yogi-bear

actually, I had to stretch them to fit. They might even be original foam tires (non-RM) from the era, but the fronts are definitely RM.

These are RM rims/tyres fitted my Renault Martini Mk 22, no modifications, should be the same for all those early chassis cars. As for changing the rim style to match, you could cut out the centres and swap, custom fittings them. Not impossible, but a bit of work.

cheers Alex, keen to see how you go with those bodies too, make sure you post pictures yeah, still think I am way behind I've been planning more upgrades to that vac former and bought the parts about 2 years ago. Lots of solenoids and other controllers etc to help automate it. Plus I've got further plans on the heating elements and clamps. I have resigned myself to the fact that it won't happen too soon, but I will get to it. The next year or so will also see me building a new house with a much better workshop, and that will help immensely. Should be much better setup and organised.

Thanks! If I ever get them good enough, I'll give you a bell. I am currently way behind though, work has been insane this year, so even @Martell 's small project hasn't progressed much. I want to do more upgrades to the vac former too, enough that I briefly considered buying one instead, but the prices are way out of my league

that seems to be the consensus. Search on the forums here for Retro Racing bodies, that was certainly an issue, which may have been from people using polycarbonate paint on the bodies. And to be honest those bodies weren't clearly sold as PETG bodies. Acrylic paint to my knowledge doesn't affect PETG.

I'd agree that polycarbonate is definitely better and more durable, its just a lot harder to vac form well, especially in home vacuum setup. Thickness will also play a part, and maybe even reinforcing underneath the shell will help with lifespan. But as a way to start a project and even as a first try, I think PETG is a good way to go, and maybe move onto polycarbonate once you have a bit of experience. There is a good chance anything cheap of eBay is PETG.

some thoughts as I have tried this too. you should have no trouble finding a 3D model on thingiverse or a stl file from somewhere else. Years ago you where able to use Autodesk 123D (but I think its under a different name now) and you can slice up the model which you can print templates and use that to cut wooden sheets to build up a basic car shape. Can be much quicker than carving from scratch. This is how I initially tried to do a Volvo Station wagon, file was from 3dwarehouse.com. You don't need to do as much as I did, you could make them say for example 30 mm apart and then cover it like you would a balsa plane. But as mentioned above, it would have to withstand high temp. Lexan melts at 155C. On lexan, I think you'll have a lot more trouble vac forming lexan without a very good setup with good temp control and suction. Much easier, even if it its just to test, is to use PETG, it forms a lot easier (using a vacuum cleaner won't be an issue) as it has a much wider temperature range for vac former than lexan. Its almost as strong too, but much more likely to shatter if hit hard where lexan tends to deform a little first. Its cheaper though and polycarbonate paints aren't the best to use on it.

unfortunately not the same stuff, have tried and failed. It is good for removing glue and adhesive though

yeah, we don't have that version here, I've looked for years. I have found Eco-Concepts graffiti removed at Bunnings, but haven't tried it properly.

I don't, but only because I don't have the time to drive anything at the moment. I think of them like the 1:1 vintage counterparts, sure you can appreciate them on the shelf, but to truly enjoy a vintage car, you need to drive it but with respect It also means I am not opposed to modifying them either.

that position is much nicer and makes sense to me, but I can imagine it would be vulnerable to damage from front impacts.

this is not intricate, but I was happy with this because it was one of the first times I used a gloss lacquer over the top, and the condition I got it it meant it was a challenge getting it clean enough to paint. after before

I get them all the time, and just recently I've noticed a 10% off banner cross the top for the webpage on eBay and mobile app. However quite often its not 10% off everything, but selected goods, or there is a minimum spend. I suspect its because I browse eBay a lot, but don't buy. I've noticed this with Flybuys too, we can bonus offers, so we get sent an offer via email that we have to activate, the offer is to spend a minimum amount to receive bonus flyby points. I've noticed that if I don't activate too many, they change the offer, usually upping it a bit.

I'm liking this thread! I have two Big Bears that need restoring one day, one will be a full rebuild, the other a runner, so keen to see what you do with this, especially with the steering

agreed, those tires look good, what brand are they?