Spottedlaurel

Wish I could pick one up for that sort of price here!

That looks perfect! Love the TV/audio set-up.

Very clean, looks really good.

Indeed. In my younger days I'd have lived with it, but for the sake of one or two more trial fits and a little bit of shaving it's worthwhile. And it was in this case. Thanks Gareth. Ended up doing some 1:1 filling and painting inside the house yesterday, so not as much time spent on the various kit projects in the shed as I hoped, but this one progressed nicely. This will probably be its last WIP update: 1:25 Monogram Maserati 3500GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Random V8 about as detailed as it's ever going to be. I still haven't worked out what it's from. For some reason one of the rocker covers is on back to front, which dates back to whever I first built it, but as yet it's resisting attempts to cleanly remove it. At this point I was looking at using the original propshaft, but it was too short so I ended up using a bit of rod found in the parts box. It's not particuarly visible anyway, in fact if I can't work out the exhaust system the underside may stay firmly near the ground and not be viewed again...... 1:25 Monogram Maserati 3500GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:25 Monogram Maserati 3500GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:25 Monogram Maserati 3500GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I couldn't resist getting the lights fitted, even though the bodyshell is going to have to come off again - it wasn't until yesterday that I realised I had cut away the rear inner arches, presumably I did that to fit the bigger wheels and tyres. The fun of a long-term WIP! They're not particularly visible, so I'll fabricate something out of some thin sheet. I also need to fit the rear valance (that attaches after the chassis and bodyshell are put together) and do a little bit more shaving off the wheel backs to get them tucked under the arches nicely. I kind of wish I hadn't put it onto the Corvette chassis, as now it looks way too high! When I started this I didnt spend as time working on how a car sits, I just trusted the original set-up to work out. Then again, would they have done much different in the '70s when my back story takes place?......

That's coming together very nicely.

Excellent work so far, I look forward to seeing it progress. This sort of attention to detail might have helped me to ensure the early one I first built in the '90s, and rebuilt just recently, would have gone together better.......

More good progress. What do you use to cut those shapes?

Is the Revell version good? I have several other Zs by makers, but not one of those. Wheels look good.

It sits a bit higher now it's back on the original chassis and tall Monogram Good year tyres. If I was starting it again now I'd pay more attention to that. Parcel shelf relocation has worked, it's now sitting lower at the back but I can still feel something fouling, so next up is a bit of trimming of the rear seat corners.......

What a selection! All very nicely done, some great colour combinations and wheel choices. I particularly like the brown and beige on the Monte Carlo, very much of its time ? We had Fords here in the UK that used a similar combination in the late '70s.

Thanks Dann! I had a good session on this yesterday, the elephant in the room for me was getting the glass fitted - I kept fiddling with other things, but reached the point that to move it forwards I had to somehow get the front and rear screens into place. 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr It was a busy and messy session on the bench yesterday, with things also being done to the Corvette (and progress also made on three other kits). What that meant was I could dry-fit the screens into place, get some PVA glue wherever there was some contact and then forget about it for a while until the PVA had fully dried. It's worked about as well as I can manage, the tricky thing was that that both screens were barely deep enough so it was all too easy to end up with a gap at the top or the bottom. 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Finished dashboard. Decals cracked and weren't easy to apply, but they look OK now they're in place. 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr First trial fit with the glass and interior installed - more work required! Front end fine, but it looks like I fitted the parcel shelf to high on the back of the rear seats. I've since lowered it, so hopefully that'll now be OK. The dashboard fits in a rather approximate way, with no positive means of attachment. I'm going to have to fix some tabs or a bar across the back of it, otherwise it wants to drop down. The doors don't open by any meaningful amount, in hindsight it would have been better to scrap the plastic attachment pieces and replace them with bent wire. At this point I got curious, with the Corvette's chassis sitting next to it on the bench - can you see where this is heading? 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Monogram Maserati 3500 GT kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Who knew a Corvette C2 chassis and LT5 engine would fit so well under a Maserati?! If I was doing this for real I'd need to get the wheels in a bit more (or flare the arches/fit narrower rubber) but the width and wheelbase were very close. If I was to start such a project this again I think I'd use the C2/C3 chassis, but having already invested 25+ years in getting this far I musn't distract myself.....

Thanks Randy. Would love to see a shot of yours if you manage to locate it. Cragars, as Randy mentions. An odd wheel to find in a 1980s Japanese car kit, but they are really nice with a lot of depth to them. Thanks Glenn. As previously mentioned, I think the stance is just down to the tyres being a lower profile, the ride height is untouched from when my friend first started building it - I just hope that when the glass, interior, splashguards etc are in place it doesn't lift it back up again. While the repainted wing is drying out I made a bit more progress on the engine: 1:24 Monogram 1965 Corvette kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Comparison with what might have been its original unit (it's what I'm fitting into the Maserati). The LT5 is a big old thing! What I didn't realise is that there is some local interest in this for me. I believe the ZR-1 and LT5 engine were developed in conjunction with Lotus, who aren't very far from where I live. I vaguely remembered their link with GM at the time. 1:24 Monogram 1965 Corvette kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr 1:24 Monogram 1965 Corvette kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Quick trial fitment, so some bits aren't quite straight or need rectification. I shortened the air cleaner, now I have to fit a radiator in the gap between it and the front of the engine. 1:24 Monogram 1965 Corvette kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr This is the set-up that came with the '92. I've cut the stepped plastic off to leave just the radiator top and I'll see if there's room for it when assembled, if not I'll cut down the original unit and mount the electric fans onto that.

That looks pretty decent for a freebie. Strange that what looks like a good job was done on the body, yet the glass got painted out.

I have both version of the Datsun Z, indeed I have that very yellow one as that's my photo that looks like it arrived on here before me ? Here's the road car: Monogram 1:24 Datsun 280Z (S30) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I built the TR7 when I was young, maybe 11-12, but sadly all that survives of that one are the wheels and tyres and the instruction sheet. Would like to get another someday, but I've always been outbid. I started a Revell issue Ferrari 308 for a build-off on another forum back in 2008, but still haven't finished it. I think something is preventing the bodyshell, glass and chassis fitting together nicely, if I can work that out then I'll complete it. Maybe one for my holiday period, or a future B.O.Y.D. entry? The wheels and tyres with the Datsuns and TR7 are pretty nice - I have something in mind for those off the TR7, the Z Road Racer donated its set to my recently-built Nissan Sunny truck, and the slotmags on the red Z are fitted on the Datsun Roadster which I'm currently progressing. I found this thread by chance when I was pondering a quick holiday build of the yellow Z, started it last night.....

It looks really good Gareth, very nice work.

That looks great, I love the colour in the sunshine. Very nice interior too.

Good progress there, shame about the bonnet - had it been painted previously? I'm just about the start building a Z and it takes a little bit of inspiration from the story of your dad's 1:1.

I'm guessing you know Mike (Trigger) with the blue 1.3 estate? My grandad went through four Marinas on the trot in the '70s, all bought brand new, so I was quite familiar with them in my childhood days. I wouldn't rush to have one myself, but I'm pleased to see them in use, at shows etc. Some other great stuff from everyone else!

Who's selling that in the UK? Certainly one I'd like to add to the stash.

This one arrived in the post yesterday: 1:24 Tamiya Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr I enjoyed building the standard GT-R some years ago, this one is essentially the same but with some nice extra pieces. When I saw it come up at £20 Buy It Now including postage I couldn't resist, it had a price sticker for £24.99 from a shop. I do have a couple of other versions, but it's always good to have options to build it another way (and/or maybe use the engine in something else).

The chassis still looks really fresh, a testament to the original build there. It's going to look great with the new decals and paintwork.

A lot of thought and work has clearly gone into that, with excellent results.

Looks fantastic, but a shame about the wheel/tyre issue - could you swap something else onto it? I think the same when I see a photo of an early '60s American car park and see them full of things like this - it barely seems possible they were designed as everyday transport. Imagine what they would have looked like on the streets of early '60s Britain!.....

Very atmospheric, it really brings the very well-built and weathered car to life. The tidy engine under the bonnet suggests it could surprise people....

Will the seats then fit OK? Aside from continuing progress on the Maserati and Corvette, both of which have their own WIP threads, I got the Datsun Roadster back to where it was 10 years ago. Then: Fujimi 1:24 Nissan Fairlady Roadster by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr And now: 1:24 Fujimi Datsun Fairlady Roadster kit by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr As reported previously, it got to the point of being almost finished with BMF applied, then ended up on the floor. Local repairs didn't work, so it got stripped and luckily I found a pretty close match in the local car parts shop. It matches the original more closely than these photos suggest, which is good as the floorpan and underbonnet areas were all painted body colour. It appears that I've applied it more thinly this time, as the badging looks a bit crisper so it should be an easier job to detail (but then my eyesight is 10 years worse). Wet sand and final coat or two to go, then I can finish it up along with few others during my forthcoming holiday.