Post by skyquake on Apr 3, 2015 15:49:58 GMT
Dear All,
My name's Mike, and I'm a Mechanical Design Engineer for a Specialist Vehicles Manufacturer based in Cambridge. Having done a full restoration of a 1991 1.9l 205 GTI a couple of years ago, I have been lusting for another project. I had been flirting with the idea of building a kit for some time, but wasn't completely convinced about the majority of kits on the market. No offence intended, but in my opinion, they're either pig ugly, or trying to be something which they clearly aren't. That is until I set eyes on the Sonic. With her smooth lines, aerodynamic shape and neat layout, the Sonic was quite simply the best looking kit car on the market.
So I set to work on my version. I went to Stoneleigh last year to make sure that she was big enough for me, which she was. I then contacted RTR to figure out how the process worked; I started saving up the money, and keeping my eyes peeled for a donor. Being a design engineer by trade, I can't even sharpen a pencil without referring to the CAD model, so that kept me occupied over the winter.
I had more or less decided on the ST170 powerplant, until I saw Mr Mills comments on the structural analysis limitations for increased power units. Now this wouldn't have been game over, as my day job involves a lot of Stress Analysis, so I could possibly have attempted to analyse the effects of the larger power unit myself, but it did make me a bit nervous. Leaving that to one side, I had also decided that Drift Gauges were a must, and that the front and rear Aero wings were vital. I pressed on with the Car Builder Solutions catalogue and selected all of the major bits that I thought I was likely to need.
For the colour scheme, I was inspired by the gorgeous Hamann Aventador from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Unfortunately the drift gauges didn't come in acid green, so I was forced to throw a little red in there too. With the colour scheme more or less completed, all I had to do was run the numbers again, scrape the money together and place my order.
So, this was about the position I was in when I returned from holiday in early March to find that RTR had imploded and that the Sonic was no longer in production. Gutted! From what I read on here, Mr Mills isn't likely to have time to resurrect the Sonic any time soon, so it looks like I'm going to have to can the whole idea.
Therefore, before I scrap the whole thing, here's what my project would have looked like:
So, that's that then. Some things are never meant to be! I'll keep my eyes on the forum to see whether the Sonic makes a revival in future.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
My name's Mike, and I'm a Mechanical Design Engineer for a Specialist Vehicles Manufacturer based in Cambridge. Having done a full restoration of a 1991 1.9l 205 GTI a couple of years ago, I have been lusting for another project. I had been flirting with the idea of building a kit for some time, but wasn't completely convinced about the majority of kits on the market. No offence intended, but in my opinion, they're either pig ugly, or trying to be something which they clearly aren't. That is until I set eyes on the Sonic. With her smooth lines, aerodynamic shape and neat layout, the Sonic was quite simply the best looking kit car on the market.
So I set to work on my version. I went to Stoneleigh last year to make sure that she was big enough for me, which she was. I then contacted RTR to figure out how the process worked; I started saving up the money, and keeping my eyes peeled for a donor. Being a design engineer by trade, I can't even sharpen a pencil without referring to the CAD model, so that kept me occupied over the winter.
I had more or less decided on the ST170 powerplant, until I saw Mr Mills comments on the structural analysis limitations for increased power units. Now this wouldn't have been game over, as my day job involves a lot of Stress Analysis, so I could possibly have attempted to analyse the effects of the larger power unit myself, but it did make me a bit nervous. Leaving that to one side, I had also decided that Drift Gauges were a must, and that the front and rear Aero wings were vital. I pressed on with the Car Builder Solutions catalogue and selected all of the major bits that I thought I was likely to need.
For the colour scheme, I was inspired by the gorgeous Hamann Aventador from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Unfortunately the drift gauges didn't come in acid green, so I was forced to throw a little red in there too. With the colour scheme more or less completed, all I had to do was run the numbers again, scrape the money together and place my order.
So, this was about the position I was in when I returned from holiday in early March to find that RTR had imploded and that the Sonic was no longer in production. Gutted! From what I read on here, Mr Mills isn't likely to have time to resurrect the Sonic any time soon, so it looks like I'm going to have to can the whole idea.
Therefore, before I scrap the whole thing, here's what my project would have looked like:
So, that's that then. Some things are never meant to be! I'll keep my eyes on the forum to see whether the Sonic makes a revival in future.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
