Pete75

Great job. Really impressive chrome trim!

Thanks Helmut, and well spotted! Yes, you are quite correct: the plate was unused from the Tamiya Ferrari Testarossa kit! Before I fitted it, I checked to see what contemporary Italian plates look like and discovered that this style was discontinued in the 1980s. I decided that style should win over accuracy in this instance, however, because I didn't really like any of my other options... ?

Well, a small gap in proceedings! The shortish version is that I hit trouble soon after my last update: I burned through the clear coat with the micro mesh & it turns out that metallic/pearlescent colours are highly unforgiving in this scenario. I ended up doing a partial respray (over the top of the clear coat) utilising the fact that the Aventador has so many separate body panels to help mask off and blend the repair. Surprisingly, it kind-of came out ok (although I shudder to think how thick parts of the paintwork became), but soon after I got fed-up thinking about how far away I still was after so much work, so I and shelved the build. Since then, I've returned to it very occasionally, although I didn't have the spare optimism/energy to document anything - particularly when I had to learn to manufacture a replacement indicator glass! Anyway, unlikely as it has long seemed, I've finished the confounded thing and it is now under glass - link below: Finished gallery here

This has been on and off the bench for a couple of years. A couple of time consuming mishaps along the way, but I'm glad the ordeal is over! The colour is Tamiya Candy Lime Green. ?

Awesome build. Great work with the CF decal ?

Looking good!

Wow!? Will be following...

Yep, well done Kurt. The 007-style Thule box deserved to win on its own!?

Anthony, I've been meaning to ask for a couple of years and always forget: is illustration (and the others like it) your own work? I think it is/they are absolutely brilliant!?

Thanks Mike. Yep, I think imaginary tinting is definitely the best policy ?. I have the Tamiya smoke clear spray can, but my tests were unconvincing. No way I would risk it!

#5 Audi Quattro WRC 1981 The Italeri kit seemed a nice fit for my entry because, whilst I think Quattros are great, I’ve never been wild about the '81 Audi works livery. This was a good opportunity to ditch the decals, put my box stock builds aside, and dip my toes into the world of scratch-building. Rally cars are road legal by definition, so the exterior didn’t require that much thought to blend it into the highway. Instead, I concentrated on accentuating the racing credentials of the interior by customising and updating what is a fairly unelaborate stock kit. (I had originally intended to tint the glass to keep prying eyes out, but then I decided it would also be hiding hard work!) Exterior mods: - Stock gravel wheels replaced with Ronal tarmac alloys. - CB antenna made from guitar string & micro spring. - Photo-etch grill badge & door locks. - Re-sized front indicators & altered surrounding bodywork to improve accuracy. - Smoked rear lights… just because it looked cool! Underside mods: - Removed moulded exhaust system & replaced with scratch-built upgrade featuring steel exhaust tips. - Carbon-fibre prop shaft & Kevlar sump guard. Interior mods: - Rear roll cage (not featured in kit) built to match original rally car dimensions; ribbon/photo-etched harnesses. - Custom centre console under dashboard featuring CB radio and police scanner; tablet & GPS screens added to the dashboard; photo-etched dash toggle switches. - Re-shaped foot-wells for improved accuracy; SB pedal arms plus PE pedals and passenger footplate. - Also scratch-built: gear shifter & linkage; wiring loom & junction box; custom door levers & rally-style door pulls. - More carbon-fibre/Kevlar for a weight-saving. Thanks to Anthony for organising another great Cannonball! ?

Congratulations Anton! Looks great and I love the backdrop.? Been away since spring doing outdoors stuff. Now it's dark and cold again, it's time I had a look back to see what I've missed. Looks like a good number of finishers already, and best of luck to the last-minuters; you can do it!! ?

Holy reverse painting technique!! ?Great job ?

Well done - looks great!

Lovely work, as usual. Love that the kit has been with you for thirty-odd years!! That TS-94 looks great - it's become a definite favourite of mine ?

I reckon you'll have enough fuel for a chunk of the return journey!? Nice & glassy finish, Pat!

Great build! ?

? High tech development is the name of the game, for sure; it's amazing how quickly F1 innovations find their way into road cars nowadays. Re gears, I believe they are currently 8 speed semi-auto paddle shift with a two-stage finger operated clutch (for starting/stopping). ?

Super WIP & it's all looking great! What did you use for the carpet?

Difficult to disagree!

Looks like an Aoshima kit now! Except the doors shut better ??

Love how wide those wheels are! I see you're using Green Stuff; is that sandable?

Thank you sir - subscribed! ?

Congratulations Gareth. It's a pity we can't actually see your achievement here in Europe, but it's an honour nonetheless!

Yep - a pretty easy one from this side of the pond. This can be an Americans only round!??