Matt Bacon

There is this, of course: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-08813-bucket-wheel-excavator-schaufelradbagger-289--178045 ...you might have to do a bit of forced perspective on that corner of your layout, but it would be pretty dramatic background scenery... I can only assume that back in the day, Revell Germany was either contracted to produce promotional models of this beast, or bought the tooling from someone who was. It kinda makes sense with this: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-08803-off-shore-oilrig-north-cormorant--939870 best, M.

They weren’t exactly “sprightly”… I watched “Big Geordie” moving when I was a kid, about 50 years ago. It was a big deal taking a “step”! This 20-minute film is about the largest one in Western Europe: https://www.yfanefa.com/record/24662 It does show how it was built… Enjoy! best, M.

I think anytime you need to do anything that’s more than seam filling or surface smoothing, Milliput is unbeatable. Easy to work and apply when first mixed, easy to carve and shape when it gets to the “leathery” stage as it cures, and easy to sand (especially wet sand) to a very smooth surface and subtle curves when it’s fully hardened. I wouldn’t be without it by my bench… particularly when I’m working on a white metal kits, which it bonds to, unlike putties designed for plastic… best, M

Now I can get the wheels to (sort of) stay on, I couldn't resist trying this: The seams have been treated with superglue and micro-balloons following gluing, and I'm letting it all set up solidly before trying to eliminate them tomorrow... best, M.

Hooray! A little package arrived from Squires this morning with the wishbone parts I needed in... So, first test.... does it sit on all four wheels? Yes, it does! And I'm so glad Auto-Kits made ii with poseable front wheel geometry, which has save me a lot of work reproducing that picture! I really can't put off joining the body and sorting the seams for much longer... best, M.

Keeping with the tribute theme, and needing something to work on while Ferrari was stalled awaiting spare parts, I moved on to this "Kings of the Road" build, and there's none more regal than the legend Juan Manuel Fangio. This one is based on one of the Merit plastic kits of the mid-50s. Here's the master at work. The W196 is a sturdy beast, as you can see. Although it's billed on the box as a "1955 Grand Prix Mercedes", the Merit kit is actually the 1954 car. The main difference is that the 1955 car has the big full length supercharger air intake along the right hand side, which is just not there on the '54 car. In the background, you can see the Protar W196 kit. It's got more detail than the Merit kit, but is less accurately sized and shaped. To correct the Protar kit, you need to widen it by 2mm within the wheel base, and deepen the whole body by another 2.5mm. The Merit my be a simplified 1954 car, but it captures the bulk and character of the W196 better. Adjustments begin... The basic shape of the intake is formed by a styrene tube with the underside sanded flat and glued to the body, firmly clamped down to follow the curve. The rest is built up with Milliput epoxy putty and several rounds of sanding, shaping and smoothing. Eventually ending up here. Eagle-eyed readers will spot that I've also filled and smoothed those vents in the cockpit coaming ahead of the driver. Quick check that Juan Manuel will fit, using one of the Immense Miniatures generic "early driver" bodies, which are more upright with arms ready to hold a large wheel. There are specific Fangio 50s heads, which should be arriving shortly. The 1955 body also has scoops each side of the cockpit, and vents on the tail alongside the spine (you can see the cutouts for the parts on the Protar body at the top). So, I've carved some balsa and plunge molded some blanks: large on the right for the tail, smaller on the left for the cockpit. There are some nice resin wire wheels on their way from the Ukraine as we speak... best, M.

I know it's been a bit quiet. I've been waiting for a couple of spare parts fr the front suspension from our friends at Squires tools, so I can take the big step and join the top and bottom halves of the body until they have arrived and the suspension is built. However, I have had time to work on our racing pilot (and get in some more wheels...) Thanks to @Pierre Rivard's prompt, I now have different pattern Borranis front and rear (you'll see elsewhere WHY I happen to have some Mercedes 300SLR wheels around the bench...). Willy M in unforgiving close up. He's made up of one of the Immense Miniatures generic 1960s drivers and 60s heads, with arms and hands repositioned to fit the cockpit layout and wheel. The goggles are molded open, and I've filled the lens with clear 5-minute epoxy. I'm very much hoping that the front suspension will arrive before the weekend! In the mean time... best, M.

I doubt that.... you'll have seen a fair number built as Seafire 47s: when Jen's or the Freightdog bits were new several people (including me) built them and put them on forums (including Large Scale Planes), and I think Jen actually built one using her prototype parts for Scale Aircraft Modelling, so it made it into print as well. In fact there are probably more published internet-era builds of the Seafire conversion than the base kit. It's a cooler-looking plane, for a start and the Matchbox kit is not one of their very best on its own. I suspect the Revell Germany rebox was closely followed by the conversion parts as people decided to make something a bit special with it... best, M.

I was going to suggest the same. The Matchbox kit doesn’t have the contra-prop, though. For that you’ll need a Seafire 46/47 conversion. I did it years ago with a cottage industry set from “Jen’s Brit Bits”, but that’s long gone. Freightdog did a set (they may have taken on Jen’s parts and moulds) but it’s not on their web site any more. Auction sites may be your best bet. On the other hand, the prop’s not the most complex thing to design for 3D printing or turn on a lathe if you have that skill. The blades can be adapted from the ones in the kit and then copies cast… EDIT: those flat paddle blades are way different from Spit/Seafire Griffon blades, so you’d have to scratch/print them anyway and the top surface of the cowling/cam covers are as well. You probably wouldn’t get that much usable from the Matchbox kit… maybe just get an inexpensive Revell P-51D and some good drawings of Red Baron and have at it! http://taichi56jp.g1.xrea.com/ (This page takes ages to load, but is worth the wait) best, M.

Looks amazing -- what an inspired colour choice. Lovely finish and detail painting as well... best, M.

Did Fujimi ever do a “vanilla” early 911 in the “Enthusiast” series? I got the 911R and S when they reissued them last year after hanging my nose over umpteen overpriced eBay auctions, but they are both “specials.” I’m surprised that after the 356s they didn’t start with a base model before getting into the exotica… best, M.

Fair enough; looks like there were some HCs with Lotus (nb: not Vauxhall) 900 engines. But most of them were based on Firenzas and used for rallying. A two door Viva HC “Magnum” with a 900-series engine is a real rarity, and I think the R/T badge was pinched from something else — I can’t see anywhere even in the deep dives into the 900 series engine that there was ever an official Vauxhall production car with that badge… best, M.

Sorry to sound whingey, but I think that’s a one-off. It’s a Viva HC transplanted with the Lotus Twin-Cam engine found in fast Fords. There’s no “Viva Twin-Cam R/T” listed in any Vauxhall model model guide I have, and it’s not a manufacturer GT or Firenza. I can’t find any mention of that “model”online, and even reverse image search only finds one car, mostly on Flickr… beat, M.

You are a lucky man… in both your father and your car! best, M.

Test fitting the cockpit and rear suspension into the body seems to be OK: However... Even after trimming 1/8" off his back, this guy is not going to fit or hold the wheel... Fortunately, today's delivery from RS Slot Racing of some Immense Miniatures driver figures (see my thread here: provided the parts for a figure that will work. Very cleverly, the driver is steering with one hand whilst changing gear with the other, so you don't need to try and get the wheel slotted into the gap between two gripping hands... best, M

I don't know if I'm the only one who likes to have drivers in their model cars from time to time, but if you do need figures for a build or a diorama, then the supply of good 1/24 figures has been pretty limited lately. I've been snapping up generic Fujimi driver sets whenever I see them, but now there is an alternative. Immense Miniatures made an excellent range of resin figures back in the day, but they have been mostly unavailable for a while. However, Colin at RS Slot Racing has taken on the moulds and is now selling them again. You can find them at https://www.rsslotracing.com/Immense.htm Since I'm focused on the 50s/60s "Kings of the Road" tribute dioramas I've been building, I've mostly bought period figures, but there's a wide range. And there are specific individuals who are very well depicted, as you'll see below. Fangio (pale) and Nuvolari (brown) Graham Hill (who else?) early and later career Generic heads 50s (L) and 60s (R) Generic seated bodies 60s (L) and early (30s-50s) (R) Generic 50s-60s part-bodies. The left hand one will suit the Merit kits well, the right hand can sit on some Fujimi legs. There are more available than are currently showing as available on Colin's web site, so get in touch and ask him if there's something you see listed that you'd like. best, M.

Got the base done... The cover picture is from a lower angle than the Delage and Vanwall, looking more along the car as it turns, and one of the back wheels is breaking the frame, so the "Eagle" title arch needs to go further back than on those two as well... best, M.

That looks like a great start, Jay. Top choice of colour and great finish on the body. I love the interior colour choice… that black exterior needs zingy upholstery (mine’s bright orange, more or less…). My only suggestion, particularly if the kit’s been sitting around a while, is apply the metal “transfers” to clear decal film, and then slide them Into place like regular decals. I found on mine that they tended to come apart when I tried to peel the plastic carrier away from the part they were supposed to stick to! best, M.

Slow but steady progress. For an early 1960s white metal kit, the detail in the important (and visible) parts is pretty good: The cockpit is only six pieces, but they are well cast and work together.... White enamel discs on the dials, followed by black acrylic paint on the smaller outer instruments, then scratch markings with a needle and finish with Citadel 'ardcoat for the "glass." Red... Ferrari 250 GTO wheels from Ukrainian Scale Car Productions, thinned down to 6mm at the front and 7mm at the rear. They aren't quite right, but they look a lot more realistic than the white metal inner and outer rims that came with the kit... best, M.

If anyone has a strong desire for a Speedster and already has an appropriate generic Fujimi 911, then let me know, and I can post you the Speedster-specific parts. I picked up a Speedster kit for £6 in a local charity shop to steal parts from for other 911 builds including the never ending (never starting?) Singer project, but I have no desire to build a Speedster because I really don't like the way that incarnation looks. Ping me a postal address by PM and the parts are yours... best, M.

Oddly, the 250F doesn’t feature in the Kings of the Road series… the only Maserati is a 4CLT with Von Graffenried driving… It’s surprising given that Merit does the kit, which I have, and that it was Stirling Moss’s favourite Grand Prix car. I might do one in this style with Moss driving, if I can find a background to re-use. best, M.

The only time I’ve ever seen anything like this was a result of not letting the model fully dry after washing off sanding residue. The paint (in my case Tamiya primer) will “skin” over water droplets as you spray it, and then pull back as it cures and shrinks properly. Fortunately I only got caught out in the headlight details and rear light buckets on a Lambo, so It was contained and easily remedied. Also, if I read their web site right, Splash paints are like Zero, and the colour coats are meant to dry matt, with the shine coming from the gloss coat. If you’re spraying them heavily enough to get a satin or gloss look, that’s too much, and I’d hate to think what the solvent might do. In the past, when I’ve had issues with Tamiya spray paint coats “pulling back” from panel lines etc, it’s because the paint is too wet and has time to move. That’s why I adopted the “splatter coats” method for TS sprays instead. best, M.

Well, it's not modelling as such, but it IS a job that needs doing for these "dioramas" After a couple of hours of Photoshop: I don't know yet how much of which bits of this I'll need for the display base and background, but I do need it without a car or titles on. There's a separate front panel image which retains the "Kings of the Road" caption and Roy Cross's signature. Now to go and play around with some cardboard. best, M.

Boats are an even better way to throw away your money than keeping horses, never mind investing in "affordable" but temperamental classic cars.

So, the Ferrari 156 wasn't the most successful of Ferrari F1 cars, nor Willy Mairesse the most rewarded driver. However, in 1962, he did drive to victory at the non-Championship Brussels Grand Prix, run to F1 rules. And this is what Roy Cross chose to paint for this Eagle "Kings of the Road" cover. The 156 is a iconic car, for all of its failings, with that distinctive sharknose. And can you really have a series of racers without a red one? I should have taken some "before" photos, but it has taken a fair bit of work with files, sharp knives, the Dremel and sandpaper to get to this point. There were some heavy seam lines and casting gates (you can still see them inside the cockpit coaming), and a lot of flash in the apertures in the body to be got rid of. Both halves are vulnerable to bending being softish white metal, so there is some gentle flexing to be done to get them to sit properly together when the time comes. Today's first pleasing discovery... As you can see at the top, the dynamic picture I'm recreating requires the car to be turning hard right. I was wondering how I would tackle re-aligning the wheels, but then I discovered that the kit is designed to allow it. There's no steering link to keep them parallel automatically, but that's not a problem. Good job, Auto-Kits! ..and it also looks like this vintage Cox figure won't require too much radical surgery to get him in place and driving, which is a relief... best, M.