|
The first Chaparrals were a joint effort between Jim Hall and car builders Troutman-Barnes. Previously, Troutman-Barnes had built the Scarabs for Lance Reventlow, which explains the similarities between the Mk1 and the Scarab. The car modeled here was purchased in 1962 by the Meister Brauser team who also raced a Scarab in the same colors.
The kit
This is a simple kit to build as evidenced by the instruction sheet (01). Also included is a color photo of the completed model, which contradicts the instructions on a few points. The photo shows no knockoffs on the rear wheels yet they are shown in the diagram. The instructions also say to paint the wheels gold, when the photo shows them to be black.
The body only required a few minutes of clean up, as there were no pinholes to fill. Just the usual thin flash around the wheel wells and cockpit opening. The molded on side marker lights were sanded off to be replaced by separate chromed pieces. (02)
Other than the resin body, all other parts are white metal. These too, only required a minimal amount of clean up.(03, 04)
One photo etch fret is included containing the front air dam, trunk (boot) hinges and hood (bonnet) latches. Treaded rubber tires and two vacforms are also supplied. (05, 06)
After primer, the body was painted with Duplicolor Medium Blue metallic, an acrylic lacquer. No clear coat was applied as the paint alone gave a sufficient sheen. (07)
I tend to use as many different shades of black as possible. The wheels were painted with Gunze metallic black acrylic while the seats are Model Master gun metal enamel. Model Master black chrome is on the steering wheel and Gunze burnt iron metallic was used for the exhausts. (08)
While test fitting the ride height and exhaust placement I noticed the pipes would extend in front of the rear tires. (09,10) This was remedied by removing the front mounting boss on the exhaust and trimming the body opening slightly so the pipes could be moved forward.
The decals with this kit are well printed, have a nice gloss, and adhere well. The only trouble encountered was with the nose decal. There are still a few wrinkles on the underside but they are not very noticeable. All other decals went on without any problems. There was no decal for the steering column mounted tachometer so one was trimmed from one of the extra dashboard decals on the sheet. The white metal brake cooling hoses were painted with Model Master dark tan. The interior tub color is Duplicolor radiant silver with the bracing in black primer. (11)
Conclusion
This was a simple and enjoyable kit to build only requiring around eight hours to complete. Midlantic did a fine job modeling this car and I can highly recommend it.
|
