KIT LOTUS. Editorial. New from Premium X - 1:43 Lotus Elan M100 S2

Transcription

1 KIT LOTUS Volume 4 Issue 6 December 2011 In this issue of Kit Lotus Editorial Latest Spark & Ebbro Holiday Souvenirs Axel-R Detailed DFV and other upgrades Lotus Indy & F1 Alex Soler-Roig and the transkit Bits & Pieces Editorial There would never have been a Cosworth DFV engine without the vision and determination of Colin Chapman. Just imagine how history would have been different if the Ford funding hadn't been forthcoming and the project had died. Lots has been written about Chapman, Duckworth and Harley Copp who between them started a dynasty that would last for two decades, in this issue of Kit Lotus, more words celebrating this wonderful engine but this time in miniature. 1:12 scale to be precise and one of the most detailed models yet from Model Factory Hiro no less. We have had model Lotus bicycles, model Lotus soapbox cars, now watch out for Lotus Karts. Group Lotus recently announced their involvement in entry level Karting. The CIK-FIA World Karting Championship will be graced by a factory team Lotus Racing Karts forming part of the Lotus Motorsports Division and made under licence by Wildkat Karts. Someone is bound to make a model so keep an eye out in Kit Lotus for news. Another important event in the world of Lotus, was the announcement that peace has broken out in the naming war and that from 2012 there will be only one Lotus team on the Formula One grid. Not only is this a good thing for the sport in general but it cements the name firmly under the control of the factory, both Lotus and Team Lotus rights have been agreed between Group Lotus and 1 Maylasia Racing. This could also lead the way for further collaboration between the current Team Lotus owners, also owners of Caterham, and the Lotus factory, a series one Elise made under licence at Caterham perhaps? Commercial interests seem to have prevailed but for us modellers, our loyalties will no longer have to be split. For the model makers, new marques to pin their sales on will emerge and overall it should help our pockets with less choice available. Not sure about you but I for one am glad it is resolved and that the factory has retained all rights to the name. Just like Lotus and Ford, Lotus and Renault go back a long way, let s hope it means a revival in form using the heritage not only of Lotus but the current team with its roots in championship winning chassis from both Benneton and Renault. If we could just persuade Adrian Newey?? So, December already, and just enough time for you to get the wish lists in to Santa or to those people in your life who think enough of you to buy gifts, in particular Lotus gifts. To help you I am very pleased to confirm that once again Win Van Vlasselaer, proprietor of Best Balsa Kits, has very generously offered a10% discount for any purchase made by Kit Lotus readers Lotus related items only for the period 1st December to 10th January. I can recommend his service as Bestbalsakits is my usual first port of call for those important upgrade bits to make your Lotus kit or model just that bit different.. This December is particularly significant as Kit Lotus, approaches its fourth birthday. Volume 4 Issue 6 completes the year. I never imagined the level of support from across the globe my idea would attract and I never imagined how far the interest in Lotus model cars has expanded. As always I hope you enjoy reading this issue just as much as I enjoy putting it together. JT New from Premium X - 1:43 Lotus Elan M100 S2

2 Spark & Ebbro We joke about Spark taking over the entire world of diecast models but the products emanating from their production facilities never fail to delight. Recent Lotus offerings include this brace of T128 Team Lotus cars of Kovalainen and Trulli depicting the 2011 Chinese Grand prix, and Brian Muir s Willment racing Lotus 30 S2 from Zeltweg in I wouldn t bet against Spark taking the plunge and modelling the new works Lotus Karts. Photographs copyright Spark Now that peace has broken out in the Lotus naming war, these T128s are likely to be the last Team Lotus models unless Monopost revamp their 1:20 multi media offer. The reason for this will be evident when the cars are rebadged as Caterhams for the 2012 Formula One season. Ebbro Lotus 72C 1970 World Championship Several Ebbro models have been covered in Kit Lotus, they have the Elan in S2 and 26R and a couple of Europas which Jim Marsden wrote about back in the March edition. Ebbro issue Spark castings and their range complements what Spark releases and, as with other specialist producers, gives us the benefit of lesser known models to add to our collections. Ebbro is a Japanese concern, The Miniature Model Planning Limited to be correct from Shizuoka. The non-japanese exports are handled by the Great Eagle Trading Company Ltd of Hong Kong. So, I can only assume that their growing reputation for decent quality models has prompted them to take another step. They say a picture paints a thousand words and these pictures say everything, or do they? Another high detail 1:43 Lotus 72C? Quite the opposite, these prototype pictures represent Ebbro s first foray into plastic, slap in the middle of 1:20 Tamiya territory. The subject is right, it has been missing in this guise overshadowed by Emerson and his black and gold icon 72D. This one will inevitably be Jochen Rindt s Gold Leaf car, hopefully even Graham Hills Rob Walker car. The website suggests March next year will be the launch date but my pre-order is already on Mark s shelf at Grand Prix Models. Speaking of shelves, expect this one to fly straight off into the sold out box. Get your orders in now.

3 Holiday souvenirs Ever since I was a kid, I ve been visiting Scarborough on the beautiful Yorkshire Coast. It was mum and dad s favourite. My dad had a couple of grocery shops at the time and so could only get away at the Bank Holidays. And so, every Bank Holiday we would pile into dad s Ford Zephyr and drive to Scarborough and always to the same hotel, the Clifton. Nice place back then, revolving door and everything including dressing for dinner which for a schoolboy was a bit of an ar...! But to compensate, there always used to be little shops in Scarborough selling the latest Corgi or Models of Yesteryear Visiting Scarborough is still a favourite for me especially as my Wife s sister and her husband have a nice guest house with a nice bar and nice beer. As long as I can remember, there has been a traditional small model shop near the junction of Deans Road and Castle Road, and as long as I can remember it has always been closed apart from once whenever I have been in that part of Scarborough. Recently, whilst visiting Sue s folks, we walked by and wow! It was open. I couldn t pass up the opportunity and a browse was quickly negotiated with Mrs T. A browse normally leads to a wallet extraction and lurking temptingly in the corner was a brace of Tamiya Lotus 79s. This was an Aladdin s cave like small traditional model shops always used to be. Kits, R/C, slot cars, railways plus a large range of materials such as brass rod and aluminium sections, sheets, strips and balsa wood. Tools, paints, garden railways, electric helicopters and what s this? A table top spray booth in a box? As you could imagine the shop wasn t busy so the assistant very kindly opened up the box and we set up the spray booth. It was like the Tardis finishing twice the size as the box it came in. and at 80 it was a sale, no 79s today. Complete with a filter system, and a lengthy hose with different adaptors to clip under a door or window or like a tumble dryer hose, through a more permanent vent ( I might use this option and have it in one position on the bench) Easily big enough to fit a 1:12 Tamiya car it also has its own turntable. I m looking forward to having it running probably in the spring so you will have to wait a little to see the results. What excuse you might think, do I have for an impulse buy of a spray booth whilst on holiday? Well, I never bought a stick of rock! The model shop in question is P&S Hobbies and Models, also with a branch in York. It also has a web shop at if you want to check it out. This could even be on your Christmas list if you ask someone nicely. Those very clever artists from the Ccezk Republic who make paper models are at it again. The detail in producing artwork that will fold and glue into the shape of a Lotus grand prix car is amazing especially in such a small scale 1:24. Now, they have raised the bar! Not only have they moved into Lotus sports and GT cars, with paper models of the Lotus 7 and the Lotus Esprit, they have moved downwards into 1:43 scale!! How scary is that? I can t say that paper modelling has proved popular with Kit Lotus readers but hats off to the Czecks, these are pretty special.

4 Axel-R It is surprising how many Lotus enthusiasts turn their attention to re-producing miniatures of their favourite cars for the enjoyment of others. Many of these dedicated artisans have been featured in Kit Lotus in one way shape or form. Another of those dedicated enthusiasts who have the talent to put their money where their mouth is, is Roger Dutemple who resides in deepest France and produces fine kits that he markets under his Axel-R brand. Because he is a Lotus fan, many of his subjects are Lotus models. Roger recognises the difficulty some other model manufacturers have when they produce popular models into an already populace but shrinking market. To counter this he produces other formulae replicas and some road cars that have until recently, been ignored by the mainstream. His long association with a friend who owns a Lotus 59 and races in the historic classes of Formula Ford in France helped give him the impetus, because his friend asked Roger to make a model of his car. Roger s latest project is the Lotus 69, carrying on his theme of Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 2 subjects complemented by his Elans and 26Rs. As with all his models, Roger obtains approval from Classic Team Lotus and makes them under licence but even picking model subjects to replicate which some may view as obscure does have its pitfalls. He was quite a way down the route of producing the Gold Leaf Team Lotus Mini Moke and Trailer until Spark unwittingly usurped the idea and produced a very nice resin/diecast version of the quality and price which would divert sales away from Roger s version. Roger s choice of model subject is very shrewd with his Lotus 59 alone counting for eight different versions from Formula Ford, F3 and F2 with big name drivers attached. No doubt themed driver collections are beneficiaries as well as Lotus enthusiasts. The Elan varies from club racer to Le Mans with drivers like Clark and Stewart included... Continued Roger s Jim Russell Race School Lotus 61 Formula Ford. A similar version exquisitely built by Simon Parsons was displayed by Kit Lotus at the Donington Lotus Show

5 Axel-R continued The proportions of all Roger s models are excellent and a worthy addition to any collection. His Elans and Elan 26Rs are particularly good and offer a route into many club race subjects. The recent tie up with Martin Mayor produced the Transkits which convert the diecast Lotus 49B/C into the lesser known variants such as Pete Lovely s car (featured last issue) or Alex Soler-Roig s 1970 Spanish Grand Prix version ( see article). Roger recognises the growing aftermarket for grade up parts and also has a range of Rear View Mirrors, Windscreen Wipers, Headlamps, Fasteners and other detailed items. His transkits extend to grade up parts for the Auto- Art Lotus Esprit giving us the option of an Essex Petroluem liveried version. Beteen Euros gets you one of his pre-painted kits but he does produce limited runs of fully built kits. In the UK Rae Dobbins at Merrymeet Models is one of Roger s key distributors and will gladly get hold of any of Roger s current range for you. A glance around Roger s website at axel-r.com will give you an insight into his full range and his dedication. Half naked 78? See page 10 for the explanation

6 A BRIEF STORY OF LOTUS 49B R10 AND SPANISH F1 GRANS PRIX HELD AT CIRCUITO DEL JARAMA By Matin Mayor I- THE CAR Officially Jochen Rindt was the first driver for chassis R10 during 1969 Tasman series where he collected two victories (only 2 Tasman race victories for the R10). Anyway the car was born in 1968 as R5 chassis, being Monaco Grand Prix of 1969 its most and only remarkable victory in the hands of Graham Hill. Going back to chassis R10 is well know because it was given to young up and coming Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi for his first race in Grands Prix during the British GP in In spite this Lotus chassis is not precisely one of the most successful ones nowadays, it is one of the best known, as since its last official race (Austrian GP in 1970 that was also the last appearance of the Lotus 49 in F1 races), it belongs to the Chapman family and it still races in FIA Formula One historic races. II- THE SPANISH FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX IN JARAMA Alex Soler Roig had a good reletionship, as Alex was a usual sports Porsche driver and shared with Jochen several races : 1968 Jarama six hours which both won and Buenos Aires 1000 kilometres, but it was after Jochen s big shunt at Montjuich 69 when the rear of his 49 collapsed they become closer friends. After the accident Jochen was attended by Alex s father in his own clinic Alex s father was a very prestigious surgeon in Spain at that time and thanks to him Jochen was able to return to races in a record time. Because of that and because of their close friendship, Jochen managed with Colin Chapman three races for Alex, during the 1970 campaign. The first one came in the Spanish GP 1970, the very F1 race for Alex. For his home race Alex managed to bring money from CS lubricants and Garvey (a Spanish sherry and brandy producers).the car was entered as Garvey- Lotus Team but the car was painted in traditional Gold Leaf livery and the stickers were placed over the existing ones. Poor Alex was not lucky in his first race as he DNQ, in spite matching decent times during testing.his best time was only 1 slower than Stommelen s Brabham or Andretti s March After official testing Adamich, Miles, Siffert and Soler Roig DNQ. Some days before the race there was a meeting in Geneva where it was decided by Team Bosses that during the Spanish GP only 16 cars would be allowed to start no matter how many cars were inscribed,and as a result these four driver were not allowed to start the race. The controversy just started here, as there was a meeting after the Saturday official testing where the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association) decided that ALL DRIVERS should be allowed to start next Sunday, and threatened with no race on Sunday if their request was not served. Starting grid held on Sunday no driver wanted to start race if their four racing colleagues were not there finally thanks to a diplomatic Jackie Stewart who had to intermediate with organisers and drivers a 16 cars grid was formed. Anyway problems did not stop here as Graham Hill s Lotus was not ready to start so Andrea de Adamich who had the best time of the four DNQ drivers took his place. Finally problems with Graham s car were sorted and the poor Andrea was invited to leave the grid, and in the meanwhile Siffert and Soler Roig that had seen Andrea entering the starting grid,thought that finally a 20 cars grid were allowed to start so they placed their cars in the grid. When they were requested by race marshals to abandon the grid there were tense moments as they wanted to race, so finally Guardia Civil convinced them gently to abandon race..can you imagine nowadays Hispania Racing Team or Marussia Virgin being invited by police to leave the grid? Finally the race started twenty minutes later and in the earlier laps Oliver s BRM crashed into Ickx s Ferrari in an accident that near cost his life as his Ferrari was destroyed in a real inferno. It took more than an hour to extinguish flames..but this is another story. III- ABOUT TRANSKIT Being a Spanish Lotus fan it was a must producing decals for the one and only Spanish driver to race officially with Team Lotus. During years I researched vintage magazine and surfed in the way to find info and photos of the car. Finally with the help of Monsieur Roger Dutemple of Axel R kits (and a Lotus passionate),we decided to start this project. As the Soler Roig s spec used during this event was C spec,so a special rear wing and a front air intake were moulded in resin (thanks Roger again). This transkit includes decals sheet plus two pieces moulded in resin (rear wing and front air intake).quality of decals are high and they are each printed professionally and are easy to apply. The transkit will suit RBA or Quartzo models.anyway best results will be get with SMTS or Tameo kits. Interested collectors can contact me (Martin) or Roger via -Roger: contact@axel-r.com -Martin: mmaychu@telefonica.net KIT LOTUS readers will get a discount

7 Detailed DFV and other wonderful add on s from MFH Last issue I reported the imminent arrival of a 1:12 fully detailed kit of the Lotus 79 from Model Factory Hiro. There is still little detail except the due date is December 2011, whether it hits our shores in time for Christmas is another matter. With everything. Not content with serving up, Lotus, Eagles, Ferraris, Tyrrells and Brabhams plus all the detailing bits, MFH are also The other main question would be the cost. Would it compete with the MG Models 1:12 version? Well that answer appears to be yes with a predicted pre tax price of Japanese Yen, 503 of Her Majesty s British Pounds to you and me. Add on the freight, say 50 plus import duty currently at around 4% for this type of good, then all plus the dreaded VAT will up the ante to around 700. Can we justify it? Probably not, it will most likely remain definitely on the wish list. However, it will be a stunning kit all the same and not really the point of this article. The point is, there are spin offs. The biggest spin off is the detailing of the Cosworth DFV. We ve all come across the extra detailed sets of cam covers, machined spark plugs, head studs etc, but this Model Factory Hiro version even has internals! Perfect for Cylinder Heads and Cam Shafts Assembled producing diorama sets of figures, tools and pit equipment for the popular 1:20 Grand Prix scale I have to say, excellent as they undoubtedly are, can we do 4 Cams, 8 Pistons now we just need a crank and rods diorama work but maybe a waste for a kerbside. This engine has separate pistons, separate cylinder heads, cams and cam carriers. Moulded spark plug inserts are available as are photo etched mounting brackets and scale plug cord. A bit over the top you might think when the majority of what we modellers want to achieve can be accomplished in plastic and resin at a fraction of the cost. But, it you really need a DFV part stripped or fully stripped on the bench say, this model is for you. The cam cover upgrades are listed as a separate item but expect 20 plus for the privilege. A neat engine stand is another item to compliment the DFV set up. To say we are in difficult times, there are endless goodies bursting off the MFH production lines and not just for Lotus enthusiasts. I just don t know how they keep up Cam cover upgrades have been around for a while just as well with the plastic on offer lately and some resin figures re-emerging from the continent? Sticking with the DFV theme, MFH have also released a set of mesh covers for the intake funnels, so what? Well, these appear to be pre-sized and pre-trimmed, the ones I have used recently have been pressed from stainless steel mesh and I have had to resort to a multi tool to grind them down to a reasonable fit after cutting them out of the pressed mesh. Cam cover and other photo etch detailing for the DFV have been around been around for a while, but to have the option of engine internals really raises the bar.

8 MFH continued and Karting Group Lotus Goes Grassroots With an official entry into the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship 2012, Group Lotus is determined to discover new talent. MFH Cosworth DFV Inlet Funnel Mesh Kit I have looked and failed to find any significant large scale DFV models but the rumour mill may well reveal a 1:5 version in due course. With the move into karting Group Lotus becomes the first car manufacturer to have a presence at the entry level of motorsport and provides a very special opportunity for early talent spotting. Some of today s most famous and successful motorsport personalities cut their teeth in karting the newly crowned FIA F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel is the perfect example of the benefits of early driver development as are his peers, fellow former World Champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. But Lotus isn t just interested in spotting the driving talent of the future, the potential to work with young people showing an aptitude for design and engineering is recognised as a very special opportunity for Lotus. Competing under the Lotus Racing Karts banner and forming part of the Lotus Motorsport division, Lotus Racing Karts will field a factory backed team, operated by Jefra Racing out of its headquarters near Treviso, Italy. With a formidable racing pedigree spanning over 40 years, Jefra Racing has competed in many classes of motorsport. Lotus hopes that this invaluable experience teamed with leadership from Team Manager Franc Jerancic will form the basis of a truly competitive team. So, another ground breaker for Lotus, who is going to bring out the scale replicas? MFH are obviously taking the whole modelling theme to new levels and the latest release of detailed photographs in the Joe Honda series is no exception. Front Cover.. Another finely detailed resincast out of China and by Premium X about to hit the stores is the Lotus Elan M100. the subject of much debate by the Elan Club way back at the 2009 Donington Lotus Festival. At the time no models existed, so that s another craving satisfied. Expect around 50 on the price tag.

9 2011 Indycar and Formula One Picture copyright Group Lotus and IMS Is this the 2012 Indycar? The 2011 Formula One season has finished with teams bearing the Lotus name finishing 5th and 10th in the constructors championship. In driver terms 10th, 11th 21st and 22nd were the figures. With two podiums in the early races, it was the most successful grand prix season for a car bearing the Lotus name for many a year. Now that the naming war has been resolved, 2012 should bring some clarity. Along with it a former world champion in Kimi Raikkonen, the Ice Man, will don the black and gold overalls of the newly named Lotus Renault. The team has signalled their ambitions with this signing but big names don t always mean success. Team Lotus put their confidence in seasoned GP campaigners and it has kept them the best of the rest, but in the end, the machine underneath needs to be capable of delivering the ability of the man inside. I can t speak for others but 2011 fell flat for me. The optimism of 2010 with the green and yellow cars returning to the grid was a little special and things looked set for a long relationship between the factory, the team and most important the fans. Not to be. I suppose that big horrible word money came into it with business interests inevitably taking centre stage. Once that happens all sentiment is gone. Who knows how long the stalemate could have gone on for? Popular sources suggest that the Malaysian government had more than a hand in ending the stand off following the Team Lotus principal having an interest in buying a stake in the Malaysian national airline. For now, we are back to one Lotus team on the grid so lets all wish them the best of success and a new era of iconic machines bearing the Lotus badge. That can only mean more models for us. Lotus announces three partner teams to run Lotus IndyCar twin turbo V-6 racing engines in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Lotus Motorsport will supply engines to Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing and HVM Racing. Engine supply partnership agreements will enable Lotus Motorsport to build long term technical and commercial collaborations with these teams. These partnerships with Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, and HVM Racing mean a great deal to Lotus Motorsport and mark the start of a new chapter for Lotus in the IZOD IndyCar Series. We re thrilled that these already successful and illustrious teams have chosen Lotus, as we believe that our capabilities as a partner will pay dividends for them in the future. These three teams have immediately become part of the Lotus legend and have joined us in our journey as one of the most innovative and successful sports and racing car brands in the world. Each of these racing organizations, as Lotus partner teams, will benefit from the extensive testing and development work of the others to more quickly achieve the mutually desired competitive results. In addition to the new Lotus V6 twin turbo IndyCar engine, work is continuing on the new Lotus Motorsport facility in Indianapolis, which will give the company its base close to the action and its partner teams. As the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season draws nearer, further announcements will be made by the teams at their individual launch events in due course. Sadness touched the world of top line motorsport again at the recent Las Vegas Indycar season finale during the horrific fifteen car pile up that claimed the life of Englishman Dan Wheldon. One of the fastest Indy Drivers in the current crop and was only the second Englishman after Graham Hill to win the Indianapolis 500 back in He went on to win again just this year in a sensational last lap victory. Although not connected with Lotus, I had the privilege of seeing him race at the 2007 Indy 500. Lotus team driver Tony Kanaan took the pole position at Las Vegas and after the accident was cleared led a five lap tribute to Dan.

10 Bits and pieces Lotus 79 models just keep coming, this month it is the 1:43 scale offers from Minichamps of the 1979 Martini Racing versions. Andretti and Reutemann are the main subjects along with a Nigel Mansell, Estoril test version. No worries about the livery being incomplete as Team lotus moved away from tobacco for the first time since This is my finished pair of Tamiya 1:12 Jim Clark tribute Lotus 49s, actually the same chassis representing his first win in a 49 at Zandvoort in car 5 and his last ever win at Sandown Park Australia in car 6. Getting some of the bits together took a while and I would like to acknowledge: Wim Van Vlasselaer (Bestbalsakits) for the Sebring type mirrors, Bruce Paterson (Potto splace) for some of the decals, particularly the Ford Australia decal, author and historian Michael Oliver for his help in confirming the specification and last but not least Ebay where I finally found the nose cone. Plans for my winter model building programme are centering on the Tamiya 107B currently under construction in 1:20 scale. I ve binned some of the decals and resorted to paint, the work in progress will feature next time. Next, I managed to get hold of a fully built 1:12 Tamiya 78. It was built as a fixed display and all of the normally demountable panels are firmly fixed. One side is devoid of decals and the whole thing has had a hand painted finish. The plan is to renovate the whole car, get all of the panels to be demountable and carry out detailing underneath them. A set of TABU after market decals will see the car resplendent in the full sponsor livery featuring Ronnie Peterson as the pilot. The overall build is nicely done and crying out for some detailing around the engine and gearbox. Next issue should see some progress. Ditch the decals and get the paint out! The Tamiya decal set is complex so lets see how the rest of the 107B goes. 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.