Spottedlaurel

That looks great! Love the timeworn look to it. I spent much of yesterday (and Saturday) with a brush in my hand doing fiddly paintwork, unfortunately it was for the woodwork on the staircase so until last night I didn't get any time in on my CBR build. The interior is done and some of the cage has gone in (like others here I've trimmed it back for reasons of discretion and keeping it more usable as a road car). If I've got three evenings left to get it finished then I should be OK. I know the bodyshell drops onto the floorpan and interior OK so it least looks like a complete car. For my own checklist purposes, I think this is what I have left to do: 1. Paint black trim around glass, lights, on bumpers and rubbing strips. If need be I'll just do the glass and revisit the remainder later on. 2. Panel line wash. 3. Minor paintwork on interior and cage. Work out some seatbelt painting/decals. 4. Fit glass and interior side panels. 5. Open out centres of brake discs to fit them into the Aoshima wheels. Fit wheels, somehow getting the fronts to sit a touch further in. I've made this more complicated by going from male fitment wheels to female. 6. Finish painting and fit wipers and mirrors, find and apply some US plate decals. 7. Take photos and sit back.

It looks really good, your effort and struggles with it were worthwhile!

I hadn't intended being awake quite so early, but well before 6am I was up and working on my CBR project. Trying to make use of some quiet time before the rest of the family get up and I have to swap small tools and brushes for large ones to do some work on the house. Cage trial fitment, I had to cut some notches in the bottom of the dashboard. The rear members wil need shortening if I fit the rear seat. Before getting too much further thought I should see how it all fits together. This is with the glass and interios side panels installed, so all the likely culprits to cause a problem - I've built kits where everything from the same box doesn't work, but I'm pleased with how this is going. The bodyshell just drops on with no fouling. Now I'm looking at it sat next to me on the desk it almost looks too subtle, but I guess that's the point!

An ideal Christmas gift?......

Thanks Anthony! Now I know Snake is only just putting a first coat of paint on his I don't feel so bad ?

I've got back into my CBR build again now: I'm pleased with how the headlights against the chrome backing panel - no need for BMF or silver paint here. The rear lights have a similar arrangement. Radiator, intercooler and other bits and bobs painted. Main work has been on the interior, which uses the base of the Skyline racer's tub with the side panels removed and LHD 180SX dashboard (to make the most of overtaking opportunities). I'll keep the original Leopard interior side panels and rear seat, to keep it civilized. I may try and find some different front seats, I really need a pair of proper buckets I don't yet know how much of the Skyline's rollcage will be used, I'll see how it fits inside the different roofline. If nothing else some trimming will be required due to the rear seat. The brakes from a Nismo tuner version of the R32 were much bigger than those which came with the original racecar, so I've pinched those (along with the strut brace, intercooler, turbo and exhaust system). With the wheels from yet another kit I'm now up to parts from five different sources. Biggest job to do is painting all the black trim on the bodywork - it's around all of the glass, on the front and rear bumpers, bonnet edge, side rubbing strips etc. I need to make use of daylight over the weekend to get that done. At least there's no black painting required on the inside of the glass, my least favourite job of all.

For anyone in East Anglia, or holidaying on the Suffolk/Norfolk coast, it's worth a trip to Hannants' main warehouse in Lowestoft. Even though it's primarily for online and wholesale business Joe Public can turn up and wander around, selecting from big piles of kits on the warehouse shelves. I've been there several times over the years. Retail prices are no different to what they publish online, but there's a plenty to choose from. Now I look at their website I see they have a Hasegawa Toyota Starlet kit on special offer....... I'm lucky in that I also have a couple of decent independent shops fairly local to me. Even if I don't get so many kits from them now they're still handy for tools and paints. One has opened-up a separate shop selling secondhand kits and diecasts too. Inevitably there are other shops I can think of that have closed down, I still have unbuilt kits from them after 25-30 years. As I have a particular fondness for 1:1 Japanese cars then the range of cars and accessories available from online retailers like Kent Models and Hiroboy is perfect - I try not to look too often! Modelsforsale are also good too. Otherwise it's eBay, where there's no way of knowing what will pop up. For building, where it doesn't matter if the box is tatty or even if the kit has been started, there's still a fair choice at reasonable price on there.

Anton, I may be able to help you with any missing/broken or alternative road car parts you require. I had a duplicate road car kit and I've used the bodyshell from it to reshell my original build, and I sold the engine to someone else, but I have the floorpan, suspension and interior all available and of limited use to me.

That's at least three of us from 1970 ? The Galaxie idea sounds great!

Here are my renditions of them: Low parts count but the shape looked good to me. The 280Z road car, complete with the Roadster that ended up fitted with its wheels. As took the bumpers off it highlighted the rather square rear end, so I did a bit of surgery there. The little Datsun Truck that ended up with the 280Z racer's wheels. Even out of all my Japanese accessory set wheels and tyres I couldn't have chosen anything better for it.

I managed to get one of these recently. I haven't yet had a really thorough look, but the delicacy of some pieces and the level of detail is amazing to me. I hope I can do it justice, it certainly doesn't look like one to bash out over a weekend or two or a few evenings. It certainly appears that all sorts of versions could be spun-off from it, like Hasegawa with their recent releases.

Fascinating to read more about these kits and to see the catalogue scans, plus great to see some built-up examples. So good to hear Bob's view from the inside on them. I built the yellow TR7 road car as a youngster, sadly only the wheels/tyres and instruction sheet appear to have survived. I do have a plan for the wheels and I'd love to get hold of another one of this kit someday. In more recent years I've picked up the 308 (actually the Revell reissue) plus road and race versions of the 280Z. The Ferrari built-up nicely with lowered 'suspension' and staggered wheels and tyres from Tamiya/Fujimi kits. I had a lot of fun with the road 280Z, adding arch flares, wide Fujimi wheels and making a few minor mod's. It's amusing to compare it to Tamiya's newly-tooled 240ZG kit, yet it still does a great job of capturing the essence of the 1:1. I'm looking forward to building the other one at some point. The wheels on both Zs are really nice. I used the road car's slot mags on a Datsun Fairlady Roadster, and the racer's 4-spokes on a Datsun 1200 truck. In both cases I think I used the Monogram tyres too, they look just right on smaller 1:24 cars.

Very nice Sonny! Well done for staying focused and keeping it simple, the end result looks really classy.

Managed to get a bit of time in on mine tonight: I'm going to be up against it, but I need to finish the interior, paint and assemble the rollcage, detail the bodyshell, fit an exhaust, radiator, intercooler and strut brace, and detail and mount the wheels and brakes. Getting a few big, simple things done tonight was useful, with a bit of luck I hope to make it.....

I might not have done much on one of my WIPs tonight, but the fact I did something is a major accomplishment. It must be at least three months since I last managed to do anything due to a house move in September, but over the last few days I've managed to get a display cabinet up on the wall, stock it with the built kits and at last get the tools, brushes and materials out: It needs a good sort-out, some extra shelves and better lighting, but being able to build in the house with the PC next to me is a major step forwards after years of being in a shed at the bottom of the garden.

That's the one. I'm saying this from memory as it's been a while since I opened up the box - it's a great kit but I think the bottom of the engine and gearbox is moulded into the chassis/floorpan. That's why I'm looking at a complete engine/chassis swap and not just using the motor alone. It would give the recipent car better suspension and brakes, so there is a benefit. I think the wheelbase on the Monogram '79 Pace Car is similar.

Very nicely done, and the photos show it off perfectly.

What a charming little thing, really puts it into perspective when considering it's smaller than a typical HW/Matchbox diecast.

Excellent work Gareth! Great to see it finished and looking this good. The subject appeals to me, but I don't think I'd have the patience or skills to achieve such a good result.

Looks like a great start, with your thoughtful, considered approach to the conversion (helped by your 1:1 knowledge). I look forward to seeing it progress. I have a Tamiya Cobra Mustang and on several occasions I've looked at how the engine and chassis would fit under an '80s Monogram Mustang or Thunderbird. It probably wouldn't be very authentic, but it's one that I'd like to have a crack at someday.

Looking really good Gareth. Fancy challengingyourself with another pinto? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255241582167

If I can get another couple of current WIPs off the bench in the next 2-3 weeks then I'll be up for joining in. With the Christmas holiday coming up I should be able to get some decent time on it. Question is, do I keep it simple by going for one of several Tamiya Hondas I built back in the '80s, probably over the course of a weekend complete with Humbrol brush-painted bodywork, or challenge myself a bit more with a NASCAR Regal? Only just remembered I have another issue of the latter, and it certainly feels like one that I have unfinished business with.

A couple of recent cheapies picked up off eBay: Having built Monogram's '55 and '57 versions it felt like I needed a '56 to complete the set. No fixed plans yet, maybe subtle lowrider style. I'm happy to add those wheels to the stash. Seems like this is an older release. The Beatties cement that was in the box may help date it? I still have the brush-painted 7 that I built back in the '80s, but in need of refurbishment and reassembly. My thought is to cannibalise this new one for any replacement parts, then build a modified version out of the remains, maybe a fast road version or something silly like crossing it with an Ice T or dragster chassis.......

I cobbled this one together some years (well,decades) ago:

I look forward to seeing them progress. Sadly the AMT Toyota isn't common here in the UK, but I have a couple of issues of the Datsun (different to yours).