The great thing about the cottage industry within the slot world, is they can explore and produce items that may be too specific for the major manufacturers to take on. With the advent of 3D printing, the possibilities of ever greater offerings are being developed by some very talented individuals. Today we will be looking at the efforts of HWP and their excellent 1969 Chaparral 2H body kit. This is exactly the subject matter that a major manufacturer would avoid. Not because the Chaparral 2H is a bad subject, but there was only one version of the car and it raced one year, so it would limit how it would be produced and released by the big companies. But it is a great subject for specialists to focus on. And fortunately for all of us Chaparral fans, Jim Miller at HWP did the detail work and developing of this 3D printed body. Let’s get into some history and the coverage of this cool new offering we can now add to our HO scale garages.
A Very Brief History of the 1969 Chaparral 2H
Although I am a very big fan of Jim Hall and Chaparral Racing, I will willingly admit that I am not a complete expert on all things Chaparral. That said, the Can-Am era Chaparrals have been a passion of mine and I have accumulated a large library on Jim Hall and Chaparral history. The following information is from that collection.
The original design of the Chaparral 2H was an enclosed coupe of very narrow proportions, low drag and big tires. Jim Hall’s design went back to the De Dion axle concept for the rear and a pre-preg composite chassis/body that also served as the stressed structure for the suspension and engine works. The 2H was originally targeted for racing action 1968, but a design flaw in the De Dion axle led to an “axle tramp” so severe, it tore the beam axle apart. So Jim Hall pressed the aging Chaparral 2G into service for the 1968 Can-Am and continued to develop the 2H. Hall was injured in a crash during the last Can-Am race in Las Vegas, ending his driving career. For 1969, he was ready to turn the 2H loose on the Can-Am series with champion John Surtees at the wheel. But John had objections to the visual restrictions the 2H presented in coupe form and demanded the driver’s seat be raised into open air and visibility over the front wheel arches improved. That delayed the 2H’s debut until the 4th race in 1969. The 2H appeared at Edmonton and gathered a lot of oohs and ahs for the level of technical innovation. Unfortunately the 2H did not perform as well as Jim Hall thought it should. He blamed the changes made for John Surtees, John blamed the car. It was probably a little of both. The 2H had some unpredictable handling and Surtees never developed confidence driving it, even after Hall added a huge parasol wing to add down force. Surtees last drive in the 2H was at Riverside with a DNF and did not drive the car in the final race at Texas. Tom Dutton was slated to drive the 2H in Texas, but lost control in practice and damaged the pre-preg chassis, ending the 2H’s racing career.
The 2H was restored to it’s full racing glory and now resides at the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas, in the Chaparral Racing Gallery. https://petroleummuseum.org/chaparral-gallery-exhibits/
HWP 1969 Chaparral 2H
This is my first official foray into the world of 3D printed bodies. I had not imagined the detail and accuracy this medium could provide. I certainly give Jim Miller at HWP highest marks for the work he has put into the CAD design and the output of the final product. The body panel lines and scale of the 2H is near perfect, all the way down to the rivets on the rear flipper wing. The driver figure seats the cockpit opening cleanly and does not interfere with the chassis once mounted. Speaking of chassis fit, the 2H is designed to fit the AFX Mega G+ 1.7 chassis. The body clip snap securely into the chassis and the body fits well at all four wheel wells. The material the body is printed from has very, very small stepping in the tightest curves of the body and are easily filled with a primer coat.
Jim Miller at HWP recommended to gently wet sand the bodies with 1000-3000 grit foam sanding blocks. He recommended the items linked below from Amazon. After the windscreens are buffed to clean up the prism-effect of the print layer lines, you can clear coat them with clear gloss spray enamel, and they go transparent like injection molded glass. Here’s a before/after pic of from HWP’s 427’s lemans hard top after wet sanding and clear coat.
Here is the link to the sanding pads from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R3S88JY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_446EHJG3TYRZ3JK486VD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2_UAhLMtvwOxiVe9V-gdNBaMKjw91d2VwqkHXns8lA4kRd00nt65KZJH0
I used a standard light tack masking tape to cover the windshield and side windows and it stayed put like any other plastic body I’ve applied the tape to.
I used an acrylic based white craft paint (Anita’s) thinned with my own formula for airbrushing. It adhered perfectly to the body and covered in 3 very fine coats. I painted a second body using a rattle can of enamel and it covered as nicely although I used fewer coats as this paint comes out a bit thicker and I did not want to fill in any of the excellent detail by over painting.
The finished paint buffed well and I did not have to anything special to work the 3D material to a finished state. The rear flipper wing attaches with a pair of small brass wires. HWP supplied a piece of steel piano wire for this, but I replaced it with brass so if I crash the body and lose a wire, it won’t get attracted to mine or another driver’s motor magnets. A small touch of super glue secures the wire and wing in place.
The decals are designed by Speed Inc. The hi-res file is scaled for the HWP Chaparral 2H and the artwork is available from HWP. It can be printed onto clear decal paper and applied as shown in the pictures here. A simple water based clear coat was applied to protect the decals and to get that finished shine.
Here are some close up shots from several angles. This is one of the best looking bodies I’ve enjoyed detailing.
I was very happy to see the HWP Chaparral 2H easily fits through a 1-5/16 inch tech block making this body legal in most racing programs. I fully intend to race one of mine in the 2021 Lexington Cup Series this summer.
As seen in these pictures, the body sets very low and has a nice low center of gravity. In my initial tests it handled very well and was easy to drive with the AFX Mega G+ chassis. I gritted my teeth and ran a couple of crash tests. I am very happy to report that the body material is very resistant and it withstood my best efforts to damage it. Even the wing stayed in place after several wall shots at full speed. The HWP body material is race worthy and should last through the typical calamities of a competition.
This shows some of the older AFX bodies from the same era and gives you a good idea of the scale for comparison.
The HWP 1969 Chaparral 2H is a welcome addition to my Can-Am stable. It was truly easy to work with, fits the AFX Mega G+ chassis perfectly and looks incredible on the track. HWP has produced an accurate rendition of one of the unique historical racers from the greatest age of racing. I highly recommend this body kit and look forward to future releases from HWP. You can find ordering information for HWP slot car bodies and accessories here: https://www.facebook.com/HWPSlotCars