Matt Bacon

I've done a lot of "carbon" lately... It's all the usual Zero Paints Graphite Grey sprayed through a fabric mesh mask and Kleared. So much easier than chopping up decal, even if it isn't as accurate.... The doors have "carbon" in the front corners if you look hard, and the two sides of the "bridge" are the same. It's hard to photograph! Seats with belts and "sockets" added (what ARE those things called???). Transmission tunnel insulation is cigarette packet foil... useful stuff! And now you CAN see the carbon effect on the "bridge". You can see why I think the key to realistic interiors is to use a lot of different finishes and colours to reproduce different materials. Tamiya would have you do the whole thing in semi-gloss black and German grey... It's starting to come together now, even if it doesn't look that way! Tomorrow I want to finish the LFA interior and make good progress with the 507 chassis... bestest, M.

I don't build Detroit Iron, so for me it's Tamiya, Hasegawa, Aoshima and Fujimi, with Revell (Germany) hot on their heels. Every company has "misses" as well as "hits," especially among their older tools. But the Tamiya LFA I'm currently building, and the Aston Martin DBS I built a couple of years ago, are hands down the best model car kits I've ever built. The shapes and detail are spot on, the engineering is thoughtful and the fit is perfect... bestest, M.

Model for me. The shut lines don't look crisp enough for the real thing. I reckon it's a die-cast, but a large scale one... bestest, M.

Thanks, Atin... a bit more assembly tonight: The piping on the seats could be neater, but it'll be under the hardtop... Work on the LFA interior is now under way in earnest. bestest, M.

Thanks, Bruce! It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks, but I've got back to the bench now... The dash for the 507 -- a bit of detail painting and the Revell decals for the instruments and radio, and I think it looks pretty convincing. More great kit design and engineering from Tamiya. The front suspension looks the part, but only has about 6 of them -- parts, that is... ..which means that I can officially declare the LFA powertrain *FINISHED* ...and this is where we are this evening... bestest, M.

If they've got any sense, they'll take a lightweight kid (5'8" and 120lbs) who's learned to drive every course backwards, sideways and straight ahead in Gran Turismo or Forza... There's some serious talent brewing there... And it's not quite the money pit you guys are describing -- sure it costs a lot to run, but the potential sponsorship income/value is there too. The playing field is meant to be a bit more level now as well (who knows if it really is...?) so the "smaller" teams can still run a challenge to the big guys, unlike the days of Jordan and Arrows versus Ferrari and McLaren and Williams-Renault. And SURELY the poison dwarf Ecclestone has got to go soon? F1 will implode when he does, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh? And F1 without him will be something better than the billion dollar circus that it is now... bestest, M.

It's been a very busy couple of weeks with relatively little bench time, and what I have had has mainly been devoted to progressing lots of individual pieces that need painting, but aren't very photogenic! Anyway, there's finally some progress to report... Once again, mocked up for test fit, and I think it's heading in the right direction. It'll be critical to set the windscreen just right at the correct angle, and get the hardtop to settle down properly, but at least I'm now convinced it will all fit together! The engine is now sitting in the floorpan, and as shown above, it does all fit nicely into the body with a satisfying click... The engineering on the LFA is just incredible. There aren't that many parts (and they often need painting four different colours because one moulding has several different components depicted). But they are literally a press fit in many places, with just a touch of thin superglue to hold them in place permanently. Awesome! Should get some more done tomorrow -- the interiors are being painted, bit by bit... bestest, M.

This site: http://www.licenseplates.tv/european-plates.html Lets you type in any letters that you want, and generates a picture of the resulting plate, with the right layout and fonts, for pretty much any country. If you copy the image and print it out at 400dpi, it's the right size for a 1/24 plate... bestest, M.

I'd add to what Harry has said -- vary the shades slightly as well. Keep the things that are the same material the same shade, but give some slight variation between leather and plastic or painted metal. It would probably have been thrown out by the quality inspectors at the time, but in a model, it just adds to the impression that the interior isn't one kind of plastic in one colour = "toy". I must have eight different kinds of black, from "German Grey" to "Charadon Granite" to "Rubber Black" to "NATO Black" to paint modern cars' black interiors in everything from aniline leather to alcantara, via piano black and carbon fibre... bestest, M.

Thanks, Gary... That's the BMW engine finished... The LFA power train is fantastically detailed, but in relatively few parts. The carbon torque tube is painted with Tamiya semi-gloss black. gently buffed with graphite powder. Close-up compare and contrast... bestest, M.

It was pretty controversial styling in its day (there were Austin and Morris versions as well, before all the different names and badges were replace by "Princess" in 1976) -- even a ten year old noticed the fuss! Interestingly, but maybe not surprisingly, there are only two of these registered in Britain today, whereas there are about 90 of the car it "replaced", the Wolseley Six... bestest, M.

Not to be a pain, but are you sure it's a coupe? The current RoG box shows the car in black, with a metal factory hardtop, but it's not a fixed-head coupe. It's still the 1/25 kit originally tooled by Revell (GB) back in the early 60s... bestest, M.

Oh, I'll be watching this one closely. I have one of these in the stash, and I'd really like to know how to put it together. Some of the parts and instructions have me scratching my head! Good luck! bestest, M.

Even I get it, and I'm in the UK (actually, I don't know how they do it -- 12 months subscription with international postage still works out at less than £2 an issue, when Octane is nearly £5). It is great, and the articles are fun reads as well as having great pictures. The last issue conveniently had a Toyota 2000GT in, just as I was building one... bestest, M. edit: Actually, it's Hemmings Sports & Exotics that I get, and one's just arrived!

Thanks, guys... The BMW engine is now wired (for ignition at least). I drilled out the core of the distributor and cut a Postbox-like slot across it at the back (the wires really do emerge in a line from the side, not the top). That gave me something to stuff the ends of the wires into. The Lexus engine is bigger, but not as much as you might think... The transmission is under construction as well. The 507's seats have distinctive "rollovers" at the top -- or at least they do in all the pictures i can find. Some sprue gives a starting point... bestest, M.

These are the LFA wheels. They're supposed to be "Smoked Chrome", so I sprayed them with Humbrol Metalcote Steel (which has a superb shiny metal finish when buffed) and then hit them with a thin layer of Tamiya Smoke. I thought that any brighter chrome finish would have to be smothered in smoke to be dark enough, whereas the steel is pretty grey out of the can. The "gutter" on the 507 hardtop is made from solder. It's the most tractable material, I reckon. But to get the "square" section, I rolled it on a tile to flatten it somewhat. And this is what it looks like in place. There'll be a bit of sanding to get a smooth surface, then primer over everything. Ultimately, I'll BMF it when the hardtop is silver again! The 507 engine is progressing off screen... bestest, M.

The paint is on the body now, and the interior started with "carpet" applied using Plastikote Velvet. For once, I'm keeping it he colour it comes out of the can, more or less.. Test fit of the top shows that it will fit nicely -- but also that it's too "beetle-browed", bulged up at the front. So it's out with the sanding sticks again. The body is going into the airing cupboard in a plastic box for a couple of weeks now. It feels a bit one step forward and two back, but the real thing is quite elegant, and my version... wasn't. I'm happy with these now. The sharp eyed will spot in this photo that the "verticals" are in front of the horizontals on one side and behind on the other. I didn't figure on the "handedness" meaning that I'd have to use the front and back of the sprue grille I'd made -- I though I'd just turn them at 180 degrees to each other. However, they're teeny-tiny in real life, and I don't think that it'll be too obvious when the thing is together. I've achieved what I wanted, though -- you can see through them! And just to prove that the LFA is also under way... It's so crisply moulded and the fit is perfect: you could slot the engine together without glue if you wanted to! bestest, M.

Thanks, guys. Life and work have rather got in the way of modelling over the last couple of weeks, but I'm back on the go again now. The hardtop has had rather a lot of iterations to get to this state: I now need to think about glazing and how to reproduce various bits of chrome trim (there's a very visible "gutter" over the door and side windows...) I also want to have proper grilles at the front, with a "see-through" effect, rather than just painting the solid parts black. This took some figuring out how to do... I sanded from the back until the moulded grille would just pop out. A quick trial suggests that it will work, more or less... (there aren't enough grille elements on the moulded parts -- they should have seven horizontal bars). I'm trying to decide whether to lose the chrome and spray the whole thing chrome silver when assembled instead... bestest, M.

Two very different cars, but inspired by the Japanese sports car duo. Both the 240ZG and the 2000GT were designed by the same guy, Count Albrecht Goertz. The 507 was also a Goertz design (probably his best -- it's undeniably one of the best looking cars ever built. So good-looking in fact that apparently BMW pulled an advertising campaign for the Z8 which paired it with the 507, because the older car made then new one look like a bit of a dog). And the LFA is, like the 2000GT, a collaboration between Toyota and Yamaha, which builds the engine... The 507 is an older Revell kit, dating back to the 90s, but looks nicely detailed in the box. The LFA is Tamiya's uber-kit, probably the best they've done (at least until the LaFerrari appeared) First job on the LFA is paint -- colour matched Zero Paints Pearl Blue (don't let the web site fool you, Steve DOES have it made up). It's a three layer colour. Silverish base coat Translucent, slightly pearlised top coat 2-pack clear coat. The 507 is going to be built as John Surtees car, which is fitted with a factory hard top. Since the Revell kit comes with a removable ragtop, that seems like the best place to start... That's all for a while, since I'll be away from the bench this week. bestest, M.

Nope, Sir Stirling Moss is (was) the best in the world. Anyone who can win at Le Mans, win the Coupe d'Or three times in the Alpine Rally and come second in the Monte Carlo, win the Mille Miglia, and miss out on the Formula One World Championship by a point handed over in a sportsmanlike gesture, is the "Complete Driver". The closest anyone's come to that today is Seb Loeb, with any number of WRC championships and several Le Mans wins to his name. There's no point in comparing different driving disciplines and trying to claim one that makes THOSE drivers "the best in the world". The best drivers are the guys who get the best out of the car they're in, on the circuit/course that they are driving, in the competition that they're trying to win, against the conditions that they are driving in on the day... and they do it every time, no matter what "discipline" they are competing in. Those guys are few and far between, but they should be celebrated any time we find one (Moss, (Phil) Hill, (Graham) Hill, Donahue, Lauda, Loeb...) bestest, M,

That looks absolutely spectacular. I'm in awe of the wire wheels, especially. It is a great kit, isn't it? Also, seeing this makes me think I know where Albrecht Goertz got the proportions of the 240ZG from! bestest, M.

Thanks, guys! Gary -- that is a shame! I suspect the race version has the parts for the street version as well -- there are certainly a few marked "not for use" in my street version. There's also a "super detail" version with full engine -- and you should REALLY kick yourself if it was one of those you passed up for a tenner! ;-P bestest, M.

They may both be curbside, but I think these are fantastic kits by Hasegawa. I've previously built the Miura and the 250 Testa Rossa, and these two models have just confirmed Hasegawa's position as my personal #1 maker for car kits. They are precise fitting, well-engineered (not overcomplicated but as detailed as is needed, wherever it's needed), and really look like their full-size prototypes. Highly recommended. Build thread is here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85404 bestest, M.

...and finally, compare and contrast: bestest, M.

Sorry... they're both the Hasegawa kits... ...and now the 240ZG It's not as beautiful a car as the 2000GT, but I like its style and even the colour. That front overhang is a bit much, but it does lend it a real "shark-like" look. Still, I wouldn't say no if I found one for sale! (and I'd better replace that rear offside wheel badge that's moved during the photo session. Rats!) bestest, M.