Airfix 1960s F1 Cars
Airfix did a set of four ready-built F1 slot cars in the early 1960s, the Cooper T53, the Ferrari 154 'sharknose', the Porsche 804 and the Lotus 24. The four cars were paired off for the various Airfix slot cars sets - for example above, the Cooper and the Ferrari in the MR11 set, the Porsche and the Lotus in the MR15 set.
So above left are the bits for all four, ready for repair / rebuild. To the right, the first job was to sort motors so the cars will actually go ! I went through the motors that came with the cars, plus some others in my spares box, and selected four reasonably working motors. I blew through and brushed out the interior of the motors, to remove dust / bits of braid. Then I lubed the bearings with WD40. All the carbon contact brushes were replaced, using NOS ones, as per in the packet in the picture. Finally, I replaced all the old knackered braid with new tinned racing braid, also making them overlength; the spare braid is folded up inside the bodies; then when the braid wears / frays, some of this spare can be pulled through, and the rubbish cut off; enough spare for two pull-throughs i.e. braid changes.
Cooper T53
To the left, shell top with windscreen and one mirror only (other will be recovered from elsewhere), two shell bottoms (both broken, will make one whole one), steering unit, later model chromed wheels, MRRC tyres (latter not actually used, got NOS Airfix ones instead), driver & seat.
To the right, work done - a complete lower shell was concatenated from two broken ones, the missing exhaust added, making up from other Airfix slotcar bits, and the steering wheel mounted on a post (rather than as originally stuck inside the upper shell). The front wheels have been remounted with the pivoting screws coming in from the back, rather than the front of the wheel, so preserving centre hub detail. Hub details have been enhanced, with a centre boss and four studs each. The missing wing mirror has been recovered from the spare Ferrari 156 upper shell. The driver and seat has been angled back so the driver is not sitting bolt upright as before, and the head has been removed, re-angled, and detail added to the helmet. The missing hands have been added, using Airfix multipose military figure ones. In the bags are the NOS Airfx tyres, and assorted decal bits. Finally, the main upper shell - the raised stripes and number roundel have been filed off; the front air intake has been blanked off, and a couple of strakes added; badge added on the nose; panel lines have been enhanced; back panel added to the rear of the cockpit; and a suggestion of rear suspension components made up using various Airfix static cars suspension bits.
Finished - shell prepared by rubbing down with 1200-grade paper. Spine masked off and painted with white acrylic. Stripes and roundels are decals, as are numbers. Shell then glossed up with three coats of Klear - it was NOT painted, the dark green is the original colour of the plastic. Body details picked out with silver, dark grey and black paint. Note - the apertures around the rear suspension are a cheat - it's a 'chiaroscuro' effect, just using black paint. Driver finished off in various enamels & acrylics.
Ferrari 156 'Sharknose'
To the left above, Ferrari 156 bits - shell top with windscreen, mirror & rollover bar, plus spare top, shell bottom, steering unit, early model plain wheels (better detail than later simplified chromed ones, NOS Airfix tyres, exhausts, driver & seat.
To the right, work done - the nose of the lower shell has been removed, the steering wheel is now mounted on a post, rather than as originally stuck inside the upper shell, and - particularly - a single rear panel has been made up, with vents in (missing on the original). The front wheels have been remounted with the pivoting screws coming in from the back, rather than the front of the wheel, so preserving centre hub detail. Hubs have had a hole drilled in, to take after-market spinners. The driver and seat has been angled back so the driver is not sitting bolt upright as before, and the head has been replaced by a different Airfix slot car driver head, with an earlier style of helmet, with some detail also added to the helmet. The missing hands have been added, using Airfix multipose military figure ones. In the bags are the NOS Airfx tyres plus after-market spinners, and assorted decal bits. Mirrors and exhausts have been deseamed and dechromed, and the ends of the exhausts drilled out. Finally, the main upper shell - the lower nose has been glued on and cleaned up, to eliminate the awkward, visible join, and the front screw mounting post that went through the nose has been removed ( replaced by a new post further back behind the front wheels), allowing a proper strake inside the 'nostrils', plus a blanking plate. Panel lines have been enhanced, panel fasteners added, and - particularly - all the assorted air intakes have been reworked, including using copper mesh pressed through opened-up apertures to make the two carb intake teardrop mesh covers just behind the cockpit. A back panel has been added to the rear of the cockpit, plus chassis bars inside the sides of the cockpit, and a suggestion of rear suspension components made up using various Airfix static cars suspension bits.
Finished off - shell prepared by rubbing down with 1200-grade paper. Decals added. Shell then glossed up with three coats of Klear - it was NOT painted, the red is the original colour of the plastic, other than using Vallejo acrylic scarlet to brush over the originally copper grills on the rear deck, and to frame the windscreen. Body details picked out with silver, dark grey and black paint. Note - the apertures around the rear suspension and behind the exhausts are a cheat - it's a 'chiaroscuro' effect, just using black paint. Driver finished off in various matt enamels & acrylics, with a smear of Klear to give a slight sheen to the driver's leather helmet.
Lotus 24/25
Porsche 804
Porsche 804
OK, fettled both the above in the same manner as the Cooper T53 and the Ferrari 156. also, I managed to get a green copy of the Lotus, rather than the red one in the above 'bits and bobs' picture.
