What Was I thinking?? a Scalextric Maserati Plafit Project

[stoo23]

I guess,..in some ways,..this 'post' is a sort of Non Secret World of Plafit continuation, of That 'thread' and about That Car.

Regular Readers here and Fellow racers, will be well aware I am Sure, of the ,...shall we say,.."Uneasy Marriage" I have with these cars!,...

The 'initial' build, was an interesting experience and the initial choice of body, was made by the 'affordability' of a suitable Carrera Maserati MC12, it being chosen from the 'Homologation' list as one of the bodies I thought would be suitable, due to it's Length and Width and relatively Low centre of gravity, (although it Does have a bit of overhang at the Rear).
I had also initially purchased a Scalextric Maserati MC12, (of which I Now own a Number of !!,..lol), but had decided the Carrera was the more prudent choice due to time constraints.

It was obvious from my first 'inspection' of the Scalextric body, that it would Not be an 'Easy' fit or solution,..but it sure was 'Tempting', as compared to the carrera shell, it is Way Lighter and has slightly Smaller diameter Wheel Arches, which make the car look Much better with the Slightly Smaller Dia' Plafit wheels.

Anyway, as I wasn't sure of my interest in all things Plafit, I chose the easy way out and fitted the carrera.
Now, what Was interesting, is that the resulting Car, is Exceptionally Quick around HSC and even with Me driving, has managed some extraordinary times and Podiums. The carrera body as raced, weighs in at about 52 grams! It Could be Lightened Quite a bit really, especially in the Rear end, which I may set about 'modding' anyway.

BUT, there really Is something quite 'Nice' about the Scalextric Body and so,..I figured was about time I had a Go at 'Modding' it,
I Knew it Was going to be a 'bit of work', but, to be honest, I had No Idea, just How much time would be involved, in fact as I write this it is Yet to be completed, but is close,..lol

You see, the thing with the Scaley body, (Apart from the Way the Sides of the Body are Mounted), the Interior, was Full Depth and ofcourse, managed to Completely 'Foul' and sit on top of All of the Springs and suspension 'Bits',..sigh,..so a fair bit of time was invested thinking about How to approach the required tasks and in fact in regard to the Sides, I am Unsure if I would Do the Same thing,..Next time,..(If there ever is one!!,..lol).

I have taken a few pictures of the Process, of the Body Mods and Interior Mods, so you get an Idea of the Required 'Effort' in deciding this is a Good Body choice for your Plafit!,.. Mind you, as I have at the same time been attempting to fit an SCX Aston Martin DBR9 body to another car, I may even put up some pics of What is required by that 'Choice' of Body shell.

I must say, that if one is thinking of 'appropriate' and suitable dimensions etc, then there aren't Many bodies that are still easily available that are Eminently suitable, OR as these two recent experiences show, Not even necessarily Easy to 'fit'!

I 'Foolishly', in a Fit of Low CG Blindness, had also purchased a Slot.it Audi R8C, only to realise that there is NO WAY to fit that Body onto the Car, Without MAJOR Body Surgery, to 'allow' parts of the rear end and Motor to Protrude !!,..sigh,..so I must admit, I have Yet to decide whether I wish to Continue to 'Own' the Audi,..perhaps keep your eye on the 'For Sale' section, or Drop me a Line if you desperatly Just MUST have an Ausi R8C !!,..lol

So,..because of the fact that the 'Sides' of the Scaley maserati are Separate pieces unlike the Carrera Shell, which is Virtually One Piece, and Can be Made into a Damn Solid 'Lump', with the application of some Glue.
There is a slightly worrying Fragility to the Scaley body, so I decided to Try and Keep some of the 'Under Chassis' parts, to allow me to eventually Kind of create a 'Box Section' of the Sides, which although requiring 'Heaps of Dremelling', has allowed the Body to have a Much 'Chunkier' Feel to it Now.

I was hoping to Keep the Lighting 'Units' and Run them, and May in fact do so, but will Also require quite a bit of Work, as the Front unit Cannot be Used 'As is' due to it obstructing the Guide etc and the 'Loss' of it's Mounting Posts due to guide Clearance,..BUT,..It Can be Done,..with as I said some Very careful circuit Board Cutting and Splicing!!,..lol (If I manage to Get that together will post the 'Process').

The Interior,..Has required quite a bit of thought AND Work and to be Honest, when one reads the rules, it is Quite Hard to 'Know' Just HOW one Should go about the required Mods.
I initially thought I might have been able to sort of 'Cut Out' sections, but That was Going to be complicated,..so,..I decided to create one of those Semi 'Flattened' interiors, by cutting a section from it's height.
I basically 'cut' the 'Base' from the 'Sides' and then reduced the Height of the Sides.
I had intended to Kind of just Glue the Base back on, but that didn't seem that Easy, so I have Now, 'Trimmed' the edges of the 'Base' to allow it to fit Inside of the retained Upper section and will 'support this Whole 'Unit', with a New base.
The Lower Front section of which will be Open from underneath to allow plenty of Chassis 'Clearance'.

This method has atleast allowed me to Keep as Much 'Visible' detail as possible of the interior.

Nearly All of the Body Posts and Stuff, can be Cut off/ground away, so there really isn't much Excess 'Baggage' left Up High.
I sure Hope it proves to have been Worth the Effort as such !!!,..lol

The Maser', also requires some attention to the Front internals, as it is fitted with some Nice photo-etched pieces for the radiator outlets, so have Made sure they are Nice and secure, by careful removal and re-gluing, along with obvious things like the Rear Wing Mounting etc.

I have used a number of Different Glues in these processes;
Permatec 4Min PermaPoxy
Very Good for Very 'Sound' Front Spoiler attachment!!
Tarzans Grip
Yep, it Works Great, But Do be Careful with it as It Can and Does Make a Mess and even Ruin things if you Aren't careful, But Provides a Good Strong Yet flexible 'Bond', especially on These types of Plastic.
Faller Expert
Unbelievably, this Particular example is at a guess, about 30 years Old and still works Superbly!! Not even sure if it's still available.
This is a Very Fine and extremely Thin Plastic Glue, Desigend to Properly 'Meld' the two surfaces and from My experience, Sure Does!!
Aquadhere / MicroScale KrystalKlear
A very handy and very Strong Glue that conveniently, dries Clear!
I regularly use this to 'Adhere' the Windscreen Wiper to the Screen! A bit of Faller on the Base a Lift and Wipe With the White glue and if one is Quick, with a moist Cloth/Kleenex etc it is easy to remove the excess and Hold in place for a while to get a good bond.
Never lose another Wiper again !


Anyway,...back to building,..sigh,..Certainly NOT for either the Faint-Hearted or Inexperienced racer these Plafit cars eh!!??

The following pictures should Help explain the 'Process'






Here you can see the Side pod sub assemblies.


I left the Screw Holes on, so I could Keep it all 'Tight' during glueing and curing.




Then Trimmed them up when everything was nice and solid.




I have also Removed the Extra Engine Cowling 'bubble' as seen on the standard interior behind. Apparently one Can also remove the whole Rear 'teardrop' section, (which would make it like the Carrera one, but at this stage Might Leave it there.




managed to Shave quite a bit of Height!

[chadly]

Looks good Stoo!

Can i ask, have you ever seen an MJK 1/32 EH or FJ kit? We have a 1/24 Mini class where most people have used the chassis from this kit.

I will hope to be attempting a 1/24th dirt modified/thingy where i hope to scratch build the body with lotsa brass tubing.

[stoo23]

To be honest, I am unsure what Scale the EH I saw was, but I think there was some info etc on the 'Ausslot' forum.

If you are after some Sprint car bit & bobs, these guys; http://www.thepartsbox.com/ may prove to have some interesting stuff.
They have some very nice 1/24th stuff and Resin FC, HK, and HQ bodies, also XT and others, lots of Detailing 'Goodies'!

Others here would be Far more aware of MJK stuff than myself,..perhaps Slotbaker?



Edit; apparently, "North Coast Hobbies" have produced a 1:32 scale version of the FJ Holden.

[chadly]

Yes, have raced with Jason from the parts box. He does some good work. He actually has a slotcar track at his place!

[SlotBaker]

Others here would be Far more aware of MJK stuff than myself,..perhaps Slotbaker?

I've had a bit to do with the 1/24 chassis, but not 1/32. They are very versatile and make pretty nice running cars. A lot of the cars running in the HSC "Vintage" races are on MJK.

[chadly]

Why then is there, what seems to be, an infatuation with Plafit?
Do they cost less/more?
Are they easier/harder to assemble?
Do they handle much better/worse?
Are they even more versatile?

Sorry, dont want to cause a huge cross-fire, but it really does get up my nose when a single manufacturer is pushed like this (IE: given its own, one make, class). Is it that they are that much better that raceway owners dont want newby's using anything else to try and get them going quicker? Why aren't racers given a choice?

Sorry.

[stoo23]

Hey Chadly,..perhaps you are presuming I/We have 'merely' decided to 'Convert' some Plastic 1/32 scale cars,..just for the 'Heck of It' !!??
As a personal preference, I have NEVER Previously raced ANY hard Bodied slot cars, Apart from virtually Bog Standard 1/32 cars.
These/This car, is actually just a Second Body, for my Previously built Plafit 1/32 Modern GT car.

It's Not simply a Choice of Chassis per/se, but a Car built for a "Class" of currently Raced cars,..All of which are Plafit, the Car having been built for the NSW Plafit Championship and possibly to run in the Australian Plafit Championship.
As they are by 'Description',..Plafit Classes,..kinda makes the Choice of Chassis,..a virtual No Choice!,..lol

There Certainly Would/Could be the opportunity to run 'Other' chassis,..if one could actually Get them.
Ordering from overseas would be the Only apparent Option in that Regard as as far as I am aware No other Brands of Chassis are currently being Imported/Produced etc and I guess,..Unless the Racing Class was Relatively 'Open' chassis choice wise, then Sure.
I was under the belief that Previously, one could Run Any 'Meccano' style chassis in the MCN, but perhaps That has Become Exclusively Plafit as well.

As to Handling?, well, as I have Not spent ANY Time with any of the MJK chassis I have seen, I Cannot Comment,...apart from the Obvious things Like Weight and C of G etc, I would Have to Venture the Plafit Would OutHandle the MJK.
If MJK actually make anything Like the Plafit 'Style' of Car,..then I have Not seen it.

Please Note, I am in No way trying to 'Promote' this Class of racing,..in fact Many would argue the Opposite !!,..ROFL,...as my Background is definitely within Scratch-building and 1/24th scale 'Wing' cars.
I guess, as Virtually Everyone that is also racing in Retro at HSC, Also Races the 1/32 and/or 1/24th Plafit cars as well,..My Venture into this Uneasy World of Plafit, was mainly to just enjoy some more racing really,..but I find the Whole 'Process' a bit Excessive and Very Time consuming.

Initial building of these cars Requires a Quite Experienced 'Hand' and even Then Requires a Fair Degree of Extra work and cost to end up with an effective car.
As noted I tried to make some 'Sensible' Body choices, yet the amount of Work required to get that SCX Aston Martin Body Mounted and Made Race ready, was Quite Silly,..as has been This Damn Maserati !!

Even Now as I sit here waiting for the Body Mount Glue to Dry, I have realised, that Even after ALL of my Interior Modification 'Work',..I am Still going to Have to 'Modify' it so as to be able to Fit the car Together the Way I wanted it.
Perhaps I Could have Worked out How to utilise the 'Flat' body mounts, But I wanted to try and give this Scalextric Maserati some 'Grab Strength' as such, I guess in an attempt to make it somewhat 'Bullet-Proof',..lol

As a Piece of Advice for Anyone thinking of Building one of these 1/32 Cars,..I'd Venture the Easiest Body to Chosse Might just Have to be the Ninco Mosler.
It's One Piece, Light, has an Extremely Light Weight interior, (in fact in a Fashion Precluded in the Rules for the Bodies !!??), is easy to Cut up etc and would also appear to be relatively easy to Mount.

As I have often mentioned, Many of the Bodies on the So Called Homologation List are Not necessarily Wise or Practical or in Fact even Possible choices,..but saying that, there has been a fair 'Spattering' and Mix of Different Bodies.
I'd have to suggest though that Not Many of them actually Handle Very well.,..lol

[stoo23]

Well,..as noted in the Above 'Post', I am Now somewhat Unsure My chosen 'Methodology' in Making this Body were the Best possible choices,..But Anyway,..I think with just a Bit More Plastic Grinding and Trimming, I will have Finally manages to get this Damned Body 'Mounted' on it's Chassis.

The Glueing seems to have been worth the Effort though, as the Body Sure 'Feels' Solid now.

The Interior turned out OK as well,..although, as I have only Recently Noticed, I will Still have to Grind Some of the Bottom Edges on the Sides away to Get it to Fit. This situation caused by My Choice of Body mounting mind you, as I am Not utilising the Flat Body mounts (Well Not for Body mounting, Only for Weight).

I tried to make atleast Some Effort to make the Driver 'Look' Correct, (You Can't see much in the Maser' anyway! lol), but White overalls and a Silver Helmet were Just Wrong !!,..lol

After ALL this Work, I Sure Hope it Works !!

Cheers

As the Team All wear Black, the White Overalls didn't seem 'Right' to me,..Very Rough Version of the Helmet,..just Hate the Standard Mold Lines and Silver of the Standard Scaley Head,..lol


Just a bit of Added Detail,..Might even Help with the Strength !!,..lol Yet to be Painted Black.


EDIT;
Yep,..Just Like I said in the Title of This 'Post',.."What Was I Thinking?",...lol

Sheesh,..after all that Neat Work on the Interior,...I have Now had to Grind the Living Daylights out of it to get it to damn well Fit !!!,..sigh,..
As I said,..this fact Exacerbated by my choice of Body mounting method,..sigh,...

I did get it fitted, but found one of the Roll bars, (The Drivers side, had become dislodged and was Across the Window,..DOH !!,..so Out she comes Again,..some More grinding and Gluing,..etc, etc,...I mean,..Heck,..if you were doing this for someone Else,..How much Would/Could you charge??!!

You'd Have to argue that Allowing 'Lexan' interiors For ALL of the Bodies in this Class, would certainly make things a Heck of a Lot Easier AND make them Handle better !!,..lol

Oh well,..I guess if Nothing else,..it Will weigh even Less Now !!,..
BUT, ofcourse Now the Edge of the cockpit Surround has Broken, so I will have to Epoxy it up,..

You know,..I was Really trying to Keep as Much as I could and therefore, keep it as Standard as possible,..with what is left Now, I really should have just Hacked away and saved a lot of Work,..ahh but we Only find this out After we do it eh !!??

[chadly]

The mods look good Stoo. As you know with these things, it can take alot of time and ingenuity (sp). As long as it fits in the end.
Note: keep as much flex in the body as possible when you put the interior in....can help in handeling. Strong tape may be the answer!

Sorry bout the Plafit chassis only thing. I am in the same situation. The group i race with, naturally, insist on MJK chassis' and wheels only, in most classes. Can be easy sometimes, to put cars together, but can be hard as not all chassis/parts are readily available to use straight outta the box. Sometimes it seems like it might have been less time consuming to scratchbuild the chassis!
When in Rome.............
Seems to be the only way to get some racing in sometimes!

[stoo23]

Thanks Chadly, Yes, That was My thinking as well and at the moment as you may read below,..is unfortunately Not the case,..lol

You know,..I reckon I could almost Recommend NOT to try and Use a Scalextric Maserati MC12 Body on your Plafit Car !!,..

Maybe I'm getting old or something, but Even Now, when I Measure the 'Gap' I Figured I had 'allowed' for the Chassis Posts etc (and ofcourse it Still needs just a Tiny amount removed from the sides to avoid Fouling the Mounts), but even though it Looks as though there Is Clearance and in your Hand 'Feels' OK,..it IS Touching something,..Sigh,..

I figured this Could be a Saga and it sure seems to have become one.

Obviously utilising the Flat Body Mounts, would have alleviated many of My interior Specific problems,...BUT, one would Still Need to work out How to allow Clearance for the Body/Chassis posts, to not interfere with the interior.

Quite a Task,..that Carrera interior, is Flatter than it Looks !!!,..lol

Oh well,..it's close, but No Cigar,..Yet,...

Oh yeah and Just to make matters slightly worse, after thinking I had managed to do a Great job on my Aston martin,..if I am being Critical, I seem to have gotten it Ever so slightly 'Skewed',..(probably brought about by a Not so perfect chassis setup, it being the cars I recently put together and have yet to even run,..Oh well), it is at this point in time I guess,..acceptable,..lol,..but Still somewhat 'annoying' especially after the amount of Time involved in these little suckers !!! DOH !!

[stoo23]

Finally,...after a Lot of Extra Grinding and Filing, The Body now sits Happily on the Chassis, Well Almost,..but then I am being Extremely 'Picky'.

I Guess I could atleast Now set about Re-Mounting it if I wished, but will see how it goes Before I bother doing That !!,..lol

I think That was making me believe it was still 'binding', even though it didn't Look like it,..