KIT LOTUS. They don t come rarer than this and if you are a serious Lotus collector, you just have to have it. Volume 5 Issue 2 April 2012

Transcription

1 KIT LOTUS Volume 5 Issue 2 April 2012 They don t come rarer than this and if you are a serious Lotus collector, you just have to have it In this issue of Kit Lotus Editorial Tamiya 107B Berlin built Exige Focus the collectors Race Retro show report 903 PMT 2012 Indy Car 2012 Formula One Spark Bits and pieces

2 Editorial Welcome to issue 2 of Volume 5, the start of spring so the winter model building season is probably coming to an end but the Kit Lotus story continues. No doubt you are switching thoughts to higher temperatures and getting next season s kits painted in anticipation, but here at Kit Lotus, our thoughts are to inspire you with another set of articles from the world of Lotus models interspersed with news of the big stuff. The first of our meet the modeller articles features Jim Marsden from Bolder, Colorado. Jim is a regular contributor to Kit Lotus and often the font of all knowledge. His collection of model Lotus is one of the largest in the world and his enthusiasm for Lotus even bigger, so a most fitting start for this globe trotting article. Finland and Spain are just two of the planned destinations. Where there is a model Lotus, there is a collector! Continuing with the international theme, Henning Bellmann from Berlin describes his need for a 1:43 model Exige before it was available from Spark, continuing with the tradition of Kit Lotus members who build their own stuff. It never ceases to amaze me the ingenuity that comes out of articles from members and readers and the willingness to share their experiences. I ve included the picture (borrowed from CTL) of the recently restored Lotus Eleven Sports which was owned by Colin Chapman because it epitomises all that is Lotus The car was being restored when Kit Lotus first visited CTL on a works tour in 2009 by Bob Dance & his team. Just like a modeller creating a scale replica, Bob has lovingly restored this car from a virtual wreck like other historic Lotus and you can almost sense the need to bring the car back to the attention of all Lotus followers. What a tribute to his work it would be if a model maker saw the opportunity to produce a replica? Both Formula One and Indy Car seasons kicked off since the last issue of Kit Lotus promising interesting results. Not since Belgium in 1993 has Lotus put any points on the F1 championship scoreboard and now the prospect of podium finishes from the new team is a distinct possibility. Memories of Ronnie Peterson are stirred with the arrival of Kimi Räikkönen who has thus far demonstrated similar determined traits as our Superswede. If Romain Grosjean can settle into some mature drives, his rapidity will almost certainly translate to success. The best of luck from all Kit Lotus members. In Indy Car, no fewer than five teams have chosen Lotus power units for the 2012 season. Very much the new kid on the block, Lotus powered cars were at the wrong end of the grid for the first race but with some development time that could easily change. Lets wish it does and every success to the Lotus powered teams. The fascination with race car transporters continues with the release by SMTS of the Team Lotus Ford Thames 400E, a very nice kit joining an illustrious list of Lotus haulers on the market today. It is easy to forget that glory on the track comes only by hard work often by unsung heroes who ensure that the car gets to the grid. These transporters have become heroes in their own right such are the tales of hardship for long sufferi ng mechanic s and the improvisation they had to find to make sure Lotus cars circulated Europe during the racing seasons. The SMTS Kit replicates a truck with a colourful history starting life as a 1500cc Van stretched by lotus mechanics with five feet welded in. It had a Zephyr straight six 2553cc engine mated to an Alvis 25 Gearbox but still on occasion, the mechanics had to get out and push on steeper hills. Race Retro came and went, with the Lotus content extracted and described, one day the organisers will seize the opportunity to make Lotus the feature marque, when they do, attendance will increase even further than now. Even so, there is always something Lotus to keep us interested. News of recent and future Lotus model releases finish off this issue, with wish lists getting ever longer. If like me you can t keep up with the amount of new releases, try a fresh look at that stack of models you still have to build. Remember the thrill when you finally added them to your collection? Perhaps now is the time to get stuck in. I enjoyed building the 107B (inside) and I can t even remember when and where I bought it from. Whatever it is you do build, don t forget to share the result with Kit Lotus.

3 Granny s patchwork quilt and the cat A couple of issues ago I bemoaned the time and effort it was taking to get the decal set down on the Tamiya 1:20 Lotus 107B. Well, nothing changed throughout the build. I had already decided to paint some of the coloured area on this erstwhile white kit leaving me with small change from decal currency by spraying the front wing assembly with Racing Green. As it turned out it was a good move. to the rescue. The inlet cover also received the carbon fibre treatment as did the inside of the cockpit, the insides of the rear wing end plates and the lower rear wing. A feature from Tamiya is a moulded harness arrangement as part of the drivers seat which looks a bit naff so a The build was straightforward enough and once I got to that part, I enjoyed it no end. Coming from an era when telemetry and the collection of telemetry was in the formula one ascendency, this car, like others had more aerials than the Cat Detector Van featured in Monty Python s Flying Circus. The kit contained two of the stubby rubber items and I added a couple of receiving antennae made from thin wire that would otherwise be missing from the front of the car. Back to those decals - I had contemplated buying a new set of aftermarket colours but decided against it, trusting the state of the original Tamiyas to come good. Whoops! Mistake! My grandmother was a dab hand at patchwork quilts so it was a good job I had inherited a little of her patience as the decals fell apart. Getting them on took forever and isn t perfect, then when they were on they went very brittle very quickly, which is where the small change came in. I had to use the colours from the unused decals to patch the main colours. The racing green in particular seemed very vulnerable. Lots of Microsol and Microset helped get the decals down but they also contribute to the brittleness when the decal has dried. A clear cover coat at the end of it is a good idea. I was pleased with the Tamiya Park Green I used to spray the top of the engine cover, Tamiya masking film helped achieve a clean edge. Lots of time was used up covering the floor pan with carbon fibre decal I got from Hiroboy, here again Microsol came rummage in the spare box was called for. Using the remnants of a set of 1:20 AcuStion seat belt buckles and red fabric from a Model Factory Hiro kit gave me enough bits to create a much better Sabelt harness replica. Wheel and tyre decals were much better behaved and all that was needed was another dose of my grandmother s patience. You can see the end result, blemishes, patchwork and all, hopefully you can also see the determination which went into the conflict with the elderly decals. The end product another Lotus in the cabinet and a result I am happy with. This must be the most complex Lotus decal set ranking just above the 107 unless you can tell me differently. Like any Lotus, the 107B turned out a smart kit, but then I m biased.

4 Henning Lotus Exige By Henning By Henning Bellman Berlin Back in a time where there was no Exige model from Spark I decided to build my own, partly by scratch using a Provence Moulage Elise MkI kit as the donor car. The Provence kit does not have perfect propositions but it is nicely made and finely cast and, with resin as the main material modifications are relatively easy. In the first step I made the modifications to the body with al of putty and some plastic sheets. The next job was the motor. You can see it through the rear window and I felt there was no alternative for just a black panel in the engine bay. An engine had to be made and as there are no parts for an engine in the Provence Moulage kit. I had to build it completely from scratch. The modifications to the interior were very easy. I added the safety belts and the Exige writing on the floor. All decals were made with a laser printer on decal foil. Today there are better options but the decals I used were all only black and for that case the laser printer is The most difficult part was making the roof. But also the front and the rear end of the car had to be formed completely new. I tried to bring out all air scoops in the body and made a new engine bay. The rear spoiler and the scoop of the engine bonnet were made of plastic sheet. After a lot of filing and sanding the body was ready to be painted with filler. It was the first time that I could imagine what the model will look like and it seemed to be good work. better than needed. The end result is shown below, an Exige in my collection before Spark, I hope you like it. Note from the editor: apologies for the photography, Adobe didn t quite work for me this time but congratulations to Henning for a remarkable job. HB

5 New Arrivals I was a young engineering apprentice just about to pass his driving test when the Lotus 72 hit the world and stunned the old guard. It looked just amazing! Chapman had done it again. Since then I have had several model replicas including two Tamiya 1:12 examples, several corgi, a obscure Italian version long since gone and a brace of SRC white metal kits in 1:43 scale. For my 50th birthday, my son presented me with the AMD 1:20 version of the John Player 72. SMTS 400E Transporter This one is the stuff of Lotus legend, underpowered, overloaded seems to be its potted history, typical of the I ve always wanted a bigger scale Gold Leaf example and so when I heard Ebbro were branching out into plastic models, I decide to pre-order one from Grand Prix Models and look forward to the predicted release date. I m a little apprehensive ordering stuff price unknown but was pleasantly surprised when catching up on the GPM website. The cost (with pre-order discount) is below 45. I was following up the information coming out of the Nuremberg Toy Fair and the news that Ebbro have placed a Rob Walker / Graham Hill 72 on the release list, coupled with the announced price might just tempt me to indulge a second time with a pre order. The kit looks very detailed and this particular version must be a SPA or Monza version shorn of most aerodynamic appendages apart from a rear wing running very flat. Mark at Grand Prix Models expect the Gold Leaf car in stock by the end of March. As you would expect, SMTS have done a really nice job of the castings with quite some thought going into how the cab assembly will be constructed and at the same time having enough location to fix to the rear section. Itself a huge piece of white metal without any distortion or signs of temperature change in the mould. No easy feat, well done SMTS. workhorses used by Team Lotus in the early years and represented here by SMTS and their long anticipated transporter based on a modified Ford Thames 400E. I have personal experience of the 400E from my childhood when my father, who owned some grocery stores in the sixties, brought home a brand new 400E van for the business. It was in Old English white, all shiny and new and I loved to ride in it with my Dad. A feature of the Thames was the engine cover inside the van between the front seats, a tempting but downright dangerous place to sit, unrestrained, for a 10 year old. Models in my vast collection of toy cars included a Corgi version of the Dormobile conversion to the 400E in two tone grey/maroon. So, This latest Kit added to my collection is you could say, a reincarnation of my youth. Keith and his team at SMTS have once again produced a faithful replica. It is available in kit form or built and it will be available with three authentic Lotus 18s before long, now that will be a kit. My version is the unladen one and the hunt is on to fill the back. Currently both Merrymeet Models and Grand Prix Models have stock but hurry. My kit arrived promptly from SMTS. The casting is every bit as good as other SMTS products with very little in the way of flash to remove. A session with the wire wool will soon have this ready for painting, can t wait to get started. The transporter was used by Lotus to carry their 12s and 16s but was modified in 1961 to carry three 18s with just one support vehicle. The Lotus mechanics fitted a more powerful Zodiac straight six engine of 2553cc. They also modified the truck with the equipment lockers and no doubt had many an escapade to and from the race meetings.

6 Focus on the Collectors - Jim Marsden The first in our series of Focus on the Collector features Jim Marsden of Boulder Colorado. Jim has been with us from day one and subscribed immediately he saw the first ebay ad for the magazine. I remember his comments clearly, liking the idea and wishing me well with the venture but adding the caveat that he would not hold it against me if issue two never materialised. The fact that I had Jim s support and the support of many other Lotus enthusiasts, helped spur the efforts and here we are four years later, and here also, is Jim. This is also the reason why a pedal car adorns the front of Kit Lotus. Q. Did that coincide with collecting Lotus Models? A. I began collecting "mid-engined car" models after buying the Europa. I had built airplane models before then. Q. Do you have a preference for diecast or for kits? Not something you expect to come across in the merchandising area of a grand prix but this superb condition 1968 Pines pedal car did just that. Peg Perego were the manufacturers in Italy, imported to the US by Pines of Fort Wayne Indiana and by Mobo in UK. A. Not really, but my building scales are less than average. If it's a Lotus model or "allied" (see below), I try to get it. Q. Do you have a favourite brand either diecast or kit? A. Tamiya, SMTS, SRC, Provence Moulage, Axel'R and RD Marmande have supported the collection, marque, and my respect. Q. How big is your Lotus collection and do you collect other models? A. Around 1,500 "Lotus/Lotus allied" (Lotus-powered/ engineered/constructed/replicated, transporters, figurines, dioramas, etc.). I collected about 5,000 others/ all scales (mostly diecast) and have been selling them off since Q. What is your favourite Lotus model car and why? Q. When did you first become a Lotus enthusiast? A. As I described in my recent column, it was when I first saw them race in the fifties at the Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. Q. What was the biggest influence that drew you into Lotus? A. After graduating from college in 1968 I bought my Europa because it synthesized art & engineering (plus, it was cheaper than an Elan or E-Type coupe) and I had encountered a couple of S1s during my college years A. My BRG Pines (Italy) Mk. 25-Climax pedal car/clark, sitting atop an amoire, gets a salute to him and the marque every day. I got it and its box at the inaugural USGP at Indianapolis in Two others include an R.A.E. Mk18- Climax #20/1st Monaco'60-Moss (1st GP win for Lotus) and a PMA Minichamps Type 97T-Ford #12/'85-Senna, both in 1:8 scale. All three are large enough to see with my old eyes and represent three of the best drivers in history! Also, my Artsy Parts like the 1:43 crude, scratch-builts of Raymond Dauffaure ("RD Marmande"). Next issue we travel to Helsinki in Finland to focus on the collector

7 Race Retro 2012 It s February so time to get over to Stoneleigh Park near Coventry for Race Retro the International Historic Motorsports Show. Each year has a theme or two, this year the headline marque was Porsche celebrating 60 years in motorsport and Honda Motorcycles celebrating 30 years in the field of motorcycle sport. It isn t uncommon at this show that the headline looks good on the pre event promo stuff but doesn t seem to be so organised once the show opens. You wouldn t think that Porsche was the headline unless you read it. So far, Lotus have never been the headline marque but what a show that would be? Nevertheless, there is always some Lotus content. Several significant motoring subjects celebrate 50 years this year including our very own Lotus Elan. It is 50 years since BRM and Graham Hill won the Formula One World Championship and the restored F1 BRM transporter was on display but lurking in the same paddock was another 50 year old it s career overshadowed by one golden jubilee subject in particular. I am referring to the Lotus 24, born in 1962 but eclipsed by the Lotus 25. An immaculate BRP Coventry Climax powered version was featured, driven by both Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory. It is the norm that visitors to Race Retro have to stumble across any Lotus exhibit, either as a feature or as co-star to heighten interest in a product or service. One interesting stand was run by the historic 1000cc formula three association. Two genuine historic Lotus formula junior cars formed the centre piece. A Jim Russell Lotus 31 resplendent in a bright vermillion and a Charles Lucas Team Lotus, Lotus 41, both cars were immaculately turned out. A Race Retro regular is the works Lotus Sunbeam rally car exhibited by the owners club. Just a little younger than 50 is the Lotus Cortina and nicely represented with a genuine Jim Clark example 166 RUR, reputedly up for sale at a cool quarter of a million, this car was receiving lots of interest. Carrying the decals of the English Ford Line, the car was one of the Lotus Cortina Team raced in America and looked after by Bob Dance, who as luck had it, was visiting the show and took the time to chat. The autojumble section is always a must see and it includes many regulars. Lotus model and book memorabilia has a dearth of bargains lately with very few kits on sale. Lots of diecasts ranging from the battered to the brand new. Best bargain I saw was a 1:43 Grand Prix Legends Lotus 49B from 1968 for a tenner. Plenty of books and old issues of Motorsport but few sensible prices before any haggling that is. The only purchase was a spare set of Tamiya 1:20 seat belts and a copy of Peter Warr s biography so quite a cheap show this time.

8 Race Retro continued.. We had tried to tempt the organisers into having Kit Lotus on display through the generosity of Steve Griffith who kindly offered his full size Lotus 101 driven by Piquet and Nakajima to put on a Kit Lotus exhibition alongside our scale models. The organisers showed not a shred of interest, yet they must have an interest in model car displays as the South Hants Model Auto Club, an ever present exhibitor at Race Retro were there. We had an interesting chat with their Chairman Rodney Fox who told us about the club and showed us round the hundreds of 1:43 scale models built Model Factory Hiro are ramping up the 1:12 big scale output with yet another Lotus. Hot on the heels of the Lotus 77 transkit (for the Tamiya 78) and the full detail Lotus 79 Kit. MFH are producing a Lotus 72E transkit for the Tamiya 72D. Ronnie Peterson s 1974 Monaco winner is the subject and displayed by club members. Sadly, only a handful of Lotus models (see the handful of Elans opposite) but.. Rodney went on the explain that the club had been in existence since 1981 and has around 40 members. Who like Kit Lotus members, follow a wide choice of subjects, they meet every second Monday at The Shoe Inn, Plaitford on the A36 Salisbury road from 7.30 to pm. The South Hants Model Auto Club caters for all tastes not just model builders, they have diecast collectors and slot car enthusiasts amongst their midst but they offer sound advice to collectors about establishing your theme so that the expense doesn t run away from you. Their display contained an amazing array of Le Mans winners and a very nice Ferrari 250 GTO also celebrating its fiftieth birthday this year. Truescale Miniatures are one of the current diecast makers turning out some stunning replicas. Scheduled for quarter 4 of 2012 is a 1:18 scale Lotus 78 which judging by the other products out this stable, will make it something very special. On pre order at the Truescale website for $195. I couldn t resist looking back to September 2008 when I reported the Exoto Lotus 78 on pre-order at considerably more money. A look at the Exoto website shows it never happened and is still on pre-order. A 1:43 Lotus 76 is another Truescale model due out in quarter 2 of So that was that for Race Retro The subject matter is so varied there is something for everyone and I fully intend to visit next year, maybe as an exhibitor if I can cut a deal. Whatever, I live in hope there are more Lotus subjects.

9 News from Spark and others As always, Spark are the most prolific manufacturers at the moment with quite a Lotus list due to hit shops around June this year. As always, they appeal to enthusiasts with a range of options that far exceeds the normal. The second part of the Lotus air force with Colin Chapman s twin engine Cessna is a highlight. Next on the list is the Lotus 40 from Brands Hatch in 1965, another story of what might have been but enigmatic nonetheless. Spark have a knack of eaking out the marketing potential of any of their models and the Julian Bailey Lotus 102B is no exception. His 1991 San Marino GP version is depicted. Quick on the heels of that is the Martini version of the Lotus 79 from 1979 and the subject is the Argentine GP runner up driven by Carlos Reutemann. Slightly ahead of the June onslaught are two other interesting Lotus 1:43 from Spark, they include the Lotus Elan S4 Hexagon Estate and an Evora Hybrid

10 Lotus Indycar 2012 The 2012 Indy Car season kicked off on March 25th with St Petersburg Grand Prix (Florida). Lotus power is one of the three engine choices this year with Lotus very much the rookie outfit being the last of the three engines to make the grid. Honda and Chevrolet both tested well before the Judd engineered Lotus fired up. Pictured ( copyright Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) is Oriol Servais who finished in a respectable 16th place in the season opener on the road racing circuit of St Petersburg. Lotus also boast both of only two female drivers in their line up for this years Indy Car series. Brit Katherine Legge (pictured), is a veteran of Champ Car and the only female ever to lead a race in that series. Her sponsor True Car signed up with Lotus Dragon Racing although a lack of testing saw her parked Also using Lotus power for the 2012 season are the Team Barracuda outfit whose driver line up includes Alex Tagliani a French Canadian veteran of Champ Car, Nascar and Canadian Stock Car. He faired best of the Lotus contingent posting a 15th place. The other female Lotus pilot is Simona De Silvestro, running in the HVM racing car. A native of Switzerland who raced as an Italian because motor racing was banned in Switzerland Simona is nicknamed Swiss Miss. Unfortunately, Simona also posted a DNF in Florida but the team are encouraged by the other Lotus teams reliability and look forward to making progress throughout the season. So, congratulations to all of the Lotus drivers for their efforts in the first appearance of a Lotus engine powering Indy Car racers. off the circuit in 23rd position at St Petersburg. Alongside Katherine in the Lotus Dragon Racing Team is Sebastian Bourdais. Sebastian won four Champ Car World Series titles between 2004 and 2007 before making the change to Formula One alongside Vettel in the Red Bull Toro Rosso team for 2008 and he couldn t translate his Champ Car form to F1and returned to Indycar. 20th Place at St Petersburg was his first shot under a Lotus banner. Next weekend sees the return to the Picturesque Barber Motorsports Centre road circuit in Birmingham Alabaman for the Honda Grand prix of Alabama. Barber is the home of one of the largest collections of classic and historic Lotus cars in the world. An interesting season in prospect with the intended return of Jean Alesi to the cockpit for the Indy 500 assuming he can qualify makes this series one to follow.

11 Lotus Formula One Photographs copyright Lotus F1 team FASTEST TIMES, DAY ONE TESTING, Jerez 1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault - 1: Paul di Resta (GB) Force India-Mercedes - 1: Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes - 1:20.219* 4. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault - 1: Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro Rosso-Ferrari - 1: Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes - 1:20.794* 7. Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari - 1: Jenson Button (GB) McLaren-Mercedes - 1: Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari - 1: Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Caterham-Renault - 1: Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams- Renault - 1: Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) HRT-Cosworth. I couldn t resist putting this table of Formula One testing times in the magazine. How long since we last saw a Lotus heading the line? Ok so it is only day one of a long hard season and most of the big boys weren t 100%, but even so, it couldn t have happened in 2010 or 2011 and it looks good for a change. The last issue of Kit Lotus was five days before the launch of the E20, Lotus Renault Formula One challenger for 2012, some eight weeks later much has happened making little point of reporting on it again. The launch. And more relevance on the news after two Grands Prix with Lotus recording its first championship points since Two excellent qualifying results for new boy Roman Grosjean not translated into race finishes through a lack of experience plus, two solid finishes by the old hand Ice Man Kimi Räikkönen have put Lotus firmly in Contention for a decent season. Another plus for the Formula One model collector is the very different style of the cars themselves. Latest regulations dictate the step in the nose and as these shots suggest, hardly an improvement especially at this angle. At least it will be easy to spot the latest from the previous. Who will be the first? It s the usual question but with Minichamps tooled for the previous Lotus Renault don t bet against them for 1:43, for bigger scale Monopost might be the boys.

12 Bits and pieces Model Factory Hiro Lotus BRM 43 appetite whetting stuff An appeal for information came into the Kit Lotus inbox about the late Ken Nolton s Roadrace Replicas. A retired Optician, Ken made these amazing little creations from dental plaster. Originally he made models in 1/200th scale for a motor racing board game but enthusiasts soon clamoured for bigger versions. Latest Joe Honda photographic epic from MFH Keith at SMTS told Kit Lotus that he has re-tooled their Lotus 25 and Lotus 33 models, so look out soon for both of these sporting greater detail and removable panels. Set to compete against some of the recent super detail kits from continental makers, both the 25 and the 33 will be significant additions to the SMTS range. The pound coin tells the story of size and this is the bigger version! Ken did make a small number of 1:43 models but an astonishing number of the small scale, hand painted and not just Lotus models originated from his tiny studio. A more detailed article is being prepared for the next issue. Legal stuff - Kit Lotus is copyright and published by J Thornhill, Nottingham, NG16 3DQ. Contact us at mail@kitlotus.com or visit Kit Lotus is copyright and may not copied by any means either mechanical or electronic, without the expressed permission of the author. Kit Lotus may contain images that are copyright to third parties other than Kit Lotus. There is no deliberate intention by Kit Lotus to infringe any copyright and any such infringements will be removed immediately on request. We welcome links to appropriate websites but we will not be liable for damages of any kind arising out of such access to third party websites or to our website, or any inability to access third party websites or our website or your reliance on the information contained within our website or third party websites Clicking on links from will take you to other websites of which we take no responsibility. We will use every reasonable effort to include accurate and up to date information, in all of our publications but neither make nor imply any warranties or representations as to the accuracy or completeness. Kit Lotus has no affiliation, implied or otherwise, with Group Lotus and its companies or any other official or unofficial group or entity.