ESCORT Mk1
This model was one of several that I made way back, whilst involved in ‘slot racing’ at club level. Making these conversions seemed vaguely subversive, as no one else locally was then interested in plastic kit conversions in a scene dominated by blob bodies, Arco mags and fiendishly contrived brass chassis pans! But I liked cars that looked like cars…
Having come across this competition whilst trawling through some sites ‘for old times sake’, I thought that it might raise a smile or two if I dug one of these cars out and sent it in! So here, warts and all (and still with its 25 year + layer of dust and battle-scars,) is my Escort Mk1.
Here are some details as best as I can remember them!
Chassis & Motor.
Out of sheer perversity, I decided to make this car a sidewinder and a 16 wouldn’t therefore fit, so I started with a 16 size can and shortened it, taking some real liberties with the vehicles track to help me along! An old armature got the same treatment and was wound, potted and balanced to give a low amp motor which wouldn’t cook a scalextric set-up but still had a reasonable hard-board performance.
The chassis commenced with a rear-axle tube soldered and let-in to the motor can. The rest of the chassis was made up of 1/16 rod and brass sheet with a fall-away guide. Pin-tubing provided the body mounting system. A brass spur gear and pinion on a threaded 1/8th axle with foam half-inch sponge tyres provided the drive train. These all came out of my bits box.
Bodyshell.
The 1/32 Airfix Escort was lowered at the front and the discarded floor pan provided the rear flared arches. Humbrol lime green was the then ‘team’ colour and this was picked out with silver & black and a few transfers. A vac-formed interior was taped in place to complete the interior.
It was and I’m sure still is, great fun to breathe life into a static kit. I can still remember the good-natured bantering that resulted from the appearance of this machine at my local track, (long since gone). Whilst it wasn’t exactly a pocket rocket, everybody wanted a drive! Picking up this car again after so much time brings back some happy memories! Now, does anyone know where an aging slot-racer can source some scratch-building components..?!
Paul Wakefield
