Matt Bacon

Thanks, guys! The cabin is well under way, in all its 1970s glory! This is just a test fit... much more to do. I've started BMFing... the new sheet I have is much harder to handle than the old one -- far more "springy" with a tendency to roll up as your remove it from the backing. A bit at a time, and doing it in several sessions over time is the recipe for keeping your sanity, I find... With The Hobbit so see tomorrow afternoon, I doubt I'll quite get this one finished in 2012, but it's heading toward the finishing line now... bestest, M.

Back to the bench now, and continuing with the Daytona... The engine is rather nice, and I wish I could wire it better! 0.3mm brass tube for the spark plugs works nicely, but I really need some wire that's a bit tougher but just as flexible as the lead I've used here. Does anyone make 0.25mm PVC or elastic thread in black, red and white? Fits in place OK, though getting the engine mounts into position under the exhaust manifolds is a pain! Rubber is a bit "tractor tyre", but the wire wheels are pretty good for plastic, and the whole thing fits together very well, with the aid of some silicone "plastic parts" grease (intended for mountain bikes) to stop the wrong bits sticking permanently. Engine in situ. The yellow fans are my own idea (instructions say silver), but they liven things up a bit. Stance is a bit "nose down". but I think that it's probably prototypical. Let's see how it looks with the body on... The underside looks nicely "busy". There's a small (broken) tie rod to put in place on the front suspension, which kinda sums the whole thing up... a nice compromise between detail, scale accuracy and ease of assembly, generally, but it really should have been made in tougher plastic! The distributors have been off a couple of times on each side, because they are just not tough enough when the kit nearly (but not quite) fits perfectly... bestest, M.

It'll be really interesting to see where Hornby take this. They're not really a "hobbyist" company, at heart, and certainly not a "Premium" one. Hornby excel at being "good enough" to please the enthusiast in all of their ranges (though Airfix, Hornby, and Scalextric are the ones I know... the Breyer horses are not aimed at me, and I've never been a die-cast collector), but never at the premium "expert" end of the market. Their skill is managing a GREAT distribution channel in the UK and Europe, and getting their products in front of the mass market and new-entry consumer - get the kids building Airfix, racing Scalextric or driving the Hogwarts Express, and when they are 30 and have money of their own, they'll be buying more detailed kits, more expensive cars or more complex locomotives. In ALL of their main brands, there are other vendors whose products are more premium, and aimed at serious enthusiasts, even if they aren't synonymous with plastic kit, slot car racing and model railway in the way that Airfix, Scalextric and Hornby are (on this side of the pond at least). I'm not sure Hornby knows how to sell a £1000 car kit, or who to sell it to, or even where to sell it from. I'm completely convinced that they know how to get a 1/8th scale high detail kit designed, tooled and manufactured, though, if they choose to... I just wonder how many of the "traditional" Pocher modellers there are left.... people who aspire to Gerald Wingrove quality finished models, with hundreds of pounds to drop on parts, and months to build the thing, but who would still buy a kit rather than make the bits themselves? Pocher kits, to me at any rate, make old-school "model engineering" that bit easier. They're not obvious "mass-market" things in the way that a crisp, accurate and up-to-date 1/32 Aston Martin DB5 with a "Skyfall" movie tie-in would be, which is more where Hornby's "bread and butter" lies.... IN the end, I'm a PRETTY enthusiastic car modeller, but I simply can't afford Model Factory Hiro or Studio 27 prices, even for cars I'm gaga about. If Hornby's Pocher kits are Airfix 1/12 Bentley prices, I might consider one, but if they run into the £hundreds, the quality debate is academic... they can't have money _I_ don't have! bestest, M.

OK... so what did I think of Revell's 599 GTO? I loved it. I may comment below on a few things that are useful to help build it, but don't let that give the impression I'm complaining. I think this is a great kit, certainly in the top 2 or 3 I've built, and though I say it myself, it's probably my best ever 1/24 car build. Compared to a Fujimi, perhaps some of the detailing lacks finesse, and there's a bit of flash even on this brand new tool kit. But the fit and engineering is outstanding. The glazing, for example, just clicks into place, to the extent that you have to haul it out with masking tape to apply glue after the test fit! Even the headlight covers just drop into place. The fit is so good in places, in fact, that you have to make sure that there's no primer and paint in some joints or they won't fit. This is especially the case with the "flying buttresses" behind the cabin -- they will socket down into the body perfectly, but only if they and the socket are absolutely clean bare plastic. The cabin interior is simple, but nicely moulded, and responds really well to detail painting, as does the engine. You could certainly add a bit more wiring and tubes around the engine, but the real thing is basically a darn great red airbox sitting in the middle of an acre of crackle-finished black plastic. The two main areas that need attention are the bonnet and the brake disks. Before you start painting at all, check the fit of the bonnet into its recess. Mine wasn't quite curved enough toward the front right corner to settle down, but heating it in the steam from a kettle and gently flexing it downward resulted in a perfect fit. Then, you'll probably need to thin the fixing pins of the hinge, removing material from the upper surfaces, so that the bonnet can fall low enough to close properly when it's socketed into its hinge. The other issue is an error in the instructions. Revell have mixed up the front and rear brake disk parts in the drawings. The BIG callipers go in the narrower front wheels, the smaller ones in the wider rear wheels. The profile views above show how the callipers are oriented when correctly fitted. You may also need to pare back the centre of the hubs on the brake disks and the wheel faces to get the wheels to close properly around the hubs. Although the rear of the wheels have completely "unreal" spokes, you really can't see them after they've been painted matt black... can you? You could replace the disks with etched parts, I guess, but if the coarse detail (which is only visible in a few areas) really bothers you, it's a lot easier and cheaper to fill the holes and draw in a new pattern with a fine point pen... This one is finished in Zero Paints Rosso Scuderia and home-brew matt black with a touch of graphite for the roof. The wheels are Zero's Graphite Grey. The panel lines are washed with a mix of Citadel's red wash and a bit of Ogryn Flesh wash to darken it a bit. All in all, I recommend this kit very highly... especially if you need to complete your stable of GTOs... bestest, M.

As Crocodile Dundee nearly said..." Naawww, THAT's not a GTO... THIS is a GTO..." bestest, M

bestest, M.

Thanks, Bill! I'm calling this one done, and will try to do some decent pictures tomorrow, if it's dry enough outside to take them! bestest, M.

Some progress to report tonight: The headliner positioned, and painted in matching colours for the interior (it was great to see an internal cabin photo that showed it clearly in Evo.) If you look closely you can also see the trimmed ends of the bonnet supports. I'm using the mesh for the grilles, stuck in place with "Serious Glue", which holds them in position from the off, and then if you press them finally into position after a couple of minutes, "persuades" the springy mesh to conform to the curves.... The headlights are painted to replicate the ones on the 599 GTE I spotted in London last week. The lenses are grey shades with a "catch light" as figure painters use for eyeballs... those Xenon's are weird-looking, as I know from my own car. I've gone for carbon mirrors, and this is probably the best bit of fake carbon detailing on the whole car, though I say so myself... The bonnet doesn't stay UP by itself yet, but you can see that the engine sits in place nicely. ..and finally a couple on the bench where we are tonight. People may complain that the detailing on this kit is a bit soft or coarse, but the fit and engineering is superb. I think Revell have got their priorities right! bestest, M.

Thanks, Marcos! Another quickie, while I wait for decent daylight to take some more progress pictures. It IS possible to get the bonnet/hood on the 599 to close properly. The first thing to do, before painting, is to check the fit, and if it's like mine, heat briefly in the steam from a kettle and flex the left hand front corner downward a little. YMMV, obviously, so keep test fitting until it closes into the recess properly. Then, when the time comes to fit the thing permanently, I've found that first thinning the pins by removing the upper 1/3 or so and then rounding them again with some scraping, and secondly fully rounding the upper ends of the pivot arms, gives enough room for maneouvre when the bonnet is down for it to drop properly in place while still holding it in position... HTH somebody else! bestest, M.

That's a great tip for making your own. I cheated and bought one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200795012149?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648 "Bootlace Ferrules" they're called, and they are for finishing the ends of electrical wire before soldering, I think. They come flared already. This mixed box has a variety of sizes which will work for "normal" length stacks/induction tubes in 1/24 or 1/32 scale, and if you hunt around they come in a wide variety of diameter/length/flare combinations for more unusual set-ups... Thanks for the technique for the bigger ones, though! bestest, M.

And finally, a few "compare and contrast" shots... It may be my imagination, or just a front-engined GT car thing, but I think I can see a resemblance between the underpinnings of some of Maranello's finest.. bestest, M

...and now on to the interior. Doors off, you can see the various slightly different blacks, greys and carbon colours (as well as Vallejo Sunny Skintone for the tan). I think the main thing is to try to get a range to represent the different kinds of materials. The steering wheel, for example, has Citadel Chaos Black, Vallejo German Grey, Citadel Charandon Granite (which is standing in for the suede-y Alcantara everywhere it appears in the cabin), and finally Tamiya Gunmetal for an ersatz "carbon" look on some details to small to "mesh" easily) The colour's a bit off in this image, but you can see the mesh effect on the carbon dash, the centre console, and even on the seats, where I sprayed black over a German Grey base to give the effect of the "technical fabric" the real thing is made of... Another view where you can clearly see the different colours and textures around the cabin. The rest is all tiny brushes and Citadel colours... The chassis mocked up. It looks like it'll fill the body quite nicely... bestest, M.

It's a big update today (for the 599 at least!) Lots of work that has been going on bit by bit in the background, with no real landmarks to post about, has now started to pay dividends. First of all... some wheels: I don't think that you can tell that they've been prised apart and stuck back together! Paint is Zero's Graphite Grey, and they are shod in Pegasus Michelin Pilots, which should help the look a bit. The disks are sprayed with Humbrol Flat Aluminium, which has a whitey-grey look that's just right for carbon disks, washed with Citadel Devlan Mud to pop the detail, and then the shields and centres are painted with Citadel black and grey. Callipers in Humbrol spray Yellow. Test fit carefully, because on at least one pair of wheels, the raised circular moulding on the back of the spoked disk hub interfered enough with the brake disk hub raised detail that I could't close the front and back of the wheels. I had to pare it off with a sharp knife... The bare chassis assembled. The hubs, suspension, shocks and wheel arches fit nicely if you VERY carefully follow the instructions and numbered sequence. For the back pair, get a hold of the drive shaft with a pair of tweezers and lift it as you slide the wheel arch assembly into place to pop it into the back of the hub bearing, otherwise it'll keep pushing the whole thing out of it's location. The engine: All done out of the box, with detail painting of the parts that Revell provide. You need to cut the tops of the location stubs for the front shocks, which come up through the wheel arches, to get a snug fit for the airbox on top of the engine. The location for the radiator is unclear -- it actually sits leaning back with only the angled side brackets on the baseplate, and the front edge sits ON TOP of the raised tab in the middle. It does NOT go with the flat lower edge glued to the baseplate, as the location tabs might suggest! A better view of the wheels in place, showing where the callipers SHOULD be... More to follow... bestest, M.

Just a quick one to save anyone else any trouble. Revell have mixed up the brake disk parts in the 599 instructions. The bigger callipers with the disk only half-shrouded go at the front, on the narrower wheels. The smaller callipers with the "two-thirds" shroud are for the wider rear wheels. Just goes to show... I was so worried about making sure I had the disks facing the right way that I focused entirely on the instructions, and didn't look at my reference photos, which clearly show the right disks for the right wheels... or indeed think twice. I _know_ the beefier brakes go on the front, when there's an option, but I was derailed. bestest, M.

I shall have to have one of those....well, three actually. I've got a plan. Does anyone do an aftermarket three-spot rally light frame for the front? And I'll be needing bonnet straps and an HMP729G plate... Thanks for the encouragement, Geoff! bestest, M.

Hi, all... I just watched the Top Gear US season opener comparing police cars. Never mind the _real_ police cruisers... is there a decent kit of the Corvette Z06 that I could build as America's fastest police car? It looked SOOOOO cool in black! I don't know much about 1/25 kits or indeed kits of US muscle, so I need your help... bestest, M.

Thanks, gentlemen... @Jamez -- the mesh is actually a dress fabric, from my local department store which sells all kinds of dressmaking stuff. It's a plain acrylic mesh, which in dressmaking land is sometimes called tulle. It's used for veils or petticoats on 50s style dresses, apparently. Anyway, they have it in several colours, and you can probably get different size meshes in a big specialist store... These guys (or gals) look like they could probably help you (they are in Calgary): http://www.fabricdepot.ca bestest, M

Thanks, Bill! Today I have mostly been building a chassis for the Daytona... The engine is just dropped into place for the moment. The swinging arms are painted with Tamiya Titanium Gold. There are three parts for each corner -- axle and shock, upper arm and lower arm. The steering isn't positionable, at least out of the box. This is a pretty good attempt at a realistic suspension set-up, unlike the 599GTO, which prioritises what you can see and being able to steer the front wheels. It's a lot simpler and easy to build than the even more prototypical Fujimi Enthusiast set-ups, though. I'd say, all in all, it's a good compromise between accuracy, complexity and buildability. It looks good from underneath, as well... As a matter of interest, this now completes Stage 1 of the Italeri instructions! In other news, I've at least had a response from Italeri spares about the bubble I found in the windscreen moulding -- they've asked for some photos for the technical department to investigate: A long way to go before I have a replacement in my hands, but at least we have opened a channel of communication! bestest, M.

Slow progress today... Engines slowly coming together. The next job is to wire the Daytona ignition. 599 chassis, painted with Vallejo German Grey. I assembled the chassis, wheel wells etc with Copydex (rubber solution glue) before priming and painting. Then, after the paint has dried, they can be pulled apart and the glue peeled off, leaving mating surfaces clean and ready to be glued as the suspension is assembled. Various parts masked with mesh before spraying a "carbon" effect in graphite grey over black. And the results... Work on the Daytona suspension continues as well... bestest, M.

Well, it's been a while... Scale Model World is behind me, and my B-26 Marauder Box Art diorama has seen the light of day, so progress is now being made on these at last... Engines under way. The Italeri 365 GTB V12 is beautifully crisp, with a nice detail, and noticeably bigger than the 599 GTOs. The Revell parts are well-designed and simple, responding well to detail painting, but have slightly more flash and not so precise fit. The "flying buttresses" are very well engineered, and to fit properly you need to have no primer on the "tab" element or in the slot on the car body. These are cleaned, sanded and pressed into place, where they fit really well....now! Lots of priming and prep going on off-camera... bestest, M.

Hi, all... inspired by an article in this month's Evo, I'd love to build a model of a Singer 911. I'm not normally a Porsche guy, but it just looks SOOOO cool. http://www.singervehicledesign.com/gallery/index.php I need some advice on where to start, kit wise. The article says the cars start out as "964" 911s, but the bodywork is inspired by the 2.8 RSR, which even I know is an earlier car... My question is, which Fujimi or Revell (or even Tamiya) Porsche should I be looking for to base my build on? I think I want to do minimum bodywork changes, so even if the mechanicals are a 964, if the body's not right I might want something earlier-style. Any suggestions, folks? bestest, M.

I think the Dino is one of the coolest cars EVER! You've done a wonderful job on it, and I really love the colour. One of the things I like about Dino's is that they aren't all red. There was a beautiful one in Classic Cars a few months back that was ice white with a deep blue interior trim -- gorgeous. I'd love to hear more about the Enthusiast Model kit -- I have the regular Fujimi one, but I'd kind of like an engine... As for the "is it a Ferrari?" question... does it really matter? It's a lovely car, whether it's a Fiat or a Ferrari. Personally, I WOULDN'T put a prancing horse on mine if I owned one, but if I owned one I'd still be a VERY happy man. (Mine would be Blu Dino or Giallo Fly, by the way...) bestest, M.

That is sooooo cool... I love it. Brilliant build of a great kit, and the figure is the icing on the cake. I'd really like that car on my shelf! bestest, M.

This guy is 1/32: If John Rosengrant did a few 1/24 car guys, I'd be first in the queue! bestest, M.

I'd love some decent figures to go with my builds (but then I _like_ figure painting...). I don't necessarily want a full-blown diorama, but I find that with aircraft, a complementary figure or two really adds interest, and, especially, an instant sense of scale. I'd like drivers, too, but I know that's harder, since they have to fit inside specific car set-ups. I didn't have any issues getting the Fujimi modern driver figure into their own Aventador, as The Stig, but the 60s guy wasn't going to sit in the DB4GT from Doyusha. I've tried the Fujimi figures in a few of their cars, though, and they seem to be OK pretty much in any one. It's just a shame that they are really the only game in town... bestest, M.