Cheeky little Monkey

[casper]

I just couldn't resist this little fella for less than a tenner delivered Its not the re-issue new tooled version but its a little gem
The box is small in comparison to the 1/12 superbike kits and contains very little so this shouldn't take long....he says
This thing is so small in 1/1 scale that you look very strange riding it down the street hence the name "Monkey Bike" I love them and would love the newer 125 in Canary yellow.
I have the Tamiya Monkey 125 in my stash but won't be starting that one just yet
anyway to the kit
box first


the chrome is pretty good to be honest but some will have to go like the wheels

[casper]

one black sprue

[casper]

decal sheet, tank and forks

[casper]

time to strip some chrome from some parts, on this occasion I used a common oven cleaning spray but this takes about 5mins to work then wash very well with soapy water and leave to dry. Do this quickly and don't leave it overnight or you will end up with a puddle. I would use a less volatile bleach if it were a more expensive kit but it fine here. Wash the parts again before primer.

[casper]

primed with Vallejo panzer grey

[casper]

The engine fits over the frame in two parts with locating pins, I cut those off so the engine can be built separate and then slid into position when painted.

[casper]

The rear axle is a peg on both frame half that push through the wheel but again I wanted to make life easier by cutting these off so the wheel can be added later. A small steel rod has been cut to replace the axle pegs and pushes through one side into the other but not all the way through, a hex head bold will glue over the open end to secure it in place.
The sprockets and chain are very basic but with a little wash should look ok.

[casper]

dry fit

[casper]

The seat on the real bike has studs around the sides so after drilling out some holes with a 0.5mm drill I cut down some sewing needles and glued them in place.
came out ok I think

[casper]

The seat was painted in Citadel Abaddon Black and semi gloss clear coated

[casper]

Frame was painted Tamiya Black X-1

[casper]

off out to collect something special from Argos so more Later guys
enjoy your Sunday
casp

[casper]

Wheels painted Vallejo metal color dull aluminium and the brake hubs in AK extreme metal stainless steel, the lower forks in Molotow chrome. The tank and the headlight casing need some attention but not to bad. I added a small brass rod to the rear brake hub in the hope that it will connect to the rear brake peddle.
Not picked a colour for the bike yet

[royjess]

That's tiny

[number1]

Like it, cool looking little machine

[casper]

That's tiny

It really is small I've dropped it 5 times not stood on it yet though.

[Mark]

Nice job Casper. It’ll be interesting to see the Tamiya offering in comparison.

[casper]

Nice job Casper. It’ll be interesting to see the Tamiya offering in comparison.

thanks mark, the 125 is a lot bigger and you would think a different scale looking at the frames and a lot more parts as you would expect.
The finished 125 model is Length 143mm, width 63mm and height 101mm in comparison to the 50cc being approximately 100mm in length.

[casper]

The rear shocks were stripped of the chrome and cut up to add some springs. A brass tube was used with some stiff wire glued inside, the ends cleaned up and holes drilled for the pegs. I did make some springs with fuse wire wrapped around some cocktail sticks but these were too tight with the paint so will have to redo those.
The lights on this kit are just black plastic so a coat Titanium silver first then a good top coat of Tamiya clear red and leave to dry overnight.

[casper]

I added a spark plug made from a 12BA hex head bolt cut down and cut a slot in the head to glue it in place. The handle bars were left chrome and the brake and throttle cables were added using Some Studio27 wire, the kit stuff was way oversize.