Matt Bacon

Fantastic kit -- I can't recommend it highly enough. The engineering is brilliantly thought through, the fit is exemplary, and the detail is great. Finished in Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red straight out of the can. Vallejo acrylics for the inside. bestest, M.

I'm planning to rework a Polar Lights Ford GT kit as an Avro Mirage 720. The GT has a prepainted body. Does anyone have experience of repainting one of these? Do I need to strip it back? Can I just shoot primer over the paint? Even better (the Mirage has black stripes over an orange body) can I use the painted markings as a masking guide and apply new paint over old? I would prefer to use either Tamiya spray cans or Zero paints if possible. Any advice would me much appreciated! Bestest, M

Very, very, very nice. I've been thinking the last couple of days that the Daytona is the best looking Ferrari ever, and your build is doing it justice. The colours are great and the detailing is excellent, whether it's prototypical or impressionistic. My only suggestion would be to take a few pictures for a bit further away -- the exquisite balance of the proportions is a wee bit distorted by the close-ups... bestest, M.

Thanks, guys... and in answer to Harrry's question, no I'm not: I'm going to use the rather nice silver decals that the folk at Moebius cleverly included! Anyway, I'm now calling this done. Proper pictures in Under Glass when it stops raining (next weekend, on current forecasts ;-() Just need to clean off some greasy finger marks and top up the polish here and there... bestest, M.

Thanks, guys! A bit of a milestone, this... Some leverage needed to get it the chassis into the body, but when it goes in, it fits really neatly... Decals and final chrome bits now... bestest, M.

Thanks, guys... BMF... I have a love/hate relationship with the stuff. Great effect, but my head literally explodes if I do too much in one session. Now I remember WHY "I don't generally like chrome-laden barges..." ;-P. At least those fine folks at Moebius provide the worst, most fiddley bits (eg scripts) as decals... ...shouldn't be too long before these two can finally be fitted together! bestest, M.

They really thought with that kind of build quality and shutlines that they could compete with a 1990 Range Rover? Interesting... bestest, M.

Hi, Peter... what a great project... When the now-iconic Mini first appeared, it was sold both by Austin and by Morris, two of the British Motor Corporation's brands. It was a Morris Mini, and an Austin Se7en. Sometimes, Morris referred to it as a Mini-Minor (the Morris Minor was an older, bigger, and well-known car, so at the time Mini-Minor meant "smaller version of the Minor"). As the sixties wore on, and the Mini became better known, they just became Morris and Austin Minis. The Mini Cooper was a "tuned-up" version for racing, modified by John Cooper (better known at the time for his Formula One cars). The main differences are around the engine -- internally it was given a bigger capacity, and externally it was fitted with two carburettors instead of one. Coopers also had disc brakes at the front, unlike the base car which had drum brakes all round. I guess what you need to do depends on how closely your dad is going to look at it! You could build the kit as is, and nobody who doesn't pick it up and open the bonnet is ever going to know that it's a Cooper. If you wanted to make it accurate, the main things would be to change the carburettor arrangement so there's only one, and make the brakes at the front look the same as the ones at the back. There may be differences in wheels -- I don't know what's in that Tamiya kit, but racing Minis often seem to have MiniLite alloy wheels, which are very different from the steel wheels with a domed chrome hubcap that regular street Minis had. There's a chart here: http://www.minimania.com/images/bmc-paint-codes-large.jpg with the BMC colours from the period. You'll see there are very few metallic colours. The only one that could realistically be described as silver is "Ice Blue Metallic". On the other hand, there are several greys that could look silver-ish in through the eyes of memory... Good luck with your project. bestest, M.

It's a great idea. The only thing I'd suggest is, if you have a choice, don't get a white one. Unless you want to get clever about "spot" exposure metering on your camera, all that white will encourage the camera to underexpose the model, which is mostly darker. You can see the effect on Jeff's photo above -- the side facing the camera is pretty dark, and if it weren't for the white "tyres" all the detail in the suspension would be lost in shadow. The ideal background is a 50% neutral grey. It won't affect the colour balance at all (the camera will not "believe" that a large area could be solid blue or cyan, so it'll try to make it more neutral, altering the colour of your model in the process), and it will make sure the "mid-point" of the exposure is half way between the highlights and shadows on your model... Of course, if you're happy manually adjusting the exposure and colour balance in your pictures, then there's no issue. bestest, M.

Thanks, Casey -- I'll do that. Now, why didn't this thread show up when I searched for "BMF", "Bare Metal Foil" and even "Foil"? That's odd, isn't it? bestest, M.

Can anyone set me straight on the differences between these? I have some OLD BMF Chrome, which is brilliant, though it's now wrinkling and cracking. But the material is soft and stretchy and comes easily off he backing and the excess peels off the model no trouble. I also have some new BMF "Ultra Bright Chrome" which is noticeably springier, curling up when you peel it off the backing, and it leaves traces of adhesive residue when you peel it off the model (and it often falls apart when you're removing the excess -- to the point where I have to "chisel" it off with a sharpened matchstick). It's not notably brighter than the old stuff either, once they've both been burnished down. I've also noticed some sellers offering "new, improved Chrome". Is it still possible to buy fresh "Original Chrome"? If it's still made, and is as flexible and well-behaved as the old stuff I had, then that's what I want. But I don't want to buy old stock that's been around a while, because it'll probably have wrinkles that will then crack. Anyone know a) what the differences are, and whether I can still buy the good stuff!? bestest, M.

Thanks for the kind words, all! That's the chassis pretty much put together -- there's still the radiator to add, but the remaining under-bonnet parts go inside the body before fitting the body and chassis together. Once again, the fit and engineering is excellent, though I do think that the instructions would benefit from some more illustrations of key elements from different angles. The single exploded isometric per stage with "join" lines showing where parts fit is far from clear on occasion, with parts being almost unrecognisably distorted (OK, they are numbered, but still...) and more importantly the lines sometimes don't clearly indicate the locating points. To some extent the great engineering is a "save" because the pieces do slot into place crisply -- but first you have to find the place!. And additional "reverse angle" would help a lot in some places. The underside looks nicely detailed. One word of warning -- the two exhaust pipes are NOT symmetrical, so don't worry if you can't make them symmetrical when you fit them. I cursed for a while when dry fitting them without much success until I really looked at them closely. They may look the same on the sprue, but there are subtle differences in curvature and angles, so they won't fit exactly the same on the bottom of the car... Front suspension is a masterpiece of detailing in very few parts. HOWEVER, this is the area that more than any other could do with some close-up details in the instructions. A few things that I have learned: fit the springs with some glue that gives you time to wiggle them precisely into place when you fit the lower wishbone piece the uprights are NOT vertical, exactly it is very hard to get the two mounting points on the lower wishbone, the spring, and the upright all lined up in one move, so consider "hinging" the thing downwards slowly, getting the pivot points in first, then wiggle the spring in place as you lower it the wishbone, and finally trap the upright at the apex treat both sides separately even though they are moulded in one piece -- the tie rod is strong and flexible enough to cope and finally the mounting points of the tie rod will need some flexing upward to fit in place on the main chassis frame, so you need quick setting glue or be prepared to clamp it while it sets. Again, if you follow the instructions, this will go smoothly. There's one oddity, though. The axle has what clearly seem to be slots for mounting to the tabs at the top of the spring towers. However, if the axle is fitted so that prop shaft is at the bottom, as it needs to be to clear the tunnel in the car floor, then the slots are at the bottom too, not mating with the towers. I'd have assumed that I must have accidentally fitted the front face of the differential (with the prop-shaft fitting) upside-down, except that I was actually a bit worried about that, and I was relieved to see that the locating pins and slots in the differential are different sizes, so it CAN only be fitted one way. I'm just surprised no one else building this has commented on the issue, if it is a genuine engineering gotcha. Now the firewall is in place, I really can't delay the BMFing any longer! I'm wondering if the "spigot" (for want of a more technical word) on the brake master cylinder ought to be silver... Shouldn't be too long now... bestest, M.

i thought it was great movie. The two leads were brilliant, and a whole bunch of people doing cameos as famous motor racing figures were spot on. The recreations of the races that they showed were brilliant (and very nicely judged in terms of how much time they devoted to the races within the whole movie). The period atmosphere was utterly convincing (and never better than in the scene where a couple of tifosi find Lauda and his passenger stranded by the roadside with a steaming radiator, and lend him their car...). The only thing that grated slightly was the portrayal of the battle between the two of them as a "grudge match" between enemies. Rivals, for sure, but Lauda and Hunt actually liked each other. You can understand that in some "slice of life" drama about farmers in Oklahoma in the 30s, then you need to create emotional conflict between the lead characters to make the movie exciting. But in the world of "Rush," where the two guys are polar opposites in their ATTITUDE to the sport (as outlined beautifully in the final scene), and "conflict" is played out front and centre in their literally death-defying wheel to wheel racing on the track, then why misrepresent reality to make them hate each other as well? Fantastic film, though, which in the end made me realise that in the end what I "knew" about the race for the championship was entirely a result of real life coverage in the 70s, and that actually Lauda was at least as much of a hero as James Hunt, both for the way he got back into the car after the accident, and for the way he stepped out of it again, whatever the risk... bestest, M.

...you know what? The way I found it in the first place was a Google Image search for "Chrysler 300 steering wheel", which I think probably went to that same Jalopnik blog page. Of course, in the image search results page, you have no idea why it's been returned so, I hit "visit page" because I was curious about how something so NOT what I'd searched for could appear in the results... And as soon as I saw it, I thought of Harry... and the rest of you guys! bestest, M.

Very nice indeed -- love the colour! A little tip for the etched badges -- you can usually find somewhere on the decal sheet where there's clear carrier film with no crucial bit of decal underneath (if not in this kit, then on the sheets for another kit in the stash). Sometimes you can apply the badge to that spare clear film, where you can rub it down HARD, then cut out the badge and apply it like any other decal. And if the badge really refuses to stick, use a little Kear/Future/Pledge floor wax on the painted surface and place the badge -- the floor "wax" will glue it to the body when it dries... bestest, M.

I don't know if these are the same product as the above that MicroMark are rebranding, but you reminded me about these as well: http://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsMain.html They come in many railroad and other scales, so I guess it would be a matter of figuring out which rail scale of chunky "boilerplate" rivets might be used to replicate much finer prototypical rivets in 1/24 scale... bestest, M.

it might be worth looking at what Mike Grant does with decals: http://www.mikegrantdecals.com/Rivets.html I've seen his stuff used on a number of models, and it does look very convincing... Edit -- I just realised, I need to show you what Mike does. His style is an inspiration for me, and in my aircraft builds, I aspire to being able to do this: It's well worth taking the time to look around here: http://www.migrantmodelpix.com Mike's a master modeler, and whatever your favorite genre, there's inspiration and lessons to be learned from him... bestest, M.

That is awesome work, and it is a stellar car. Brilliant scratch building everywhere. The interior is fantastic. My only comment would be, having seen the prototype at the Louvre last year in the Ralph Lauren "Art of the Automobile" exhibition, is that the rivet heads on the "spine" are very visible on the real thing, and they are actually a part of the story of this fantastic car, since at the time, the metal of the cabin could not be welded. Colour is obviously a subjective choice, but I also think it looks cooler in black, as it is now. Of all of the cars in that show, this is one of the top 3 "sculptures", and the shape takes priority for me, over the colour. It's a great model though, and one I'd be proud to have on the shelf! bestest, M.

A bit of a departure from my normal European exotics, but I heard so many good things about this kit that I had to give it a try. I don't generally like chrome-laden barges, but this is a genuinely cool car, IMHO... The parts, detail and engineering in this kit are superb, as many have mentioned before me. I had the body painted in Tamiya Italian Red already, just waiting a final polish. The rest makes speedy progress easy. No clear coat, just polished paint. I think it gives a nicely realistic sheen. Lots of work to do on BMFing the chrome, and then some more clean-up to get rid of the glue residue that always seems to be left behind! When people say in reviews "The engine is almost a kit in itself", I usually say "yeah, right..." to myself. But in this case it really is. I'm not sure why it was necessary to add detailed valve rockers inside the heads, but I'm not complaining. There are a few areas where the fit is not entirely clear (why ARE there eight holes in the joining surface of the two parts of the carburettor?), and the instructions would really benefit from a couple more angles on the pictures of the engine... The seats benefit from a gentle wash and drybrush -- they really are benches! The dash with some detail painting, BMF and decals. Looks OK, even at this range. Nicely moulded wheels, with a wash to pop the wires out. The printed whitewalls on mine were off centre and shiny, so I matt varnished them and filled them out with some Vallejo Off White. Maybe the white shouldn't go all the way to the raised lip, but at least two of the tyres had the printing nearly touching it at one side, so absent a way of removing the paint, I just chose the easy way out and filled the whole sunken section. The completed cabin. The steering wheel is a little chunky (and seems a bit over-large. I can't believe any 1/24th scale guy could get his legs under it... and it's way back in his belly, too...) But it does have nice, and accurate detail, which responds well to painting. The interior is probably a bit over-contrasty in this light, but once its all in side, I think it'll look nicely complex. By the way, if anyone knows what that thing on the rear "parcel shelf" is, and whether it should be silver or not, or have something in the recesses, I'd really love to know. Now on to building the chassis. bestest, M.

What... really? In a movie about Formula One in the Seventies? ...sorry, that's not meant as a poke at you, David. If there's one thing that sticks from the many books about motor racing 1950-2000 that I have read, it's the steady evolution from a world in which the technology killed people (usually drivers for whom WW2 fighter ace values still held true) to a world in which it was extraordinarily bad luck to die for your sport. For me, Hunt and Lauda are smack in the middle of the "seismic shift" in motor racing from "jolly good show chaps... pity Archie didn't make it" school of the 50s-60s to the multimillion dollar circus of the 1980s-2010s. Of course, I don't think it's a bad thing that people don't die in F1 for our "entertainment" any more than I wonder why more Olympic Marathon runners don't keel over at the end. "Rush" is History, kinda. At least as much as the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" is History. The best thing that it can do is transport you back to a different age, where the world was different, and make you think (a bit) like they did back then. Once, there were heroes... bestest, m.

Octane or Classic Cars magazines. Octane is probably the best all-rounder, while Classic Cars has just had a re-vamp which (to my mind) is too focused on classic cars as investments, rather than "money pits which are fun to drive...". As a modeller, both have plenty to offer in terms of detail shots as well as inspiring "real-world" stories which encourage my builds. Evo and Top Gear mags feed my modern supercars habit. And I've been very lucky in my second-hand bookshop finds with a whole range of classic "bedside companion" books from the 60s which compile the best European automotive journalism from the 50s and 60s. As a writer myself, "By Brooks too Broad for Leaping" by Denise McLuggage, "And the Revs Keep Rising" by Mel Nichols, "Fast Lines", by Pete Lyons, and "The Road to Muckle Flugga" by Phil Llewellin are the BEST collections of automotive journalism I've come across. I owe these to B.S Levy for the introduction to those names, and I just wish he'd get on with the second volume of the 200 MPH Steamroller! bestest, M.

Apparently the Emhar Bedfords will be re-released soon. See what the late Ted Taylor (it's still a wrench to have to write "late" in this sentence...) made of them here: http://tedtaylor.hobbyvista.com/149-emhar-bedfords/page-149.html I don't know if a 1939 Bedford is easy to convert to other GMC trucks, but you should be able to tell from these pics... bestest, M.

Not sure about that... as far as I can see, the only bare carbon in the street car is the airboxes on the engine and the consoles on each side of the centre seat. The rest is covered in carpet and trim -- it's not as if the model "opens up" much! However, what I AM worried about is how very fragile that one-piece bodyshell is going to be once the "struts" are removed. I wonder how far into the build you can leave it before cutting them away... bestest, M.

These were built for a "gee maybe old kits weren't so bad" display at Scale Model World a few years ago. I bought them as Smer reissues from the Czech Republic for about €20 including postage, and they arrived three days after I placed the order... Partly because we were showing what the old kits were really like, and partly because I didn't want to spring more for a set of wire wheels than I'd spent on the two kits together. Be sure, you are buying some very old plastic, but it's pretty good. These two are the only "full detail" kits in the Merit range -- the rest are basically just body shells and wheels, ideal for slot conversion, which I why they've never made a return, I suspect... Driver figures would be a big help, I reckon! bestest, M.

Probably more than you want to know: http://tinyurl.com/nq4bl7s US Service personnel can import a US vehicle, but it still gets a a UK number plate. Obviously, any car bought in the UK will come with a UK plate anyway. I have seen American cars, usually SUVs, driving around here (we're not far from Menwith Hill) with US plates (notably, Virginia plates... I wonder why ;-)). I'm not sure how the legalities of that work, whether they have to get a UK registration within a certain period of time. Either way, whatever the car is, they carry no very obvious distinctive marks (helps to stop activists or actual terrorists targeting the vehicle), but they may have some kind of base pass/ID in the window that I haven't spotted... I don't know whether the tax-break works in reverse... ie can you buy a British made car at a 25% discount as long as you ship it straight back to the US when you leave the country? I can imagine a C-17 could carry quite a few DBS's back home... bestest, M.