Matt Bacon

Another enthusiast spotted that I'd failed to paint the flexible hoses on the intake manifold, and that drew a couple of missed colour call-outs to my attention... I'd been working from photos, none of which have quite the right angle to show the bottom end, and I'd failed to notice the colours called out in the instructions. Anyway, a little bit of remedial work later... The "jubilee clips" are made from fine silver wire, folded into a U shape, the ends held in a pin vice, and then hooked over the intake tube and twirled so that it tightens up. It's the same technique I use for DIY turnbuckles. A dab of superglue fixes it in place, and then I trimmed off the long twisted tail. I also painted the "steel" bits on the intake. The seats are the kit decal, with lots of Micro Sol, and then a coat or two of Windsor and Newton Galleria matt varnish. Lots to do in the cockpit still, but it looks pretty striking! bestest, M.

Thanks, Simon... More progress on the chassis, which fits together really very well. If you want to build the whole frame in advance, as I did, be advised that the completed fuel tank assembly doesn't fit behind the rear framework. However, it will slip in if you don't add the rear drive assembly (the ribbed box on the bottom of the tank), which you could fiddle in later. Alternatively, clip that tail frame piece in place on the rest while painting, and fix it permanently after adding the tank et al... ? The wheels are just slipped into place: ...I don't think they look at all bad. The hubs are three pieces, and the lacing is not inside-to-outside enough, but it looks pretty convincing at a glance... IMHO, anyway. I'm making good progress with the cockpit, but it's mostly masking and spraying at the moment! bestest, M.

No, that's true... I should have said that I used the "Paint mixing" service, and got the codes from the Lechler website that Hiroboy gives the access details for on most Zero Paints pages. It's a little bit more expensive, but since mine shipped yesterday, I think he must have had a batch under way already... bestest, M.

hiroboy will ship paint to the US... the only country that doesn't accept paints or solvents is Brazil. He won't ship rattle cans, but the Zero Paints line comes in glass jars, ready to spray by airbrush. In my experience, they come very well packed, so the chances of shipping damage are very small. bestest, M.

Just in case anyone wants to order some of that funky pearlescent red-orange from Hiroboy, this is the spec: Car Manufacture - Lamborghini Colour Code - 0117 Colour Name - Arancio Argos (mica) Model - Aventador Year of Manufacture - 2011 bestest, M.

Personally, I think this: http://www.jaguar.com/gl/en/about_jaguar/project_c-x75/ is the future of the supercar... People make supercars to sell them; there's no point in building one that can only drive on salt flats, because you'll only sell three of them. Equally, the laws of physics and aerodynamics mean that more power turns into a lot less more speed, the higher you go. Personally, I think the Veyron is probably as far as we'll ever go in the pure horsepower/speed/money stakes. The CX-75, the Karma, the new NS-X, the 458, the new Enzo and the replacement McLaren F1... these are the new generation of supercars, where smartness, lightness, active aero, active suspension, exotic drivetrains etc result in a car that can cover real ground faster and safer than ever before, with a totally involving driving experience and with unprecedented fuel efficiency... Veyron's are so Oughties... we're on a whole new ride now! bestest, M.

...it's been a while since I've been able to get to the bench, but slow progress is being made! Engine with Little-Cars detailing wires... it's not great, but it makes it look a lot more realistically busy. The chassis coming together. The assembly sequence for the front suspension is bonkers, and an invitation to drop bits on the floor. It's all nicely detailed, though... A serious chunk of car, without doubt. It's not up to the very best of Tamiya, but for its age, this is a well-detailed and nicely fitting kit. bestest, M.

Sorry, guys, but I have to ask... Why is everyone so enthusiastic about the Gremlin, and a re-released kit of it? Does this car have a special place in your hearts for some reason? I have to say, speaking as someone from the other side of the pond, it looks like a car with all the charisma of an Austin Allegro or Morris Marina: a lot of my parents friends may have had one when I was a kid, but I wouldn't care if I never saw one again, and I certainly wouldn't give house room to a model of one! Please enlighten a confused Brit... bestest, M.

It is indeed the recently re-issued Revell kit... sorry folks. And thanks for the plaid, Skip, but mine's going to be the red one, for which colour scheme there are some very nice decals for the plaid on the new sheet. bestest, M.

An oldie but a goody... The bodyshell painted in Tamiya Gloss Aluminium and awaiting a polish. The outstanding tubular chassis, which is easy to build, but certainly looks the part. This one is "clipped together" in parts for the painting, and it fits very precisely. There's more detail painting to do on the brakes... Engine in progress. The ignition wires are from little-cars, and some more painting and shading are needed around the block. There's some lead wires that are about to become hoses wrapped over the middle of the block. I guess there'll be a bit more detailing when the engine is in place, and I can compare it more directly with the photos I have... bestest, M.

Amen to that, brother! That would be a must have for my "McQueen's Machines" collection... bestest, M.

That's absolutely superb. It's not subject matter I know anything about, but it's a beautiful feat of modelling. Lovely finish, detailing and scratch building, and somehow, the "let it all hang out" complexity of the racer complements the simpler curves of the tow van brilliantly. The shine of the paintwork is perfect. Mind you, I can't help but think that the "platform" of the trailer probably wouldn't have been that clean in real life! A used race car must drip some fluids, surely...? A couple of figures standing by would be the "icing on the cake" bestest, M.

I guess it's probably the same reason Airfix isn't rushing to tool up Ford Mondeos or Vauxhall Insignias... Beemers and Audis are just too common in their home market. I think it's only Japanese modellers who seem to get excited about building regular, everyday street cars (and mad-ugly tuned versions). And my friends over the pond seem to have a strange fascination with every ugly hunk of Detroit iron that might have been a daily driver in the 70s. Personally, I'd rather build models of cars that I could only dream of owning for real, but each to their own... that's the joy of this hobby! I'm a bit surprised there haven't been any recent M-cars from RoG, but I'm quite happy for them to continue with those darn Ferraris, R8 Spyders and SLS's (I'm sure the cabrio is on the way). As for the 2CV... it's as iconic in Europe as a Mini or a Trabant, and the Tamiya one costs half as much again and has been very hard to find until recently. RoG can't be held responsible for which "classic kits" Mr T decides to reissue. It's good to see the Giulia Sprint and Renault Alpine back again instead of paying eBay prices, but it's hard to predict what will come when. Anyway, the 599GTO and SA Aperta will be all I need from Revell this year (with a Fujimi Aventador...) bestest, M.

I agree, Larry! However, I did take this up with Airfix's former new products development guy, and he said that the problem is that as a kit manufacturer, you need to have a "range" in the catalogue - it's not just tooling up one 1/24 car... you'd need at least three or four. And this is expensive in an untried market for you as a manufacturer. Airfix has an established range of 1/32 cars, including some real gems from the 70s, like the Vauxhall Prince Henry, Alfa 8C and MG TC. Plus, these days, the owners of Airfix are also the owners of Scalextric slot cars, so Airfix also has access to research and CAD models of a whole lot of subjects in 1/32 (as well as trademark licences for, say, McLaren). The latest kits of the Jaguar XK and Aston DBR9 GT cars are not just kits of the Scalextric models, but they have a lot in common, as does the forthcoming Mini Cooper. So although _I'd_ like to see Airfix tool up a "Top Gear" cobranded collection of state of the art 1/24 kits of British Classics and modern supercars (Aston 1-77, McLaren MP4-12C, Jaguar C-X75), I don't think it'll happen any time soon... bestest, M.

It's not so bad... This build was straight out of the box, to show what the kit is like for a display at Scale Model World last year. I've got the Heller Coupe and the Gunze Roadster, and they are both significantly better... although the Heller/Airfix one has a suspiciously similar parts breakdown to this old Revell. However, the old Revell is pretty good for a Classic _British_ Kit of the early sixties (it was designed and tooled in the UK, by Revell GB), and if you can buy it as a reissue, it's going to be a LOT easier to find, and easier to afford, than either of the "better" kits... bestest, M.

What do you mean? Is there some other kind of GTO? If it ain't a Gran Turismo Omologato, it ain't a GTO... at least from where I'm sitting! That's really cool! Nice work on a ?Hot Wheels? mini. I have a red one, myself. Did you make the decals yourself? If so, they've come out really well. What kind of decal paper do you use? My only suggestions are that you might try painting the headlights silver after all that effort elsewhere, and if it really matters to you, the black in the scoops behind the rear wheels is in the wrong place - the "hole" opens into the wheel arch to let hot air out from cooling the brakes, and the scoops themselves are solid. Thanks for sharing! all the best, M.

K&R Jaguar XJ13 Revell Mercedes SLS Fujimi Ferrari GTO Revell Jaguar XKSS Revell Ferrari 275 NART Spyder "McQueen's Machine" Hasegawa Lamborghini Miura ...it'd be nice to have this lot in the garage for real! And many thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement this year. I've really enjoyed, and benefitted from, being a member of this community. Thanks, folks! Have a great holiday season, and best wishes for 2012 to you all. best regards, Matt

Indoors, the Lauren Bentley looks almost black... or at least it did in Paris this Summer! bestest, M.

That's looking great, John! Awesome detailing on te fuel tank. My only nit-picking comment is that I would seriously consider some different mesh for the windscreen guard, as Skip suggests - you're supposed to be able to see through it when it's up... it's not armour! all the best, M.

Me, too... This is a great kit - one of Airfix's best ever. I had a blast building mine. I saw the real thing in Paris earlier this year the Lauren collection exhibition, and it is a massively impressive beast in the flesh. It's very dark the way it's painted now, and I'd recommend going for a more original lighter green finish, like the one in your two pictures. Message me if you'd like me to send over some reference material... Good luck with it. All the best, Matt

Thank you for all the kind words, gentlemen... Danno... I did seriously think about making it as a very nice pale blue/silver one that I saw in a magazine, but then I thought, what the heck! It's gonna stand out among all of those red cars next to it on the shelf! bestest, M.

Thanks, guys! George - the Jota was a one-off racing prototype based on the Miura. It was destroyed in a fire, but the Aussie development driver who oversaw the first one - Bob Wallace - has also helped a German guy build a "reproduction" based on another Miura. It's a bit hard to decide whether it's a reproduction of the original, a new original, or a "continuation" like those GT40s they make in South Africa. Anyway, there's one driving around now which is pretty much the same as the first one. There are also persistent rumours that one was built for the Sultan of Brunei, way back when. Whatever the truth, the Jota is an incredibly rare car... which fortunately looks a lot like a Miura from the outside, and I don't think the kit has much extra in it versus the P400SV - an additional wing and some spoilers for the front. By all accounts (including the guy who developed it) it was a bit of a dog to drive, and would have needed a lot more work before it was a viable race car. bestest, M.

...and these are shot from further away with a longer lens and lower down, giving a more accurate impression of what you'd see while viewing a real car - compare with the same views above to see the difference! This Hasegawa Miura has to be one of the best car kits I've ever built - crisply moulded, exactly the right amount of detail, thoughtfully engineered, and outstanding fit. The metal transfers and decals are alo a dream to use (though you get a LOT more decals than you could possibly use - even if you remember to put the gear selector knob and ashtray cover decals in place, which I didn't!) Paint is Tamiya TS-22 Light Green overall, polished with Novus after it had throughly cured. Humbrol Aluminium from a can for the wheels and lower body. bestest, M.

Thank you, gentlemen. I'm calling this done, now: Better pictures in decent light to follow tomorrow, weather permitting... bestest, M.

I think you're right, Skip. I'm definitely on the home straight now: The chassis ready to go in. Take a good look, especially at that engine, because this is the last time it'll be visible! And together... in the end I did it three times (forgot the mirror the first time, doh!) but it snaps in really precisely, with only a little bit of "springing" the bodyshell sides to clear the cockpit. I only fixed the transparent window shell at the roof, so that it was free to flex away from the body at the lower edges, to minimise the risk of cracking the windows as I flexed the shell to get the chassis in. NB... you DO need to fit the wheels to the chassis before putting it in! By a quirk of lighting, the last two images are the most accurate representation of the true colour that I've managed to post yet. And finally... I like this one because it does give a sense of peering into a real car, somehow... Metal badges and decals now, then the final breakable details! bestest, M.