Lotus 72 pre-cigarette advertising

[PR19_Kit]

In the slot car world, the great majority of models these days are supplied ready built and painted. Mind you, this doesn't stop the dedicated racers from promptly taking them apart and modifying them to make them go faster! 

Some manufacturers in their wisdom also supply what they call 'White Kits', which are kits of all the body and chassis parts which you can assemble and paint in colour schemes that the model manufactures haven't got round to so far, or even make up your own. I've mentioned my Whiffed 'BA Racing Team' Jaguar XJR12 elsewhere and here it is.



I built that one over six years ago, and felt it was time for another Slot Whiff, so here is the 'Pre-Cigarette scheme Lotus 72'.

The 72 was built for the 1970 GP season and was a remarkably successful car, still being raced competitively five years later! Originally it appeared in the then current 'Gold Leaf Team Lotus' scheme, looking like this.




In later years the Lotus 72 appeared in the striking black and gold scheme of the John Player Special brand, with considerable upgrades to keep it more competitive and safer, as new regulations had come into force by then.



But what if the cigarette advertising hadn't taken place, and the 72 had appeared as previous Lotuses (Loti?...) in their almost iconic green with a yellow stripe? And even better if the amazing Jim Clark had survived to drive one?



So that's how I'm going to build my Policar Lotus 72 White kit, stock chassis and body, with the parts for the earliest version fitted (it comes with all possible options!) and in that lovely green and yellow scheme. I even have a Jim Clark driver to fit into it, supplied by an amazing company called Immense Miniatures, and they're anything BUT immense!

The kit is very comprehensive, as I mentioned, and many parts won't get used, but they're all there, as you can see below. And that's just the body, the chassis is a whole different ball game! I've done a small amount of the body and dummy engine assembly, but that's as far as it goes so far.



Progress will be slow of course (my projects almost always are...) but we'll get there eventually.

[Hobbes]

oh, that's a good idea. Esp. on modern race cars, all those sponsor stickers are rather visually loud and almost obscure the shape of the car.

I've got an XJR-9 lying around, might be fun to think up an alternative to its Silk Cut livery.

[JayBee]

I do believe, Kit, that there is no Lotuses or Loti !
The way to deal with this problem is to state that there is a Lotus and several others with it. 

[jcf]

 
Plural is lotuses, just as the plural of octopus is octopuses not octopi. 

[JayBee]

AH! but the story comes from my time as an Air Traffic Controller.

Golf Alpha XXX Traffic information for you, there is a formation of Wessexes, Wesi? Standby.
Traffic information is a Wessex helicopter, and he has got several of his friends with him!!!!!!!

[zenrat]

Now that is a real F1 car.  Back when racing drivers were characters and smoking was good for you.

[NARSES2]

Now that is a real F1 car.  Back when racing drivers were characters and smoking was good for you.

Last racing I saw in the flesh was at the old Crystal Palace circuit when we used to climb over the fence and sit on the bank. I think smoking was compulsory back then going by the abuse I got as a non smoker 

[PR19_Kit]

A cracking track, The Palace. 

The lap record was something like 50 seconds, for a 1.3 mile circuit!

[NARSES2]

A cracking track, The Palace. 

Still there as well

[PR19_Kit]

Making some progress on the body shell and engine. The Policar styrene doesn't respond well to conventional plastic glues so I've superglued most of it.

The kit comes with both early and late nose fins and radiator pods, but is only moulded in the later body style without the NACA intakes on the nose for some obscure reason.




The engine is quite complex, presumably because it has to conceal the slot motor and transmission underneath, but really looks the part.



I'll have to pre-paint the rest of the rear suspension parts before I assemble them as there's no way I'll be able to get to them afterwards!

[kitnut617]

Maybe it's ABS plastic Kit, like a lot of model railway stuff is --- Plastistrut being one that comes to mind.

[PR19_Kit]

I've got most of the chassis together now, and that sure is fiddly! The Policar F1 cars use a very clever rear gearbox with an intermediate layshaft so that the moulded plastic 'gearbox' can be more scale size than is usually the case with slot cars. Getting that together took a considerable time......

The suspension assemblies are all moulded in low friction, and flexible, polypropylene so they bend instead of break when you come off, and that's almost impossible to glue. It's meant to be heat welded in place, which they do in the factory for the ready built cars, but I'm a bit wary of that having only a hefty soldering iron with me, so I used my magic Gator's Glue and it worked a treat.



The whole chassis, but without wiring yet.




The mind boggling front suspension. There's only TWO parts to it all! 




The whole thing so far. I can't go any further without some paint.

[zenrat]

 

[Old Wombat]

 

[PR19_Kit]

All the suspension bits are on and painted now, thank goodness.

Ignore the green colour, it's wrong, but I have some of the right stuff on the way.



Yes, the steering wheel has gone missing. I'll have to find another one, Jim can't steer without one.

Jim Clark died today too, 53 years ago. I was at a sports car race at Brands Hatch which he was meant to be driving in, but Colin Chapman insisted he drive an F2 race at Hockenheim as a championship was at stake and he was killed. They broadcast the news over the PA at Brands and everyone went quiet. So, so sad.