Matt Bacon

Lovely job. That big snake is pretty much mandatory with these, I reckon… best, M.

I can’t agree with Steve. Growing up in England with Airfix through the 70s, Roy Cross’s box art was fundamental to the attraction and joy of the kits. I’m sure the same is true for folks the other side of the pond with the outstanding work of Brian Knight and Jack Leynwood for Revell. Sure, some planes need no introduction, but Roy’s “Bit O Lace” and “G-George” are iconic images even if a B-17 or Lancaster is familiar fodder. Our Classic British Kits IPMS SIG has done “Classic Box Art” diorama displays at the UK Nats twice in the last decade or so, and they’ve always been the most popular themes we’ve run, with hundreds of people coming up to chat about what those images mean to them. So I’m going to say the box art is a substantial part of the appeal of older kits to me. And Adam Tooby, who is the current Airfix box artist, is doing a great job of keeping up the Roy Cross tradition for a new generation.. best, M.

I've had a look, Pierre, but I don't have any that are suitable. I've got a bunch of printed wheels, but they are all 15" and reasonably wide. The fronts on the Vanwall are 16" x 5.5" , and I'm loath to break the Fernando Pinto full set I just "discovered" because there's an Alfa P3 or Maserati 4CLT still to come that they might work on... These etched ones aren't ideal, but they are the right size, and will hopefully will just be one detail in a "bigger picture" (literally!) best, M.

Well, those nice folks at Squires have sorted me out with the spare parts to complete the Miller wheels as intended, so I now have the pleasure of figuring out what I CAN use the FPPM wheels on... ? best, M.

I get confused between Model Car Garage, Model Builders Warehouse and Model Car Warehouse regularly, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Same with Historic Racing Miniatures and Vintage Racing Miniatures, never mind the various different incarnations of Scale Finishes. Hiroboy.com not so much… there’s a lesson there somewhere… best, M.

On with the next installment of my Roy Cross (Illustrator and Airfix box artist ) tribute builds following his passing earlier this year aged 100. This one is the 1958 Vanwall, based on this Eagle comic cover from January 1963: Since I was building display bases already for the Delage, I decided to get this one done early... Which means now I have to build a car... this is the starting point: Merit kits are pretty simple, but the shapes are generally good. The wheels need help, though, since they are solid with a transparent front onto which you are meant to apply a decal printed with the spokes. The bag at the left of the picture are some of the spare etch and white metal wheels and tires I've accumulated over the years... After a fair bit of rummaging around and test fitting, I think we are sorted. Vanwall experimented with cast alloy wheels instead of wires in 1958. They tried complete replacement, but it turned out that the steering and front-end grip were better with the more flexible wire wheels than the stiffer cast alternatives. For the Italian Grand Prix depicted on the cover, Tony Brooks drove with wires at the front and cast wheels at the back. As you can also see on the cover picture, there was a small scoop intake for the oil cooler on top of the nose... I carved a master from balsa based on some decades old plans from the UK's contemporary Model Maker and Model Cars Magazine . I've plunge molded a few copies to make sure there's scope for errors while cutting, prepping and fitting! best, M.

I’m not sure they are… which is maybe why this stalled! He sells the “Talbot Lago” set as “suitable for many pre-war race cars” so maybe that’s what they are… The only problem is that almost uniquely in period, and completely uniquely in the Auto Kits range, the Miller Special is front wheel drive, and has noticeably heftier hubs on the front than the back… best,

Darkness is often found at the edge of town, I understand… M.

I opened up the Auto Kits 1928 Miller which I bought on eBay to verify all the parts against the instructions. They are all there, including the spoking wire, except the wheel rims. The white metal wheel hubs are also in there. But there are also these wheels, which were/are clearly intended as a replacement. They are very nice, but they are definitely not already made up Auto Kit wheels. First, the hubs are all the same size, whereas the white metal parts have substantially larger front wheel hubs than rears. And secondly, I think they are resin. The centres at the back are pale and creamy. They are laced, not photo-etched. Does anyone know where they originate? I'm wondering if they are Fernando Pinto? If they are, the £40 I paid for the complete kit seems like even more of a bargain! best, M.

I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking @PatW. The instructions for a standard Y32 and low-rider optional parts are in the images on this page: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10689562 If you’re after the instructions for the kit you’ve pictured to see what might be different then I see your problem. Aoshima Bunka Kyozai is just the full name of the company, and I’m guessing Shakotan Boogie Mizutani’s are the wheel/tyre combo. You might be lucky. In my experience most of these Japanese-market anime/manga issue kits are just the normal kit with some funky graphics and decals. By far the cheapest way to buy a Fujimi 911 2.7 RS Enthusiast Model for years was in a “Circuit Wolf” box… best, M.

I'm going to say that's WAY too much sanding, especially for Tamiya lacquer paint. First, make sure you've done all your clean up on the bare plastic shell -- remove al the mould separation lines, sprue attachments, fill any sink marks etc, and sand that smooth with 600, 800 and 1000 grit. You don't need to sand the whole thing... if the plastic is shiny and unblemished leave it alone. Then spray it with Tamiya Fine Surface primer, which should come up very smooth. If not, you can hit it with soft 1500 or 2000 grit sanding sponges, but again, only where it needs it. Then apply your Tamiya lacquer. You can use whatever technique works for you -- mist and wet coats, or the method I use, which is just building up multiple "splatter coats" lightly until the coverage is even. If it's metallic, apply some thin coats of TS-13 Clear. Let it cure thoroughly for a week. Then you just polish it. You shouldn't need to do any more sanding. Novus Plastic Polish Number 3 if you need it, but you probably won't, followed by Number 2 (the fine scratch remover) will bring up a glossy and realistic shine. Just polish in small circles and you'll see the colour appearing on your polish cloth and it'll start to squeak, at which point it's done. Meguiars Ultimate Compound for real cars works just as well, as I'm sure will Tamiya Polishing compounds. best, M.

These'll be the last, I promise! Here it is on the final version of the display base: Tight crop to compare directly to the real cover painting: And what it REALLY looks like... revealing all its secrets. best, M.

Very nice indeed. Excellent colour combo. These are great little kits, I reckon… best, M.

Thank you @Richard Bartrop that’s a great resource! best, M.

Continuing my quest to collect all the Wills Finecast/AutoKit white metal models, I just snagged the “1928 Miller”. I don’t know much about Indy Cars, especially older ones, so this is outside my comfort zone. There are some very cool photos of a black and silver one online, but it seems that lots of people ran one of these cars. Anyone have a reasonably comprehensive list of the colors and race numbers I can choose from? beat, M.

I thought the same a while back and have one in the stash. I picked up a stack of the shortlived (three years) UK “Scale Auto Modeller” which ran from late 98-late 2001 and there are two build articles in separate issues early in the run… one for the original release and one for the Polish-American Racing Team boxing, which is the one I have. The main message is follow the instructions to the letter and test fit everything and fine tune it first before committing to glue and paint! Even so, the rear clip doesn’t fit properly on the first build, and the second one learned from that and still had to do a fair amount of work to get it properly seated, so that’s clearly a potential gotcha… best, M.

So, ultimately the idea with these is to display them as a tribute to Roy Cross, who painted the Eagle magazine covers, reproducing them as best I can. I have decided on a "picture frame" approach, where the car sits on an angled plinth to present it in the attitude it is painted in on the cover, and the Eagle masthead and cover furniture "frame" it to set the viewpoint. This is a prototype base using low res printouts and some spare corrugated card for structure. Once I'm happy with the exact angles, I'll make up the final version with foamcore board and best quality print. I also want to wait until I've had a go at the second one before finalising it, because if possible I'd like the cover "frames" to be the same size for all of them, but that obviously depends on if that's feasible with different sized cars in different perspectives in the cover painting. The printed patterns on the base and backdrop are the result of some fairly busy Photoshop sessions to remove the main subject from teh original picture and clone the surrounding texture in its place. Time to adjust the angles slightly and make a final version of the base... best, M.

Those look great! I supect they'll need re-covering in the workshop, rather than just "preserving" Seriously, for display, have you considered using a set of the Fujumi "Mechanics" figures representing the restoration team starting to get to grips with what they need to do, and dismantling the car? The "Classic Cars" magazine I subscribe to has an "Epic Restoration" feature every month documenting, and illustrating, every stage of the barn-find --> Concours winner process for an interesting car... best, M.

I guess I'm pretty equal-opportunity here. My choices are primarily driven by what I want to build and what I want in my cabinet. Of my last few, the Super Samuri 240Z had an engine but wasn't designed to have an open hood,and yet I cut it open and detailed it because the engine is part of what makes a Samuri a Samuri; the AC289 Sports MkIII had an engine swap into the base Cobra 427 S/C because the "289" was kinda the point, though the bodywork was the toughest task; the Lotus Esprit Mk1 had no engine in the kit, but it's the body shape that was the point of the build, so I certainly wasn't going to scratch a chassis and engine details; and the 1927 Delage racer is a white metal kit with no engine and the work to open it up and put one in was WAY beyond what I was prepared to do for its display purpose... I guess it mostly comes down to what I want the model I've built for, what it's intended to show off, and what the kit comes with that I can work with. Given the number of Fujimi Enthusiast kits in my stash, I guess I quite like good engine detail in a kit, but given the number of Fujimi Enthusiast kits in my stash, I'm not so good at building them.... best, M.

1960s-vintage white metal kit, with a reasonable amount of detail and wind-it-yourself wire wheels. This build was inspired by this: ...of which more later... best, M.

Great work, Jay… it looks fabulous! Are you going to make the requisite 1/24 scale $8m. and change it will take to buy this barn find when it’s discovered? best, M.

Thanks for following along, guys... that's it for the workbench, I think. Made my own stencils for the numbers, drybrushed on the radiator grille and hand painted on the sides (I figured that they'd have been painted on with whitewash on the race day for real, so didn't want to get too sophisticated...) This one will be back in Under Glass once I've done some thinking and construction.... best, M.

Thanks, both. I think this is the building pretty much complete... And finally, starting to play about with the angles to reproduce the cover... Time for a bit more paint, and to make up a badge! best, M.

My Lord... can you imagine an LLM trained on the "One Sentence Game"? Should be fairly easy to spot, mind... best, M.

Absolutely lovely. Beautifully detailed and the finish is perfectly in scale. I love these kits, and this is something to aspire to when I can work up the courage to build one of mine… Very well done indeed. best, M.