Matt Bacon

Thanks, guys! The plumbing continues... Plenty more to come, I fear! best, M.

Thanks, all... steady progress with the engine... So, the distributor is wired up (and to the coil, which is the thing I thought was a filler cap just behind the distributor). There are various hoses hanging off the air injection and the vacuum regulator (the silver and black cylinder in front of the coli) has a control wire. The throttle bodies (sliver lumps between the inlet manifold and the black air boxes) have now got actuators. Wouldn't if be handy if I knew where they all went...? This is where that workshop manual REALLY pays off... if I can get many/most of these in place when the engine goes in, that will do for the wiring, IMHO! I need to end up with something that looks a bit like this (with an added dose of gizmology to avoid sending myself nuts!) best, M.

Looking at his other stuff, I’d think around £30... best, M.

Thanks, guys! A lot of masking tape later, here's where the body is at: Tamiya lacquer paint Semi Gloss Black, thinned with the Orange top thinner with retarder and flow enhancer. Slow and steady does it with the engine. Humbrol Metalcote Aluminium washed with Citadel Nuln Oil to pop the details. The manic spiders have been turned loose. This is my second attempt at wiring the distributor. At first I started at the plug end, and the wire was too stiff. This is some lead wire I'd forgotten that I had. I'm NOT going to try to get the firing order exactly right (you can't see the plug ends anyway...) but as long as it looks like a right complicated tangle it'll resemble the real thing! Inlet manifold and air injectors. If you look very closely at the top manifold, you can see I've inserted some brass pins where the location lumps were, which are vague and unlikely to be strong enough... best, M.

Looks like I have a few months to build my Hellers, then... best, M.

Top stuff... I'll have one for sure to replace the really yucky garage resin shell I have, which is probably a copy of the SE Finecast white metal body. Might have to track down an SE Finecast Rover V8 as well... best, M.

Despite dire warnings on his website about delays due to Covid, these two arrived today from Steve at Hiroboy (Zero Paints(: best, M.

The opalescent colours are very fine grained. I’ve used “pearl” paints as bases for mine. A bit like Aston Martin “Silver Birch”, they are not “metallic” in the way we talk now or model paint ranges describe those colours... best, M.

Revell’s 240Z is nigh on 50 years old, and was tooled by Revell in the US. This German origin kit is comparable to the new Land Rover, McLaren 570, Porsche 934 or 918, or i8... chalk and cheese... best, M.

Had a series 3 V12 2+2 for a very enjoyable (if expensive) long weekend. I’d always felt the same on the looks of the 2+2 from the outside, but I’m a shade under 6 ft and there wasn’t that much headroom and the eyeline was very high up the screen, so the S1 coupe must be pretty cramped for regular sized people! The S3 v12 May be an “ugly duckling”, but petrol consumption aside, it’s probably the most usable E Type... best, M.

Doh, you're right. I didn't notice it 'cos the angle makes it such a different shape from the LHD in the picture! best, M.

I agree, the engineering looks great. Bit of a pity they didn't include a "proper" RHD dash as well... it is THE iconic British car after all... best, M.

That looks pretty good, though I'm glad I've got potential replacement wire wheels if needed when these appear in non test shot form. Shame he's missing the one essential diagnostic photo -- a dead on side profile. The slope and height of the windscreen are make or breaks for the E-Type silhouette... best, M.

Pretty self indulgent, but I love this car, and you won't see many of them around, I reckon: Very nicely cast and detailed, lots of parts in resin, grey and clear, vacform, etched steel and rubber for tyres. Instructions are really clear, nicely rendered in 3D and full colour. Now I just need to figure out what colour to paint it... best, M.

If we're talking about the same teacup test, my all too brief acquaintance with this fabulous engine in an E-Type suggests it wouldn't reach the end of the driveway! I know it needs premium "super-unleaded" fuel, and gas is cheaper the other side of the pond, but I spent £190 on fuel between Friday night and Sunday late afternoon. However, the torque and power it puts out while remaining incredibly smooth and refined is just astonishing... best, M.

Another one that's lingered too long in the stash. I don't know what possessed me to dig it out, except maybe after the Mk2 I'm on a Jaguar kick... The paint is Zero's Red Pearl, intended for a Pagani Huayra, but I think it'll be a reasonable match for Jaguar's Cranberry Red Metallic with a very fine flake... The shut lines are extremely fine, despite some deepening, and they are dark washed with Citadel's quaintly named "Flesh Tearer Red", but this time at the primer stage, before the red basecoat is applied. The effect is subtle, but visible in real life... Now to start work on the world's most complicated engine. At least I have a (real) Haynes Workshop Manual for Jaguar V-12 saloons, picked up in a charity shop for £3. It may tell me more than I want to know, of course... best, M.

I would say that it's VERY precisely engineered. I sanded back the doors just a little to give room for paint, and mine is done in pure Tamiya rattle can, with no gloss clear. I would also suggest, having learned this lesson AFTER my FXX-K, that a couple of teen-tiny magnets ("rare earth magnets" on eBay) under each side of the front and rear clams on top of the wheel arches and in the door sills, and slivers of steel can inside the clams and door interiors, will pull them firmly into place... Mine's only been fully opened up the once, for these photos. I think if I'd put magnets in I'd be a lot more confident about being able to open it when I chose to and have it go back neatly in place when I close it each time... I now have a stack of 2mm diameter x 1mm thickness magnets that have decent amount of traction despite their size, and can easily be recessed into the thickness of most body panels. Some are currently holding the IMC Lola T70 Spider together, and I'll certainly be using them whenever I have models that I have built with more wiring than the maker intended which needs a bit of "squishing" into place... best, M. (edit: I kept some really good textured heavyweight Easter Egg wrapping foil a couple of years back which served me well for those heat shields around the engine, though depending on what US cigarette brands might still exist, a lighter paper-backed version can also be found inside some packets...)

I have a diorama in my head (and in my stash) featuring that very truck. Half of it looks like the picture, with a “modern” special forces Land Rover WMIK pulled up alongside it and the crew looking at the weathered wreck, and the other side in black and white the LRDG crew and a couple of SAS jeeps and crews looking at a map and taking a brew of tea. It’ll be called “Ghost Recon”... One day I’ll build it, maybe when I’ve retired... That Matchbox LRDG set is a true Classic British Kit... looking forward to seeing what you do with it! best, M.

Hi, Dann... looking forward to this... This was the best picture of the engine bay I found when I was building mine: Full size version here: https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Models-Gallery-43/i-ht7sFk3/0/83bcb0cd/O/ferrari-fxx-k-engine.png best, M.

Thanks very much, guys! I think it’s an excellent kit, and even the chrome transfers weren’t as bad as I feared. @sjordan2 Don’t worry, Skip, I haven’t flattened it down... it’s just there are no point lights in my photo set-up to have a distinct reflection. All the lighting is in soft boxes. Unlike the LED room lights and work light on my bench! best, M.

Looks fantastic... I love the way those Zero colours are completely transformed by the clearcoat! best, M.

No need to apologise ? I'd be happy with a regular Celica GT, so if you were actually after the race car, your need is greater than mine! best, M.

Great kit of a classic British car. No real issues getting it together, though the "chrome" self adhesive transfers were a bit of a pain to get in place and staying attached! Zero Paints "homebrew" for the Opalescent Silver Blue paintwork and Zero 2K cleacoat on top. best, M

That was you, eh? I was bidding on those, too! Mind you, I’m really just after a decent Celica model of that era... best, M.

Not quite sure why it still needs such a long hood; looks like they haven’t spent much time looking at actual rear mid engined cars... best, M.