24h du Mans: 24h build challenge (1951 Aston Martin DB2, #13 for 2021)

With Le Mans delayed by COVID to the weekend of August 21-22, I had time to resurrect an old concept from one of the FB modelling groups: build a model of a car having run at Le Mans in 24 hours, starting at on Saturday at 16:00 CET (10:00 EST) when the flag drops, and downing tools 24 hours later. Anything that was running at the start of any edition of  Le Mans is OK, although obviously finishers or even winners are more interesting.

So the first issue was what kit to choose. I have unbuilt kits of close to 40 Le Mans cars on the shelf. And with only 24 hours to build, Model Factory Hiro (6 kits) and the various Japanese brands (12) are out of the running as being too detailed and finicky. In fact anything with any decent level of engine detail is out. So what's left is resin curbside kits from DDP (2), Le Mans Miniatures (1), Fernando Pinto (1) and Profil 24 (4). The Pinto kit is of the 1952 Mercedes 300 SL, but judging by my experience with the Auto Union Type C, is likely to involve a lot of cleanup and fiddling, so I am unwilling to tackle it for a short build; but the others are decent kits that won't be too bad to build up. 

The seven options remaining come from the thirties (1936 Bugatti 57 G and 1938 Alfa 8C 2900 B), fifties (1951 Aston DB2 and 1953 Lancia D20) and sixties (1963 Lola Mark VI, 1967 CD Peugeot SP 66 C and 1970 Porsche 914/6). 

The objective will be to move as quickly as possible without sacrificing a reasonable level of accuracy or detailing, and if it isn't complete by 10:00 on Sunday, so be it. 

What follows is an hour-by hour recounting of the exercise. I'll update here Saturday at 10:00 with the pick! 

Update, Saturday, August 21, 2021, 16:00 CET:

The kit I picked is the 1951 Aston Martin DB2, driven to third overall and first in the 3-litre class by Lance Macklin and Eric Thompson 70 years ago. (Walker and Whitehead won in an XK-120C, predecessor to the C-Type). The kit, by Profil 24, is curbside with a relatively low parts count; and the solid paint scheme doesn't require any masking and taping, thus increasing my odds of making decent progress by tonight.

Aston Martin team cars also took 5th and 7th, while privately-entered DB2s took 10th and 13th. Anyway, enough reminiscing, having paid my 10 euros for the live feed, it's time to get building.

Update, 17:00 CET:

Major parts are washed and the first coat of primer is on; and the first wheel assembled. No crises yet! 

The body will need some sanding and more primer if I am to do it right. 

Update, 18:00 CET:

The Profil 24 instructions call for British Racing Green but the Aston Martin website (click here) shows the #24 car (which finished 7th) in a very dark blue, so that's what I am going for. Tamiya TS-55 looks good, and hopefully one can will be enough as I don't have a spare. But with the paint on it, I can now relax and go have lunch.

 

The main problem at this point is getting the wire wheels out of the photoetched sheet -- the connections are very thick and require a lot of filing to get it all to go into the rim. Next update may not be until 20:00 CET. 

Update, 20:00 CET:

After a 20 minute break for lunch, the body appears to have a few specks of dust in it, and has a bit of mild orange peel. So not catastrophic but it will need light sanding and a respray before going to bed tonight. 

Meanwhile a range of small bits and pieces are painted and ready, and all the wheels are assembled. Stay tuned for the next update.

Update, 22:00 CET:

After 6 hours, the sun is setting in Le Mans and the race is settling into the usual grind following some excitement due to rain in the first few laps. Meanwhile the build seems to be moving along relatively well. Some added painting and assembly has the chassis almost complete. 

I also decided that the body was going to need sanding and a respray as soon as possible to give it time to dry overnight before decals and clearcoat; there will be a lot of finishing touches to get to before 16:00 CET Sunday. Of course I went and damaged the paint in trying to ensure the track and stance are OK; so there will be another coat later tonight. This will just about use up my paint can.

 

Update, 23:30 CET:

Track is a bit wide and the steel axles will need to be trimmed a millimetre or two. It's all going to require 5 minute epoxy. I had to fabricate supports for the rear axle which really had no obvious way to keep it from flopping about.

To be honest my interest is flagging. Time for dinner. Good thing there are leftovers.

Update, Sunday 02:00 CET:

Ten hours into the race. The in-car clips taken on the Mulsanne in the dark at close to 300 kph are frightening. Here at home, the decals and lights are on the Aston. A few PE bits are left to put on the body before clear coat first thing in the morning. The vacuum-formed windows also need to get cut out.

The photos show dust that will get washed off before clearing it. That's it for tonight, after ten hours it is time to knock off. Whether I get it complete by 16:00 CET Sunday remains to be seen, especially since the clear coat will have to dry before excessive levels of handling. But all in all it's coming along. 

Update, 14:40 CET:

Having slept in (I am retired after all) it won't get done by 10:00 when the flag drops, mainly because I need to put on the clear coat and let it dry. Not much else to do, though. As for the race, Toyota has led from the start and looks to continue. 

Final pics to come once it's done. 

Update, Sunday 21:00 EST:

Complete finally (#13 for 2021). The real issue is letting time for paint to set, and this includes primer, top coat (perhaps repeated or fixed), and clear coat. This can easily take a full 24 hours alone. Then in the case of a multi-media kit like this, there are the vacuum-formed windows that need to be carefully trimmed, then put in with white glue which also needs lots of drying time.

Is it one of my better ones? Hard to say. The kit is very simple and needed supports fabricated for the rear axle, then getting it to sit square was a challenge. The paint shows every little flaw, including specks of dust that aren't even embedded in it, just sitting on the surface. And taking my time might have made all that easier; but on the other hand the problems all surfaced after I gave up trying to meet the 24 hour time limit. 

It's a really good looking car, and it is nice that Aston Martin, in its new road cars and racers, has retained the DNA of this first production car under David Brown. The 2021 Le Mans Aston Martin Vantage that finished second in this weekend's GTE AM class is clearly descended from the DB2, as the Porsches are clearly 911 descendants.

Posed here with its spiritual successors, the DBR1 that won Le Mans outright in 1959 driven by some guy named Shelby and some other guy named Salvadori; and the DB4 GT Zagato which didn't finish in 1961. 

 

 

Overall the issue with short build times is allowing time for paint to dry so you don't get your fat thumb well embedded in slightly soft paint on the roof where everyone can see it. 

What's next? Hard to say, stay tuned!