Body of the Lotus 49

OK, there are some surprises in stock with this model. First of all, there is no instruction for painting it. Except the exterior which is perfectly detailed at the end of the manual, there is no indication whatsoever. There is consequently an urgent need to find some good colour pictures of 1967 and mainly close-ups. I have too few of them. In this site, some hints can be made out but the car is a replica, fitted with modern elements, so the interest is real but limited. I will need the Modeler Site guide for detailing, which should give me close up pictures and probably answer some of my questions.



The picture on the left show the parts needed to assemble the whole body of the car. I was readying them today for some fixing at the gaps between them (using Tamiya putty), and bad news abunded.



The rear bulkhead is quite good, apart from some needed touch-ups because of ejector prints in the part. The two halves of the main tube wrap around it very well but it seems there is no symetry as the right half goes a bit more towards the centre of the bulkhead than the left half (see 1).







The front bulkhead is a true nightmare, as there are huge gaps that I cannot explain. In fact, as the two halves of the main tube are exactly symetrical in that area, I guess the defect somes from the bulkhead itself. Unfortunately I have no caliper with me to validate some measurements, but there is a serious problem in that area (see 2). I have also noticed that the holes intended for suspension arms in the bulkhead do not fit exactly with the shape on the tube. I wonder what do so for that. Should I glue parts together, cut through the hole area to conform it with the shape on the tube and then drill other holes? Will I risk a messy suspension assembly, one wheel in the air while the three others are on the shelf?


















The lower hinged trap door is to be cemented to the tube, as there is no need for batteries anymore. Tamiya putty will help keep the parts together and gap-free. The cockpit aperture and fuel trap area will have to miraculously fit between the halves of the tube and the two bulkhead. I will have to check whether there should be some gap between body panels or if the putty will be used again.

All of this is a real kick in my rear side as I have always thought the painting stage would be the most difficult one. The body of the car is the car itself. If I make a mess of it, there is no way the model will be a success nor a pleasure to look at. I cross my fingers and hope a good night of sleep will bring some light on the matter at hand.