Parts required for this conversion:
Gunze Sangyo 1/32 kit
Bare Metal Foil
Scalextric “Black window” touring car chassis
Set of Ninco Porsche 356 wheels
Ninco magnet
MRRC spectator figures
Balsa wood
Plastruct Plastic sheet
Brass wire
Construction:
I built the bodyshell of the kit as per the instructions spraying it two-tone with Halfords Rover Vermillion and Ford Diamond White. All the chrome areas were then finished with Bare Metal Foil and the grilles and bumpers fitted. That done I then looked at the interior.
As the car is a station wagon I felt it needed to be heavily loaded with mom, dad, kids and luggage as they set off on their summer vacation. To achieve this I picked a woman, boy and girl figure from a MRRC spectator figure set and I used an Airfix world cup footballer figure for the driver.
As the motor is in-line I couldn’t use a full interior so cut the interior door panels, seat backrests and dashboard to a depth of about 8mm and cut the figures at just below chest level. The interior panels were assembled and attached to a plastic sheet platform to complete the interior. Using balsa wood I shaped a set of suitcases and bent some brass wire into handles which pushed into the soft wood to fix them in place. The figures and luggage were then painted and fitted to the interior.
I removed the quick fit guide and it’s metal contact strips and cut the chassis in half just behind the front axle mount and a 5mm plate of plastic sheet was added using epoxy resin. This increases the wheelbase to the correct length for the Nomad. Ninco Porsche 356 wheels and tyres were fitted having cut the axles to the correct track measurement. I fitted a Ninco magnet just behind the guide for a bit of stability as the bodyshell is fairly large.
Using Plastruct tubing body mounting pillars were cut to length and fitted to the body with epoxy resin.
The car drives very well on the Southend Slot Racing Club 100ft track and has a performance level similar to a Ninco NC1 German touring car which is probably a bit quicker than the family was used to on their way to Yellowstone Park!
David Lawson
