I’ve seen quite a few people new to 12th scale with bodyshell problems. With a bit of care and knowledge these can be avoided.
First, when cutting out the wheel arches, make sure there is enough room for the tyres at the maximum diameter you are going to use them. At the rear, cut the back part of the wheel arch enough for it not to catch and wrap under the car in an accident.
The most commonly used shells, namely the Parma Zytek and Hot Bodies Reynard should be cut exactly to the bottom line as shown below. The height of the shell should be adjusted until the bottom of the shell is at the same level as the top of the chassis all round.
The front arch will almost certainly need to be cut larger than the marker lines so the front tyre does not catch on it when turning. Also, with modern shells you will be lucky to get front tyres larger than about 45mm diameter to fit at all!
The front of the shell should be level with the top of the chassis also. If it is too low it will catch on the carpet and bring up the tape joining the carpet rolls, resulting in the race director shouting at you!
Here’s my own shell, fully cut out and fitted and showing a few battle scars.
