Ligier JS41 Academy Benetton B195 conversion
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 2:03 pm
I've decided to tackle something that requires a little more than a standard out of the box build. I had started this kit maybe 10-15 years ago and it had been sitting at my parents house. I've since gotten a hold of it and want to convert it to the Ligier JS41 which was virtually identical to the Benetton B195. I also saw this car live at the Canadian Grand Prix which was my first ever F1 race experience so there's a bit of nostalgia behind this build.
I will be using Scale Finishes RAL 5002 Ultramarine blue and aftermarket decals by Museum Collection. Luckily I was able to buy the last one from HLJ.com.
The kit is OK but it needs a lot of work:
- I started by gluing the engine cover to the monocoque as this will be a curbside build.
- The headrest doesn't even span the entire width of the airbox behind it so I enlarged it with filler (15 years ago) and sanded it down. I also used plastic card to add the missing side cushioning on the sides of the cockpit. I'll probably need to clean this up as the filler has some pinholes.
- While doing research and looking at other builds, I saw that the bulge on the top of the nose needed to be sanded down. I used 100 and 220 grit sandpaper followed by vigorous applications of 800 as I ran out of 320/400/600 grit.
- I also used a trick I saw from a build by Ron_Killings on another forum by cutting plastic card in the shape of the airbox step and filled the gaps with milliput.
- I re-scribed the panel lines but I think some of the panel lines next to the cockpit need to be filled.
- The bargeboards need to be smaller, but more research is needed for the exact size/shape.
- I will probably also drill a hole for the fuel filler cap which is represented by a 2D decal in the Academy kit.
I will be using Scale Finishes RAL 5002 Ultramarine blue and aftermarket decals by Museum Collection. Luckily I was able to buy the last one from HLJ.com.
The kit is OK but it needs a lot of work:
- I started by gluing the engine cover to the monocoque as this will be a curbside build.
- The headrest doesn't even span the entire width of the airbox behind it so I enlarged it with filler (15 years ago) and sanded it down. I also used plastic card to add the missing side cushioning on the sides of the cockpit. I'll probably need to clean this up as the filler has some pinholes.
- While doing research and looking at other builds, I saw that the bulge on the top of the nose needed to be sanded down. I used 100 and 220 grit sandpaper followed by vigorous applications of 800 as I ran out of 320/400/600 grit.
- I also used a trick I saw from a build by Ron_Killings on another forum by cutting plastic card in the shape of the airbox step and filled the gaps with milliput.
- I re-scribed the panel lines but I think some of the panel lines next to the cockpit need to be filled.
- The bargeboards need to be smaller, but more research is needed for the exact size/shape.
- I will probably also drill a hole for the fuel filler cap which is represented by a 2D decal in the Academy kit.