Spottedlaurel

May be a simple kit but you've done a very nice job with it.

Nice one, I really like the period street machine look you've given it.

Very nicely done, excellent paintwork and detailing.

You guys are putting me shame, some great progress and ideas to be seen and another fantastic completion. Haven't touched mine for a few weeks now, but with a couple of simpler builds finished off I have no excuse........

Thanks all! I reckon there must have been one in every town back in the day! I remember a similar example in Ipswich in the '90s, by that time out of use and looking like it had been painted-up like that for a good few years. Looks like the days of picking up a nice example for £1,500 have long gone.......

Nice job there, and interesting to see one of these Arii kits built. Never knew about this Z28-E version. I got a brochure on the 1:1 from a UK dealer about 1982-83, I wonder if that was what we got here?

Stunning! The paintwork is amazing, you must be very pleased with how this turned out.

Thanks everyone! I agree, such a great look to them. It was good that Toyota gave their midsize coupe unique styling rather than just being a version of their family saloon/estate.

1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Latest completion, a nicely detailed curbside kit of a 1970s Japanese classic built in my favoured style with clean, straight bodywork, lowered and sitting on period wheels. WIP thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/159560-1970-72-toyota-celica-1600-gt-by-hasegawa/ 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Painted with Halfords Citroen Mediterranean Blue from a can along with their grey primer and clearcoat. Seemed fairly close to a light metallic blue offered by Toyota at the time. It polished up well and had a good scale to the flake. Has a bit of a flip to the colour, going from silver to gold to a brighter blue depending on the light. Technoracing TV-R narrow* accessory wheel set by Fujimi, with gunmetal painted centres. (*Not actually that narrow, more on that in a moment.) Fujimi accessory tailpipe and the kit's road parts fitted, with the arches and race components kept back for another project. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The rear wheels are quite wide, I could really have done with them matching the fronts. I had to cut out the rear inner arches and some of the floorpan. Maybe the standard 1600 twin-cam has been replaced by something a bit more potent?...... 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The Hasegawa kit is probably better than the Aoshima offering for building as a road car as it has delicately moulded, plated bonnet vents, rear cabin vents, door handles etc. I cut out the side glass to accentuate the pillarless look. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I lowered it by around 2-3 scale inches. At the front I moved the stub axle up the strut, the rear was done by chopping the coils. As usual I spent quite a bit of time on this stage. As reported in the WIP thread, I managed to snap the front bodywork then the bumper on two separate occasions. I couldn't face stripping and repainting the bodywork and I don't have Alclad or anything for the chromework so they were simply glued together at the mercifully clean breaks. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Interior painted-up to replicate the sea of black vinyl and nylon with a bit of 'wood' trim that it would have had when new. Unfortunately some of the dashboard decals broke-up, but I managed to salvage the main ones. As ever, there are a few things that didn't quite work out and I would do differently if building one again, but on balance I'm pleased with how it turned out. Thanks for looking.

Nicely done! How does the V10 fit? I've got a Viper waiting to donate its engine to something else at some point - is it much bigger than a typical V8?

Thanks everyone! I can't take any credit for the the flat/semi-gloss clear on plated parts, that was a tip I picked up on here last year - perhaps from Dennis Lacy? Try it on a bit of sprue first, but it's remarkable how it changes the appearance from the OTT chromed look to something more realistic without the hassle of stripping and repainting. The Tamiya spray cans I use seem to go on nice and even in thin coats without building up in corners (something I struggle with when using their Smoke spray). I deliberately kept some of the parts shiny, as I thought a proud owner might like to have a bit of bling under the bonnet, even if it wasn't like that from the factory.

Not a saying I've heard before! As someone who doesn't see 1:1 Camaros or Firebirds on a regular basis I think what you've done so far looks really good. You've put some time and effort into it, going curbside sounds like an entirely sensible suggestion so you don't beat yourself up on authenticity and take the fun out of it.

I like the concept and the start you've made on it. Looks like just the sort of car and colour that would be seen in the background of any 1970s US detective show.

Looks like the original builder has given you a great starting point, look forward to seeing it progress.

Thanks for the interest and kind words everyone! I haven't seen that particular one, cool! I do have 'hot rod' versions of a couple of other Japanese kits along similar lines. Thank you Steve. Shame you're finding the wheels difficult to find, I was lucky in that I bought a few accessory sets 10-15 years ago and I've been able to keep 'topping-up' my stock of them since then. Also I can swap wheels around between kits, especially when they come with an optional set. Sometimes I'll buy a particular issue of a kit because of what wheels it comes with (the Japanese sites that show the box contents are great for checking that). I finished it last night, subject to some possible tweaks when I see it in the cold light of day. Better photos to come when the sun shines and I can get some outside shots, then I'll add it to the Under Glass section, but for now...... 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I found a large bore exhaust tailpipe in a Fujimi accessory set that looked more purposeful than the original. I need to see if I can find larger registration plate decals, those I wanted to use broke-up and it was getting late. There are some details I'd do slightly differently if I built it again, but the automotive paint I used worked out well and overall I'm pleased with how it came out.

That's fantastic! If I think of what a T rod should look like you've captured it perfectly. Love the green paint and how you've carried it through onto the engine and running gear detailing.

Thanks everyone! I'm not entirely sure where the beige paint idea came from - although it's close to Capri Cream that's not a colour I knew about beforehand, and the 1:1 Impala I saw was white. I think it was just the ability for the beige to give it the sleeper look. I'm really pleased I found these Keystones, just wish I had another set or two!

Thank you Steve. Funny thing about the stance is that I actually had to raise the rear up a touch since I took those photos in my last post - it looked like it was dropping slighty at the back end, and the wheels were just a bit too tight in the arches. I'd very much like to build my next Celica as an early '80s street machine, jacked-up at the back with slotmags, sidepipes and perhaps a small block Chevy under the bonnet? Must finish this one first, and I shold be on course for that over the Easter weekend........ Having already broken the front part of the bodyshell I then managed to snap the front bumper in half. Maybe it was the plating process, but the chrome sprue did seem to be unusually brittle. It's a clean break, I'm just going to carefully glue it back together (and the front plate will hide some if the join). 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I've been chipping away at the foilwork. In the week I decided that to accentuate the pillarless coupe styling I needed to open-up the side windows. All of the glass was a one-piece moulding, so that meant some careful and nerve-wracking cutting without wanting to break something else on this nice kit. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Pretty much everything prepped and painted for final assembly. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr First look at it on the finalised suspension height. 1:24 Hasegawa Toyota Celica 1600 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I managed to glue in the broken piece of front valance . Also started to add the nicely-moulded brightwork which have really started to bring it together. I'm pleased with how it's going, musn't rush this final stage and break anything else.........

Nice one Gareth. You certainly got a great shine on the paintwork.

Go for it! I joined my first one last one summer and I've since managed to get something completed in all three rounds since then. All of them were started back in the 1990s, long overdue........ I'm going to have to skip at least the next round as I've run out of longstanding WIPs. Hopefully enough people sign up, I'll keep dropping by to see progress.

Thanks David, I hope you didn't mind me dropping a couple of photos of mine here. My version was pretty crude, much of the work was done in the '90s and it was only when I got replacement glass last year that I was able to get on with it again. For the interior I simply choppd the back off and replaced it with a piece of varnished plywood. I glued it in place at the line formed by the underside of the windows. As much as anything, I added the roof rack to break up the big expanse of plain black bodywork complete with my less-than-perfect filling. Also it was an enjoyable little exercise to see if I could scratchbuild something and make it look vaguely realistic. I'm in the happy position of not having had to attend too many funerals so it's not something I've sen in person, but occasionally the rack is used for flowers (we don't tend to have separate flower cars here). I also wonder if it's to add an extra air of formality? Seems to have been a feature on old and newer hearses: Humber Hearse by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Ford Granada Mk2 Hearse (Duffy?) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1996 Vauxhall Omega Hearse, P34MLA by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Some of the really swoopy modern ones I looked at when I did a search seem to be doing without it.

Nice work Snake! Glad you got the push you needed to get it finished. How strange to come on an American forum and see a photo posted by someone from NZ of a car that was built and is run by a local garage that I take my Datsuns to! I haven't see it running on the track but it's always a treat to see it (or their other toys) when I take my cars their for work. I'll have to mention that it's been of inspiration to you.

Great to see some more projects making their way to the finish line!

Great to see this thread David. I like what you've done so far, good luck with getting it finished this time around. It took me over 25 years between starting and finishing my Ecto-1A to hearse conversion, and mine was nowhere near as thorough as yours! I kept mine super-simple by using the original chassis, front seats, bumpers etc as I didn't have the Monogram donor, and I started it in pre-internet days so had very limited reference. I built mine with rear side windows, as that's how hearses tend to be here. 1:25 AMT 1959 Cadillac Hearse kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:25 AMT 1959 Cadillac Hearse kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr The racks inside and out were made from brass rod and boat fittings. I look forward to seeing yours progress.

Looks really good Pete! The extra detailing and scratchbuilding really makes it. Do like the deeper dished alloys too.