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The Lotus 72D has been released as a model kit many
times by different manufacturers and in several scales. In 1/8 scale by
Grip/Entex already in 1975. A new edition came in 1983, launched by Revell. In
2021, Pocher announced that they would release a new kit of the Lotus 72 D/7,
driven by Emerson Fittipaldi in the 1972 English Grand Prix at Brands Hatch,
where he also won the race.
I had already started my own research and looked for reference
images and information. I also joined a Facebook group and got a lot of tips.
The kit was released in the UK before in the EU, so many had already started
their builds and discovered inaccuracies.
The objective of this tutorial is to share with the reader the
work done, not only to assemble the kit, but also to get the most out of it,
adding details and missing parts, painting where necessary, etc., always guided
by the references. to which I had access. Hoping it is useful to others.
To me, judging by the assembly method, it looked like Chinese
PCT made most of the 1:8 kits on behalf of various distribution brands, but I
soon noticed that the Lotus 72D/7 kit was different and is likely made by
another manufacturer. The quality seemed high, well on par with what I was used
to from PCT. Most of the parts on the engine were cast in Zamak, which is a zinc
alloy.
Building
The Lotus 72 kit was delivered at the beginning of January
2023. "Made in China", it said on the outer box. Inside was a beautiful box. The
parts were packed in bags, cartons and Styrofoam trays. Many parts were attached
to sprues, and everything was pre-painted and ready for assembly. But it was
clear that there would be a need for both polishing mold lines and touch-up
painting.
I followed the assembly instructions and started with the
engine. There was a lot of information on the web and I also saw model builders
who scratch-built the engine in 1/8 scale amazingly true to life with the help
of 3D printed parts and micro bolts. It bothered me a little that Pocher had
chosen to only use one kind of silver color for the engine, except for the
camshaft covers, which were black.
I wanted to vary with several different tones, so I started by
repainting the parts for the engine block and cylinder heads, which are actually
an aluminum alloy casting. I went through lots of pictures and saw that apart
from the main parts of the block and cylinder head, there were many different
components that were individually cast and then bolted together. Some parts were
sometimes painted black, sometimes not. I kept trying to compare with pictures
of surviving originals and pictures from Brands Hatch 1972. It was still hard to
see everywhere and I later had to redo some as I made new discoveries.
I brushed with Humbrol 56 Aluminum and sprayed semi-matte
black. The engine parts were not cast in the same division as the original, so I
had to look carefully at pictures of how it would be. I also painted the water
and oil pumps, and Aeroquip fittings. I also added and painted a lot of bolt
heads.
However, the assembly instructions, despite updates and
corrections, were not very informative. Really bad ones, even. For example, the
names of the details were not specified. I had to find that out myself in my
research. Although, on the other hand, the search for
facts gave me extra knowledge.
This tutorial is offered in PDF format to be read or
printed using Acrobat reader, contact our webmaster >
Here
Includes more than 200 pics, here we show only the text
pages.
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