Renault 40 Record: cleanup

Summer is coming and I will be out on the bicycle a lot more frequently, not hanging around the workshop. As a last modeling gasp, I cleaned up the Renault resin bits with the required isopropanol bath, and spent some time filing and sanding to get the upper and lower halves of the body to fit together as intended.

The kit includes an extra left-hand door which requires cutting out the existing one. This will be time consuming given the thickness of the mold. What a long, thin vehicle ... part of the issue is the typical Renault approach at the time, of mounting the radiator behind the motor. I am not sure where the heat got dumped -- into the cockpit? -- but it sure does make for a long, narrow hood, along with the tall, narrow, low-revving, long-stroke motor. Period photos show the rear of the streamlined body was filled mainly by the gas tank, illustrating what the fuel consumption of a 9-litre engine making only 130 hp must have been.

Primer and paint followed. Tamiya AS19, Intermediate US Navy Blue, seems to be a good approximation of the matte fabric panels aft of the cowl, especially with a coat of dullcote. The hood and chassis will be the same colour but with a coat of gloss. This went over a coat of DupliColor primer and another of Tamiya primer.

All this prior to heading out this morning to visit The Granddaughter on my bike, an 80 km loop. What a cutie, even if she is in full Two-Year-Old Tantrum Mode. Work beckons Monday so progress will be slow.