Matt Bacon

True, but it was designed and first built in 1913... best, M.

I enjoyed the Silver Ghost so much I decided to splash out on Britain's Finest Sports Car (pre-WW1 of course...) best, M.

Which brings us to: That really is it for the car. work continues on the crew! best, M.

Thanks, guys! The lights had to be painted because the casting is just a bit rough (enough to appear "speckled" if you just polish). Some Mr Surfacer 1000 primer, TS17 Gloss Black, and finally TS-83 Metallic Silver, and this is the result. I'm impressed... best, M.

Fastest road legal production car is an AMG GT Black Series in 6’44”, which must REALLY be shifting! best, M.

Thanks, Charlie... didn't get as much done as I would have liked this weekend, so now I'm ready to sort out the lights as the last job. One thing I've learned is that the order of assembly described in the instructions needs to be followed precisely... As I hoped, given the precision and quality of the design and tooling to this point,, the windscreen supports "spring" nicely to accommodate the "glass" and its frames, so the two panes could be popped in and then fixed in place with superglue afterwards. NB: if you're here because you plan to build one of these, or have just embarked on a build, DO NOT FIX THE OUTBOARD SPEEDO AND REV COUNTER UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE PLACED THE WINDSCREEN SUPPORTS. The bracket for the speedo fits between the vertical windscreen rail and the firewall, not on the driver's side of the tube... best, M.

Thanks, guys... I think this is probably the last update before Under Glass: A bunch of small parts that fit beautifully. I've been able to put most of them in place mechanically, and then fix them by applying thinnish superglue to the joints. The crew continue to progress. Madame is wrapped in cling film because there's a Milliput cushion between her and the seat, which (I hope) will come away neatly when it's cured... Windscreen "glass" is in and curing solidly overnight. best, M.

Thanks, Trevor! So, we begin the second running board: I thought I'd try to get away with two subassemblies on this side. The balsa strip is cut to match the height of a similar piece which was shaped to fit under the far side running board, and the body squared up in its foam "nest". Six 1.3mm OD (1.1mm ID) pieces of brass tube will snugly fit the piano wire of the stays, which are in order front to back in the foreground. Five of the six brass tubes are glued in place in the stay locations (One is in the front mudguard/fender, and the forward, shorter stay under the rear mudguard is left off at this stage).The three main stays are placed in the tubes, and test fitted, supported by the balsa block get the inboard/outboard placement right. Taking them out of the body brackets carefully, they can then be tacked with superglue and rapidly rotated so they are perpendicular to running board. The longer rear stay is placed in the brass tube, but NOT fixed in position. Using gel superglue, the three central stays are refitted to the centre brackets, still supporting the whole thing on the balsa block.If you start at the front, and put them in one at a time, you can rotate the rear mudguard stay to guide it into the body last. Then it can be glued by applying thinner glue to the socket and brass tube. With the rear mudguard in position, the brass tube can be slipped onto the short rear stay, which is glued into the body socket with gel superglue.The mudguard end will drop into place and can be tacked with thinner superglue. I should have taken a picture of this bit in progress, but it was a bit fraught. The front mudguard is also done with the car the right way up. I left the stay free to move in the brass tube, and applied gel superglue to the socket on the body (which runs up/down, not INTO the chassis like the others) and the lower rear edge of the mudguard. This edge sits on top of the ridge on the running board (you can just about see it here). It needs to be held in place for a minute or so before the glue cures, but focus on getting the rear of the mudguard attached to the running board square, and flush at the outer edge (it's wider at the inside edge). You can catch the bottom end of the stay in the slot, where its height will be fixed when the other end of the mudguard is aligned "on the shelf," and the loose fit in the brass tube will allow it to slide in and out until the mudguard is square. I backed up the mudguard to running board joints with 90-second cure epoxy, and added more thin superglue to the brass tubes and stays at every accessible joint. And yes, the whole thing is heavy! And turned the right way up, we get to here: And this is where we are at close of play today: I had a horrible worry that the (shiny) acetylene generator would be the last straw, and putting it place would start the running boards drooping, But it seems OK so far... best, M.

Well, that was fun.... not! This was definitely a process of trial and (many) errors. I'll document how I eventually did it with the other side, but adding the three sections (front and rear mudguards and running boards) separately, using brass tube to socket the wire stays into under those parts, and superglue instead of epoxy were all critical... best, M.

Krylon is the hottest paint I’ve ever used. Never again. Plastikote Enamel is the only “craft” or auto product I still use regularly. Regular auto paints spray far too wet and heavy out of the can, and if you have to decant them and airbrush them to use, what have you gained? best, M.

I’ve noticed when I scrape flash/seams on certain types/hardnesses of plastic, I get a sort of “bar code” effect along the seam, which I then have to sand out. If the flexibility of these blades stops that happening, they might be worth a look... best, M.

If they do, I hope they offer an exchange programme for those of us who have the incorrect one! best, M.

The TS-23 in the instructions looks too light, but TS-44 Brilliant Blue seems like a reasonably good match to my eye... best, M.

Thank you, Andrew... made the final turn onto the home straight now, I reckon: And some detail shots of the steering lever. There is a small hole at the base of the offside kingpin, but the beautifully moulded nut in front of it gets slightly in the way. Still, the design is very precise, so you can get the nubbin on the end of the "scythe" of the steering lever into it and spring the far end of the rod that attaches to the steering box over the pin on it, and then flow superglue into the joints. And that's it for the main body assembly. Quite a few details and accessories to go, including those piano wire stays and braces, but I no longer worry that it's going to go disastrously pear-shaped! best, M.

So, as it's getting heavier it's time to experiment with the stand... Not too obvious, I think... Handily, the column height at the lowest point of the saddle needs to be 10mm. The blue is sticky backed velvet I bought as carpet for the Jag Mk2. You need something with a bit of "give" so the car can sink onto its tyres, and make sure you don't end up with a wheel or two in the air. I tried craft foam, but that was too thick. The steering box is one of those parts where the instructions and exploded diagram are not much help so I've put these pix in to show how and where it fits clearly. One thing to know if you are building one of these is that rather counterintuitively, the only way to get it into place is to thread the column up through the chassis from the bottom. There's no way to get the lower lever through the gap between the engine and chassis rail from the top (voice of frustrated experience). Before the epoxy was fully set, I used the body as a jig to make sure the column would come through the firewall in the right place. You can see there is a cutout between the pedal slots to take it. Next job is to attache the scuttle, and then the body. best, M.

Thanks, Geoff... time to start assembling the main parts... best, M.

Heller 1/24 car and truck kits are far from junk. They aren’t easy builds, but they are accurate in shape and well-detailed. There are some quirks... the place where one part is glued to another is often marked with an engraved pattern, and the door interiors are often one piece clear plastic with the windows. The biggest “issues” are: first, detail and structural parts are very faithful in scale, so can be fragile and hard to handle; and secondly, because of the moulding technology of the time, you may need to build up frames out of several separate tubes for example instead of a single complex slide moulded part as Tamiya would do now. Any Heller kit will be a challenge to build, but it’s just construction skills needed, not battling an ill-fitting, badly designed and incompetently-moulded kit into submission... best, M.

Thanks, chaps... the scuttle/dashboard is now done: The big "mahogany" box contains the coil, so it can be accessed from the cockpit (I assume as part of the starting sequence, perhaps because of the dual coil and magneto firing circuits). The dials are provided as printed paper, but carefully cut out and with painted on "glass" from Citadel "''ardcoat" varnish they look OK. That is how the speedo/rev counter should fit, but my word was it hard to figure out: the isometric view on the instructions is at just the wrong angle; the photos are unhelpful (most of the time the mounting is hidden behind the spare tyre); and for a famous car it's surprisingly hard to find a clear walkaround image of the inside or "driver's eye" view. Eventually I found a video from Goodwood Revival which gave me a glimpse. By 1909 models, the cluster was back inside, in front of the steering wheel. People progressing. The ICM figures are well sculpted, but the fit leaves a bit to be desired. I've found over the yeas that the best way to fit them together is to take your time, and join the critical, well fitting pieces, then let them set. You can then close up the remaining gaps by flexing the rather "soapy" plastic. The lady's jacket back is solidly located on the rear part of her skirt, and her front fits solidly to the top of the skirt front, so tomorrow I'll get her shoulders to meet up with the aid of a large clamp! best, M.

I've got to the point on my Finecast Rolls Royce when I need to start making the stays and braces for toolboxes and mudguards. The white metal ones are nicely cast, but even the instructions say that they will bend and sag under the weight of said tool boxes (essentially running boards 1/4" deep and 50% solid white metal, so they weigh... a lot) and mudguards. Finecast kindly includes a length of 20swg (0.9mm) piano wire with which to make tougher new stays. This will involve bending lots of right angles (and not-quite right angles) and cutting lengths precisely to match the cast white metal parts. I have done the first one, which has worked OK, but the wire is harder than my side cutters (fortunately, I have some older, more knackered ones that I can experiment with, so this is not ruining a good tool). Because of the precision of cut needed, I don't think I can use the sizeable lever-action metal shears I have, which will doubtless cut though, but I can't wield them to do it with 1mm accuracy. So, does anyone have any recommendations for a pair of cutters that are tough enough for the job, but wieldy enough to use accurately? Or some other device for precision cutting tough steel wire? That doesn't cost £hundreds? I assume that such things are used by piano menders and maybe for cutting guitar strings, so I hope I'm not on a fruitless quest... best, M.

Thanks, both! @peteski the figures are not included; they are the ICM “American Motorists 1910” designed for their Model T kit. I decided to upgrade their wheels from the most popular car in the world to “the best car in the world” ? I think one of the reasons it looks larger scale is that the white metal can be cast with details of an extraordinary level of finesse. Bolts and fittings and lettering that you’d have to add with scratch building to a plastic kit are all there out of the box, and parts that would have to be after market resin in an aircraft kit are all moulded on one piece components. It really is a gem of the master maker’s art... best, M.

This is now the official end of "Stage 4: the Bodywork" A first test to see if the driver is going to fit. His passenger is also under way, but her lower half is rather more complicated! Next "Stage 5: The Scuttle", which is the dashboard by another name. best, M.

Thanks, Geoff! Zero 2K clear is on now. It's all just dropped into place here, but the fit seems pretty good... I couldn't resist a bit more comprehensive test assembly! The rear wheels don't go fully on to the axles at the moment, so they are too wide-tracked. I didn't want to force them at this juncture, and will ease the mounting holes with a file when we get to permanent fitting stage. I'm sure there are folk who will think the body is too shiny for period, but since the whole thing is silver I want a range of finishes and textures... and the real thing is incredibly well looked after! The bright green in the body is some Post-It paper being used as low tack masks for the seat base boards, which are mahogany. I'm off now to finish graining them! best, M.

Silver is on.... I'm using a custom mix by Zero Paints of Mercedes Diamond Silver but made with mica pearl flake instead of metal flake, so you can't see the grain at all... There is a difference from the primer, honest... And the radiator is done: Tamiya Italian Red Lacquer paint on the RR badge, taken off with thinner after it dried; AA badge painted with gold enamel, followed by Tamiya Acrylic, wiped off later with a cotton swab moistened with X-20A thinner best, M.

Thanks, guys... slow and steady progress, and finally all the bits that will be painted body colour are cleaned up and primered. Tomorrow is probably paint shop day! best, M.

This is TS-84: The red parts are also TS-84 with a light coat of Mica Red, which gives a nice “electric” effect... best, M.