Matt Bacon

A new thing to try out: Tamiya TS-101. It's specifically designed to cover and seal coloured plastic. It's slightly odd, and definitely different from the regular white primer. It cures to a shiny and very tough coat. Which provides a good base for the Gloss Aluminium... Engine parts taking shape: oil filter/reservoir, oil filler, distributor and coil. Turned in a drill chuck to shape the sprue as needed. Interior parts... mostly painted with Citadel reds and washes, and some drybrushing. best, M.

I hope that Revell will get the Convertible instructions online soon, and we'll get a clearer idea of how the bits you do get as "unused" in the coupe are supposed to be used in the detailed kit. There seem to be almost enough hinge parts included to get the doors to open (after cutting out the big beam that the door skins are mounted on in the coupe), but I can't figure out quite how they should work. The coupe body shell has structure moulded at the front edge of the door aperture that just isn't needed with the fixed door option, so I think there's a lot of common ground between coupe and cabrio bodies as well... You could clearly build a full detail coupe by cross-kitting a coupe and cabrio. It's just a shame that you can get so close to it with just one kit, but not quite all the way... I guess the door is most of the way open for Revell to release a full-detail coupe in a year's time, if these sell well... best, M.

Little recap. Here are the engine parts: I was going to live with the moulded in detail, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought I couldn't. It's not even a "because God can see" thing... the engine is pretty visible, and accessible: even in this clip together version the rear engine cover hinges open. So I thought I'd investigate those "unused parts" on the sprues... It's not hard to find Porsche 356B engine bay pictures online, and even better, on the right is a picture of the made up engine bay of the cabriolet version from the box side. This is very useful... On the left, the half-moulded engine part we're supposed to use; in the centre, the empty half I'm going to use, and the other parts marked "for use"; and on the right, all the parts I can find that are marked "not for use". Immediately useful: those little conical nubbins and the generator mounting bracket. So what do we need? Coil, oil filter/header tank and filler reservoir, distributor, and some miscellaneous wiring and pipe work... Assorted tube of various diameters, coloured bits of sprue (look how neatly those clippers slice through even thick rods of the stuff!), plastic card, solder, and a bunch of coloured wires. Let's get started... On further investigation, this is too tall. That's what you get when you copy the moulding without looking closely enough at your pictures of the real thing. I can cut it down with a razor saw quickly enough! The bodywork and interior are on hold while supplies arrive from the paint shop, so this will be the focus of activity for a few days. best, M.

Mine’s under way, and some of those “unused” parts won’t be unused for long... though I don’t need a loud-hailer. I wonder if Revell will sell just the extra parts trees to those people who want to build a detailed coupe..? best, M.

Thanks, guys... fairly rapid progress tonight: Only four parts to the first stage of the engine, but they are nicely rendered, especially the engine block and transmission. And this is how they go together. Humbrol Metalcote Aluminium and Steel, and a bit of Citadel wash. Some sprue shots to feast your eyes on. The chrome is particularly finely rendered. Tires, and the essential super-sharp DSPIAE cutters and fresh #11 blade to cut out the middle part Wheels made up: note the recess for the outer wheel rim. I didn't, at first ;-P Front axle. The pins on the wheel carriers are a tight fit. And fragile. Don't ask me how I know. Make sure there is no paint on either the wheel carrier pins or axle bearings before fitting them together. Doh! The parts on the left are alternatives, of which the top one is the one for this kit. I'm guessing that the glue-fix cabriolet comes with separate coil, coolant reservoir and thingy. Talking of thingies, does anyone who knows Porsche 356s better than me know what this is? It's made up from some "unused" parts from the engine sprue which clearly fit together to make a... loud-hailer? ;-P And that's it for tonight. A bit of restrained weathering to come on this side, and the rest of the engine up top. best, M.

I saw these built up on the Revell stand at Scale Model World last weekend where they told me that they'd be available by "the end of the month" so I put in an order, and look what turned up today... It's a VERY big box, and could probably be 2/3 the size and still work fine... I went for the coupe because both build-ups looked very good, but I don't really like the clumsy hood on the convertible; for me the coupe has the classic lines. As it turns out, the couple is officially the new "Easy Click System" like the Porsche Tractor from earlier this year. Still many of the parts are exactly the same as the more conventional glue-together cabriolet. The price you pay for the easy click system is a few slight sink marks where the various pillars and sockets are found on the insides of parts. Quickly removed with dab of filler and some sanding sticks. The worst areas are the lower front corners, where the fenders turn round into the front valance. They aren't sink marks, I don't think, but actually some distortion when the body came out of the mould, leaving a wavy lower edge and a sunken depression. Despite the small size of the 356, it's going to be quite a sizeable model! So, now I need some advice. The plastic, as you can see, is red. I think I want to model a silver car with a red interior. I can use either Tamiya sprays or Zero 2K colours. If I use the Zero paint I'll probably want to put some sealer primer on first to be sure the red doesn't come out in to the clear coat. With Tamiya, and many light coats of paint and TS-13 clear, I think I don't need the primer. Because of the fact that this is a clip together kit, many of the tiny chrome details need to click into precisely cut slots and holes with a high precision fit. If I use the Zero paint and 2K clear, I'm worried that the thickness of the paint layer will mes up the fit of some of those details (the chrome hood center strip, for example). So what would you guys do? Tamiya or Zero? Any ideas about how best to get a silver car, clearcoat untainted by red dye, and still be able to fit the detail parts? best, M.

Having built the DBS, the engine is REALLY not a problem. Equally, having seen the Revell Ford GT LM in the flesh at Telford, that is going to be one good-looking build, which doesn't need to be cross-kitted with anything... best, M.

I saw the Hellcat built model and test shot at the weekend, and it’s fantastic. No need for any aftermarket anywhere. And if you run your fingers over it, you can feel the characteristic slight rippling in the skin panelling. It’s very subtle, but it’s clear that the LIDAR scanning of real aircraft has paid off big time. It was a surreal weekend, with not one but two 1/32 Lancasters facing off, the Hellcat, and a 1/32 HP 0-400 from Wingnut. Not to mention the 1/16 Revell Porsche 356 coupe, which looks fabulous, and will sell in the UK for about £45... which is about half of what you’d pay on eBay for a Fujimi EM version in 1/24... best, M.

I think the Supra’s most likely, though I like the look of the LC500 a lot. Would a La Ferrari Aperta need any more than a new tub roof and rear engine cover? Best, M

Look for the Fujimi “Enthusiasts Model” series: Some are still available new, in standard or “anime” boxes, others you’ll have to trawl the ‘Bay for. If you look on the HobbySearch site (www.1999.co.jp) you can usually see the instructions to discover whether the kit you’re interested in has got the engine detail. Alternatively, if the kit has 250 parts rather than 50, chances are good that it’s originally an EM series model... best, M.

Well, since the date on the MCM article is April 64, and the author is crediting Ferry Porsche, who ought to know, my guess would be that it's an accurate drawing of the early test car, chassis number 904-003: "The most obvious aesthetic differences between this car and production 904s are the air grills that appear on the rear bodywork instead of scoops. Also, the door contours are squared off. " best, M.

And even better than the window masks... the body is WHITE!!!!! That's definitely the one to go for. best, M.

Beautiful! Great paintwork and detailing. Love the underneath, bizarrely! For those of us who have a small Steve McQueen collection but not so much knowledge of Mustang kits, which kit is it from? Of course, for the full "movie scene" effect, you have to build not only the Charger, but the same VW Bug three times... ;-P best, M.

Plans from the defunct UK Model Car Magazine via Vintage Slot Racing News (also defunct, sadly), but available online at: http://web.archive.org/web/20071211013214/http://vsrnonline.com/Mags/MC/MC_Plans.htm best, M.

As they said in Sin City: "She grew up. She filled out..." This has always been my favorite Christina Hendricks picture. Not sure why... best, M.

Thanks, guys, much appreciated. I can't see any difference between the regular (yellow) Cayman, in this box: and the S that I built apart from the wheels. I thought the side intake strakes/grilles might be different (the Caymans I see in real life mostly have three vertical "gills" rather than a grid like the kit), but the instructions look identical. So if you're planning to use aftermarket wheels anyway, then save yourself some grief and buy the yellow plastic version, which should be (at least a bit) less of a pain to cover with another colour! They seem to be under $30 including shipping from Japan on eBay at the moment. The S seems harder to find. best, M.

Thanks, all...it's a very nice kit... just see if you can find one that's not moulded in red, or paint it in a red colour scheme! The wheels are actually Plamoz aftermarket items, and the stripes don't come in the kit, but I thought it looked a bit stark in pure grey. If I'd had some red ones, I'd have used those, I think... All the best, M.

Another quicky between battles with 1/72 Classic 70s Jets. It's a simple kit from Fujimi, with no real engine detail (although a nice bit of moulding on the one piece chassis plus a few suspension parts make for a pretty convincing undercarriage) and crisply moulded interior with few components but good detail for painting. Fit is stellar, and the only hassle (albeit a BIG one) was the red of the plastic bleeding through primer and my first attempt at the grey, leached out by the solvent in the clear Zero 2K Diamond clear. So it went straight into IPA overnight, and second time around I gave it a coat of yucky Zero sealer before applying primer. Colour scheme is based on a 911 I've seen locally, using SportLeicht Grey from Zero Paints and Vallejo Rojo Fiero for the leather interior... It may not be Porsche's best-loved car, but the Cayman S and GT4 are pretty hard to beat, I reckon! best, M.

Hi, all... this has popped up again I see! Thanks for the kind comments. You can find it in Under Glass here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/132263-ferrari-fxx-k-tamiya-124/ It’s finished in my “Iron Man” red — Tamiya Sprays of Metallic Red over Gold, and some TS-13 Clear, gently polished with Novus. I used Tamiya’s etch set and carbon decals which seem to be reasonably good bang for the buck: the kit plus both sets cost me less than £50... Thanks again! best, M.

I use them all the time. Tamiya Fine Surface primer in grey, white or pink depending on the final colour works well. To save writing it all out again, full recommendations and techniques are here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ Any questions, just ask... Best, M.

PS paints are “hotter” than TS or AS to key onto polycarbonate, which is chemically tougher than polystyrene. The paint layer is also more flexible, so it doesn’t flake off every time the RC body flexes or gets dinged. Bottom line is that they aren’t meant for styrene kits and using them is risky as they might eat your kit even with primer. There are a handful of colours that aren’t available in TS, but there are alternatives in other more suitable hobby or craft paint ranges... best, M.

Dymo labelling tape (the kind you used to have with a little handheld machine that you dialled letters into and clicked to emboss them in the coloured plastic tape so they appeared white). It works for single curvature surfaces very well and can be reused repeatedly. Not so good for compound curves because it doesn’t bend in two directions at once. For that specific problem, I’d stick the body shell firmly to a piece of glass or smooth tile, either double sided tape. Mount the scriber horizontally on top of a block of wood or plastic the correct height to move the cutting head along the body at the point where you want the line. Then just slide the block and scriber gently over the glass and the point will hit the body the same distance up from the lower edge all the way along. If necessary to get low enough down, start with a scriber blade or sewing needle to make the first guide line, then take the body off the base and use the regular scriber to cut the line deeper. best, M

Race rules? The Ferrari 330P4 I built recently has a spare mounted above the transmission, behind the engine and visible through the big hole in the back. I can't believe they'd carry that extra weight around unless they had to... It might also be that it's necessary because in some races the driver can't be helped out on the circuit... I've seen enough pictures of lone guys trying to dig themselves out of the sand traps at Le Mans to think that must be (or have been) a rule there... best, M.

What browser are you using? The latest Safari, for example, has changed the way it works to improve security, so there needed to be a new version of Adblock. The old one is incompatible, so no longer runs as a plug-in, but downloading and installing the new one resolves the issue. It maybe that the same is also true of other browsers, and if you have auto-updating turned on, your browser installed the new plug-in when it was available... best, M.

The music is, for sure, outstanding (so is the whole Apollo album). But Clarkson was just SOOOO wrong. Never mind half a dozen faster, more powerful Astons since then; McLaren hadn't even got started on road cars; the P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918 were still to come; the Veyron Supersports and Chiron went bigger badder and faster, Ferrari had the 599GTO, F12, 812 Superfast, 458 Speciale and 488, FF and GTC, and FXX-K on the way; Pagani hadn't launched the Huayra nor Koenigsegg the Agera or One:1; the new NSX and Supra were still on the drawing boards, and Ford hadn't started thinking about the latest GT. I'm not even gonna try to list the dozen or more Corvette/Camaro/Challenger/Charger Supersport SRT Hellblazer Wildcat Redeye Demon F300s rolled out since 2009. And the electric drivetrain guys like Rimac don't seen to be turning their noses up at making balls-out, unfettered supercars either. Frankly, there have probably been more speed and power record smashing cars that can also be driven on the road by normal people launched since Clarkson made that film than there were in the 20 years before... best, M.