robertw

Just finished this kit and it goes together great. The only problem that I had was that the one piece window glass left gaps between the glass and the A pillars. I also found the photo etch was difficult to bend to fit into the side vents, I ended up using metal mesh instead. A little detailing with wire will also make the curbside engine bay pop. I look forward to seeing yours finished. rob

Great job it's hard to believe that your build is based on that old Heller/Revell AG kit.

While it would probably be possible to fit the Revell C6 engine in the engine bay of the C5 kit it's not worth it. The Revell C5 kit is still very easy to find and I suspect would be very cheap on one of the auction sites. As for converting the body and interior, if that is what you're getting at, it would be impossible. The C5 & C6 have very different bodies and interiors. rob

Built the Daytona several years ago and found it a bear. -The chassis wanted to sit to high making the car look like a 4x4. A big part of that problem turned out to be the windshield so I replaced it with thin material (report cover material as I recall). It helped but still not perfect. -For solid wheels the wheels fairly well replicate the wire wheels but the tires are too big. -Add a plastic filler strip between the front edge of the hood and the body, the gap is too wide. -Mufflers are the wrong shape and hang too low. I replaced much of the exhaust system with solder or stuff from the spares box. -Missing numerous side marker lights and back up lights -Bumpers protrude too far out. -Interior is basically Ferrari but the kit has the AMT flat panel doors so I created new arm rests plus did other detailing If you're willing to put up with the basic C3 Corvette chassis and the very basic C3 Vette engine and nearly bare engine compartment it will look okay after the rest of the work is done. (I just never open the hood) I haven't built the Testarossa coupe but did build the convertible and had fit problems between the chassis and the body. As I recall I ended up modifying or removing the firewall and things fit better but still not perfect. I was also left with a gap between the rocker panels and the body. I think the same problems will apply to the Monogram Testarossa coupe. Sorry, no photo site so I can't supply photos. rob

When Matchbox passed through multiple owners in the 80's some of their molds ended up in Russia. When Revell Germany bought Matchbox and tried to retrieve the missing molds they were told you can't have them back.

As a fan of both model and full sized Corvettes I've been spending the last few days going through this site. It is excellent with a huge amount of information. Mike has done a great job of gathering this data and putting together the site. It's worth visiting. rob

Rev/Mono Futurista show car Monogram Bugatti Type 35B (some of the other Mono classics series can still be found but haven't seen the Bugatti for a long time) The Gunze sports car collection; TR3A, Elan, XKE cv, & Bug Eye Sprite the Gunze double kit of the Mess KR200 & BMW Isetta AMT Sunbeam Alpine (I'd prefer the Get Smart one with the 4banger under the hood) Revell Smart car (would prefer a new mold but this will do) Man from Uncle car MPC Mako Shark II Now this is an eclectic mix and I wouldn't expect to see many of them ever show up again but one can always hope. rob

Would love to get one of these double decker buses when they come out but suspect that like the tour bus of a couple years back they're going to be very hard to find here in Canada.

Model Express and Strada Sports but I'll buy from others to get what I want.

Beautiful paint job and being from a Testors rattle can is almost a miracle.

A Communist rock crawler, clever idea that has been well executed.

The great job that you've done building yours makes me want to get a couple of them when the reissued kit comes out.

Very cool built and excellent execution. The Beer Wagon kit is one that seems to inspire a lot of creativity.

I look forward to seeing this built since I did the same thing about a year back. Instead of a custom I built mine as a stock factory convertible. My research indicated that a few conv may actually have been built by the factory and certainly the present Trabbi community in Europe have converted more to soft tops. When I was in East Germany in 1990 Trabants were everywhere, on the sides of roads with flat tires (explains why most coupes had a rack on the roof to carry a couple of tires), on the sides of the roads with the hood up, abandoned in back yards and on the streets and a few were even on the highways (appearing first as a cloud of thick black exhaust ahead of you). Considering how bad a car they were it's amazing why they've become a popular cult car in Europe today. rob

As an alternate to BMF try the shiny silver duct tape. This is the newer style tape that is used to seal joints in home hot air duct pipes, as opposed to the old cloth backed grey duct tape. Look for the cheapest roll you can find, ie Made in China, because it tends to be thinner then better quality tapes. While they are not as thin as BMF this stuff will work if you can't find the real BMF. You'll also find it stickier and tougher then the real stuff so expect to go through a few #11 blades when cutting it. And the best part it's cheap and a roll will last for years. rob

This has a little of everything, old and new. Being a Corvette buff I suspect that the '62 is the long promised plastic version of the diecast kit. That's not a bad thing since the diecast looked right. Until now the only '62 Vette has been the old and horrible AMT promo/kit or the expensive resin one. I'll be signing up for several. I wonder if the Grand Sport is a reboxing of the Accurate Miniatures kit since it's listed as 1/24 which is what the AC kit was. I'm also pleased to see that Revell are doing the Revell AG Audi Spyder. Revell AG do some unique kits but seem to be hard to find. 2012 should be a good year for modellers. rob

Keep at it, it can be done, but then the obsession becomes one of having one of every year built and on the shelf or having one of every Corvette model ever produces in the stash. I've achieved your quest but still working on the other two. rob

I believe that the old, but not bad Matchbox kit is still the only one produced of the Siskin. The Royal Canadian Air Forces first aerobatic team flew Siskins and the highlight of it's first year of performances in 1929 was a three plane display at the Cleveland Air Races. From what I've read about that performance their introduction to the crowd was a roof level fly over of the grandstand from behind. The team folded by 1932 partially due to several crashes.

I might have gone with a less heavy looking set of wheels but overall I love your idea and your execution. I especially like your c/f roof bow and form fitting engine cover. Good luck in any contests in the future, this model is a sure winner. rob

Tamiya Lacquer is my first choice every time. Out of the rattle can it produces a very clean spray but is also easy to decant and then can be used through the airbrush. Their Fine White Primer is also my first choice in that department. I'd like to try some of the specialty paints such as MCW etc but they can't be obtained in my part of Canada. Rob

The building of "Art Cars" comes to modelling. This could start a whole new category of car modelling. It's a shame to do this to a fairly rare kit like the Isetta, but then, better built then stuck away in the stash.

I bought their modern tour bus and in the end never built it but if I can get my hands on one of these I'll just have to empty a display shelf to justify a built but I can see myself slicing the top off.

A well done built of a simple but cool little kit. I wish that whole Gunze range of sports cars would come out again.

If you're close to the Canadian border or know someone coming here have them check out Canadian hobby shops. Not all shops carry the Tamiya spray line but those that do don't seem to be having the same problems as shops in the US. On a recent trip to several shops in my province I found full racks and even several cans of the elusive primers. Rob in Saskatchewan

Very nice to see one of these cars being built. I look forward to seeing it finished. I built one in yellow a yew years back and found another kit earlier this year to put away for a second build in the future. Sure wish Gunze would reissue all the kits in this series of English sports cars, except for the rubber like interiors they are quite accurate and a real blast to build. rob