Matt Bacon

Built in a bit of a blitz for our Classic British Kits SIG display at this year's Scale Model World (IPMS UK Nats), this is the 1973 "new-tool" Airfix Mosquito more or less straight out of the box. It's certainly better than the last one of these that I built, a mere 50 years ago. Of course, it's still the same version I built as a kid, with the BIIIGGGG GUN (a 2" anti tank cannon intended to deliver a one-shot kill of a U-boat) because why wouldn't you? I think it's actually still a pretty good kit, with the exception of a cockpit that definitely needs a bit extra added, if only the parcel shelf for the radio gear behind the crew. On the off chance you didn't spend your childhood watching "633 Squadron" ? The Mosquito was the best British "multi-role combat aircraft" of WW2. Built mostly of plywood by furniture makers (who weren't in demand for the war effort like metalworkers or auto craftsmen) it strapped two Merlin engines into a sleek aerodynamic fuselage which was adapted for every type of fighting. It could carry more bombs to Berlin than a B-17, and outrun everything the Nazis could get in the air until the jet-powered Me262 came along. Originally an unarmed bomber that relied on speed rather than firepower to escape the opposition, it turned out that if you stuck 4 machine guns and four more cannon in the nose, it was a pretty good fighter. Keep the four cannon and put a radar up front and it was a ground-breaking night fighter, with the radar operator sitting right next to the pilot, unlike the Beaufighter or P-61. And this particular version was designed to make life pretty unpleasant for U-boats and enemy shipping, what with the machine guns, anti-U-boat cannon and a salvo of rockets under each wing. No wonder teenage (and nearly-60-year-old) me figured it was a "must-build".... best, M.

Ah, but did they have authenticated SPECTRE bullet holes…? ? best, M.

They said May in the UK… best, M.

James Bond licences don’t come cheap… best, M.

Corvette parts on show at Scale Model World this weekend: It looks really good in the flesh… certainly a step up for Revell in terms of detail and engineering. best, M.

A thought… did anyone ever refer to 1/24 as 1/2” scale or half scale, like 1/4” or “quarter scale” once meant 1/48? I’ve never seen 1/72 referred to as 1/6” scale either. The 1/4” scale thing seems like a unique use. While we’re at it, 1/25 seems like a “metric” scale not an Imperial one, so why do US car models come in 1/25 instead of 1/24, when airplanes almost universally come in 1/48 (unless you count some very rare groove old Heller and Japanese kits in 1/50…) best, M.

They are a bit “uncanny valley,” with that fixed stoned stare, I agree. I’m not a good enough figure painter to really bring them to life, but they’re part of the character of the kit, so I couldn’t leave them out… Let's just say he's grimly determined to push it to the edge, and she's clinging on for dear life... best, M.

Would these be any good? https://motobitz.uk/accessories.html John Whitmore's Lotus Cortinas ran on these back in the day... best, M.

Probably wise to add that fourth wheel. The handling might have been a bit err… “wayward” if they’d stuck with just three… best, M.

No more classically 70s Brit auto weirdness than these two, first kitted by Airfix in 1973 and reissued as part of their "Vintage Classics" series. The Bugle Buggy was "inspired" by the Manx, obviously, but it was well finished, and the only Brit beach buggy to have properly integrated headlights. Built for a show in a couple of weeks on a 1973 theme... best, M.

@MarkJ you might enjoy this: https://a.co/d/gyaMxH9 I'm reading it at the moment. Obviously a lot of ground to cover in 100 years of Le Mans, but it's a really good read. best, M.

And South Yorkshire this morning. Looking forward to getting some quality time with it! best, M.

Not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, don't you know, but some folks might be interested in a trip down memory lane. A pair of Airfix's state of the art for 1973 kits. The buggy was made by Bugle, and was popular for its integrated headlights and general build quality. Fistral Beach or Pendine Sands have all the sand of their Californian cousins, but are a bit, well, colder... The triangular Bond Bug is all-original, though, designed by eccentric genius Tom Karen to update the prehistoric product lines of Britain's two three-wheeler (the result of a tax break) makers, Bond and Reliant, when they merged. I have made a blue thing. It's better in daylight, but this 'ere nail varnish makes for a good metalflake effect for the full 70s OTT look. Bits of a Bug. This is definitely one of those early 70s Airfix 1/32 car kits, on a par with the K3 Magnette or Prince Henry, with fine details, and quite a few of them. Fortunately it's also moulded in Airfix's new dark grey plastic, which is reasonably hard but not brittle, so separating those small details is a lot less fraught than with the older kits. Even the engine is pretty reasonable for the scale (never mind that it's mostly going to be unseen). I may be deviating from the instructions (they aren't that clear!). But looking at pictures of the real thing, the mouldings are pretty seamless, without obvious filled joint lines like you find on a Lotus Esprit or Ferrari 288GTO between the fibreglass sections, though there is a step along the sides. So I've decided to assemble the three main body parts, fill and clean up before painting. Although the rear panel has the boot door in it, only that part is black and opens... the rest merges smoothly into the body sides, and the wheel arches are also seamlessly blended into the body. And yes, I did check with a mockup that it was possible to get the chassis in AFTER building the body this way... Did I mention the instructions weren't clear? Well, in this case they are just plain wrong. Thanks to a YouTube snippet of a Bug restoration I figured out how the steering box and linkage work. The hole in the steering box faces backwards, not forwards (makes sense, it's where the column fits into it), and the 8 link goes on the pin that's now on the outside. Then the other rod and L lever from the axle all join up quite neatly... Orange-ness sooon... best, M.

The pricing is a bit steep for what it is, which may be a result of the licensing. But the alternatives are a Doyusha kit with iffy shape that’s equally kerbside and expensive, or an Airfix/MPC or Aurora “licensed spy car” kit with better shape and an engine at serious collector prices. Remember Revell has form in this space with the EasyClick Porsche 356: a simplified pure snap coupe, and a more detailed cabriolet with more and more accurate pieces. They can get the “mass market” Goldfinger one out the door to sell to all the folks who want a Bond car semi-toy with gadgets; then follow up with a more detailed “regular” DB5… If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d be seriously tempted to leave off the bumpers, fill the roof panel and armour slot, replace the wheels with some nice 3D printed wires, and have a pretty cool classic GT on the shelf sooner rather than later. Like this: best, M.

Really interested to watch this. I’ve done a few of these little Hellers, and they are sweet kits. Good shapes, reasonable detail, and a pleasingly quirky set of subjects from around Europe… best, M.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer The West Wing Blackadder Inspector Morse The Muppet Show

Trying to stick to single movies: Star Wars Some Like It Hot Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann) Duck Amuck (Looney Toons short) The Right Stuff Grosse Pointe Blank OK, I stuck to single movies. Just not five of them (though one is less than five minutes and can count as the cartoon before the main feature) best, M.

This is definitely going to date me. A combination of albums that are emotionally important in my life, and some that are great records irrespective of my connection with them (and I’ll try to do five or it could be fifty…) Kilimanjaro -Teardrop Explodes The Doors - The Doors ABC - The Lexicon of Love Prince - Sign O the Times Human League - Dare Pulp - Different Class (And because you can’t love music and not love The Beatles - Rubber Soul) I know I can’t count… best, M.

There have been many tuners who have gone to work on Datsun/Nissan's 240Z (Fairlady Z). None is better known in the UK than Spike Anderson. Between 1973 and 1986, his company produced 77 Super Samuris, They originally came in two specifications: the "cooking" Super Samuri with a work of art for a cylinder head and 3 double Weber carbs; and the Road Racer spec which had a whole host of other track-focused upgrades to brakes, suspension, exhaust, cooling, safety gear and even bigger carbs. Since they were built, many have enjoyed further development. Which means that you can pretty much choose your spec and find a car that it matches. Needless to say, there is no handy kit of a cult British-tuned version of the 240Z, though there are many different Japanese ones (and one US BRE spec kit). This one started life as a Fujimi "432R", because it's one I happened to have in hand after an inspiring visit to Donington Historics this year, where about 10% of the UK's Samuris were on show. The 432R is a different (very) hot Z, fitted with a Skyline GTR 2-litre engine. Despite being kerbside, with the hood moulded shut, the kit came with a regular engine as well as the GTR special, mostly to provide what you can see between the wheels under the chassis. I opened up the hood, and then added the very distinctive front air dam. Most of the engine bay parts are scratch built or robbed from other kits, copying the Tamiya kit details where possible. The carbs are 3D-printed and bought off eBay, the wheels are Minilites from Motobitz, etched details and badges from Model Car Garage, and the distinctive script "Samuri" decals were ALPS-printed for me by a member on another forum, for which huge thanks to Jorgen. Now I'm off to do something simpler. Though I must admit to having acquired a Hasegawa 432R kit (again curbside), first because they are also super cool and secondly, I have to do _something_ with that engine, don't I? best, M.

It was the Lola GT look that pointed me in the right direction as well. A brief look for a little-known road-going Lola prototype and then I started on Ford concept cars, beginning in 1966... best, M.

The chassis is not finally glued into the body yet, but this will be the last set of shots from the bench. Just the plates to add, and then off to Under Glass. It's definitely getting dark earlier these days... I did a few last bits of "prototype-inspired" gizmology on the right hand side of the bay, which was looking a bit empty. I know a wash bottle when I see one, but I think we also have some bits of a high-capacity oil cooler set up and a heavy duty fuel pump as well. Probably. Anyway, there's some more plumbing and wiring to busy things up a bit. Just need to decide on what registration it's going to wear, now... best, M.

Thank you... This will be the last you'll see of the cabin interior, I suspect: It's a bit of a black hole, but I decided I couldn't leave it without seat belts. The inertia reels fitted on the supension pillar turrets are as they are fitted on one of my two reference cars, and yes, that is how the belts run past the seat. I guess they come up over the outboard shoulder when you put them on. The other car has a roll cage fitted, and a four point harness attached to that, but I like the road car vibe of this one. This is here for the teeny-tiniest detail. The Model Car Garage etc set has many, many neat parts, including, something described as a "key fob" (yes, it has ignition keys, too. If only I could figure out what to do with them). It's a small disc with an etched slot in the middle. Key fob or no, they make really neat door lock barrels, seen just below the door handle! best, M.

Checking I can open the hood successfully... best, M.

Getting to the home straight now, I hope! Engine compartment details are pretty much done: It's a mixture of parts from other kits, resin carbs, scratchbuilt bits copying the Tamiya kit, and some creative gizmology. My favorite bit is the wired-in work light on the offside wheel arch. I though it was cool on the real things, and this is turned down from some clear plastic rod. At the right angle, it even looks like it has a reflector. And now....drum roll please... with huge thanks to a member on another forum with an ALPS printer: I thought the scripts would be have to be left as a "nice to have", but I managed to find a font that was "close enough" to the original signwriting, Jorgen rose to the challenge with his printer, and the Swedish Postal service was extraordinarily quick and efficient, and here we are. So massive thanks to Jorgen from Britmodeller and three cheers for this worldwide hobby community of ours! And now I see I need to tidy up s bit of that quarterlight chrome... best, M

Thank you! Slowly getting on with details: One of the things that I have been trying to figure out is the hood hinge. Remember, I cut the hood free from the body, so it has to sit back into the space it came from, but also open up to view the engine bay. This is complicated by the V shape of the grille and front edge of the hood, so the whole thing has to move forward as it opens for the front edge of the hood to clear the top of the grille. Also, cosmetically I want it to look a bit like the mechanism on the real thing. Eventually, I got there. The functional part of the hinge is a simple L made from bent brass wire on each side. It's fixed into a hole 2.5mm behind the front edge of the hood on each side, at 90degrees to the hood surface, and is 4.5mm long before it twists outwards. Measure many times before cutting on your build. When it's shut, the rod sits vertically downwards into the gap at the front of the fenders. As you lift it, the hood can move forwards until when it's open, the nose overlaps the point of the grille and the sideways projections are caught up alongside the headlight fairing. To fit it in, you have to turn the hood across the opening so the slightly wider pins go through the aperture and lodge in the right place. The real thing is made up of an articulated "lazy-8" strip hinge that lifts the hood up and out. I made the detail with slices of square section tube that was about the right size, cut and folded slightly. You can see the brass pins at the bottom, and the white plastic cosmetic sections sitting on top. After painting and some test fitting, we get here: The hood stay is guitar string, with aluminum tube for the hood socket/ radiator frame hinge point. Still more to do on the engine bay details. And yes, even with all this stuff that was never meant to be there inside, the hood does close properly... best, M.