Broadspeed Mini
Still loads of Mini slotcar bits left in the box - so I thought I'd do one of these - the Broadspeed GT, streamlined Mini with a fibreglass roof / tail, and tuned for racing by Broadspeed. Yes, there's a resin version of this available to buy, but I'd still like to build my own....
Donor bits - one white polystyrene Airfix shell with ruined bonnet & nose, and one bizarrely sprayed MRRC shell with ruined wheel arches. NOS MRRC chassis and steering unit, with a new Mabuchi motor, and Scalextric Mini wheels/tyres grafted on.
Frankenstein ? Fairly obvious really - the white shell has had roof cut back, and then a good bonnet/nose grafted on from the other shell, plus a chunk of doors to make an extension to the body behind the rear wheel arches.
Chassis / interior - I added whatever detail I could to the interior, reworked driver with bits from Airfix / Preisser / Tamiya etc. military & civilian figures, slotcar spare steering wheel, dashboard from a section of the roof of a new Beetle, and sprue rollbar. Bottom area of chassis also boxed in with black plastic card, to fill in wheel arches & to screen the motor a bit more.
Roof added with thick plastic card, and shaped. Windows backed with 10 thou plastic card, most of which will be removed later, leaving just a small lip to mount the glass against.
Chassis, interior and wheels painted up. Body now moving along, with rear end shaped up, and window surrounds; and wheel arch flares. Note vent behind/above front wheel, cut out of body, lined with strip and some fine copper mesh. And also odd decals on the dashboard for dials.
Underneath - a lot of assorted reinforcement to hold the roof up; rear valance added, and section of exhaust pipe scratched up.
Front - bumper, numberplate mount and front valance added. Headlight surrounds from small-scale tank wheels, countersunk, with a pip of plastic in the middle for a lightbulb. Sidelights drilled out, filled with round sprue, drilled again to leave just a surround.
Rear - back plate finished, recess for rear numberplate, blocks for rear lights; bumper added; opening for filler cap made, and rebacked.
Shot with Humbrol rattle-can grey primer. Any imperfections this showed up were dealt with - the join above the rear wheel arches where styrene and ABS were joined was the worst problem. Note the afore-mentioned lip left inside the window frames to butt the glass on to. Sections of glazing in the front - from 20-thou clear sheet for the side windows, and front & rear screens cut from spare bits from other slotcar glazing ( Scaley Metro ). Starting on the front grille as well - holes cut for the front spots, and little 'kickouts' added to the bottom corners.
Masked off and sprayed the roof with silver. Also masked and sprayed the white racing number roundels.
Finished -
Got there in the end....... body painted off with a custom mixed metallic green ( acrylics ). Chromework done with Bare-metal foil. Glazing glued in with canopy glue, and note sliding side windows, represented with scoring on the outside, narrow black tape on the inside. Final details added - scratched-up windscreen wipers and wing mirror. Decals from various sources, and numbers are Letraset rub-on transfers. Shined up and protected with Klear acrylic floor polish and Humbrol Glosscote.
Why this Broadspeed GT ? To go up against my Mini Cooper with the same chassis, so I've got a matched racing pair !