Matt Bacon

I've had a quick look, and I think it's rather more work than it seems at first glance, and the opportunities to mess it up are significant: you have to do 28 spokes exactly the same. Just filling the gap between the raised parts of each spoke will result in a very chunky appearance and an odd looking centre. What you really need to do is remove the raised ridges, which are actually made up of a V-shape which runs down one spoke and up the one next door, smooth the curve of the well around the centre cap, and readjust the part where each spoke meets the rim. If I had a spare set of wheels, I might give it a try, but since I don't, I've decided the balance between risk of stuffing the whole project and absolute accuracy comes down in favor of leaving them as they are! I'll have a look in some of my other 90s JDM kits and see if any have tuner rims that are closer, but if not I'll plough on with what I've got now. best, M.

You'll have to take my word for it, but the NSX paint is actually a deep bluish green with a fine pearl flake. I've been inspired by @galaxygs Tamiya GT3RS finished in a single color without carbon, which looks great, to get on with mine. This is not that color (his is a tasteful ice blue metallic). I'm sure this will elicit a love it or hate it reaction (unless _everyone_ but me hates it...), but the Porsche dealers opposite IKEA in Sheffield has got a 911 Carrera cabrio in this color, and in the flesh it's really striking and different: https://www.jct600.co.uk/new-cars/porsche-911-2dr-pdk-convertible-cartagena-yellow-metallic-automatic-petrol/id-12634/ It'll stand out in my display cabinet, that's for sure! best, M.

Thanks, Rich... that color was what sealed the deal, so I have a bottle of color-matched Zero Paints Honda G70P on its way to me as I write... best, M.

I quite often find inspiration for what to pull out of the stash in the current edition of Octane, and this is the latest in a long-ish line. A pretty unusual NSX-R built to order for a wealthy expat Brit who worked in Japan at the time. It's the full NSX-R spec in a slightly stealth package with standard headlights, no extra scoops, a single color body and roof in a tasteful pearl Brooklands (aka Charlotte) Green, and the interior trimmed in black alcantara. The wheels are a bit more in your face, mind you... This is another Frankenbuild, but this time it's 90% Tamiya with just a few parts stolen from a Fujimi NSX-R kit that's gathering dust. I think the Tamiya is a much better and more detailed kit overall, so all I've stolen from the other box are the Recaro seats, gear shift lever and steering wheel, and the wheels. They aren't quite right, but they have seven thin spokes and look a lot more like the prototype than the ones in the Tamiya kit. I thought I might be able to find something closer, but 16" seven-spoke "Custom Order Programme Step Three" Enkeis don't seem to feature in any aftermarket wheelset I can find from the usual makers and vendors... So far, all I've done is the tedious process of converting Fujimi-fit wheels to Tamiya-fit spindles. The Tamiya body shell is lovely and clean, though, with no visible parting lines at all... best, M.

For the same reason we accept engraved panel lines and recessed “rivets” on model aircraft, and laud manufacturers who manage to reproduce “oil-canning” and lapped panels. It’s not about accurately reproducing the detail 24 (or 32 or 48 or 72 or 144) times smaller, because in most cases it would just not be there. It’s about providing the illusion or impression or effect of structure, detail, texture or material. In our world, ribbon doesn’t look like seat belt material, and flocking for sure doesn’t look like scale carpet. The crackle effect on full size heads scatters the light differently from a smooth painted piece, or a chrome plated piece. It may be that in real life, making it 25 times smaller would just result in something that looks like matt paint or frosted plastic, but just painting the heads matt doesn’t give that qualitative difference in what you perceive that a crackled finish does, even if it’s over scale… To my mind, it’s just about trying to achieve a variety of colours and finishes and texture to hint at the complexity there is in the real thing, so your eye and brain fill in the details. best, M.

Plasti-kote does "Velvet" or "Suede" textured paint which I use straight onto the plastic (keep the coat light), and follow up with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer before applying the final color. Or if you're feeling brave, paint the heads using enamel paint, let it dry and then apply a VERY light coat of "hot' acrylic clear varnish which should crackle the enamel. Practice this first on some scrap before applying it to your model parts... best, M.

https://revell.de/en/shop/product/078279090-fendt-728-vario-tractor-easy-click?srsltid=AfmBOoqw5pRjM3bBBjGFSwca08jrlJWsyu2VPAG82kCq50juoGnvdMku All the dimensions in the main page above scale out within a reasonable margin of error to 1/24 of the real thing: "With a final size of 235 mm in length, 110 mm in width and 137 mm in height, you will experience the engineering of the original on a scale of 1:24." The kit dimensions on the right (different from the body copy) are roughly 1:20, but the scale in the same panel shows 1/24 I guess we just have to wait and see whether the one the German reviewer has hold of is actually the same thing as the commercial public release under the Revell brand. It wouldn't be the first time a model manufacturer has produced a promo for a company distinct from the widely available retail version for the public. It would be really odd to suddenly make one tractor in the whole series a different scale from the rest of the range... wouldn't it? Especially if you have been telling your retailers and customers something different for months... best, M.

Well, the last picture of the tractor also shows both a box corner and a product label clearly saying "1:24", so I don't think much German is required... This is intended to sit alongside the existing Porsche and Deutz tractors, both of which are 1/24. I just wish they'd add one of the classic Lamborghini tractors to the range (not the modern one Clarkson bought which looks like every other modern tractor...) best, M.

I think this, in Hamburg, is the absolute must do: https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/ best, M.

Oh, that all looks very familiar… I hope you’re enjoying it — I think it’s a great kit. Have you got the luggage set as well? All the best, Matt

I have a Hoka pair as my running shoes (not the Bondi 9). They have been brilliant for that. I used to get knee and shin pain, but no sign of that with the Hokas. They were the pioneers of the “max cushion” style. BUT… I bought them from a proper running store where they filmed and analysed my stride and foot movements running on a treadmill, and they only recommended shoes that suited the way I already moved. They are very light and comfortable, though of course the cushion effect gets less as you use them. They reckoned I should get 500 miles out of them before it’s noticeable, and 8-900 before they need replacing. I do a bit over 10 miles a week so they are good for 18 months running. I guess walking will pound them less hard, but on the flip side you’ll rack up the miles faster wearing them all day every day. Best bet is to go to a proper running shop and let them help you; you may not be going to run in them, but they’ll still get the sale of the shoes all the same, so they shouldn’t have an issue that you don’t want them for the Boston’s Marathon… best, M.

I must admit, I've never really understood why they are called "single action" and "dual action". In one, either the paint's spraying or it's not. In the other you have control over how much paint is spraying. I've never come across a brush where you can actually modulate the amount of air flowing AND the amount of paint with the trigger. In a "single action" brush it's effectively an on-off switch, and in a dual action brush it's a volume control. There are "preset" mods which effectively turn your dual action brush into a single action, or put a limiter on how far you can pull back the trigger which stops you turning it up to more than four, for example. And I think the answer to your "ideal" @Bainford is the new Harder and Steenbeck "Ultra 2024": https://www.everythingairbrush.com/product/harder-steenbeck-ultra-2024-airbrush/ It sports a clever "preset" system with locked in settings for six stages of painting from priming through to the finest highlights. Nothing you couldn't do with a regular preset handle with infinite adjustment, but just turning the collar to dial in a different point on the spray gun to fine brush continuum repeatably is great for newbies. And frankly, for £90, it's pretty good value for money as a starter airbrush that'll last you the next 20 years... best, M.

Right, I think I've done more or less as much as I can pending the arrival of M. Nuvolari. Let's call this the end of Act 2... The MG badge is made by sizing a picture of the real thing in Photoshop, printing it out on glossy photo paper, and very carefully lifting the top layer of the paper off with a brand new #11 blade before gluing it in place with Formula 560. I also added the radiator overflow with some fine silicone tubing left over from the Meng BMW bike build. I can fit the acetate for the windscreen and aero screens, but once that's done I think that's it until the figure is seated... ...or not. I'm worried about the gap, or lack of it, between the bottom of the steering wheel and the seat... and Nuvolari apparently had the seat raised on wooden blocks for his Ulster TT drive! We shall see when he gets here. best, M.

Very nice.... is that the Immense Miniatures figure? Or someone else's? And is he 1/32 or 1/24? I've got Colin from RS Slot Racing casting me the 1/24 Immense standing body, because he was out of stock... best, M.

I was never quite sure what problem the Aztek was trying to solve, and I had one... I do have a couple of airbrushes with two needle/nozzle sets: my original Iwata HP-BCS from 20 years back with a 0.35 and 0.5mm, and my H&S Evolution with a 0.2 and 0.4mm. The BCS wears the 0.35 99% of the time and the Evolution the 0.2. I guess if I only had the one airbrush I might swap needles more often, but I wouldn't need six! It's almost as if someone decided that paint brush sets come with multiple different sizes and shapes, so an airbrush set should have a bunch of different ones as well. Or they though that the "brush" selections in Photoshop were all different things as opposed to different ways of using the same tool... 😜 best, M.

You wait until the 50HP drivers get hold of the 1064HP 2025 Corvette ZR1... @Brudda is going to have to open a second shop for putting those things back together... best, M.

Google "silicone fidget toy"... you'll find them in various sizes, but they are basically a grid of 1/2" diameter hemispheres which can be "popped" from one side of the sheet to the other. 100 little wells to put small amounts of glue or paint into, and when it's cured/set/solidified you can pop them the other way and 90% of the time the remaining little divot of glue comes straight out... best, M.

Almost there now... The fenders were a bit of a pain, particularly since the long lower support of both front pieces had broken off over the years in the box. Thank goodness for "instant" epoxy, which meant I only had to hold each one in place for a couple of minutes before it set solid! I was nervous of the headlights, but the mounting locations on the frame and supports on the lights were sharply moulded and a good fit, so in the end each one went on with gel superglue in seconds. It's not too obvious here, but the inner surfaces of the light reflectors are very nicely done, and punching out a 9mm disc of acetate makes for a convincing front lens effect. Decision time, now. As things stand, the scuttle panel in front of the cockpit is not fixed and can be removed. As you can see from the engraved grooves, the windscreen and frame and aeroscreens fit over the top. The original motivation to build this one from the stash was that this was another car driven by Nuvolari back in the day, and I have a spare 1/24 Immense Miniatures head that looks exactly as he did at the Ulster TT in 1933. Unfortunately, on closer inspection I'm lacking a suitable body and arms! Fortunately, that nice Mr Spark at Immense Miniatures is casting up some parts for me, so the driver I need is on his way. The question is, do I pause and leave the scuttle loose and windscreens ready in the wings to make it easier to sit Tazio in the cockpit when he's ready, or press on and get the build completed? He might fit under a fixed dash and wheel, but experience of previous builds in the Roy Cross tribute series suggests that it's a lot easier to get the driver in if you give yourself the maximum wiggle room.... best, M.

So, I promised some details. Everything you see, more or less, is in the box... Supercharger hose (L) and oil reservoir (R) are both separate castings which drop neatly into place. Exhaust wrapped with medical tape standing in for asbestos cloth on the real thing. Although the Bonhams car exhaust is routed over the top of the wheel like many modern historic racers, when Nuvolari drove it, it had a straight-through exhaust like this. Fuel tank filler caps are very nicely detailed and cast out of the box. A few short lengths of wire and some paint add details to the top of the tank. And this is where we are tonight.... best, M

Amazing work, my friend! Is there anything like this in the US? https://www.heritageskillsacademy.co.uk/ The classic and historic industry is taking the risk of losing skills very seriously, and there’s even a category for “apprentice of the year” in the most prestigious historic motoring awards… best, M.

The math don't lie: 4% But, unless you collect only a very specific model of car, when are you likely to see 1/24 and 1/25 models of the same thing side by side in your display cabinet? European and Japanese cars tend to come in 1/24, and US cars (which are generically larger in the first place) come in 1/25. In 25+ years of adult building there are literally only two examples I can think of where my shelves might have the two different scales in close proximity: the Jaguar XK-E (AKA E-Type) where I have a Revell UK (also Revell USA) convertible in 1/25 alongside Heller, Gunze and Revell Germany 1/24 kits; and a 1/24 GTO "The Judge" based on a diecast kit. The latter, incidentally, dwarfs all the other cars it's on a shelf with. Am I tuned-in enough to detect the difference in scale between my Jo-Han Cadillac or AMT Chrysler (1/25) and my Monogram Duesenberg or Packard (1/24)...? No. best, M.

One of the slightly "out of the ordinary" challenges of these excellent white metal kits is to keep them from slumping over the years. Being a mostly-lead alloy, they are quite heavy. That weight is typically borne by a relatively narrow axle inboard of the kingpin or a few square millimetres of wishbone at the outer ends of an independent suspension. Either way, stand them on your shelf for a decade or so and they will sag. My solution is a hefty transparent perspex pillar at the centre of gravity of the car or thereabouts which will bear most of the weight, with the wheels just serving to keep the whole thing straight and level. I start by rolling a chunky cylinder of Blu-Tak (aka Silly Putty), roughly the height between the car floor and the ground, and about 1/2" (1cm) in diameter. Then returning to my suspension and chassis set-up tool (or flat marble cakestand) I put the soft pillar in place under the car, the wheels on the axles, and push it down until it is snug and all four wheels touch the horizontal stone "floor." Pick it up again and release the putty stack, and the putty has been squished to the height you need to support the car. I measure that carefully with a ruler, and cut the perspex rod slightly oversize. The it's a matter of sanding the rod down, square to sandpaper taped to a tile or on a flat metal sanding stick and test fitting, until it sits with the four wheels AND the perspex support on the reference surface. In practice, it's better to get the four wheels on the ground and the pillar not quite touching than have a wheel cocked in the air -- the natural sagging process will take up the slack of the first in a few months or a year, whereas the pillar will keep the whole thing floating in space indefinitely if it's too tall... best, M.

Quick test assembly on the highly sophisticated chassis and suspension test and adjustment rig, aka the "cakestand." Happily, all four wheels sit solidly on the ground from the off, which is perhaps another indication that this one was designed and mastered later on in Auto Kits life: the shape of the parts and the positive interlocking of the chassis components put everything where it needs to be. Details, details next... best, M.

Guess what's been keeping me busy the last couple of days... Auto Kits "Patent Applied for..." method of reproducing wire wheels on period cars is not bad out of the box, but I think you can improve the look a bit. The kit provides a spool of 32SWG wire for the spokes and a neat jig that looks not unlike the spinning top in "Inception" for building the wheels on. The rims are slotted around the circumference, and the hubs have a ledge around each end. The MG hubs, as you can see have a characteristic wide cone base at the inner side of the wheel and narrower cylinder for the outer half. This presents some challenges... To make the wheels, you mount the rim and hub on the jig, lash a good length of wire (18" or so) around the peg under the jig, put the whole thing in a vice or holder to keep it still, and proceed to wrap the wire back and forth across the hub passing over the ledge on the end and working your way around. The outgoing wire goes to the slot one to the left of directly opposite where you started, round one slot to the right and back across the wheel to the slot one to the right of where you started, then round one step to the right, rinse and repeat. Each pair looks like this (-). This is where I part company form the "official" method. Done officially, you end up with 24 spokes on a side, and they are reasonably thick (to see it done their way, check out my Delage build from last year). I decided I wanted more, thinner, spokes to look a bit more realistic. These are done with 36SWG wire, which is about half the diameter of 32SWG, and there's a slight tweak to the wrapping pattern. Instead of coming back across the wheel to the slot one to the right of where I started, I come back to the original slot, and THEN step sideways around the rim. If you look at the rim bottom left, you can see there is wire running round the rim between every slot, rather than every other pair which is what you get if you follow the instructions. Also on the bottom left wheel, which is upside down, you can see that the wire is green. It's insulated PCB wire, and I sort of hoped it would be green enough not to need painting. But as you can see from the others, i did do a blow-over of the green body color because there were too many bits where the paint had come off during the wrapping process. Only on the outside, though... I'm not mad. That wider inner hub makes these wheels much harder to wrap than ones with a cylindrical hub because the wire has to run much further round on the ledge. I had to superglue the interior wiring at several stages through the process, whereas the outer face can be wired completely and glue applied at the end. Now the glue has set, I can trim the loose ends of that are sticking out and put the tires on. best, M.

This is where I was last night: I have spent a lot of time spraying things green, including this main body assembly. Not seen in these picture are wheel rims and hubs, mudguards, lights... Today I got to do some detail painting and unmasking... The brake drums are actually Humbrol Flat Aluminum, and have a more metallic look in real life than in these pictures. Everything else is largely Citadel and AMMO MiG Atomic Metallic colors. I scanned the dials on the instruction sheet, added a few more details and cleaned them up in Photoshop, and added the splashes of color the real thing has to enliven the black and white printed original. I'm pleased with how they turned out. Time to finish the detail painting on the chassis. The main challenge will be the springs, which are a sort of mucky brownish creamy yellow... the whole of each spring seems to be wrapped round and round with oily rope along its length. best, M.