1/43 SMTS March 85C into a road course jobby.

[quattro]

I ain't that good at building them.

I love building them but finish still hit and miss.

One thing about this forum is I am learning.

Got one of these in Indy 500 spec which was built for me.

But when it bites you the urge to build something can be all consuming.

And deciding to show the WIP on here is like getting up on stage. Frightening.

Gotta pop me cherry sometime!

Having a go at this thing.

Started it and then realised this was the only picture I can find of it. That and watching the you tube vid an awful lot.

Some screen grabs done. Should have asked you chaps for help on this but stupidly only thought of it now.

Started by chopping back the side pods to lose the angled lead edges.

Then realised that the radiator channels were further forward so started hacking away. Maybe I shoulda come forward a mil or two more.

Reprofiled bu using my old favourite, Memorex video cassette plastic. Love it. Cuts like paper. Bend it. Score it. Shape it.

Just got used to it over the years...

Filled it i then went to work on the lead edge of the pods. Did them completely square at first. Then I looked carefully and had to go again tapering them in a bit. If there is one thing I have learned is to look and look and look and look again. That Memorex plastic has tram lines in the design that are not raised as print but help with keeping everything square to my knackered old eyes.

The front wings on this baby were a bit out of alignment but I could not find a spare front wing set to replace them so I went down the heavy photopaper and plastic card route again. On the 43rd the width of the wings lined up with the pinched in part of the side pods.

On the 25th I have they are as wide as the full width of the pods. Lots of watching that video... Went full width. Just hope that's right.

Lotta filling and sanding to get stuck into now before I attempt, and may technologically advanced aliens help me in my quest coz I ain't got anything close to them spare, the winglets at the rear of the sidepods.......

Will add more later if I hold my nerve.

And this photobucket thing. Forgot how tedious it is. Wont let me edit. Just a blank screen.

[IndyCarModels]

Good start

[robh]

Oh yeah, I'll be watching this thread. Something tells me that it is going to be a treat.

[zippernl]

Looking also forward to this, I'm also in the search for at least one SMTS March 85 kit..

[quattro]

Taking a breather here.

This is where someone tells me someone once manufactured a road course 85C in 43rd....!

Zipper. Gasoline alley antiques. They have a Mears version. Indycals have the Miller livery......

OK. The old look look look and look again.

Dunno if its me or the pics but the left pod rad outlet looks like it is a bit further forward than the right side..... um.

Therefore the panel line for the front pod must be too... Double um.

And I am not happy with the front wing and nose. It needs more nose. The wings kinda wrap round the front and if I do that

there is nowhere for the Goodyear decal to go under the wing line at the front. More nose......

The winglets. Cut out two identical mirrored sets from paper laminate and a spare resin wing.

Went to fit them and they were all over the shop!

Then it occurred to me. The model is not perfectly symmetrical. Guess these things never really are however tight they are mastered.

Gonna take a custom fit.

Isn't this why we love this hobby?

[quattro]

OK. Last night shift over. Progress made. But don't tell 'em his is how I spend part of me shift.

More Nose.

Dropped in a 2mm thick washer under the nose for support then wrapped a plastic car strip around it and filled the join.

Had the hack away the lead element of the undertray on the kit but it all fits.

Dunno how I missed that but the clues are everywhere including on those Replicarz monsters that have appeared.

Front wings redone and found a decent shot of the end plates to get those just as they were on this car at that race.

Radiator outlet on the left pod. No mans land. I still cannot really tell to commit on that one....

Rear winglets. Oh boy. Took a few goes at this.

Filed and sanded away at the body to try and balance the relevant widths.

Got it all done and looks fine only to curse meself.

I had intended to put in the support rod that runs from the body to the outside winglet end plate.

Use fibre optic on 32nd, 24th and 20th stuff when it comes up, but went with a single staple on each side.

Not exactly rod like but a bit like working with good strong photo etch.

Should have put the 'rods' in before closing up with the outside end plates but got so carried away getting that right I forgot.

One of those punch the air then drop your shoulders moments.

The rods would be barely visible but you know what its like.

Once its in your head it feels incomplete without it..

Weather is nice here today. Odd for Feb. So out into the garden and sit quietly sanding and panel scoring away.

The lawn can wait.

[zippernl]

Well this look promising. Very nice work on the model.
Did you make a copy of the body? Or did you sprayed it with something.
I needed a kit because Jan Lammers also drove this car back in 1985, also a road course version so the progress report helps a lot in the future.

[Calvin]

This was basically a one-off scheme for Danny Sullivan in 1985.

Looks good.

[quattro]

Well.

Moved on a bit but not without its problems for me.

One I will touch on at the end of the post.....

Got this far today

Sanded like mad all yesterday evening.

Started with the white then the red on top masked out and first go was a mare. It bled everywhere.

Sand back and go again.

The trim lines in gold helped. Trust me to pick a car with gold on it!

The star was going to be a problem until I realised I had a load of WW2 tank decals lying around. 1/72 Sherman. Thank you!

The exhaust plating is an odd shape but as was from what I can see.

Wish I had something really reflective to use. Even looked at kitchen foil!

Is there some kind of mirror finish decal available out there?

Used the silver model technics trimline for that but dunno.....

But what really bothered me was I just cannot see fine detail.

It ain't sour grapes. Its literally all a blur up close.

Used to proof read 5point text. Now forget it.

Better forget my ego and vanity and get to specsavers for the sake of my modelling.

I have touched on it before but really got me this time. Had the Mrs check on my work coz I just could not see some elements.

And the gold just reflects and vanishes in certain light. Well it does to me.

Gonna wait a bit now before artworking the decals I need for the white upper element.

At least I can zoom in on screen and I Know the printer does the biz.

Not looking forward to cutting a gold keyline around white and red numbers.

Back with more after a run to Belgium for four days. The last bits I need should be here by then.

Still. I chose this beast.

[quattro]

Missus walked in from the shops and without a word, put this on the table in front of me today.........

[IndyCarModels]

I have several of those.

[quattro]

Folks.

Feel a bit like I am hogging this time period for Indycars on the forum at the mo.

Don't mean to but thought I would throw in an update.

Fashioned some air intakes for the rear brakes and had a guess at where they go.

Dun me decals. Think my choice of decal paper is good at taking the ink but might be a tad thick

especially once the laquer is on to protect the graphic.

Took advice from the forum on treating the tires so they look matte.

It aint gonna win any prizes but OK so far.

Windscreen and rear wing to do. Kit came with a speedway wing so I have had to nick one (whisper itm from a Lola kit)

and reprofile the endplates.

Nearly there.

[shunter]

Looking great...nice work.

[quattro]

Chaps

Get this last one in and move over for some other nice work.

Done bar a couple of bits.

Compare it to the speedway car with the regular livery and it does look quite different. Both SMTS.

'same' car but looks bigger. Actually I find these March cars from 85 ugly compared to the early and late 80s CART jobs.

In essence this needed five elements looking at.

Side pods extended.

Front wing.

Rear wing.

Radiator outlet relocation forward (but different configurations on certain cars).

Winglets ahead of the rear wheels.

Items left off that I could see.

Obvious one is the Computervision logo on the rear wing endplate.

Just could not get it to print whiteout of red. Ink kept filling in.

ANYONE KNOW OF A CAR THAT RAN WITH THAT LOGO IN WHITE OR WHERE I MIGHT GET A FEW ?

Rod from bodywork to winglet.

Rod from rear floor up to winglet.

Flat silver piece at the front edge of the sidepods adjacent to the front tires.

I don't really know these cars so there may be something else.

Would love someone to do this as a kit to explore more subjects.

Think the Ampersand version has a better nose and shape. HINT HINT!

And given the Jorgensen kit from way back when is oop, maybe someone could resurrect a 1/25th kit with the options for

speedway and road course in there.

Thanks for indulging me chaps.

[indy]

The cars look really good. So did the 85C have different sidepods for road courses? The mods look good but I had never picked up on that specific difference between track configurations. I see it in my references now but always love learning these details from builds. Which by the way, keep posting what you are doing even if no one else is posting - it is the best part of logging into the forums each day!!

IndyCals has redone the 85C in 1/25
www.indycals.net/parts/indyparts/85march.html
He did the original master from which Bill's body was cast. This is a new kit though and is very impressive in person. It is out of production at the moment but if you need one, someone here is usually willing to sell.

There are chrome decals and Bare Metal Foil is good for various metalic finishes.

Jordan

[quattro]

Jordan

Thanks for those tips at the end of your last.

The sidepods on these puppies were different from team to team.

Penske kinda boxed off the front. And they reprofiled their radiator outlets to expel along the top of the pods further

forward than their speedway profile.

Fittipaldi ran with the regular sloped front on the pods and his rad outlets were in the same position for oval or road.

Really wanted to have a good look at the 'Le Uncle' Jaques Villeneuve Road America winner but could only find side shots.

I found some really good reference on some overhead shots of the road cars but am worried about posting them to illustrate,

as they would come from a well known photo agency website and am worried about their copyright etc....

[robh]

The nodel came out really nice! I thoroughly enjoyed your build thread.

[drums01]

Wonderful build regardless of scale. The fact that you pulled it off in 1/43 is just GREAT...

Nice photos and build thread as well. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Ben

[ampersand]

Lovely job on the build! I have the Computervision logo in white and in the right size, too, it is from the rear wing end plates of the Penske 84C of Al Sr. from 1984. I'll get some in the mail for you.

Bo