THE CHESSINGTON POST (memories of a Brabham builder)

[gp-models]

The ladies getting their coat, nice progress!

[daveyman]

Gotta love those cars, they look great. Keep up the good work.

[ewestra]

Outstanding work James. These Brabham's look great. Always loved the white/blue colorscheme. I noticed your picture of the computerscreen making your own decals. Now I tried this, but with mixed feelings. I'm no expert in making computer drawings. I have the drawingprogram paint but I still get blurry decals. Is there some way you can make a tutorial about making decals. A proper one where you get everything explained. I saw many youtube tutorials and on different forums, but somehow I think they don't tell you everything. The reason for my question is that I want to make decals for driver figures. I tried to make the figure for my STP March 1972 Niki Lauda. It's ok but still think it could be better. In the meantime keep up this wonderful work.

Eric

[JamesB]

Hi Eric, thanks for the kind words!
A tutorial? the sorcerer revealing his secrets? Never!!
No, just kidding you.
Well, though there are people here with more knowledge, the basics are pivotal on two points:
1-Vector based drawing software
2-hard edge printing device.

1 means you are not drawing on a colored pixel based system, like photopaint or photoshop. Stuff like Corel or Autocad (among others) draw things that have a shape, "matematically" defined. You have a circle. OK, no matter how much you zoom it or shrink it, it's still a circle. Same goes for an "a" or a Brabham Cobra. On the non vectorial systems, you have a chunk of colored pixels that seen from far enough, look the part and the contour. Get close enough, and there's a blurry boundary. That, already on PC screen, not to mention the printer.
2 The printer Ha! Well, laser printers and ALPS printers are better than inkjets in drawing hard edge, "on/off" contours.You look a 0,5mm sized "a" prnted on an ALPS and you see an "A", no matter hw big the magnifiying lens is.

That's the basics. Then comes along a LOOOOT of drawing. It's not sticking the pic of the patch, nope. You need to draw it all, unless you download the vectorized logo someone did before and gallantly shared.

Lauda, March decals? nice idea, I'll think about it!
Best regards
James

PS:
Guys, thanks a lot for all the compliments
Yes it's great to see them with their livery. I was not that sure while masking, but it went fine in the end

[Formulamike]

James, great work.

Mike

[JamesB]

Slow progress but there we go!
Some mechanics right now..
Well, original kit rear train is, well, not too brilliant.

So I did some scratch for the gearbo and the upright. Surely nothing Kamimura-like, but yet apparent. BTW, I also made some rear plastic wing, light and slender.


After casting some copies of my box, then comes the axle. We make the compromise that it is 100% flat, which is not lying too much on this car.



Then come the uprights and the wishbones





Then came the wheels...



Then came the paint... wheels are a mix of reworked Heller tyres and resin cast rims of the best I found among the available. Tameo's are nice with those PE spokes, but you see they are solid, not nice, specially at the front. We'd like to see some brake disc thru, right?







Some views of the rear train, painted. I tried to do the best at depicting the BT53 suspension layout.



And these are painted rims. A bit of dry brush at the end...





And some tyre decals too.
Now follows some ride heigth test. That Brab was a bit tall: some 2mm in scale...



So as I liked the result of prototype...



here come four more units. Same work, and both michelin and pirelli tyres (for a pair of BT54)...


















That's all by now. Next time they should be stuck to finished bodies and just waiting for front suspensions and wheels...
OK, and wings, and drivers... OMG!!
Thanks for looking and pointing at whatever you see worth mentioning, guys!
James

[Jeff]

You have been busy James, looks like you have a mass-production Brabham factory going

[JamesB]

Thanks Jeff! Yes it's three BT53 (the three basic types) and two BT54 right now, but I might add more to the pipeline, as these 5 progress.
Most are for an f1m fellow, some for me, and some might go to Ebay
I am really excited t go thru the still unknown steps that remain unedied in the process...
Best regards
James

[gtziaf]

Wow, impressive James!

Love the holding rod with a million wheels on it

[JamesB]

Thanks buddy! yep, the sticky rod is hi tech! I struggled long putting them so I painted one side then the ther till I had this idea .
Working now on an engine bay interior mock up that will show up thru the tail mesh.