Kit Lotus Editorial

KIT LOTUS
Volume 6 Issue 4 August 2013
In this issue:
Editorial
Lotus model news
Above: Lotus 108 ridden by Chris Boardman
to Olympic Glory in the 1992 4000 metre
pursuit. This unique scratch build by Peter
Pedroza.
An interview with Mike Serrurier
When is a Lotus not a Lotus?
Lotus 32B where are the
models?
Olympic Champion
Lotus Elan plus 2 1:24 scale
Indulgent stuff
Ditech
Lotus Elan plus 2 (more inside)
Kit Lotus Editorial
‘the world’s only magazine dedicated to scale model Lotus’
I like to think there is always something new in Kit Lotus to
interest and inspire readers. This issue I am very pleased to
bring you the Lotus 108, scratch built by Peter Pedroza in
super 1:8 scale. It just shows the depth of the Lotus
subject that a bicycle can be given a Lotus type number
and go on to win glory in one of the world’s greatest
sporting spectacles and then for Lotus to move on
elsewhere.
DFV. I managed to drop one of the spring locating
brackets on the floor prompting a fruitless search with a
magnifying glass. In the end I used a piece of a photo
etched seat belt buckle and took care to ensure the
spring length hooked in to both ends of the brackets
without any tension, otherwise the spring would just pull
the bracket off even though a good dose of epoxy resin
was used to fix the brackets. Patience is still the virtue.
That we have enthusiasts who would bring the subjects
back to life albeit in miniature is a great testament to the
legend. Not just the bike for example but who would invest
lots of cash on producing a model of a 12 foot long little
work horse because it had Team Lotus on the side? Spark
of course for their brace of Suzuki Rascal trucks in either
Martini or John Player colours.
Peter’s skills continue to amaze and hopefully we can
persuade him to debut the model at Malcolm Rickett’s
charity Lotus barbeque later in the month—report to follow.
Also a hopeful debut at the barbeque will be Simon
Parson’s MFH Lotus 43 in 1:20 scale. Simon has laboured
long and hard on what he describes as the most
complicated kit he has ever built but I bet the finished
article is stunning .
Ejan throttle slides, it took two hours to get the four
miniature springs in place.
The summer arrived for a brief time during July and so
modelling took a back seat in favour of the sun bed, the
back garden and cold beer. That coupled with my annual
Classic Car Run has put me behind somewhat and so I
have to apologise for the lateness of this issue but another
13 pages of Lotus models are ready . There are some non
modelling articles which help during the modelling closed
season but they are faithfully attributable to Lotus
enthusiasm and some smugness on my part so I hope my
indulgence doesn’t put you off.
One item I have been impatient to include comes from the
‘meet the collector’ feature. I finally persuaded Mike
Serrurier, the man behind Mike’s Miniatures, to put his ten
pennorth forward. Mike and I talk regularly and he has
opened up his memory bank with some cracking snaps
from South Africa many of the subjects are Lotus but he
I mentioned the Classic Car Run earlier but only so I could
has also sent pictures of his other vice, his Morris Minor.
show you this, ideal bit of detail if you happen to be
At long last in the flesh I have a 1:24 scale model of a modelling a Twin Cam Escort.
Lotus Elan Plus 2, it has taken ages but following a tip off
Several of the items in this issue are about the periphery
from Wojtek Harabasz in Switzerland, I got hold of one from
of Lotus but all significant in some way otherwise those
the makers Ditech Produktion in Germany. As promised,
people who took the time to make the models wouldn’t
more details of Roy Fitzsimmons Lotus morphed from a
have done so. They say success breeds success and so I
Ferrari transkit plus the odd diecast and model news. The
can only reason that these peripherals are the natural
Jackie Oliver 1968 British GP project hasn’t moved forward
progression from and because of the successes. I hope
much apart from painting the tub and assembling the throtyou enjoy this issue and that it keeps inspiring you to carry
tle slides. These are part of the Ejan distributor kit I bought
on building, collecting , restoring, trading and exchanging
to get some more detail in the standard Tamiya
Lotus model cars.
1:8 SCRATCH BUILT TYPE 108
by PETER PEDROZA
In 1992 Chris Boardman achieved something that no other
British cyclist had managed – a gold medal in the Olympic
4,000 metre individual pursuit. Whilst Boardman provided
the power, he had to admit that his bike had played more
than an equal part. But this wasn’t any old bike; this was
the revolutionary Lotus Sport carbon fibre monocoque
bike. However, the Type 108 wasn’t entirely designed at
Hethel, in fact Lotus only became involved for the last nine
months of a project started some ten years earlier.
Mike Burrows, racing cyclist and engineer had set about
making a carbon fibre composite bike in the early eighties
with the idea of reducing weight and making it as
aerodynamic and as fast as possible. He aptly called his
creation “Windcheetah”. Disc wheels, clip-on “triathlon”
bars for an outstretched arm position and a monoblade
arm for the front wheel all helped with the ultimate aim of
improving the aerodynamics. But by 1991 the project had
gone as far as Burrows could take it by himself. As with
many great inventions in the UK, the relevant industry just
didn’t want to know.
The lower he got his upper body, the better the test
results. This position, together with an aerodynamic
helmet helped to flow the air freely over man and
machine and thereby reducing the drag, and the rest, as
they say, is history.
As for the model itself, well apart from the fiddly chain,
the model was quite simple to build, just some plastic
card and a couple of carbon fibre decal sheets. Having
said that my first attempt with the carbon fibre was really
not very good with quite a lot of it lifting at the edges.
However, following a call for help to my friend and
colleague Simon Parsons, the second attempt proved
much better, (although still not as good as Simon can do
it).
Good research is essential before you start any model but
for this particular one most of the Lotus reference books
seem to just gloss over this bike, (and the later Type110
which Lotus produced in limited numbers for road
racing). The research therefore proved a little tricky and I
am indebted to my son Andy, who as a keen cyclist
himself knew where to look for information and detail
photos. Also I usually like to see the real thing before I
start any model just to get a feel for it, but this time it was
just not possible. The record books seem to show that
just three prototype Lotus versions were produced for the
Olympics. One is in the Science Museum in London, and
I believe that Group Lotus still have another but where is
the third? There were rumours that Halfords had bought
one straight after the Olympics for display purposes. If so
have they still got it?
Ed ……………….. When Peter sent me the pictures, he also
added a frustrating note proving that perseverance and
patience is a key factor in model building.
“You would think wouldn't you that building a bike from
scratch would be easier than a car. After all 2 wheels
instead of 4, solid frame, no brakes, no
suspension....... But no. This has turned out to be the
most difficult and frustrating model I have ever built.
Then one of those chance meetings occurred that changed
everything. Rudi Thomann was an acquaintance of Mike
Burrows, a keen amateur cyclist and an ex-racing driver. At
that time Thomann was working as a development
engineer for Group Lotus and, after first seeing the
Windcheetah, asked if he could take the bike to the Lotus
factory to show to other engineers. Having nothing to lose
Burrows agreed. Lotus gave it a “good dose of looking at”
and were impressed enough to take over the project on
condition that Burrows signed over his design. This he did
and the Windcheetah became the Lotus Sport. Further
refinement of the prototype took place as a result of wind
tunnel tests conducted by aerodynamicist Richard Hill, one
of the engineers involved in the styling of the original S1
Elise. The bike itself showed pretty good results and therefore these tests mainly involved Chris Boardman’s riding
position.
Just about anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
Although the decals are now 100% better than they were
thanks to Simons input, they are still not that good.( look
absolutely fine to me Pete …. Ed). More practice
required. The hardest part to decal was, would you
believe, the seat. It took 7 attempts and I was
contemplating an 8th when I knocked over the bottle of
softener! The chain was a nightmare and when I did
finally have the model assembled and took a photo to
check it against the real bike, it was only then that I
realised that I hadn't made any tyres for the
wheels! Strip down again. More than once did I think
about dropping it in a bin and walking away. (Think Len
Terry and the Type 40.)”
I’m sure Kit Lotus readers will agree that Peter is too
modest. It is a pleasure to feature his work at anytime
and especially when yet another unusual model is the
outcome. Watch out for his 1:5th Coventry Climax
Engine!!!
Lotus 32B
Kit Lotus magazine describes many Lotus cars as Iconic,
but this Lotus 32B is really an enigma. Developed from
the Lotus 27 formula junior car with an aluminium boxed
chassis mated to steel bulkheads to get the weight up, the
Lotus 32 was produced as a one litre formula two car for
the 1964 series which Jim Clark duly won.
At the end of the 1964 season, Colin Chapman decided to
send a single entry to the 1965 Tasman series. To achieve
this a 2.5 Litre 4 Cylinder Coventry Climax engine was
mated to the 32 along with wider suspension wishbones
and a couple of other mods and the Lotus 32B was born.
Jim Clark went off to the Antipodes and promptly scooped
up the Tasman championship winning 4 of the 7 races
including the Levin Trophy, The Lady Wigram Trophy and
the Terratonga International in New Zealand, followed by
Model releases in the last few years from, the far east have
included those already mentioned plus , to my knowledge,
The Lotus 80, 87B, 86B, the 93T the 95T, the 101, the 102
and 102B the 107b and 109. The list seems endless with
the common denominator being a lack of track success. Yet
here is a winning car driven by the greatest F1 driver who
ever lived, claiming four victories against class opposition
and a series championship but no one of any significance,
and I don’t mean this any less respectfully to those who
have, taken up the mantle of producing models.
So here is to them and as far as I know, there are only two
models of the 32B in existence. Roger Marmande made the
first in his make do and mend style using the mediums he
could find to produce his fascinating range of models . Very
few collectors will have this.
The second is a resincast model from Villa Models of Italy
and I suspect is still available but they tend to be a little
elusive. Both models a bit like the real thing, an enigma.
Smug bloke in 32B—no Jim that is my head not a new line in
skid lids! I can’t help being folicaly challelnged.
Photo: John Thornhill collection
the Warwick Farm International in Australia.2nd place to
Jack Brabham at Sandown Park rounded off the series win
and set the scene for the fantastically successful 1965
season.
The 32B was sold to Jim Palmer and remained in New
Zealand helping Jim to 4th place in the championship the
following year. Eventually, the car came into the John
Dawson Dhamer collection where it was restored to its
Team Lotus colours and specification. Later it was used to
trade a 79 so that a genuine Clark car was held by the
Classic Team Lotus Collection, which is why we see it
regularly and why some smug bloke got to sit in recently
(see pic).
So why an enigma? Well how many scale models of the
32B have you seen? They are as rare as rocking horse
poop yet, the world of scale models has adopted many of
the failed Lotus cars for model subjects. How many races
has the 76, the 77, the 56 and 56B ever won? Answer
apart from Japan 77, none. So the 32B a four times
winner and series champion has been mostly ignored by
most model makers and collectors .
Meet the Collector—Mike Serrurier
We all know who Mike is, sitting there all alone keeping
the Lotus flag flying at the tip of the world in Durban RSA,
but do we?
Readers had the benefit of seeing and being photographed in one during a trip to Hethel.
We know him as being famous for his quirky early Lotus
models that you just won’t find anywhere else. I use the
word quirky as a term of endearment because how many
modellers do we know that build model kits for sale on
their verandas? How many modellers do you know who
would use a John Smith’s beer can for the mudguards?
Probably none either but Mike is the master of
improvisation using things that come to hand to complete
his models.
Most people won’t know Mike for his lifelong passion
about Lotus, amongst other things. For example his Morris Minor, his Dinky and Corgi collections and his love of
Jaguars and Aston Martins. Most people won’t know Mike
for his deep connection with motorsport, particularly F1 in
his home country and yet he has a famous uncle who
built F1 cars to rival the best, LDS ( Louis Douglas
Serrurier). Mike’s sheer enthusiasm is infectious and over
time he has given me an insight into the South African
motorsport scene of the sixties and seventies. Latterly, he
can be found at the Top Gear roadshow just a short walk
away from his flat.
When I first started Kit lotus and hooked up with Jim
Marsden in the states and with Hasse in Finland, they
both urged me to get in touch with Mikes Miniatures.
Which I did, in August 2008. Mike’s website first
appeared in the magazine shortly afterwards.
Anyway, back to the plot. I asked Mike the usual ‘meet the
collector’ questions:
Q. When did you first become a Lotus enthusiast?
I became a Lotus enthusiast back in the sixties, I liked all
racing cars but Lotus stood out above all others. Remember Kyalami was part of the Grand Prix scene and of
course with drivers like Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen
Rindt, Trevor Taylor and Emerson Fittipaldi I was hooked.
Q. What was the biggest influence that drew you in to Lotus?
The drivers obviously played a big part and being able to
watch them at Kyalami , stroll around the pits and be able
to see the drivers close up for real and the cars lined up in
the pits is something we can’t see or do today.
Q. Did that coincide with collecting Lotus models?
Yes it did coincide with collecting Lotus but I had an uncle
who was a good racing driver himself and eventually became a race car manufacturer. He built a lot of cars but
the F1 cars he built were known as LDS, his initials Louis
Douglas Serrurier . These cars were very well constructed
and did well in races , many ended up overseas.
Since then, Mike and I sit down at least once a fortnight,
both with a glass of ice drizzled with Whisky and chew the
fat over Skype for an hour or two. In that time I have
learned that Mike’s passion for motorsport in his own
country is immense. He has a dedicated group of followers for his models which I would put on a par with
Marmande. Working only from photographs, Mike has
produced the Lotus 1, 2 3 and 3b and the 4 as well as a
VI, a 14 Elite and a Lotus 20. Recently he worked up a
1:18 scale Lotus 1 which we debuted for him at Donington in April 2011.. The Lotus 9 and 10 are also his stablemates.
Q. Do you have a preference for die cast or kits?
No I don’t have a preference for diecasts or kits, except
that I think most of us fall into this trap, we have a number of kits but no time to put them together, whereas the
diecast goes straight into the display cabinet.
Q. Do you have a favourite brand either die cast or kit?
No I don’t have a favourite brand, it always depends on the
model I am looking for
Q. How big is your Lotus collection and do you collect other
models?
I have just on 100 models built up and on display with
around 30 still to build. This doesn’t include my collection
of Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox and I have Jaguar models. I
also confess to being a Morris Minor fan having the real
thing to drive to classic car shows but Lotus are the only
models I buy now or concentrate on. It is not only the cost
but time and space become an enemy.
As well as model cars, Mike produces acrylic holders for
leaflets, business cards and other point of sale equipment. He makes his own tyres, his own vac forms and his
own resin cast components. Don’t expect any volume to
come out of Mike’s
workshop, he is very
much a do it and move
on artisan, a bit like the
great Lotus founder.
Mike is the man if you
want an early model
Lotus in 1:43 scale.
The original Austin 7
Special in either 1:43 or
1:18 head the range
plus 2, 3, 3B and 4. His
roots really are in Lotus.
Mike can always be
relied upon to send over
some nuggets of gold.
Q. What is your favourite Lotus model car and why?
Now to ask me the question, what is my favourite Lotus
model? Well that is easy, I like all of them. In road cars the
Elan series 2 is my favourite and in F1 the 49 and the 72.
The little Elan was just a beautiful car, a product of the late
Ron Hickman, like me a native South African. My other
favourites the 49 and 72, on my list because of their success rate and the many drivers who drove them.
Q. How did you find Kit Lotus?
It found me when John contacted me in 2008, we have
been in constant touch ever since.
Ed……
Mike is an engineer by profession, since retired and enjoying life in sub tropical Durban. He is a traditional hobbyist,
with a ‘if I don’t have it, I can more than likely make it.’
attitude. Mike has had engineering in his blood right from
when his father ran a gold smelting plant. I bet Mike would
like to get of hold of those gold bars now! But come to
think of it, how much different would it be now than when
Mike (the younger) posed for this photograph. I’m pretty
sure he wouldn’t have been able to get within a mile of the
bullion let alone stand on it and handle it !!
He recently sent me some snaps he took in the Kyalami
pits at the 1971 Grand Prix, the great man himself is one
of the subjects taking his traditional post on the pit wall as
he overviews the proceedings.
Mike continued
How different the world of grand prix racing has changed,
not so the entourage we see on our tv screens today . This
picture of Rene Wisell in the Kyalami pits appears to be a
get stuck in and help session whereas Emerson cuts a
lonely figure whilst Colin supervises.
In traditional style, Mike has a growing list of Lotus models to build including a brace of recent SMTS acquisitions
and the Ebbro Rob Walker Lotus 72C. His most recent
addition to the collection is the very nice 56B shown below from True Scale Miniatures.
With Mike’s permission, I will share more of his Lotus
For more information on Mike’s range of models and for
his contact details or if you want to discuss any of what
he makes, re-acquaint yourself with his website.
www.mikesminatures.com
True Scale Miniatures have released their 1:18 scale
Lotus diecast 56B with lots of super detail which has
become a hallmark of this manufacturer.
Re-moveable panels reveal much of the detail making
display as a kerbside or otherwise, a difficult decision.
Time to think about rotating the display cabinet from
time to time.
The version offered is the singleton entry for Emerson
Fittipaldi for the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the name
of World Wide Racing due to the continuing threat
from the Italian authorities to Chapman and his team.
The colours even then could have been a portents of
things to come before the iconic JPS brand adorned
the world’s greatest racing cars. This particular model
is the die-caster’s excellence at around £140.
memories, not least some super shots of Guy Tunmer’s
Gunson sponsored Lotus
72. Judging from the pictures it is 1974/75 but
make your own judgement
when you see them next
time.
Decals
Decals, the finishing touch to any model especially if you
like the ones with numbers on and complicated sponsor
arrangements. When you are scratch building or transkit
modifying or whatever, they are essential. They can also
be a nuisance if you need a particular one but don’t have
any spares or the specialist knowledge to make your own.
Most of us have the essential spares box with part used
decal sheets, always the first port of call but thankfully.
The after market has never been so buoyant before. It is
very unusual not to be able to find a decal on a sheet
somewhere.
Recently, out of the blue, I received a batch of sample
decals from Wim Van Vlasaler at Bestbalsakits in Belgium. I had enquired after the F1 Specialties Tyre Rings
for the 1:12 scale 49, but Wim told me about the owner’s
demise whichseemingly blocked off any further access to
this particular decal.
Wim is passionate about his transkit project for the Lola
T70 Mk III and has produced some fine detailing sets one
of which is a tyre ring set which he sent me to try on the
49. They are the same tyre as the Lola and so fit perfectly
so thanks to Wim my Oliver 68 project remains complete.
Some other interesting samples were in the package including a couple of sets of Gold Leaf Lotus 72C conversions with versions for both Fittipaldi and Wisell. They are
superbly printed and so a 72 conversion is now on the
cards. Also in the package Wim included some prototype
tyre rings for the 72 something lacking in the Tamiya kit
but just enough to lift the model when on display.
Lastly and good or super detailing or scratch building.
Wim has produced sheets of dash lables in scale from
1:24 to 1:8. Labels such as Ignition, Lights, Wipers, Fuel
Pump etc for the switchgear, then there are label for the
gauges, oil, fuel temp, oil temp amongst many. The labels
are produced with white lettering on blue, red and black
backgrounds and, last but not least, there is an on/off
label.
Gold Leaf decals Lotus 72 tyre rings
Decals come from lots of sources and often, a regular trawl
through ebay is a must for modellers searching out that
bargain. During one such browsing session, I saw a sheet
of Lotus badges in all scales. These will come in handy for
bonnet badges, so often not that well reproduced in some
kits, plus they can double up for steering wheel centres
where appropriate.
These were advertised
as coming from China
but for not much money
which including
postage came to just
under a fiver.
A word of caution
though, don’t rely on a
rapid turn around, I
waited nearly a month
but they are destined
for the stock bin with
projects in mind that
are not yet started and
so they are ideal.
The decals are offered
by Easy Decal, a manufacturer I have never
heard of but the print
looks ok even including
a silver edge around
the decal giving it the
definite impression of
a bonnet badge.
Dash Labels and a set of Lotus 72C
secondary labels
Some basic instructions about fixing decals appear on the
packaging but nothing to get excited about. It’s just great
that this sort of stuff exists and we can stumble upon it out
of the blue.
When is a Lotus not a Lotus?
When is a Lotus not a Lotus? Or should I really be saying
when is a Ferrari not a Ferrari? But I just couldn’t bring
myself to use the ‘F’ word in the title. So, which is it to be? I
think creator Roy Fitzsimmons thinks the latter and has
produced a transkit to bring the Lotus to life
This ingenius use of another kit is just such a facet of
model car enthusiasts. It may be that the re-working of the
plastic doesn’t go 100% accurate but, as I am always
saying, build the stuff to impress the most important
person, you!
Firstly, take a Revell Ferrari F10, these are available quite Roy can be found at:
cheaply on ebay if you look out for them and follow these
royfitzsimmonds@yahoo.co.uk
instructions:
You will find this is a fairly ‘straightforward’ conversion job
from the Revell Ferrari F10 which shape-wise is very close to
the Lotus. You need to fill in the side air vents and exhaust,
alter the shape of the front wing support struts and cut down
the nose length as well as alter the shape of the upper rear
air box fin.
Secondly—have a look at this very striking motor car and
The decal sheet comes with several different sizes of the confirm it is a Lola powered by Toyota. It finished fourth in
'gold' side pod sweeps, as they varied in size over the season. the 2012 24 hour race of Le Mans.
Also included are decals for the tyres. The decals are printed The main sponsor of the car is none other than Lotus and
on a dense white carrier film to provide maximum brightness is a legacy of the badge engineering which shaped the last
over black paintwork.
few years of corporate Lotus. Like the ill-fated Indycar
return, this is the Lotus name acting as a Cuckoo in the
Photo-conversion instructions come with the decals as well nest but hey! It makes a fabulous model and is brought to
as pictures of the actual car as a decal placement guide. us by the masters of the universe no less, Spark.
The conversion and decoration is pretty easy and can be
Detail is amazing, price is too, how do they do it? Who
achieved by any reasonably competent modeller.
cares?
Cost of the decals and conversion instructions is £16.50
which included p/p.
The Revell kit is NOT included.
So, before your very eyes Roy has transformed a Ferrari F10
into a handsome black & gold Lotus E20 and at a very
reasonable cost. I previewed this information in the last issue
of Kit Lotus, arriving as it did just a shade too early to include.
However, the whole concept of a serious modeller is to look
outside the box and if the thing you want is not available,
create it.
Lotus Elan +2
Many times in this magazine, I have covered the lack of a
decent sized Lotus Elan +2, every time Kit Lotus appears
at a show, the main question is ‘where can I get a Lotus
Elan +2?’
Kit Lotus reader Wojtek Harabasz from Switzerland
emailed me a link to Ditech Slot Bodies in Germany who
have such a beast listed in 1:24 scale.
I immediately contacted them and when I got a reply, I
placed my order and waited with anticipation. Sure
enough along comes Deutche Post and my Elan + 2 had
arrived.
The website is www.dietech-produktion.com where you
find all sorts of various slot bodies. The cost is 49 Euros,
now mine came inclusive of postage, it might be worth
enquiring about this first, contact details are on the
website.
The bodyshell included a few photographs of Elan +2
variants including road, race and rally cars, so choosing the
right version would be a big decision as the cost of the
shell is 49 Euros making a change of mind expensive. I
recall there was a road version used by Ronnie Peterson
so that may be a good subject to research.
So after all this wait, we may have that elusive model in
1:24 scale. If you decide to buy one, say that you saw it in
Kit Lotus and when you get it, treat it with care whilst you
At last an Elan plus 2 but be careful, it is wafer
thin in places
First and foremost this is a slot car body to race and so
inevitably, the resin body is very thin, so much so you can
see through it in places but don’t let that put you off. It will
clean up very nicely. Not too much flash but the window
apertures need opening and there are a couple of holes to
fill.
The bodyshell comes with moulded in rear view mirrors
and a moulded in fuel filler cap but these aren’t a problem.
A very neat printed clear acetate sheet provides the glazing and a sheet of paper printed with the interior along the
lines of a paper model will give you the detail for scratch
building an interior.
So, how do we finish the model? What donor can we use
to get the floor pan etc. For starters, unless you are intending to cut panel, i.e. the bonnet, this model is always going
to be a kerbside, so forget any engine detail.
I looked at the potential of the Gunze Elan S3 as a starter
but it just does not work. Then I turned to the Tamiya 1:24
Lotus Europa. OK so it is a mid engine car but, with only a
short extension into the floor pan, the wheel base and
suspension pick up points look pretty close to me. Plus,
the wheels are right . Seats from the Gunze Elan could be
used along with the rear lights etc, interior, dash panel etc
and before you know it you could have the makings of a
Printed paper interior should be ok to help you
pattern the three dimensional bits lifted from
donor models. Acetate windows should give you
some curvature but you may need to consider
another method to get the true shapeanother
are preparing the shell for painting, I can’t stress enough
how delicate it is but it should reward the effort you put in.
The photographs which accompany the bodyshell are interesting. As you would expect there are road versions to give
you a steer on what colour scheme to use. For example I
am sure Ronnie Peterson had a road going version, maybe
this one is the one to model?
Not renowned for a glittering track career, the pictures include several track variants. The issue here might be the
wheels. Minilites are obvious, these could come from a
Humbrol/Esci/Revell Ford Escort but the Revolution pattern might be more difficult. There is also a rally version
which appears to be in the Team Elite colours but I can’t
confirm what event it is, nor can I confirm the choice of
wheels.
Pure indulgence
Not strictly models I know but I had to share this. Like Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, my sixtieth anniversary celebrations seem to carry on. Back in March I was given a
Lotus Elise Experience with The Racing School.com for
my birthday, barely able to contain excitement I steeled
myself to wait until July when I had more time and a better than average chance of a dry day.
26th July came and the weather, although stormy and
changeable for most of the week, Friday dawned bright
and sunny and the Donington paddock beckoned along
with dozens of other would be racing drivers. It was obvious that the majority of visitors had come to drive the
Ferraris, the Aston Martins, The Audi R8 the Aerial Atom
and a batch of single seaters
After what was a very thorough safety and technique
briefing, we were taken to the pit garages to take part in
the practical driver instruction. This entailed being driven
around the circuit in road going Alfa Giuliettas by the Racing School Instructors who showed us the right lines, the
consequences of not going fast enough and the consequences (almost) of going too fast.
After this short session it was back to the pit lane to
await my turn and to where one of the reasons for my
passion for Lotus was driven home for me. The pit lane
was adorned almost its whole length by shiny supercars,
three Ferraris, two Astons, the R8 the Aerial Atom and the
single seaters. Queues of people waiting for their turn to
get their hands on the unobtainable just for a few short
moments. No sign of any Lotus but then, at the end of the
pit lane, stuck in a corner as an afterthought almost, was
a black Elise 111 2 , 150 bhp 1.8VVC 125 mph top
speed and probably the cheapest motor on the block. Out
of all this throng of people, only three had the Elise as
I’m not always this miserable, it is concentration
honest!
My instructor was John Hutchinson who took me through
some more pit lane procedure before I flicked on the engine and started the thrill time! The laps in the road cars
showed us where the braking point, turning point and apex
of every corner was. John had done this many times before
– brave man- but his natural calm style soon had me on
the power albeit a little shaky as I got used to the circuit.
The big corner at Coppice is quite tricky coming immediately after a blind crest and so for the complete track novice
like me, the tendancy is to look for plenty of tarmac to sit
the car on rather than apply smooth throttle and drift wider
so that the exit on to Wheatcroft straight is correct was too
great. Mid-corner, John calmly released my tight grip on the
wheel and one handedly steered me back to the right line.
Me and the Elise, Wheatcroft Straight, Donington
Quite quickly John’s calm instruction had the settling effect
especially as what he said would happen, did happen, when
he told me to keep the power on, the Elise occupied the bit
of tarmac John said it would. Confidence grew as we caned
the Wheatcroft straight toward Redgate but quickly drained
away as a Ferrari exited the pit lane on the bit of grey stuff I
was hoping to put the Elise on. John immediately sensed
the edge and put me on a revised plan. Pass him up the
inside!! Into Redgate, tighter at the new turn in point and
power on for the apex of the corner. In other words, I had
the racing line he had to back out. Ok so it all happened at
a speed that had my adrenalin flowing but probably not
enough to raise a professional racing drivers pulse but
great stuff nevertheless and a built in confidence boost.
The camber through Holywood and the Craner Curves to the
Old Hairpin runs opposite to what you would expect and so
having the aiming markers out for us complete novices was
a huge benefit , confirming John’s calm encouragement.
……………..continued
their reason to be there and fortunately for me, I got the
first go!!
Indulgence continued
MEA Lotus 73
John continued to give precise instructions when to brake,
when to turn and when to put the power on, almost driving
by numbers. I seemed to be circulating alone although I
did get overtaken coming out of Coppice by the V8 Touring
Car giving high speed demo laps but who cares? I was
having a great time! Until that is, after more great pace
along the Wheatcroft Straight after emerging from the
Roberts chicane esses on full power, another of those red
things exited the pit lane, this time with an Aston in close
attendance and this time, too far ahead to make a pass.
John sensed this again and pushed me longer into the
braking zone, smoother through the turning point and with
loads of power on heading once more for the Old Hairpin.
Kit lotus always celebrates the obscure, a constant re-
By now, John had me using all of the road under a steady
increase of power with just one small lift all the way
through Starkeys and the Schwantz Curve up to Macleans.
Brake , aim for the turn and power on again up to
Coppice. All through this, the Aston’ and the Ferrari’s rear
ends were an aiming point and the renowned Elise
handling helped me tail them right through to the exit of
Coppice. It was only on the straight that they pulled away.
All too quickly the drive was over and this time it was
power off at the Roberts chicane and peel left into the pit
lane but I could almost feel the Elise sticking a finger up
to the supercars still haughtily lined up in the pit lane as
we drove back to the naughty corner. Now I know why I am
a Lotus fan.
The Elise? Well it was a bit rough in places although
gleaming black for the most part, I spotted the odd bit of
black gaffer tape. The gear lever housing moved around,
the clutch was clunky and the brakes juddered on every
application but the 1.8VVC engine was lively enough with
a great sound, it was just great fun. Forget the supercars,
I’m sure they are fabulous to drive but Lotus is meant to
be seat of the pants and this car did not disappoint. Inside
the cockpit there is nothing but the bare essentials , why
would there be? Can I go again please? A nice photo was
the reward and a certificate to say I have been thrilled by
an Elise, too right!!!
minder to all model fans that model makers and manufacturers around the world just can’t get enough of the output
that came from Colin Chapman. Many of his projects were
ahead of their time, others were excellent concepts but
failed to deliver the results.
Modellers don’t seem to mind this and yet another model
has presented itself to tempt our purchasing decisions
that possibly we wouldn’t ever have thought someone
would replicate. The model is the Lotus 73, erstwhile mini
Formula One car designed to capitalise on the technology
built in to the Lotus 72 that was sweeping the board at
that time.
MEA Lotus 73
Originating from a stillborn F2 project the 73 was a
complex design with an aluminium tub, side radiators and
front and frames akin to the 72’s concept. Inboard brakes
and dampers were also a design cue from the 72 but the
car didn’t live up to expectations and in any case Lotus
Racing closed ending the company’s stay in the customer
racing car market.
MEA have captured the car in their usual detail and
although the castings may need some preparation, plenty
of fine photo etch detail is used for the suspension. As with
some other specialist kits, it is better to have some
reference photos to hand so that you get suspension pick
up bits in the right. Use the Lotus Book S3 by William
Taylor and if you fancy a ready built example that is
available too. Both kit and ready built can be obtained
from Grand Prix Models, mention Kit Lotus when you do.
Bits and pieces
Most modellers don’t have the luxury of warm dry
workshops to build their models in, not that I am knocking those fortunate enough to have them. A lot of us will
have a garage and a bench but usually these structures
are freezing in winter, baking in summer and so chances
are most models are constructed on the kitchen table.
Spark are at it again with superb distractions from the usual
crop of race cars, dabbling in the race transporter and crew
transport. This time these two little Suzuki run abouts from
the Team Lotus stable. One in JPS colours and one in Martin
racing colours. In 1:43 scale both trucks have a pice of period race car as the load. Very neat.
I drop into this latter category and whilst I have decent
bench, drill press, power tools and a spray cabinet, I don’t
like the idea of sitting alone building models when I can
be indoors with company but building models from a
table. Even this has drawbacks because you end up with
lots of small boxes with which to carry and keep your
modelling tools and spares and stuff.
Roll back 40 odd years to my apprenticeship and I always
wanted a wooden toolmakers cabinet to put my
micrometers, verniers, calipers, scribing block, vee blocks
etc, but could never afford one. Well, 40 odd years on
and I treated myself to one because I thought it would
hold all of my modelling hand tools plus most of my spare
decal sheets and, made of wood doesn’t look too bad in
the corner of the conservatory when not in use.
Photos– minimax.com
The loads in both trucks are quite neat, the JPS version has
a Lotus 78 rear wing and the Martini version has the rear
half of a Lotus 79 cockpit surround.
WARCO tools were the supplier, ok so it is made abroad
or it would have cost three times the price but at £110
including delivery in a great big box and VAT it has to be a
steal. Just the job for keeping the homestead tidy and for
storing all of your widgets.
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