Piccolino 1/76 Lola T70 MkIII **FINISHED**

[JamesPerrin]

Tiny but highly detailed kit, even a teeny PE wiper!

[Dirkpitt289]

My tired old eyes can hardly see that. I request that all pictures regarding this kit from here moving forward be taken under an electron microscope.

[flakmonkey]

White metal?

[JamesPerrin]

White metal?

Indeed, with a thin vacform windscreen, microscopic wing mirrors, brass axels and tread on the tires (though surely they would have been slicks for racing?). Finally a couple of screws to hold it together.

[Jagewa]

Bare metal finish?

[flakmonkey]

...surely they would have been slicks for racing?

Depends on the rules they were racing under, and the weather of course.

[JamesPerrin]

Saying something dumb it is a great way to elicit the correct answer

[splash]

Is the tread pattern correct?

[JamesPerrin]

OK so with the paint curing on the Porsche I made a start on this little beaut.

First off is to clean up the main parts. The single piece body is very nicely done it mainly just needed the seam line run down the side to be filed off. The whole body was then rubbed with 800 and then 1000 grit. This removes imperfections as well as the mould release agent. A small area of pitting was treat with a smidge of filler.

The undertray needed it's edges filing a bit but now it fits very snugly in to the body. The engine and dash were carefully positioned to make sure that the main parts would close up without fouling. Not shown, the teeny steering wheel's top part of the loop was short shot so I replaced with some stretched sprue bent to shape.

[JamesPerrin]

I don't know if I hadn't previously noticed or whether it was me unpacking and repacking the contents several times, but the the windscreen of the very thin and clear vacform part was pushed in so it looked at though it was made up of three facets. The side window are usable but I needed to make a new windscreen.

I pushed blob of milliput wrapped in clingfilm into the space. I should have maybe stuck with talc as it didn't quite get into the corners as I would like. I also should have watch the side windows as they locked the clay in place and I had to cut stuff away before it came free.



I could then sand in down to the precise shape and cut is out from the rest of the block. I managed to crash mould it in one go which is a first for me!



Some trimming and I think it will look all right. Still some more work to do to get the fit just right but that will have to wait till the next sess.

[flakmonkey]

Good skills there James.

[Jagewa]

Great fix for that James.

[splash]

Great recovery

[JamesPerrin]

Well the body has been primed rubbed down, primed, oh great I forgot to fill that hole, primed, better sort out that pitting, primed and finally rubbed down. I had left to diminutive mirrors off till I had finished smoothing the primer. Inside just gone for black and grey with masking tape harnesses. The tires were drybrushed dark grey after a coat of matt black. The nicely modelled wheel nuts and rims were picked out with MetalCote Aluminium.

[JamesPerrin]

I forgot to mention that the exhaust stack was reduced in height by about 1.5mm as it should be flush with the hole it sits in, no the cabin roof.