Rover Mini Cooper S
1September 16, 2023Picture of a Rover Cooper S - the look that I'm aiming for.
2June 17, 2020Transposing the Union Jack lines onto the mini roof, then running thin masking tape across it.
3June 17, 2020Results of "hand-masking-based" Union Jack roof - looked promising
4June 17, 2020Started this project in 2012..........shame on me!
5June 17, 2020Engine detail basically out-of-box - but I added the coil
6June 17, 2020
7June 17, 2020Bloody overspray, leeched in everywhere!
8June 17, 2020Whilst trying to smooth off the masking lines - it just wasn't gonna fly!!
9June 17, 2020D'uh - why not create a decal? So I did!
10June 17, 2020Decided on using 2mm double-sided tape as the adhesion method.
11June 17, 2020
12June 17, 2020"Carpetting completed - happy with that!
13June 17, 2020Let's add a driver's floor mat - used "fabric" black tape, which gives a good effect! Edged with black Sharpie pen.
14October 12, 2021Roof fully stripped to get rid of all the horrors I had created over too many years....
and now with 3 coats of SMS Primer
15October 12, 2021Ditto with the body - and 3 coats of SMS primer
16August 11, 2023Long gap between work on this - I managed to totally botch the top-coat & later stripped the lot & re-worked bonnet roof & body to strengthen them after too much handling..... Here's the latest pics with 2 coats of Tamiya White Primer, from a warmed up and well shaken rattle can. Good finish so far....
17August 11, 2023Mirrors and lighting are important to correctly porrtray the mini - I've seen many where the lights don't quite get it. About 5 hours getting all these to this point... Has anyone alse had trouble with "The Worlds Best Canopy Glue" Formula 560 - lenses came off when touched - didn't grip the lense very well, or the bared Tamiya plastic. Back to regular glue!
18August 11, 2023Found this pic of a Cooper Taillight cluster to compare with...
19August 12, 2023As I want to be able to display the cart with the bonnet open, so you can see the engine, I felt it needed more realism.
So here I go, making a calming Tamiya build into something more difficult.....
20August 11, 2023My take of the Taillight cluster - all painted INSIDE the lense
21August 12, 2023Found the right width "slats" and shaped it to fit, plus a bit of bending/twisting/clamping
22August 12, 2023Looks Ok with clamps removed - might add some filler & the
23August 12, 2023Time to do the other diagonal - don't ya just love the old clothespeg!!
24August 12, 2023second strut completed - compares Ok with photo.
25September 16, 2023Completed & pink-primed
26September 16, 2023Repairing a scar/dent in the bonnet top
27September 16, 2023body primed
28September 16, 2023body primed
29September 16, 2023body primed
30September 16, 2023body primed
31September 16, 2023Roof primed & top-coated - will need a light sand & another coat
32September 19, 2023front looks good after 1 coat
33September 19, 2023LHS 1st coat - some blemishes to rectify
34September 19, 2023RHS - bloody thing fell over on this side - light sanded yesterday
35September 19, 2023Bonnet - looked good... until some fibre settled on it - light sanded yesterday
36September 28, 2023Couldn't resist - test fit of the almost complete bonnet after I trimmed off the decal carrier........yummy!
37September 28, 2023Masked & final coat on the bonnet struts & underside
38September 28, 2023Closer inspection revealed a run on the RHS A pillar - hope I can polish that out???
39September 28, 2023DAMN! The sheet-brace to installed to protect the spindly door frames..............failed - I broke the driver's door upper frame.
This is the fix - superglue on the inside - final coat on the outside - hopefully wont show!
40September 28, 2023Final coat on the LHS
41September 28, 2023Final coat on the bum!
42September 28, 2023Final coat on the RHS
43September 28, 2023Final coat across the mudguards
44September 28, 2023While the paint was setting, I started polishing the bonnet......looks pretty good, except I polished OFF the "Mini Cooper" decal!!
45September 28, 2023Another view of the highly polished bonnet - VERY happy with this!!!
46September 29, 2023after a couple of decal fails, I quit!! - removed the placemaker markings & polished 'er up!! So shiny it's really hard to focus on!!
47October 8, 2023getting ready to try to polish out the "run", so i wanted to protect the surrounding paintwork...
48October 8, 2023sanding sticks with 3000 grit and ready to go
49October 8, 2023close up - even more masking - very slow sanding
50October 8, 2023after several (what seemed hours of) sanding motions, the surface became gluggy - this wasn't going to work
many expletives deleted!!!
51October 8, 2023I then spotted a line of bubbles at the base of the windscreen, and tried to repair & respray that - didn't take any photos cos that didnt succeed...
52October 8, 2023so i eventually stripped off ALL the paint within this masked off area with scrapers & chisels - again didn't get a photo of this....
53October 8, 2023ANYWAY - after all that, and more, I successfully applied 2 layers of pink primer, then 3 layers of topcoat to reach this
54October 8, 2023Happy with that - and after the "Harry" sign of approval, I removed the roof brace.....carefully!
55October 8, 2023and the other view
56October 8, 2023then test fitted the roof & bonnet.......now to leave it alone for a few days before I polish the body
(might have another look at the roof decal, after I discovered I have 2 more sealed ones printed off....)
57October 22, 2023Grill, headlights, parkers, door handles, side-window rubber strip, fuel cap, taillights, rear badge, boot handle, number plate frame, rear bumper....
58October 22, 2023found out where those decals should go - 1.4% headlight & Asbestos warning - coated with PVA glue to seal them
59October 22, 2023Gawky rear light...
60October 22, 2023tes roof fit again, and bonnet
61October 22, 2023Still to paint side strip to match spats.
note the key-point on the fuel cap!!!
62October 22, 2023Still to attach front bumper & driving lights/number plate
63October 25, 2023Just mated the body to the chassis for the first time - slow & easy working from the back to the front....
tucking, pressing, tucking, pressing - then backed it out a bit to insert the bonnet stay
64October 25, 2023Also drilled out a receptor hole in the bonnet interior to receive the stay (0.7mm Nickel rod) .
Broke the exterior mirror, so drilled that out & inserted a rod - now it turns!!
65October 25, 2023The stay has various bends in it (inside the guard) so it won't pull out, and a realistic curve at the start.
Have to devise some sort of "closed clip" in the engine bay.
Getting there - Decals, pinstripes, wipers, roof (the Roof will just sit in place, like the body, and won't be glued.), and some accessories
66November 2, 2023Fake Bonnet catch receiver - tried to also do the "pin", but nothing substantial lines up in the bonnet..
67November 2, 2023Receiving catch on the radiator for the bonnet stay
68November 8, 2023First "Dual Stripe" decal I applied started to break up - eventually became unusable - so have abandoned that throughout.
The size of the stripes meant it was too small for a "Cricut" solution (2 x 0.3mm stripes separated by 0.2mm)
So I appled the rest of the decals, windscreen wipers, and assembled the beast - DONE (apart from a general clean)
69November 8, 2023Bonnet support had to be trimmed by an extra 3mm so as not to foul the mudguard.
70November 8, 2023Sit's at the right angle, I think
71November 17, 2023Final Photo Shoot in a 'light tent'
Note that the front right & left windows have been removed to show a "windows down" look, with more "Rubber Black" used to show the in door rubbers where the windows would be.
72November 17, 2023The reason for the windows down look was because one of these fractured........so Harry came up with this solution.
This also means that the interior can be more easily seen.
73November 17, 2023Yep, that's a Mini
74November 17, 2023happy with that!
75November 17, 2023& that
76November 17, 2023& that
77November 17, 2023
78November 17, 2023
79November 17, 2023
80November 17, 2023through the open LHS window
81November 17, 2023throught the driver's window - I think the passenger might b
82November 17, 2023On display at Models & Hobbies 4 U in Boronia, Vic., beside another British motoring icon.
and they're both 1/12 scale - now the mini looks small again!!
Comments
6 June 2026, 16:59 -
Album info
I was given this as a gift in around 1997.....
First started it around 2002......
2023 - now started again on it's THIRD body painting attempt - will use Tamiya final coats.
2023-09 - progressing - painting is progressing too!!!
Reckon I'll start assembling soon!! during 2023-10.
2023-10-06 - had to revise paintwork......again
2023-11-08 - completed!
