Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

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PJE
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by PJE »

From what I can tell from my photos the “throttle access port” :P seems to be in place from at least the Dutch Grand Prix to the end of the 1978 season. So now I have to drill a HOLE in the side of my Hasagawa kit as I’m replicating Mario’s Italian GP car. :roll:

Seems that too many of us have been looking at photos of the Lotus 79’s as they exist today with the Martini body work and the restored JPS paint jobs. Here’s a photo of the blister on 79-3 as it exists today.

Ok James. Time for you to release an aftermarket resin blister for those of us doing Martini cars! :wink:

Paul Erlendson
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by h.kruithof »

The cut-out (I agree so much better word) was already there in France as this Tameo picture shows:Image

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This picture shows what it was like on the Martini car, indeed a blister:
Image

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Dutch GP was like this:

Image

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Harm
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by Orso »

Spain 1978:

Image

Mario with the hole, Ronnie without. I have seen pictures from most races except of Mario's car at Sweden and Canada and Ronnie's at England, Austria and Holland.
I assume that there was a hole on Mario's car at those two missing races. But For Ronnie it is harder to speculate. The hole wasn't on the car at France and Germany. Between those to was the British GP so I guess that thee wasn't any hole at that race either.
But then came the Austrian and Dutch races that I cant see that actual part of the car very clear in the pictures I got. But there is a dark deformation on the front of the NGK logo at Austria in some pictures.
People complaining about German WW2 aircraft being hard to build but F1 seems to be hard as well. Changes to the cars all the time.

Björn

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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by jordan »

Björn,

Thanks for the input..yes,if you want to make your model "spot-on" than you need a BIG load of reference! I would never guessed that
there were so many small differences on the 79..A lot of us being fooled with pictures of restored cars wich often are put together with
different pieces of different chassis numbers...
Keep up the good work :wink: ,

Alex Nahooy.
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by Orso »

Yes i have been fooled by restored cars so now I put those pictures in separate folder. In fact I was very happy just one hour ago as I managed to find a picture of Mario's car in Sweden. But looking at it I thought it was strange that the cut-out would have been closed so I guessed that it could have been the spare car. Then I realized that the team truck was green and understood that it was an restored car.
But the cut-outs and absence of them has me puzzled. The Martini cars clearly show a blister but I can not see one at Ronnie's car the previous year. Is it just hard to spot or was the body smooth?

Björn
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by DiemenRacer »

So does anyone know if thw cutout was on the car when Jarier drove it?

Mark

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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by jordan »

DiemenRacer wrote:So does anyone know if thw cutout was on the car when Jarier drove it?

Mark

Mark,

Yes,both Jarier and Andretti had these on there cars at the Glen..

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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by Villeneuve »

jordan wrote:
DiemenRacer wrote:So does anyone know if thw cutout was on the car when Jarier drove it?

Mark

Mark,

Yes,both Jarier and Andretti had these on there cars at the Glen..

Alex Nahooy.
Jarier also had the opening in Montreal.
YNWA,
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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by Orso »

Looking at pictures of this cutout during the 1978 season it I would say that Tamiya got the shape wrong. It should not be circular, rather more "pear shaped" but I got the impression that it got more pointed at the end. But it is hard to tell from the pictures.
Hasegawa doesn't have the cut out on their kit so I guess I'll use that for my Ronnie build and Tamiya for a Mario ride.

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Re: Why is this hole in the Martini version ?

Post by rollover »

Here is my amateur theory, The hole may be covered with a piece of black tape to keep the air in or out. With the old film used to take pictures it makes it hard to see.
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