Freitag, 3. Juli 2026

After all (these Years)

Dienstag, 7. April 2026

FORD GT40 Replicas Slot Cars - Part 2

FORD GT40 Ronnie Bucknum / Dick Hutcherson 24h Le Mans 1966 #5

Would you prefer making your own slot car over a manufactured? Not sure, but it seemed interesting and challenging after some original AFX GT40 became collector items selling for a fortune. Secondly not all were issued with the clear bodies. The clear bodies gave the GT40 an extremely realistic appearance because all the glass parts sat flash with the body. These cars also feature an inlet with the printed interieur.

One of the many FORD GT40 at the 24h Le Mans in1966 that stands out because of its golden body and pink accents is the #5 driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson finished 3rd overall. Indycals provides decals for some of the GT40 at the 24h Le Mans 1966, also for that particular car by Holman & Moody.

Another interesting fact is that there is a nice selection of paint available resembling the original color of specific cars and brands. Gravity color offers a candy gold used for Ford GT40 MK II with chassis number “GT40P/1016” driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson in Le Mans ’66.

Adding to the Indycals decals individual decals for glass trim and headlights were made and professionally printed by Decals Print.

Making these models is a very time-consuming process. Especially preparing the bodies by stripping the paint from the factory bodies can be frustrating. With the more accurate paint and vivid colored decals the models gain in quality. For the modeler is nice to see what can be achieved.

I wish AFX would make more clear bodies available again. There are some many interesting liveries from various teams to be recreated on a slot car

Der drittplatzierte Holman-Moody-Ford GT40 Mk.II mit der Startnummer 5 beim Boxenstopp. Der auf der Mauer stehende Dick Hutcherson wartet auf seinen Einsatz ZANTAFIO56 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/zantafio56/4770899521/ 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Donnerstag, 26. März 2026

FORD GT40 Replicas Slot Cars - Part 1

FORD GT40 Ken Miles Denis Hulme 24h Le Mans 1966

The Tomy AFX Racing FORD GT40 are compelling slot cars in scale h0. Some models were released with clear bodies. Clear bodies were made available for the hobbyist. (Unfortunately, there is no information to be found on the internet about the releases). Looking back, I should have bought more off the clear FORD GT40 while they had been available.

After AFX produced a new GT40 clear body series, it seemed appropriate to stock up some models for upcoming projects. The idea was stripping the bodies and customize rare and thought after releases. At the time some modesl sold for a fortune on the internet. One would be the FORD GT40 driven by Ken Miles and Denis Hulme at the 24h Le Mans 1967 had to be amongst the remakes.

Generally, decals for the models are also customized. From experience most decals available will not suit the h0 slot cars. Based on decals for a larger scale proportions would not fit the h0 bodies. In case of the FORD GT40 projects Indycals decals were a perfect fit.

Gravity Color provide the matching color for many cars and also for this projects. The blue on pictures off the real car seemed to be much lighter than the blue one the AFX version. Hawaiian Blue was recommended by Gravity Color for the #1 car.

A much more difficult task was stripping the clear bodies. Removing the paint without blinding the clear took several attempts and sacrifices. The different models would show various reactions to different the paint remover. On some Isopropanol would do the job while on others would only react to stronger paint remover.

Time and resources invested in a project can only be justified by the desire for creating desired models. This why it is a hobby. The AFX FORD GT40 replicas are unique. At the same time it would be difficult to distinguish the customized car from the original if not seen thru the eyes of an enthusiast.

Von ZANTAFIO56 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/zantafio56/4771000677/, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Each and every project provides new learnings and sets new goals. The challenge is mainly archiving modells that would resemble a close version of the real car or object. Sometimes a bigger challenge would be not giving up. The steps working on and finishing a model creates the pleasure one can only experience from personal achievement. Keep on modeling.

#FORDGTLEMANS #FORDGTKenMiles #LEMANS1966 #SLOTCARH0 #MODELLRENNBAHN

Samstag, 28. Februar 2026

ACAR AFX FORD Capri RS2600 Tour de France Automobilee #53 1973 "Le Grand Bazzar"

ACAR Custom Slot Car im Maßstab 1:64 - FORD Capri „Le Grand Bazar“ Tour de France #53 1973

ACAR AFX FORD Capri RS2600 Custom

Die Lackierungen vieler FORD-Capri aus den 1970 verwenden ein ähnliches Design. Durch unterschiedliche Farbgebung und Sponsoren sind die Fahrzeuge immer wieder originell und erzeugen doch eine deutliche Verbindung mit anderen Teams. So wurde auch visuell die Dominanz der Fahrzeuge unterstrichen. Die Modelle wurden demontiert, gereinigt und Lackierungen entfernt. Nach Auswahl und ausführlicher Recherche der Rennwagen wurden entsprechenden Decals gestaltet und gedruckt.

FORD Capri „Le Grand Bazar“ Tour de France #53 1973

Ein Fahrzeug mit einer außergewöhnlichen Lackierung durfte in der Sammlung nicht fehlen, der FORD-Capri mit der Startnummer 53 der Tour de France Automobile 1973. Die Lackierung des Fahrzeuges, gefahren von Jean-Pierre Rouget, wurde als Werbung für den Film „Le Grand Bazar“ der französischen Komikertruppe „Les Charlots“ eingesetzt.

Für die Modelle wurde original AFX FORD Capri verwendet. Alle AFX-Magnatraction-Chassis wurden gereinigt und restauriert, Teile wie Anker, Schleifer und Federn, Felgen und Reifen erneuert. Leider wird es immer schwieriger die Ersatzteile für die Magnatraction-Chassis zu finden. Auch die schönen Felgen von Road Race Replica und Felgen-Inserts von Custom FX sind nun Mangelware. Alternative gibt es BBS-Felgen von Vincent.

Für die meisten Modelle werden die Decals passgenau erstellt. Dazu sind umfangreiche Recherchen Notwendig. Hier waren es in erster Linie die Karikaturen der Komiker und das „Tour de France Label“. Die Karikaturen wurden gezeichnet und am Computer den Vorlagen entsprechend zusammengestellt. Ausdrucke werden zur Kontrolle auf das Modell geklebt. Sind die Vorarbeiten abgeschlossen, wird der Druck in Auftrag gegeben.

Andere ACAR AFX FORD Capri RS2600 Custom

#22 FORD Capri RS 2600 24h Spa 1971 - Sieger

#3 FORD Capri RS 2600 24h Spa 1972- 2. Platz

#3 FORD Capri 3100 RS DRM 1975

#7 FORD Capri 2600 RS 6h Paul Ricard 1972 - Stewart / Cevert

#1 Ford Capri 2600RS 12h Paul Ricard 1971 – Hill/Surtees

#24 FORD Capri 2600RS 9h Kyalami 1971 Lucky Strike – Glemser/Mass

#5 FORD Capri RS2600 24h Spa 1973 Pepsi – Ruiz/Mesia

#2 FORD Capri 3100 RS DRM 1974 - Rolf Stommelen

Freitag, 20. Februar 2026

AURORA AFX G-Plus F1 Restomod ACAR Custom h0 Slot Cars

One Model - Many Options

I have Always had a weak spot for the AURORA AFX F1 cars, Lotus 79, Ferrari F1, Ligier F1, Renault F1, Williams F1, Tyrrell Six-Wheeler F1, McLaren f1 or the Lola T-330. Striving for a close replica in scale h0 seems impossible due to the dimension of the chassis.

All the early AFX Formular 1 models do not match the originals. Still, they have a special appeal only toy cars achieve to the beholder, given you were a boy at the time these cars competed in racing driven by Nicky Lauda, James Hunt, Jacky Stewart, Nigel Mansell and many others.

AURORA AFX had produced several variations of the Lotus over the years using the same body, mainly with the renowned John Player Special livery. MADOM, ESSEX and Candy were other Sponsors for the Lotus. The Candy did not replicate a Lotus sponsor but a close copy off the Lotus by Tyrrell.

Sticker or decals, at one point it had to be decided. Yes, I like the paper stickers and had bought the remakes from various sources. The painted finish of the bodies did not correspond with the paper sticker. Therefor decals were the choice for the remakes. And I had other liveries for the Lotus in mind. One had to be the Red and White Gold Leaf Team of 72 and the Martini of 79. The original labels were scanned and redrawn with the desired liveries, two of each year.

This project had been in the making and still is. I had been on the lookout for originals for a very long time. If any became available, the prices were out of my range. Therefore, I decide to replicate the bodies. The Lotus were only the beginning. Fortunately, I had bought serval cars over the years for a reasonable price. Some came in poor shape and needed some repair.

Chassis had to be cleaned, and parts replaced. Pick up shoes and springs, brushes, rims and tires, down to new armatures from Viper Racing. I wish I had more of an understanding for tuning the G-Plus chassis to give the cars a better performance.

Sonntag, 8. Februar 2026

Porsche 911S MAHAG Hockenheim 1972 #9 Slot Car Custom h0

Free your mind. Psychedelic Porsche.

Creating a model of something that had been existing in an earlier period or still do in collections, always connects to the feeling, the spirit of that time. Psychedelic designs (liveries) expressed the spirit of the 70s when people believed in expanding the psyche, unruffle human abilities. The fact that you would see a Porsche race car in a psychedelic livery indicates how free the spirit of that time was.

Not sure if anyone cares. But the liveries are very compelling, especially when the fascination of motorsports came alive in that time. This is why several of the Porsches in psychedelic livers were made throughout the years. Now it was time to make some more.

The MAHAG Porsche 911S came alive as a Custom Slot Car in h0 already in 2022. She uses a modified AFX Porsche 911 RSR body. The front bumper was altered and the rear spoiler removed to resemble the looks of the 911S. The decals had to be made fitting the body. RRR steels rims and Fuchs inserts complete the looks of the AFX Magnatraction chassis.

The cars come alive when photographed on the Track. Foresthill was designed to the scale of the larger h0 slot cars. Structures, track width, tress and all the other details support the live like appearance of the slot cars in the pictures. The cars do not only look good in the pictures, also running laps on the track. I like to connect all the aspects with modelling race cars from the period.

Mittwoch, 22. Juni 2022

Slotcar FORD GT40 MK IV 24h Le Mans 1967

ACAR Custom Slot Car im Maßstab 1:64 - FORD GT40 MK IV 24h Le Mans 1967

FORD GT40 MKIV Resin h0 Slot Car Custom - a long time waiting

FORD GT40 MK IV 24h Le Mans 1967 - Slot Car Custom

You would see FORD GT40 MK IV resin bodies occasionally. Because I like the appearance of that body shape, I had been on the lookout for them a very long time. For some reason I came across an eBay auction with the MK IV body by Anthony Hill from England. We had been in contact several times on behalf of other projects. He would agree to cast four bodies. I was very excited.

FORD GT40 MK IV #2 - Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue

Once the bodies arrived fitting chassis were added, and preparation begun. For most of my cars decals a made for the specific body. The striping and numbers for the sides had to fit the lines perfectly, because there was nothing more to distract the attention. Gathering as many images as possible of the desired cars should provide the necessary information on the details. In terms of paint color, I was certain the #3 car was painted originally in a copper tone. The #4 car appeared to be black in most pictures but could have been a dark blue as well. I decided to go for a black version. But you will find out that a second chance came around.

FORD GT40 MK IV #3 - Lucien Bianchi and Mario Andretti

Everything went well. I used Zero Paint as they offered the copper for the #3 car. For some reason the 2K clear did not dry. I am not sure, but I must have used the wrong ratio mixing the clear coat. After some time waiting, I contacted Anthony again and asked if he would cast another 4 bodies. And yes, he agreed. That is how a had a second chance painting the MK IVs. This time around #4 received a dark blue base color.

FORD GT40 MK IV #4 - Denny Hulme and Lloyd Ruby

The FORD GT40 MK IV went into a case for a long time, not sure for how long. The 4 earlier bodies had been stored away with the new ones. Once I went thru some of my collection, the MK IV popped up again. To my surprise the first lot was all dry and the finish still intact. Now I have two complete sires of the Le Mans 1967 FORG GT40 MK IVs.