1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

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taliesen
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1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

I've decided not to go for a specific race version on this one, but a worthy generic representation of this innovative car. Too bad Goodyear bumped the front tire development so far down the priority ladder, it would have been interesting to see how far this could have gone with proper support.

Anyway, on with the build. Here's the parts layout:
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I'm taking an older issue of the kit (likely from the late 90s) and adding the updated photo etch parts and the new decals, as well as replacement Goodyear logos. In hopes that I will be able to pull off a nifty little diorama (no promises there), I also ordered replacement tires and an extra wheel sprue, as well as picking up the 1/12 scale team figures set - I've never done any figure painting, so this could be a horror show in progress.

I made a start earlier in the week on the driver figure (which I'm likely to not use, as it looks more like Fittipaldi than either Scheckter, Depailler, or Peterson), but nothing to show there.

So only progress to share now is on the tires - logos were painted using very thinned flat white acrylic, and then weathered with the 'soot' from the Tamiya weathering sets. Bottom two front tires haven't yet been weathered. The plan is to make these the old tires being removed and the other set into the new ones to be put on.
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That's all for now - hope to get some more progress in during the racing this weekend, and my long-awaited two days off next week. Work has been crazy lately, and will continue to be like this through the end of the year, so I'm hoping I can keep finding the time to work on this!
Jonathan

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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by CaptainMark »

Damn what a project... I look at that first picture and think that if that was on my desk, I'd have to write off at least the next year to get it done... hehe
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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

OK, have been meaning to post this since the weekend - I've actually been productive, just not much exciting to show for it. Spent a lot of time planning and then pre-assembling parts to be painted as a unit, and then separating everything else from the trees and cleaning things up (sink marks, ejector pin marks, mold lines, etc).

Did a bit of tweaking on a few parts, drilling out where needed, like the parts of the steering that link the fore/aft front wheels, shown here partially done:
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Same treatment for the intake trumpets, which were previously stripped of the chrome with StripAKit (love that stuff!):
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Here's the body work (everything to be blue, essentially, minus the rear wing which was in the dehydrator to get the last of the water from the final wash out of it):
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And the rest of the parts - in addition to cleaning it up, I also got the 'shiny' Alclad primed/black enameled/painted - there's some stainless steel, some chrome, and some polished aluminum in there:
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Hoping to get most of the rest (including body work) in primer this weekend, but have a feeling I'll be lucky to get half of it done - between work, Easter with the in-laws this weeken, and the Renessaince Faire on Saturdays, time is precious!
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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

I've gotten quite a bit of work in, but haven't gotten to the posting - so tonight I go to do that, and realize I haven't taken too many pictures of the progress.

My original intent was to paint the upper and lower chassis plates in Alclad Aircraft Aluminum, which is one of the high-gloss colors to be shot over black enamel. I had nothing but problems with it - the coverage was absolutely horrible, and required so many coats that the bottle ran out and I wasn't done yet. Here's an example shot of how poorly it was turning out for me - this is after at least 3 coats:
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In desperation, I reshot regular Aluminum over the top of it, hoping to at least get them a little different shade than the standard Alu color - looked OK, and I set it off to the side to dry. A week or two later I came back to it, and it had developed a lot of little cracks - surely due to the enamel not being fully cured and the multiple layers of Alclad thrown over the top of it. So, into the isopropyl it went. When it came out, I decided it would be a better idea to preassemble the main chassis parts, and fill in some of the holes in the bottom plate where the upper parts showed through and where the support parts are located.
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This is where the gap in the photo record comes in - so here's where we sit tonight:
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Next up, the engine - while that is going on, I need to get the body panels into primer and see what further work they need.
Jonathan

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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by indycals »

Sucks about the Alclad - and your experiences are pretty much why I don't use it unless I absolutely have to - I really hate that stuff. Otherwise the build looks good and I look forward to more updates!
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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

Have actually been making steady progress, but hadn't made the time to post it . . .

Got all the blue painted - used the trusty old TS-15 . . .
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Completed engine, basic wiring only - used 'tire glue' superglue to put the plug wires in, helped make the illusion of having actual boots on them:
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Couple of shots of the basic tub assembly - again, didn't do much in the way of plumbing, Tamiya definitely gives you a lot of spots where you could had plumbing and wiring, but I'll leave that for the second build in the future.
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And the body panels decaled - decided not to clear this one, just a light coating of wax.
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Finally for this post, engine attached to tub and rear suspension built.
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More to come shortly. . . .
Jonathan

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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by vekkuli »

Impressive, most impressive :) These bigscale Tamiyas are really stunning in amount of details. I've been wondering are the front wheels fully steerable?
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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

Yes, they should be - BUT . . .

I can't seem to get them to all track in the same direction, and then the small tie rods from the central steering arm to the suspension broke, so they're not actually attached on mine. It really only looks remotely aligned when I turn them to the right. Surely builder error somewhere along the line!
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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by taliesen »

So on with some more progress shots . . .

Wing supports mounted, radiators plumbed . . . I had a heckuva time with the hard lines for the cooling system, the small 'rubberized' hose clamp parts split in almost every case. I'm going to put it down to a combination of the age of the kit, and the fact that I painted them when I probably should not have.
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So now it's 99% done - just need to put a dozen PE pieces in place and get the glass parts in, and then I'll post some outdoor shots in the completed section.
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Jonathan

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Re: 1/12 Tamiya Tyrrell P34 - 1976 Version

Post by specialstages »

The more I see these Tyrrell P-34 build-ups appearing on this forum, the more I am warming up to them. At first I was never a fan of the six wheelers, but as I grow more nostalgic, I really appreciate these F1 oddities (as well as Ken Tyrrell) more with every passing year. Your fantastic build has once again inspired me to take the plunge on one of these beauties. I am going to look over the 1/12 as I already have Tamiya's other Tyrrell offering in the pile. I will however go for the 1/20 re-release of the Japan / Canadian GP version.

Again.... bravo on your build, and I think Mr. Tamiya can thank you for helping him sell more of these re-issues!!
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