by HAWK
I've managed to dash off a few pics of one of a line of projects, simple enough to build and quite effective. I have tried to push the idea of using copper sided circuit board a step further and it turns out to be a very useful chassis building medium. Firstly the car in question is the legendary Jim Hall Chapparal II. I don't think it ever raced with this exhaust configuration but for the sake of the exercise I built the kit as it came.
The body is an old HAWK kit obtained from ebay for a modest sum. It has been duly strengthened and modified to allow the chassis to be mounted and to withstand the rigours of racing.The chassis is made from plain circuit board purchased from thingy Smith's. Cut to size and mounted with four screws to the kit.
The board was measured for its components and cut to take the motor and guide and drilled to take the axle mounts. The axles are mounted in crosstubes which are in turn mounted in vertical tubes which pass through the chassis. The front axles were cut into stubs to allow independant rotation. The guide is mounted through another tube soldered into a recessed mount. This allowed the body to be set realistically low.
Once everything was in place and working, the parts were soldered directly to the board, including the motor! The body was given a coat of flat grey acrylic and all the defects filled with modeler’s putty. It was then painted in plain white and the fittings finished in semi flat black. Decals care of Patto's place (where else!). The driver is the right arm and leg of a Cartrix driver and the head is Cartrix too. The drivers body and belts were painted on the motor cover.
The screen was fixed in place by painting epoxy resin on the bottom edge and carefully placing it on the body and leaving it for forty eight hours. I do all clear parts this way now as it doesn't require the paint to be scratched off for gluing and it dries clear where as polystyrene cement will make the joint go brittle and cloudy.The car drives very nicely and is powered by the Cartrix TX1 equivalent of an NC1 which makes it a pleasure to drive. The wheels and inserts were purchased from BWA in the US at a very good price and the tyres are Ninco and SCX
A good drive and another learning curve completed. Too nice to race but just right to do some leisurely cruising with a glass of Wolf Blass Cabernet Shiraz in the spare hand
Bottom's Up!
