Matt Bacon

Thanks, Guys... your encouragement is much appreciated! The wheels on the GTO are etched metal, provided in the kit. It's the Gunze kit, re-boxed by Airfix in the early 90s as "Hi-Tech", and it was a gift (along with the 1/24 Jag XK-E from the same stable) from someone who was never going to build them, so in value for money terms, it was priceless! The E-Type has a full white metal engine and "origami" etched brass spaceframe, so it's more of a challenge... More pictures, like this: are here: http://gallery.me.com/cmatthewbacon#100238&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=2 The seats are just Citadel (Games Workshop) Skull White paint, hand painted with a fine brush, apart from the outside edge, which was wide enough to hold some Tamiya 6mm masking tape to get a sharp edge. I wouldn't like to build ONLY Ferraris, but if someone told me I could only build models of one make of car for the rest of my life, Modena would be my spiritual home, just as if I could build only one type of aircraft, it would be a Spitfire... bestest, M.

This is the excellent Hasegawa 1/24 kit, which has to be one of the best engineered and best fitting kits I've ever built... Highly recommended! bestest, M.

Thanks very much for all the positive responses, guys - they're much appreciated... The figures come with the "Goldfinger" boxing of the kit. They're injected plastic rather than resin, but as you can see the detailing and likeness is pretty good - the only slightly disappointing area is the hands. To put them in perspective, though, this: is the Eagle Editions resin George Preddy figure... which is in 1/32! Mind you, this is sculpted by John Rosengrant, who is a master. best regards, Matt

Thanks, Bob... that was what I needed to get the confidence to try the "make or break" (literally!) And it worked: Thanks! best regards, Matt

Hi, all... I'm just about ready to bring together the chassis and body of the 250 TR, and I'm looking for tips from those of you that have done it. With a nice shiny and decalled body, the last thing I want is to hear a loud "snap" as I flex it outwards to slip the chassis in... The instructions, despite having numbered sequences for several other stages aren't at all clear about how the chassis goes in. I'm assuming you slide the radiator end into the nose, then swing up the back end into place, flexing the "wings" outward so it'll go in. It's not obvious (to me at any rate) where the location points are, and the shape makes it almost impossible to "dry fit" to check everything - once it's in, it's staying in! Soo... any ideas, anyone? bestest, M.

This is all very useful stuff, guys... now, can anyone in the UK provide me with "translations" for some of these products? I have some "Household Ammonia" (what it says on the bottle); would that do it? Is "Fairy Power Spray" like "Dawn Power Dissolver? bestest, M.

This is a bit of a "blast from the past" - it's a few years old, and there are some things I'd do differently these days. It's the big Airfix kit, built straight from the box for an "Airfix 1977" display at SMW '07. The only "tweaks" are a reworked instrument panel, replacing the thick transparent part with CD-case plastic lenses, and a linkage for the brake lever, which looked a bit silly just flopping about! I picked up the kit for under £30 in a Modelzone sale, and it was worth every penny - not sure about the £80 retail price, or what it goes for on eBay these days... If you like the look of it, but don't want to pay the steep price, the Heller 1/24th kit is virtually identical, just half the size, and is easy find as well... best regards, Matt

Anyone know what the Airfix/Heller 1:24 kits, vintage 1990 or so are like? I have the Airfix "hi-Tech" 250 GTO and Jaguar E Type, but I know they are ex Gunze moulds not Heller partnerships. They're rather nice (I've built the 250 GTO, and the E-Type looks even better in the box - a full engine in white metal amongst other things). But what are the Heller ones like? I have an option to buy these kits for a pretty good price: Merc 500k, Datsun 280Z, Ferrari 365GT and Lotus Elite. They're not nearby for me to have a look at, though, and I don't know much about them. Good info is hard to find... Any guidance appreciated! best regards, Matt

...and just to prove that the gadgets all work: Build thread here: Full build thread at UAMF bestest, M.