Matt Bacon

Journey of a thousand miles, and all: The rear deck of this racer is ready to carry a spare wheel, or not... Thanks to an error with the 3D printer files, the resin deck part as supplied in the kit is a mirror image of what it should be. The fuel filler should be on the right, the wheel mount displaced to the left. It's not a tricky fix, especially with the help of the 1:1 drawings in the instructions, but this is how it should look after surgery. The first major step is cutting away the rear wheel arches and flattening the back end of the chassis piece: You want to get everything level with the top of the ]-shaped raised bit between the arches. The medium-grey and black parts are from the original Aoshima kit (Airfix version). The paler parts are the C1 transkit. Body looks like this in primer: Very impressive, generally. A couple of bubbles and flaws to deal with at the edges, but mostly very well designed and cast. Thoroughly recommended. best, M.

I'm hoping they'll do an Ioniq 6: https://www.hyundai.co.uk/new-cars/ioniq6 best, M.

@Dpate All I know is here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ I’m a big fan of Zero Paints, for the right models, but they do need a specific technique… best, M.

Yep… that’s classic behaviour of Zero Base coats sprayed too thick. In the picture, I think it’s run and gathered at the edge of the panel rather than being laid on too thick overall. Zero base coats are meant to be matt. You don’t need super light coats, but several speedy once-overs about 5 minutes apart, until the colour stops changing. Don’t try to get an even colour density on the first or even second coat. If it looks at all shiny, stop and move on. If it looks wet, you’re likely to get the effect above. It’s the clear coat that gives Zero its shine (and usually transforms the colour to really “pop” as well)… Best, M.

Thanks, gentlemen... with a bit more distance from the battle to finish the build, I'm remembering WHY I wanted to have a Stinger on my shelf! I don't think anyone will ever do a Corvair again, so we have what we have. best, M.

Far from my best work, and if I'm honest, I'm glad to get it off the bench at last. Work hassles and COVID have sapped my mojo, and holidays and the garden have eaten into bench time, so I'm looking for a restart for the Autumn. The kit fought me all the way, some of which reflected its age, some my ineptness... It's a comprehensive kit, with parts for many versions of the Corvair, but I'd only recommend it if you're a regular builder who gets their kicks from beating recalcitrant plastic into submission or you absolutely have to have a Corvair on your shelf. best, M.

Thanks, guys. Boy, it's been a long time..... Work, COVID, holidays and the garden have conspired against progress. But I'm nearly there now... That's the interior finished. And the completed engine. Body with glass (which does not fit to save your life....). Note the coil pack on the rear bulkhead, apparently to stop it overheating on race cars. Pretty much there now, I reckon. Next pictures will be in Under Glass. best, M.

Thanks for going on with this, Michael. I for one look forward to the return of the Quiz! One question: do you mean you won’t publish the rules each week with each picture? best, M.

Another vote for Randy at MBW. Really good to deal with, and not at all fazed by me being this side of the pond. A couple of UK modellers now have a Daytona Coupe after following the pre-order route… Batches don’t take THAT long to come in… best, M.

There was a Pressed Steel Fisher, after the late 60s, but it didn’t have anything to do with Fisher Body. Pressed Steel Company was owned by Morris for a while, and then went independent. A competitor in the business in the UK in the 50s and 60s was Fisher and Ludlow, which was bought by the British Motor Corporation in the mid-50s. With the consolidation of the British car industry, in the late 60s British Leyland Motor Corporation at it then was also acquired Pressed Steel Company and merged it with Fisher and Ludlow into a single body production company called Pressed Steel Fisher. The factories are still in use in Cowley and Swindon building BMW Minis, and in Castle Bromwich making Jaguars. best, M.

It’s a shame they didn’t do more with that little V8. You can get one in a Jaguar Mk2 body, which is pretty cool, but as the starting point for this shows, shame it wasn’t used more widely in MG or Triumph cars after the merger. Stag would have fewer teething problems with a V8 that worked from the off… And what about a Triumph GT8 with the Daimler engine? That really WOULD have been a “poor man’s E-type”… best, M.

It's rather lovely, isn't it? Like the love child of a Maserati and an MGB. That said, if I'd known it was a one-off, I'd have been looking in different places! Mind you, I should have figured out that something that good-looking and British couldn't have been built in large numbers, or I'd have known what it is... best, M.

Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue (posh PVA). It's intended for R/C modellers. Has a decent amount of "stick" right off the bat, but the trick is to wait 2-3 minutes and squidge your parts in one last time as it thickens. Cleans up with water when wet, dries completely clear and is very strong after 24 hours, and if you don't like what you've done, even after it's dry, just soak it in water for a few hours and it will soften and come off again. Fills gaps, takes paint.... what's not to like? best, M.

I think if you're serious about cars, or car models, and you had $40K to spend, then you'd be better off heading to Amalgam... You could have three or four of these for the money: https://www.amalgamcollection.com/collections/1-8-scale GT-40, 250SWB Moss Goodwood TT 61, E Type Series 1 and DB4GT Zagato or a gimmick-laden Cullinan? best, M.

It is nasty stuff, and it does require you to take all the necessary precautions. YMMV, but I've tried several approaches to paint and weathering in contests, at least one of which offers what I think is a more realistic finish, but the judges' preference, in the UK at least, was for the wet-look clear of 2K. The Britmodeller post I've linked above gives my full techniques and rationale; you can read it, or not, as you choose... best, M.

...you can do it without sanding paint without resorting to 2K, and properly used, 2K clear can give a pretty impressive effect, especially if you want to win prizes at contests.. best, M.

This is how I do it: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ best, M.

Slow progress, detail by detail, but finally got to the point when it's worth mocking up again... Definitely need to fix the front track before the wheels go on firmly, and the rears are pretty wobbly as well. Some yenko decals for the body as well before final clear and polish... best, M.

Aerosmith... best, M.

I'm taking my inspiration from this one: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/this-1966-chevrolet-corvair-yenko-stinger-stage-ii-is-all-original-155924.html ...mostly because there are lots of photos! best, M.

Got the engine wiring squared away, and a few more details: There's some more to do, but thank goodness I remembered that you're supposed to finish the engine AFTER the main assembly is in place! Mostly chrome, though if you look carefully you can see that the headlights now have disc lenses punched from pill packaging for the dished effect... Tub detailing under way. Need to sort the pedals and shift lever! Engine in. It will go in this built up, but requires some careful twisting and fettling to get all the bits together. I think opening a slot to the mounting point at the front of the bay would make things much easier! Time for a coil and some battery cables... And here we are this evening: ...not sure how much will get done the next few days, despite the long weekend...we have family visitors on the way! best, M.

Thanks, guys, and thanks for the reminder, @gearhedjon. So I have added the lower body blue: Some progress with painting and detailing the engine: The aluminium ferrules will become convincing "velocity stacks" I hope... Not a great picture, but it should be clear that I filled the central dial and replaced it with the four smaller gauges of the Yenko dash, and I've used liquid cement to texture the crackle-black areas around the gauges and glovebox. Next steps with both the body and interior require breaking out the chrome... best, M.

Doh! I will.... I spotted it when I was planning, and then forgot to leave it unmasked for painting! Thanks forthe reminder... best, M.

It's been a busy week, but managed to make some progress at least: Stripe's probably a bit wide (though it varies depending on which car you're basing your build on) but the benefit of using tape sizes you have on hand for masking outweighs the value of strict scale accuracy, IMHO... and this is MY Stinger, not Jay's... best, M.

A fair bit of masking to paint a few bits black! The engine is started, using Citadel Contrast Paint "Black Templar" over Tamiya Grey Primer. It's a bit hard to see here, but it does shadowing, washing and dry-brushing all in one. Lots more detail painting on the engine to be done, but it's a solid starting point. best, M.