into my bench time. I have had Lance's terrific kit for too long, but I am glad to have finished this build. The kit is really well done and his instructions are great. The front suspension is pretty straightforward while the rear is more complex. When you add the turbo and all the pipes it takes time to get it right. The sidepods were a challenge to get the right size and shape even using the templates. I colored the windscreen on the inside with a Sharpie yellow marker. The first photo shows a floor pan to cover where the cockpit is inserted. I painted it aluminum to match the bottom of the side pods while the top/inside is painted to match the blue body. The bold contrast of the colors and graphic design really made this car and kit stand out. Thanks for looking and kind comments.
Jim
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Post by pntmachine on Jan 21, 2024 20:44:46 GMT -5
What a beautiful job that turned out to be. Very nicely done Jim.
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Post by Art Laski on Jan 22, 2024 13:20:56 GMT -5
Looks great, Jim!
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Post by illeagle10 on Jan 23, 2024 5:31:23 GMT -5
Nice build Jim!
Jim
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Post by Calvin on Jan 23, 2024 11:11:23 GMT -5
Looks fantastic!
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Post by indy on Jan 24, 2024 9:50:33 GMT -5
She's a winner, makes me glad I got this car.
Jordan
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