Okrasa Special

[Pandora]

With regards to 'fixing' the broken backed look which has plagued the project over many itinerations, I had Steve and Barry try a wee experiment:

Take a pencil and hold the point against the top edge of a table, so that the pencil projects out into space. try to hold the pencil horizontal and then move your viewpoint around - look at it from above, below, side on and towards the table. What you'll notice is that very often the pencil appears to drop below the horizontal - it droops.

Now, angle the pencil up a few degrees and tey again - the same will happen, it still looks droopy.

Now, take the pencil and lay it on the table with the front end on and the back hanging out over the edge. No matter what angle you look at it, it will look level, as the table grounds it in space.

If you look at any cars with similar glass houses / roof to boot layouts to the Okrasa such as Alfa GT, Hillman Imp (and particularly the 1963 Zagato 'Zimp') the BMW CSL etc, you'll notice a strong horizontal element running through the flank. This might be a crease line, or in the case of the Alfa and the Imp, a common profile running along through the door into the rear wing and beyond where it overhangs the rear wheel.

This horizontal line replicates the effect of the table in creating the visual impression of the stront supporting horizontal line. You can see the effect in the photos, emphasised by the light running along the wing profile.

The reason I didn't put the haunch into the design (one of the key elements of Steve's model I left out) was that such a feature will always involve a 'run off' line which falls as it runs to the rear of the car, and this emphasises the droop, hence the broken backed look. To avoid this a strong, clean horizontal element was key, either a crease, or as in this case, using light.

Coupe / fastback designs it seems are more tolerant of this as the line from the tail up to the roof serves to balance and visiually support the rear of the car as they overlap with the front. It just seems to be a difference between the lines of fastback and 'bootlid' styles.

I'll be very interested to see how much (if any) additional crown Barry can get away with adding above the wheel before this issue re-surfaces.

Al

[steve wright]

yes this was one of those "oh that's clever" tricks. just like looking at something in a mirror, over your shoulder. Don't ask me why that works but it throws up all sorts of things you don't "see" when you look at something straight on. I'm sure Al will clarify, but these were just two of many that Al brought to bear on the project, highlighting the gap between an amateur like me playing around, and someone like Al who has been around design for some time....

Like I said a while back, it's okay to break the rules (just look at the GT40!) but you've got to know the rule is there to then break it and get away with it!

[Barry]

Just to underline what Steve has already said, the pictures don't do Al's work justice at all.

The new lines have a mature / subtle look to them that I think will only really start to show on pictures later on. when looking at the model 'live', there's a bit more curve and general shape than appears here.

It's fabulous to have a definite direction, and I'm particularly pleased that in side profile, Al has managed to retain the spirit of Macaulay's renderings.

Baby Special is returning to my workshop this weekend, and my first job is to permanently attach Al's wrk to the base model, and work them in together with a skin of filler. After that it'll get some fresh paint all over, and I can start measuring ready to create some new shapes for the buck. There's going to be a ballsey moment at some point, as the remains of the wire-work will be going, ready to make way for the new eggcrate buck in MDF.

[Pandora]

Well, as we await Barry's latest progress report, here's an update on my other project to keep the pressure up!

Made some progress - nice to get most of the foam skimmed. It really does feel it's coming together now.

I've done a deal with a local moulding company to produce the mould and moulding, and hope to have it ready for moulding by mid May

God, sanding filler is boring though!

[Pandora]

As I understand it, what Barry did was to confirm the location in 3 dimensions of points in a grid over the entire surface of the car relative to fixed datum points. Using this he was able to identify the vital points at 'slices' through the car, which he could then transfer onto sheets of MDF. By building up the layers / slices you then remove the excess to smooth the curves across the slices.

Imagine trying to make a scall model of a loaf of bread - you make scale models of each slice, then add them all together, then smooth the transitions etween the slices to form the rounded top of the loaf.

Only, Barry didn't slice the car up.

And it's a LOT harder to do than typing it! It's so easy to transpose a width for a height measurement, or miss-read a dimention and then it all gets VERY confusing.

Once you are in a rythm it's quite absorbing taking the measurements, but when you loose concentration it becomes incredibly frustrating.

Can't find the records I kept from the above model, but here is a scan of the data William Lyons gathered to create the C Type Jag. (I have to say I only found this out after I'd worked out my own system, which made me quite chuffed at the time!) I think the figures relate to position along the car's length and width from centre line along the main axis, and then where these columns intersect the heightc fom the ground or chassis bottom/ car floor.

Oddly though, William Lyons designed the C type (and the D) using mathematics - he worked out the figures THEN made the model........ He was a clever guy!

The good news is that Barry can now build C Type bodies too.......... ;0)

Whilst waiting for the next update, here is a an idea of the 'data' (dreadfull modern sounding term) Barry will get from the model. I was looking for something else and came across the figures I got from the 1/10 scale 'Pandora' model discussed previously.

You'll see some of the co-ordinates have 2 values - that's because at certain points (the nose basically) the body has an upper and lower height at the same co ordinate relative to the length and width. All very confusing!

Interestingly, you can also see a rough idea of the car's profile in the table!

[kvinyl]

Interestingly, you can also see a rough idea of the car's profile in the table!

..um, ok...if you say so...

[Pandora]

well, I did say rough!


But it helps keep track of things when you are doing it

Al

[steve wright]

c'mon Barry, take the photos and post them up

[steve wright]

Barry's had a few problems with the technology so asked me to upload these. Hope you like what we're building (and the figure in the background is also to scale for me!)….















As is evident from the photos Al (Pandora) knows his beans when it comes to car design. Bloody hell the boy can pen a design. There's a cohesiveness to the whole thing that just wasn't there before, and a maturity that has it look more small production run than one-off special. The rear of the car, so long a complete hash, is now one of the highlights of the car. I went down to Barry's workshop a couple of nights after he had painted it black (see I told you it would work Barry!) and couldn't help steeling a glance at it as we were talking afterwards. Like a good looking woman showing a lovely bit of cleavage, you just can't help yourself in taking a peek, and it doesn't matter how many times you look, you never tire of it. Well the model of the Special is just like that in the flesh. Thank you so much for your patience and expertise Al, it has made (literally) all the difference. Barry, now you just need to build it!

And yes, it's going to be painted black… here's the paint scheme, obviously with the stripe running over the roof as well. It will be a promotional paint job (i.e. just the outer skin as they did on many early racers, that appeared as a bit of a quick blow over to satisfy a sponsor, as we want to show off as much of the ally bodywork as possible). This is an early McLaren colour scheme before Bruce painted his cars orange to stand out. As a New Zealander it's a nice nod to a fellow kiwi racer, albeit one who went on to build a few more cars

[Bootsy]

Shape looks great. You're looking a little pale Steve

[Pandora]

I like the wee lip at the top of the rear panel, lt breaks it up a wee bit - I kept it very abrupt to mirror Steve's original model, but I'm pleased to see Barry has added this wee detail as it is definately 'correct' though as I said to him on the 'phone yesterday, it'll need to be a 'wedged' / triangular transition, rather than square in section, as that will be too similar to a 904, and that could be taken as being a bit to close to the dreaded replica route.

The windows, rear quarterlight, door gap etc are really going to shrink it down a lot.

I think it's going to look rather good! (I hope so! it's taken a few hours!)

Al

[Pandora]

Come on Barry / Steve, I'm nearly finished........

Not really, but I've not had a chance to do anything to the buck for a few weeks, so nice to get a chance to make some decent progress today. Finally seeing it all in one colour (admittedly only a filler primer guide coat, but still.....)

Lots of tidying still to do to the flutes over the front suspension mounts, but it's just a case of building them up with filler







For reasons of cost / time, I think I'm going to put on a 'conventional' '7' rear end in alloy and tube rather than moulding one similar to the Mink. I may do that in the future, but at this stage I don't think it's the way to go at the moment.

Oh yes, and I bought another chassis......

But having spent today on this one, I'm not sure I can get rid of it (as was the plan last week!)
The Kids might just have the new one as a climbing frame!

Al

[Barry]

Cor, that has come on!

Looking very good indeed .

[Pandora]

Any progress chaps?

I have: nerve racking job the other day to finally lift the buck clear of the chassis and then finally join the nose and bonnet sections together into one piece and smoothe the join.

Unfortunately, I only had Jennifer to help me, and she tends not to enjoy getting involved in my projects (or taking instructions! ) so things were a bit 'tense'.......

Thankfully though, the buck came free easily enough (and we didn't fall out) so all is right in the world! :D

Should get another coat of rattle can paint on it at the weekend and the finish off the dams before getting it off to the moulders next week.









[url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/44645707@N00/14038355257/][/url

Al

[louis356]

couldn't resist

Quickly in my lunch hour or I would have done the paint and lights and the comping a bit better. but you get the idea.


hope it spurs you on.