Matt Bacon

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.

OK, I lied... that's done, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow to break out the photo studio... Beauty shots tomorrow... best, M.

Slightly off-topic, but... Matheson’s not a well known name except to SF/Horror fans, but I wonder how many mainstream movies and TV shows were based on his stories or written by him...? best, M.

Last few decals and a bit of a clean up, and next pictures will be in Under Glass best, M

I’ve never tried using caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) more than once, but it’s a chemical reaction with the aluminium that forms the “chrome” coating. As long as there’s still sodium hydroxide in the solution left to react, it will keep working, but when it’s all formed aluminium hydroxide it won’t. One reason I’ve never tried it more than once is that it’s cheap enough not to worry about ... a lb of caustic soda powder is £1 more or less, and lasts a year or more... about 10-12 builds. I put a couple of tablespoons in a pint of water to strip a full chrome spruce or two. The other good thing about it is that since it’s sold as drain cleaner you can just pour it down your sink when you’re done... WEAR GLOVES!!! best, M.

Look at all those wires and fuel pipes! Not sure whether to be pleased or terrified that I have the Heller 917K, which comes with a full engine... best, M.

If it’s a 917/30 engine, it was built to be turbocharged. https://www.historicracingnews.com/Article/The-Record-Breaking-Porsche-917-30/2054 Whether or not the turbos are on it now, is neither here nor there: it doesn’t have a chassis or wheels on it now either. Given the issues they had getting the Can Am turbo engine to work reliably with intercoolers and the airflow from a car travelling 200mph, I’m not surprised that when turning over a static mechanical work of art they’re not doing it at maximum boost. best, M.

I think this is the home stretch now. The metal transfers were not as bad as I'd feared, but I've had to use some "Mr Gauzy" to hold the smaller ones in place and very thin superglue at some wayward ends (the front of the bonnet and the lower rear ends at the tail, where they bend in two directions at once. But they are on, and look pretty sharp. The lettering was actually harder to deal with than the stripes, in the end... Time for lights and last details... best, M.

Renaissance Models do a very good one with real wood rim and etch. Dunno what it costs to get it to where you are, but I bought a couple and they are great: https://www.renaissance-models.com/ter/index.php/autos-toutes-echelles/echelle-1-24/accessoires/produits/302-volant-nardi best, M.

If it’s a 917/30 engine as billed, then it’s turbocharged... best, M.

It did, and they did! Jay Leno has an SP250 and tells us all about it here: best, M.

I wonder if the Erector set is a licensed version of Meccano, or a "just different enough" version to avoid having to license it... https://alansmeccano.org/ best, M.

Onto the home stretch now. This feels like a major milestone: Time to start adding the chrome bits and trim. I'm not looking forward to the metal "transfers"... best, M.

The Daimler is a pretty desirable car. It had a more chi-chi interior as well as the fluted radiator. The engine is actually Daimler’s own 2.5 litre V8, not the 3.5 Rover. It was first used in the SP250 Dart and Majestic Major saloon, whilst Daimler was independent. The SP250 was a quirky sports car, but had no place in a model range that had the E-Type. best, M.

Thanks, guys... I think I've done more or less as much in the engine bay as my patience, eyesight, and stocks of varied sizes of wire will stand... A little bit of cleaning and tidying to do, but the chassis is now complete, I reckon. Window glass next... best, M.

Thanks, guys! This is (more or less) what the kit gives you for the engine bay. The Lucas decals for the battery came from some handy sponsor logos I had available, and the little filling cap on the radiator and its overflow tube are home made. But see those big empty blue sidewalls? They are pretty crowded on the real thing. So, on with some "gizmology", based on my "Factory Original Jaguar Mk2" book... I know what some of these are... The fuel filter (clear dome thing) is a bit overscale, but I wasn't going to start turning down perspex rod to make a slightly smaller one, so it's a spare bit of clear sprue. The wash bottle and pump (clear blue thing) should in theory either be clear, with blue liquid, but square, or cylindrical but white plastic. However, I had a blue cocktail stirrer that I'd been keeping for just such a purpose, and the hybrid design will add interest to the engine bay. The black and silver box thing in the middle is the main electric control unit, which has a lot of terminals under the black cover. The other two are probably reservoirs of some kind, though the smaller square one has several wires coming out of the top. The wash bottle, control unit and wiring loom go on the exhaust side of the engine bay, and the fuel pump and the two reservoirs go on the carburetor side. I'll put some wires and maybe the fuel lines in when I mount all these on the bay walls, but I'm not planning to reproduce them all... I just want it to look well-filled and busy... best, M.

Thanks very much, guys.A bit more substantial progress over the last few days: That's the chassis done. Brake disks are my usual recipe: Humbrol Metalcote Steel from a rattle can, polished up for the disks, lightly drybrushed for the callipers, and the centres painted Tamiya Titanium Gold. The interior assembles nicely. I've seen people complain about the simplified door furniture, but I figure once it's all inside you won't be able to tell... Finally, a quick mockup to see how it all goes together: Which confirms my feeling that although the contrast on the seats maybe looks a little overdone out in the open, once it's inside it just gives an impression of some detail. Lots of details to start adding now. The one area where this Tamiya kit is lacking is in engine bay details. The heater and battery are there and still to go in, but if you open a real Mk2 bonnet, the impression is of a pretty well packed engine bay, while in the kit there's really a lot of room around the engine. Still, there are plenty of good reference photos out there... best, M.

This is not a hissy fit, but I'm keen to understand why my Porsche 930 Turbo build -- a street legal, road-registered retired Le Mans car -- got moved to the WIP: Other Racing, Road Racing and Land Speed Record category, whilst in the main WIP: Model Cars category we can find WIP threads for a McLaren M8B, Ferrari 250LM, McLaren MP4/6, Mercedes AMG GT3 and a Lola T70 Mk III on the first page alone? Just curious where the boundaries between these categories actually are... best, M.

Thank you, gentlemen. @beeRS I think I searched for “self adhesive velour vinyl” but “velvet sticky backed plastic” might work as well... A 3ft x 14” roll was about £5 (The red piece in the kit is about 3”x2”, so I’ve got 80 or so cars worth, as long as they’re blue...) best, M.

Thanks, all... progress is still being made, albeit slowly...first, the engine: ...and the interior is done: The instructions have neat templates for cutting out the "carpet" provided in the kit. Mine had the self-adhesive "velvet" material, but in red, so not really appropriate for this colour scheme. However, a few quid on eBay later, I have enough blue material to carpet at least 20 classic cars... Time to finish the chassis... best, M.

Well that’s the thing... they are an unopened package of four identical tyres, so I need a car that’s the same rims front and back.., best, M.

In the box for the Tamiya Jaguar Mk2 I’m building, I’ve found a nicely sealed bag of tyres and poly caps (clear, not black). The tyres are fully licensed (moulded with name and logos) Pirelli P Zeros, and all of them are 245/40 ZR17s. So they aren’t mad low profile or huge rims, and they are all the same size. I‘d guess at a Lamborghini or Ferrari, but most of the more modern ones seem to have wider tyres on the rear. I could open all 400+ boxes in the stash, but if anyone has any ideas where they belong, they’d be very welcome! best, M.

Tamiya are the gold standard. Aoshima, Beemax and Ebro produce excellent kits these days. Hasegawa, Fujimi and Revell Germany are a mixed bag with some real gems among them. But as said above, it depends on whether they make a kit of what you want to build. If you’re only interested in American cars, then you’re going to need Revell or Round2. Tim Boyd’s “Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits” is an invaluable guide to the good, the bad and the ugly of kits of US iron... best, M.

Not sure why this one has been lingering unopened on the shelf for so long, but I decided it was time it wasn't. Usual Tamiya well-engineered kit, which even includes material and templates for carpets! First few parts getting started. Body is primed with Stynylrez, which is my go-to for going under Zero paints these days. It was a choice between gunmetal with red interior, or this Opalescent Silver Blue (a homebrew using Zero Pearlescent White as a starting point). The interior will be blue and grey. And with the Diamond 2K Clear on top. Shutlines darkened with Citadel Leviadon Blue Contrast paint. best, M.