Steve H

Francis, when this whole COVID thing is done, I’m going to plan a trip to see my buddy Tony in Ottawa, then I am going to meet you at a model show in your ‘hood. I’ll bring a few builds for the show! Seriously, any compliment from you is an honour to receive. Your work is absolutely top shelf. Thanks for checking out the Prius, my daughter has gotten a bit of a kick out of the comments. I have told her about my new friend Francis from back East. I will make sure she sees your comment. Cheers my friend, and thanks for having a look. I like that you already know my style.... LOWWWWWW.

Thanks Francis! Small amount of progress, but it’s moving along now. When I get the body painted, that will give me motivation to get it finished for sure. Thanks for checking in. In the mean time, if you want a laugh, check out the Prius I built for my daughter in the under glass section. Cheers, Steve

Hi guys, well, slowly moving ahead, but with the weather turning should start getting more desk time. Suspension is close to complete, and I now have a rolling chassis. Wheels and tires not glued on yet, but they are complete, just need to glue on the rear disk brakes. Engine is now complete and JUST fits in the narrow front. I am using the kit radiator with the addition of an electric fan. Mostly just assembly now and final paint on body of course. Hoping to get some colour on the body by end of next weekend... I’m still wrestling with my two options for flocking, I will make that decision in the next day or two and then I can assemble the interior. The mesh will be used for the front grill, and MCG seat belt material. I made some very basic, (probably not totally accurate) seat belt retraction devices. Everything in the photos is just being test fit prior to glue, looks like everything is going to fit! Yay! Oh... the flat spot on top of the front tires... I missed my ride height by about half a millimeter, oops. I had to keep it low, so that required sanding Tires to fit. The good news is it won’t be seen after final assembly. Well, I guess you have all seen it now... shhhhh, don’t tell. as always, thanks for looking, comments welcome. Cheers, Steve

I’M HUNGRY !!!! Claude, your builds are awesome. That is one of the coolest Ford trucks I have ever seen, looks just right. That orange really does pop! Incredible detail throughout, lipstick cap and a balloon....??? That’s just brilliant. Thanks for sharing sir. Cheers, Steve

Hi Lee, very nice build. I like it in Red, looks just right. I bought one of these a few months back. I plan on building mine a bit custom. I’m thinking a blown hemi with tractor pull tires and other parts from the Orange Blossom Special kit. Kind of a real tractor pull vehicle. Cheers Steve

Thanks Michael.

Hi Adam, thanks for the kind words. I totally agree that builds with a personal connection are always great. I would love to see what you and your brother built for your dad. If you have a chance, please check out the builds I did for my dad and daughter. In the “under glass” section under model cars, “62 Impala, replica of my dads car”, and “Toyota Prius, cool for my 13 year old daughter???!!!” Cheers, Steve

Haha!! That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing the photo. I was in Europe last year, (pre- Covid) just after I had purchased the kit. I took many photos of the various Vespa’s I saw. I came home inspired and dove right in, so it would be ready for mom’s Christmas. Got a few ideas from the older ones, such as the rear view mirror mounted low on the faring. Seems a daft place to have it but many of them did. I think Pyro made a Vespa too. Not sure what rendition the Italeri re-release is based on. Cheers, Steve

Thank you all for the kind, and honest words. Phil, you’re absolutely spot on, sometimes it is fun, challenging, and rewarding to step out on a limb. This was definitely the case with this build. Steve

Hi David, thanks so much. To put a smile on someone’s face makes me feel good. We are from the same ‘hood!! I was actually born in Long Beach Ca. Cheers, Steve

Hi Gareth, thanks for the cruel honesty! The Prius, to be honest was, and is one of my least favourite cars. However it was fun to have a go at it. The most important thing was that my daughter loved it. Now, back to the 51 Anglia!!! Cheers, Steve

Hi David, thanks for the kind words. Body colour is Tamiya TS 59 light pearl red... yep, it’s pink! Cheers, Steve

Hi all, So........ I never much cared for the Prius. No disrespect to anyone that owns one. My daughter, (then 13) absolutely loved the Prius, she had the TV commercial song memorized. And, true story, she just sang it word for word a couple of weeks ago....she’s almost 20 now. Any-whoooo here goes. I wanted to build a model for my daughter, what to build? Hmmmmm, how the heck do you make a Prius “cool” for a 13 year old girl?! Way outside my comfort zone. The muscle car lover in me wanted a blown BBC poking out of the hood! And tubs!! This one was a stretch for me, but in the end, I was very pleased with the build. I hope you like it. So I diverted course from the BBC idea and opted for something “safer” for my daughter to drive. This is the Fujimi kit, not sure what year, maybe 2013?, beautiful kit by the way. I lowered the stance, and added wheels and tires from the AMT Chrysler 300C. The interior has a pink “leopard” print on the seats which were hand painted, and home made fuzzy dice. The wing and chrome exhaust tip are from the parts box. Decals are various from the decal box. Oh, and fake eyelashes above the headlights...of course. Windows are tinted with Tamiya smoke clear. Can’t remember the name of the colour but it is Tamiya paint. All in all, an extremely fun build that was wayyyyyyy out side my zone. What was I thinking?! I actually laughed several times during this build, (especially with the eyelashes) doesn’t get much better than that. Any way, hope it puts a smile on your face. Comments welcome, and thanks for looking. Cheers, Steve, Steve

Hi Patrick, thanks for sharing that. Sounds like good fun! Maybe Enzo was in one of those clubs... That puts a smile on my face. Cheers, Steve

Hi Gareth, that is a killer colour combo... whoa, say that fast 5 times. I would say perfect colours, beautiful work. The “satin black or body colour window trim” conversation didn’t get as heated as I would have thought. Some of these threads have me laughing out load. I love it. Cheers, Steve