Rover Mini Cooper S
Picture of a Rover Cooper S - the look that I'm aiming for.
Transposing the Union Jack lines onto the mini roof, then running thin masking tape across it.
Results of "hand-masking-based" Union Jack roof - looked promising
Started this project in 2012..........shame on me!
Engine detail basically out-of-box - but I added the coil
Bloody overspray, leeched in everywhere!
Whilst trying to smooth off the masking lines - it just wasn't gonna fly!!
D'uh - why not create a decal? So I did!
Decided on using 2mm double-sided tape as the adhesion method.
"Carpetting completed - happy with that!
Let's add a driver's floor mat - used "fabric" black tape, which gives a good effect! Edged with black Sharpie pen.
Roof fully stripped to get rid of all the horrors I had created over too many years....
and now with 3 coats of SMS Primer
and now with 3 coats of SMS Primer
Ditto with the body - and 3 coats of SMS primer
Long gap between work on this - I managed to totally botch the top-coat & later stripped the lot & re-worked bonnet roof & body to strengthen them after too much handling..... Here's the latest pics with 2 coats of Tamiya White Primer, from a warmed up and well shaken rattle can. Good finish so far....
Mirrors and lighting are important to correctly porrtray the mini - I've seen many where the lights don't quite get it. About 5 hours getting all these to this point... Has anyone alse had trouble with "The Worlds Best Canopy Glue" Formula 560 - lenses came off when touched - didn't grip the lense very well, or the bared Tamiya plastic. Back to regular glue!
Found this pic of a Cooper Taillight cluster to compare with...
As I want to be able to display the cart with the bonnet open, so you can see the engine, I felt it needed more realism.
So here I go, making a calming Tamiya build into something more difficult.....
So here I go, making a calming Tamiya build into something more difficult.....
My take of the Taillight cluster - all painted INSIDE the lense
Found the right width "slats" and shaped it to fit, plus a bit of bending/twisting/clamping
Looks Ok with clamps removed - might add some filler & the
Time to do the other diagonal - don't ya just love the old clothespeg!!
second strut completed - compares Ok with photo.
Completed & pink-primed
Repairing a scar/dent in the bonnet top
body primed
body primed
body primed
body primed
Roof primed & top-coated - will need a light sand & another coat
front looks good after 1 coat
LHS 1st coat - some blemishes to rectify
RHS - bloody thing fell over on this side - light sanded yesterday
Bonnet - looked good... until some fibre settled on it - light sanded yesterday
Couldn't resist - test fit of the almost complete bonnet after I trimmed off the decal carrier........yummy!
Masked & final coat on the bonnet struts & underside
Closer inspection revealed a run on the RHS A pillar - hope I can polish that out???
DAMN! The sheet-brace to installed to protect the spindly door frames..............failed - I broke the driver's door upper frame.
This is the fix - superglue on the inside - final coat on the outside - hopefully wont show!
This is the fix - superglue on the inside - final coat on the outside - hopefully wont show!
Final coat on the LHS
Final coat on the bum!
Final coat on the RHS
Final coat across the mudguards
While the paint was setting, I started polishing the bonnet......looks pretty good, except I polished OFF the "Mini Cooper" decal!!
Another view of the highly polished bonnet - VERY happy with this!!!
after a couple of decal fails, I quit!! - removed the placemaker markings & polished 'er up!! So shiny it's really hard to focus on!!
getting ready to try to polish out the "run", so i wanted to protect the surrounding paintwork...
sanding sticks with 3000 grit and ready to go
close up - even more masking - very slow sanding
after several (what seemed hours of) sanding motions, the surface became gluggy - this wasn't going to work
many expletives deleted!!!
many expletives deleted!!!
I then spotted a line of bubbles at the base of the windscreen, and tried to repair & respray that - didn't take any photos cos that didnt succeed...
so i eventually stripped off ALL the paint within this masked off area with scrapers & chisels - again didn't get a photo of this....
ANYWAY - after all that, and more, I successfully applied 2 layers of pink primer, then 3 layers of topcoat to reach this
Happy with that - and after the "Harry" sign of approval, I removed the roof brace.....carefully!
and the other view
then test fitted the roof & bonnet.......now to leave it alone for a few days before I polish the body
(might have another look at the roof decal, after I discovered I have 2 more sealed ones printed off....)
(might have another look at the roof decal, after I discovered I have 2 more sealed ones printed off....)
Grill, headlights, parkers, door handles, side-window rubber strip, fuel cap, taillights, rear badge, boot handle, number plate frame, rear bumper....
found out where those decals should go - 1.4% headlight & Asbestos warning - coated with PVA glue to seal them
Gawky rear light...
tes roof fit again, and bonnet
Still to paint side strip to match spats.
note the key-point on the fuel cap!!!
note the key-point on the fuel cap!!!
Still to attach front bumper & driving lights/number plate
Just mated the body to the chassis for the first time - slow & easy working from the back to the front....
tucking, pressing, tucking, pressing - then backed it out a bit to insert the bonnet stay
tucking, pressing, tucking, pressing - then backed it out a bit to insert the bonnet stay
Also drilled out a receptor hole in the bonnet interior to receive the stay (0.7mm Nickel rod) .
Broke the exterior mirror, so drilled that out & inserted a rod - now it turns!!
Broke the exterior mirror, so drilled that out & inserted a rod - now it turns!!
The stay has various bends in it (inside the guard) so it won't pull out, and a realistic curve at the start.
Have to devise some sort of "closed clip" in the engine bay.
Getting there - Decals, pinstripes, wipers, roof (the Roof will just sit in place, like the body, and won't be glued.), and some accessories
Have to devise some sort of "closed clip" in the engine bay.
Getting there - Decals, pinstripes, wipers, roof (the Roof will just sit in place, like the body, and won't be glued.), and some accessories
Fake Bonnet catch receiver - tried to also do the "pin", but nothing substantial lines up in the bonnet..
Receiving catch on the radiator for the bonnet stay
First "Dual Stripe" decal I applied started to break up - eventually became unusable - so have abandoned that throughout.
The size of the stripes meant it was too small for a "Cricut" solution (2 x 0.3mm stripes separated by 0.2mm)
So I appled the rest of the decals, windscreen wipers, and assembled the beast - DONE (apart from a general clean)
The size of the stripes meant it was too small for a "Cricut" solution (2 x 0.3mm stripes separated by 0.2mm)
So I appled the rest of the decals, windscreen wipers, and assembled the beast - DONE (apart from a general clean)
Bonnet support had to be trimmed by an extra 3mm so as not to foul the mudguard.
Sit's at the right angle, I think
Final Photo Shoot in a 'light tent'
Note that the front right & left windows have been removed to show a "windows down" look, with more "Rubber Black" used to show the in door rubbers where the windows would be.
Note that the front right & left windows have been removed to show a "windows down" look, with more "Rubber Black" used to show the in door rubbers where the windows would be.
The reason for the windows down look was because one of these fractured........so Harry came up with this solution.
This also means that the interior can be more easily seen.
This also means that the interior can be more easily seen.
Yep, that's a Mini
happy with that!
& that
& that
through the open LHS window
throught the driver's window - I think the passenger might b
On display at Models & Hobbies 4 U in Boronia, Vic., beside another British motoring icon.
and they're both 1/12 scale - now the mini looks small again!!
and they're both 1/12 scale - now the mini looks small again!!
Commenti
34 17 June 2020, 07:57
Chaz GordonJust Love Minis, wish I could afford one - I never thought they'd become so expensive, you used to be able to buy them for pocket money anywhere.
17 June 2020, 08:08
Roger TrewenackThanks Chaz - my first car was a Mini, not a Cooper S, but a 1970 Mini K with the 1100 motor, and it was pretty quick. Never could afford a Cooper S, either. Closest thing to it was my 2010 VW Golf GTI Adidas, really miss that car!!
17 June 2020, 08:16
Chaz GordonI had a 76 Mk3 that never got on the road, but came with a 998 Cooper engine that I put into an 83 Mayfair, instant Flying machine, Wish I'd kept it
17 June 2020, 09:30
MunkyslutStarted my apprenticeship at an Austin Rover dealer in '82, loved working on Mini's 😉
17 June 2020, 09:38
Chaz GordonMunky, you must be a deformed Dwarf, will now refer to you as Lord Tyrion
17 June 2020, 09:46
Roger TrewenackI noticed you said "has" - that'd be an interesting combination, especially swapping from one to t'other!
18 June 2020, 22:37
Chaz GordonIt's not easy switching between an original Mini and most other cars, not many vehicles have the control offset of a Mini. I seem to recall the Pedals AND the steering wheel being to the left of the drivers seat centre (right hand drive) and the wheel being at an angle more common in a truck than a car.
I also remember driving the Mayfair over 120 miles at a time, and as I was on my own, adopting a cruise driving position that involved my left arm on the passenger side headrest, and my left foot in the passenger footwell. I have the feeling that at some point I may have managed to drive the car while sat entirely in the passenger seat.
Who knew that the Mini's controls would be closer to those of a revolutionary supercar than anything else on the road.
18 June 2020, 23:10
Chaz GordonBuild is coming along great. The kit really shows why they took so long to put servo assisted brakes on the Mini, there really isn't anywhere good to put it, and I believe they had to use a remote brake pedal linkage on the LHD version. The original could be converted to LHD in a couple of hours by moving parts, and changing the steering rack and a couple of brake pipes (you could flip an RHD rack upside down, but the wheels went in the opposite direction to the wheel if you did that. All of the mounting holes were covered with plates that could be switched to cover the now empty holes on the other side.
18 June 2020, 23:26
Roger TrewenackOhhhh! Sold my Golf GTI Adidas nearly 2 years ago, and still long for that feeling. Great car!
19 June 2020, 06:50
Roger TrewenackThat was a copy/paste gone wrong - sorry to disappoint the transformer fans!!!
13 October 2021, 07:45
Secretary at ESSMCNow I like that comment - pity I'm not opening the boot. But it could be a diorama accessory!! !;^)}
More of the RED Top coat going on today!!
19 September 2023, 20:50
Jack AaronfeldLooking good so far - lets see if you can finish the Mini before I can finish the 1/12 McLaren MP4/4. I'm currently at step 4/13 so I reckon I've got quite a while to go
30 September 2023, 10:20
Roger TrewenackAAAAaaarrrrgggghhhhh - Overworked the first stripe decal - now in the bin - will have to experiment with the CRICUT!!!
2 November 2023, 11:21
Roger TrewenackExperimentation with the Cricut didn't go as well as I'd hoped - trying to replicate the decal stripes - each stripe being 0.3mm wide, and the gap between being 0.2mm....
Ya know what? - I think I'll agree with JD above, and my good mate Harry Edmond, and just let the red win!!! (Defeated by another decal!!)
So now I can complete the final stages of assembly & decals: Re-apply rear left wheel flare, attach wipers, "1.3i" decals x 3, Rover decal, wheel hub caps, coupla cans of Heineken, and put it all together. The END is in sight - coming to the 14th Nov Club meeting!
7 November 2023, 09:30
Jack AaronfeldThis'll be exciting to see next week. Did you consider using masking tape for the pinstripes or would it have been too tedious? I would've used a 2mm strip, then two 3mm strips to mark where the stripes would actually be and then two wider strips (this is working outwards) and then remove the two 3mm strips in order to paint the stripes
9 November 2023, 07:30
Roger TrewenackHi Jack, I think you have the stripe sizes wrong - One stripe, plus the gap, plus the other stripe measures 0.8mm. (0.3mm + 0.2mm + 0.3mm)
I wouldn't like to try to work with masking tape that thin.
9 November 2023, 07:58
Album info
I was given this as a gift in around 1997.....
First started it around 2002......
2023 - now started again on it's THIRD body painting attempt - will use Tamiya final coats.
2023-09 - progressing - painting is progressing too!!!
Reckon I'll start assembling soon!! during 2023-10.
2023-10-06 - had to revise paintwork......again
2023-11-08 - completed!
