Lotus Cortina MK1
Airfix did a nice static 1/32 kit of the Mk1 Lotus Cortina, and then a 'build it yourself' slot car conversion, providing a static kit plus extra motorised parts - and RTR versions later - and MRRC RTR versions after that. Here I've got one of the early 'build it yourself' ones - arrived looking something like the shell on the left i.e. covered in black paint (but fortunately without the hacked rear wheel arches!). The shell I'm working on is on the right - paint stripped off and disassembled, some work done. To me, the Airfix Cortina is by far the best of the 1/32 Cortinas that are / have been available. BUT BUT BUT with one exception - the front windscreen is FLAT ! So, above, I'm using one of the other Cortinas available, the Revell slot car one, to replace missing, or make corrections to parts.
To the right is the range of 'build it yourself' kits Airfix produced, based on their available statics kits, plus the motorised bits.
Back,original Airfix braids, and middle, Airfix Ackermann steering front axle with keyhole guide blade & cube motor with axle bracket and rear axle. WHEELS - front right is one of the original half-inch Airfix wheels. It's not got much depth, and little detail and - critically - scales to a 16-inch wheel. The wheels on the Lotus were 13-inch, and very deep as they had widened rims. So, I've found some nice deep alloy slot car wheels of the right diameter, and then made up 'steel wheel' insets using plastic card disks, and centre detail I made up myself and copied, using the Siligum mould on the front left, filling it with P38 car filler to print some wheel centres, and cutting those down to go on to the plastic disks. The tyres are modern reprints of the old Airfix MG 1100 ones, and fit perfectly.
Here's the two-part add-on slot car chassis, that the motor & axle parts are sandwiched in between. Note the Airfix logo ! Some mods, notably removing the valances, and bracing things up a bit.
Bonnet removed, as sunken and wrinkled by too much tube glue when originally assembled; bonnet massaged back in to shape after a dip in boiling water, and then skim-filled and smoothed, and air vent taken from the Revell Cortina. Front valance from the Revell. Original quarter-bumpers. The provided late grille converted to the earlier one. Headlight surrounds from small-scale tank wheels, and lenses from the Revell. Oval holes cut for the separate sidelights (these to be made from clear sprue). Windscreen surround modified to take the Revell screen, sunvisors & interior mirror added to the screen itself. Original side windows, still need old glue & paint removing.
As it came, the slot car chassis is essentially flat on top, like the one in the background. Not much chance of doing a full interior, as the motor is far too high and too far forward to be able to cut out much of the top to allow this. However, I have cut out what I can, and added critical detail, scratch-built, that will show through the windows - namely a full-length driver (using bits of both the Revell & Airfix Cortina drivers, and other bits), and a detailed dashboard and steering wheel.
Above, bonnet / hood glued in, and tie-downs added from scrap. Then the shell primed with rattle-can matt white enamel, and the underside of the chassis with grey primer.
The rain guttering above the side windows was badly moulded, so removed & replaced with plastic card strip. The air vents on the rear pillars have been removed ( vents were not on the early version ), and the pillars skimmed to remove location holes. Lotus badges on rear wings, and boot lock, have been replaced with rod. Rear bumper; only two-thirds of the original bumper came with the car, so I used this as a template to make up a full one from plastic card. Rear light mounts drilled out to take Revell lights. Rear valance also from the Revell. Rear windscreen, on the boot, still needs old glue / paint removing.
To the left - bolted in all the moving bits, painted off the wheel inserts, silver with dark grey details, and I'm really pleased the way they turned out ! Driver & cockpit also painted off with assorted enamels & acrylics. Dials on the binnacle from Patto's Place decals. As the interior of the real car is all black, matt black used here hides a multitude of sins ! Oh, and note exhaust pipe on chassis, drilled-out sprue painted grey & black.
Finished -
Painted off in an acrylic off-white, plus a Humbrol military olive green enamel. Numbers are Letraset dry decals, Union Jack from a Patto's Place sheet, Lotus badges nicked off the Revell donor. Chromework done with Bare-Metal foil. Everything glossed up / toughened up with several coats of Klear, plus gloss varnish on the vulnerable bits like the bumpers.
