Lotus XI, Merit, 1/24

[Matt Bacon]

This started as a barn-find spare, kindly donated by a fellow forum member on Britmodeller to the cause of displaying Classic British Kits for the IPMS CBK SIG:

Some months later, thanks to various life events, and she's now rather shinier, and ready to race:

 

Next up, but not for a while, the Aston Martin DB3S, this time from an unbuilt kit...

best,

M.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Lovely little car. Those curves are certainly unmistakably Costin, though I really like your revised windscreen.

I've collected most of the Merit kits over the years. Nice to see how good they can look.

[RancheroSteve]

Well done! The driver really adds to it.

Those aren't easy to find for any kind of reasonable price over here - I finally got one that looks almost identical to your "before" photo just recently. I hope to do something similar to what you've done eventually, but it looks cool just sitting on my shelf.

Edited September 17, 2020 by RancheroSteve

[bbowser]

Very nice restoration.  One of the most beautiful race cars ever built.

[Dave B]

Great restoration Matt, love the old Merit, and similar, kits.

Dave B

[Rich Chernosky]

Good rescue job, the before and after photos really show how much work you have done....excellent

[PappyD340]

Very nice save, well done!

[slusher]

Wonderfully done restoration!!  Beautiful race car!

[ChrisR]

Awesome restoration!

[Earl Marischal]

Great restoration Matt. I build several of the Merit kits when they were readily available in the 1960s and early 1970s but not that one. Would love to see them all reissued!

steve

[Phildaupho]

Agreed. Well done restoration and enhancement of a model of a beautiful racecar

[Big John]

Thank you Matt for your beautiful work.  One of the most beautiful designs in auto history an one I always look forward to at the historic races.  Who's wheels did you use?

[Bernard Kron]

Lovely, lovely work. How I missed this last September I'll never know. I have 2 in my stash waiting to be built, an unbuilt Merit and a resin body with a full open interior. I have long wanted to build a full detail version with the aluminum panels, a little Coventry Climax and the space frame. But I have concluded that this is most likely a fool's errand and simply means I'll never build them. A superbly rendered curbside of this spectacularly beautiful car should be a more than satisfactory achievement for any modeler. The revised cockpit fairing is a brliliant touch.

On a side note, the full bubble-top version of the 11, the Monza streamliner, sat on the showroom floor of a vintage car consignment dealer here in Seattle for what I remember as being something like three years before it sold. I didn't mind, of course, because it was on the way from where I parked my car to my office and I got to lok at it every day. But I always wondered why it took so long for someone to buy it.

[Dann Tier]

Outstanding save!!!!!

[Bainford]

Wow! Beautiful XI. A stunning model, great save. You nailed the look. 
 

I never knew this kit existed. I’ve got some searching to do. 

[Hoffman]

On 2/15/2021 at 12:55 PM, Big John said:

Thank you Matt for your beautiful work.  One of the most beautiful designs in auto history an one I always look forward to at the historic races.  Who's wheels did you use?

Agreed 100%! Beautiful work. I recognize the wheels as Heller Jaguar XKE. Not sure about the tires though. They're really small, as they should be for this car. Maybe Merit? @Matt Bacon

[Matt Bacon]

Thank you all… I didn’t spot these later replies until now… Yes, the Merit wheels, ground out to take Heller XKE wires. You pretty much have to use the kit tyres… nothing accurate will fit!

best,

M.

[Pierre Rivard]

That is a beauty Matt. I love the added realism with the added driver figurine.

Top notch effort, makes me want to start looking for old Merit kits!

How did they change tires on these cars?

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks @Pierre Rivard the nose and tail are big clamshells (basically the silver is the body, the green is the clam). I assume they had to open up or remove the clamshell to access the wheels. I don’t think the real bodywork can have been as tight, though… there’s not much room to turn the front wheels the way the kit is set up (though the real body shell is probably not 1” thick, either…)

best,

M.

[absmiami]

Mr B:  what other Merit unbuilts do you have ?  Do you have either Maser?  I’m a sucker for Merits …

[Bugatti Fan]

Nice restoration Matt.      I can remember building one of these way back. Those old Merit car kits are well worth restoring or building with up to date accessories and materials. A range of 1950's racers in the main as I remember.

All the Merit car kit moulds save 2 were sold on to a toy company in Italy back in the 70's.

Their Alfetta and Talbot Lago kits have been made available via SMER and Atlantis since. They were the only two with engine details that I can remember apart from the little Cooper.

[Phildaupho]

Lovely. Beautiful restoration. Great paint.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Great restoration. You certainly brought it back to life. Good work.