Matt Bacon

..and indeed, having gone through the evaluation process for a patent application several times within my own company, I know just how high the "bar" for a patentable innovation is in the UK and Europe... If you want to see just how difficult it is to copy a car _design_ (not using name, logo etc, and not passing it off as real) for commercial sale, just check here: http://www.totalheadturners.com/carsforsale.php?type=Kit bestest, M.

US law's clearly different to European Law. There's no such thing as a "design patent" here. You can only patent something if it's new, and has an inventive or innovative element that is not "obvious to someone with knowledge and experience in the subject", and it can be made or used in some kind of industry. What you seem to be talking about is called a "registered design" (which you actually do, err... register) or the "design right" -- although it's possible that if your hammer handle had some kind design innovation like an angled shaft or specially clever impact absorbing elements, it could have been eligible for a patent. Registered designs are strongly protected, unregistered design rights less so (internationally, for example). Bottom line is that if someone produces an EXACT copy, you've got some chance of stopping them, but "borrowing" the overall look and feel and general shape, not a hope. The sunglasses guys are perhaps guilty of "passing off" which means trying to get people to believe that they are actually Christian Dior. (And Christian Dior's name and logo are STRONGLY protected as "trademarks" -- which is also why you couldn't use the Corvete, Chevelle or SS names and logos on the drawings...) There's nothing to stop you building a "pretty much like a Corvette" body, or indeed to stop Corvette building (and launching) a pastiche Ferrari design on their new model... bestest, M.

I doubt they're actually trying to patent a copy of an Evoque... even if the story says the drawings leaked "from a patent office". You can't "patent" a design, only an "innovation", which, since the design already exists as the Evoque, this pretty clearly isn't. The drawings might be lodged with the patent office to support some genuine "innovation" in the technology, though who can guess what that might be? You can apply copyright, if the thing's an "artwork", but car designs aren't. And you can create a "registered design" (like the Rolls Royce or Jeep radiators) which you can then protect (that's what Apple did with the iPad, hence the lawsuits with Samsung). Otherwise, all JLR can do is complain if the Chinese company makes any attempt to "pass off" their product as a Land Rover vehicle. It's not infringing anything to copy, more or less closely, a design that isn't registered -- otherwise Aston Martin would be having words with Ford about the front end design of all their recent mass market cars... bestest, M.

Hi, all... has anyone already got some way into their build of the Aoshima Murcielago SV? Because I'm using a dual layer Zero Paint Lambo yellow, I'd really like as much as possible of the body to be in one piece before I paint it so I don't have to match colour density across lots of separate parts. Has anyone already figured out which bits of bodywork can and should be assembled before painting the main colour? It looks at least as if the extreme nose and inner side skirts could be attached safely.... but any experienced advice from someone who's already done it would be much appreciated... bestest, M.

I'm not sure I'd let anyone, even someone who's clearly so svelte, sit on the light cover or bonnet of my Gallardo -- it could get very expensive... ;-P bestest, M.

Thanks very much indeed, guys. I can't emphasise too strongly what a pleasure this kit is to build! bestest, M.

Thanks so much for the kind comments, guys... Jeremy K -- yep, the 2000GT is the Hasegawa curb side kit. It's painted in Tamiya "Racing White" which I think is a pretty good match for the really pale creamy yellow of the 1:1. bestest, M.

Thanks, guys... If anyone is wondering about the registration plate -- unlike most of my models, this one has a real plate rather than a "MATT B" variant -- this model represents John Surtees' BMW 507, given to him by the team manager of Agusta as a thank you for winning his World Titles... You can see shots of the real thing here: http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/front_website/gallery.php?o=0&id=579205 bestest, M.

Interesting -- I didn't realise that Doyusha had done the 2000GT as well as the James Bond DB5 with Oddjob and Bond figures. I'd love to know the story with the two Airfix 2000GTs as well. (Try acquiring either of those kits without selling a kidney or mortgaging your grandmother!). I guess the original open top release was a tie-in You Only Live Twice, following on from Airfix's DBf with gadgets (which was also different from the Aurora "Super Spy Car"). It seems likely that the coupe version was reworked at the same time as Airfix's toolmakers converted the DB5 into a DB6. I've never seen the DB6 kit in the flesh, or to measure, so I don't know if they lengthened it as needed as well as remodelling the "Kamm tail" rear end treatment. It still seems a lot of work to do on the kits, though... the James Bond DB5 remained iconic, even if the DB6 was the "current production version" when they were redone; and it's not like very many 2000GTs in coupe form made it to the UK, so the convertible would have been much more recogisable for most UK modellers. I doubt that there would have been more sales with generic road version of the cars than with the movie tie-ins. I guess it's possible that the Bond licenses ran out after a few years, and Airfix were just trying to find a way to keep both kits saleable. The moulds thoroughly disappeared several decades ago, though, which is why If you find a more recent Airfix DB5 kit then it's the generic Doyusha version inside the box. There's also, apparently, a version of the Hasegawa kit with full engine detail (minus the billet con-rod, of course ;-P) but I've never seen it -- mine was the curbside "Historic Car Series 1" box you can see above... bestest, M.

Where's that first picture from, Greg? That must be a significant %age of all the 2000GTs on the road today! Certainly of the 60 or so that were sold in the US... bestest, M.

Thanks for the kind words, guys! Check out the build thread for the LFA, Cliff: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=86471&hl= The Tamiya LFA is the best model car kit I have ever built. You owe it to yourself as a car modeller to treat yourself to one. The only problem is that it'll set expectations of fit, finish, engineering etc that other kits simply won't deliver, so eternal disappointment is around the corner. Just kidding -- it's great. Get one, and if you don't like the lines and fussy detailing, paint it as a black one... bestest, M.

(well, not quite 50 years, but they look good together...) There's a family heritage running through this lot, and they look cool together! And these two share Toyota's passion for engineering and a roaring Yamaha heart beating under the bonnet... plus they look even cooler together! ;-P bestest, M.

And a few with the next car Albrecht Goertz designed... The lineage that got me started on this latest "two-fer" build: bestest, M.

I haven't seen many positive write-ups of this kit -- and I'm not sure why not. It's an early 90s kit, and not up to Tamiya's latest standards, but it IS very well detailed and fits together pretty well. It needs some work to get the bonnet to close properly (and in mine there's some tin can on the underside of the bonnet lid and a strong magnet atop the firewall), but that's about it. There's a fair bit of flash to be cleaned off (sometimes on delicate parts), and a lot of the chrome parts needed stripping, cleaning up and re-doing, but nothing a sharp knife and ten minutes couldn't fix. I'd also recommend stripping the chrome off the windscreen frame, mirror and sun visor frames, gluing them together into a single sturdy assembly, and then rechroming them. I think the under bonnet and underside detailing is excellent (and taught me some new things about different types of car suspension) and, with the cockpit, it all responds very well to simple detail painting. ..and now with the hard top: If I'm honest, I'm not really happy with the hard top. I just don't have the scratching skills to do the windows and glazing justice. My advice is that if you want a hardtop version, find an issue of the kit which has one included -- and if anyone's got one that they're NOT going to use, I'd happily take it of their hands to have another go! bestest, M.

You get a better class of car park, too... ...as will this, from my build earlier this year. I think it's the very one I copied... It was all the same colour all over in real life, honest! These are especially for Skip: I loved it when I built it, and I love it even more now I've seen one... And I wish there was a kit of this baby.... That, my friends, is Diablo Purple! bestest, M.

Another very enjoyable day out for Jack and I at the Donington Historic Festival -- my favourite motor racing event. So much more enjoyable than F1... The Cooper T38 (no, I hadn't heard of it either...) was the ultimate winner of the RAC Woodcote Trophy for pre-'56 sports cars. The D-types were being driven hard... A photo more atmospheric than good, but you don't see an Alfa 6C3000PR "Disco Volante" very often... The pre-66 2-litre race has been a shoo-in for Lotus Cortinas in previous years, but this time the best looking car in the race, Andrew Banks' Giulia Sprint GTA, was the leader from start to finished, closely pursued (as you can see) by the legendary Jackie Oliver in the BMW 2002. Sadly, we didn't get to see Jackie O in his brilliant yellow 250SWB this weekend, but he was racing it on Saturday. The Minis were in there at every corner... with a special technique: This guy is NOT in a spin. We were standing at "the Esses", a 60 degree right left jink in the track. The fast Mini drivers (and only the Minis, not the Cortinas or BMWs) twitched their cars across the track about 20 yards before the corner, slid into it sideways, and then got back onto the power to straight line out of the exit, like this chap: Fantastic to watch... ..and John Surtees was driving demo laps in Lola T70 Can-Am coupe... bestest, M.

I did a bit more research, and yes, it turns out that this WAS Chris Evans' car -- he sold it through Talacrest in 2010. When he had it, it had the number plate "GTO 288", though. Charlie -- in the UK you can't have plates "personalised" to suit whatever you want , so no "BIGSPNDR", but you can trade and sell on original number plates that have a valid UK registration number, which starts with A1 (which I have seen) and goes via F1 (which now adorns a white Veyron belonging to Mr Kahn, a Range Rover blinger of Bradford, which I saw outside my local Indian restaurant a couple of years back) and runs all the way through to YG14WNA which could be on my ride today. I take great pleasure in making up valid number plates for my car models, some for my name (my 288 carries the plate M477 GTO) or for relevant words (M1URA and MA53RTI). So the plate on this is the new owner's personal plate -- and I can't decide whether it's "glow" or "blow", but the latter might be a bit too much of an advert for a drug dealer! bestest, M.

Somebody's had a respray done -- and it's probably better than the original factory paint! bestest, M.

Thanks very much for the kind words, gentlemen! This is a kit that ANY car modeller would enjoy building, no matter what your normal subject matter is... bestest, M.

And a few more -- the "in-action" wing is held on by tiny magnets that Mr Tamiya thoughtfully provides. bestest, M.

Fantastic kit of an extraordinary car... bestest, M.

The Lexus is pretty much finished now... Mostly, it's the 507s turn in the spotlight... Should all be done and dusted this weekend... with a bit of luck! bestest, M.

So there I am, attaching the mirrors to my Tamiya LFA. They have little squarish recesses on the body, and a small square "plinth" on the mirror stalk. I put them on, and they aren't symmetrical. I clean off the glue, and try again. Same result. Then I clean up the plinth and the socket and try again. Still not the same. And then it occurs to me. They aren't MEANT to be the same. Mr Tamiya has engineered the kit so that the mirrors are in the correct positions as if a driver was behind the wheel. The nearside is pretty well at 90 degrees to the body, for a view straight back, and the offside is at 45 degrees or so. I can't think of any other kit I've built where the mirrors are deliberately offset asymmetrically to the correct positions... Wow... bestest, M.

Thanks, Mike. The LFA is finally assembled. It went together as well as I'd expected, though I was surprised to discover that the exhausts don't actually reach the ports in the rear of the body. Otherwise, no issues... ..and with the pop-up wing popped up: They make a striking pair, I think. Last detailing tomorrow, I hope! Home straight, definitely. bestest, M.

Water. All the Citadel range are water-based acrylics... bestest, M.