Matt Bacon

To save typing it all out again: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ best, M.

Amazing! They look absolutely fabulous. Can you do smaller sizes? 18"s are too big for the classics I'd need them for, which are 15" or 16" at most... ...and I don't suppose you'd consider making up some of the unique Campagnolo's for this: In 1/16th scale? There'd be quite a few of us out there with the otherwise rather nice Fujimi kit who'd buy a set! All the best, Matt

I've seen some beautifully finished models where the main body colour wraps round the underside edges with primer or sealer colour on the rest, others that are body colour over the whole underside, and still others where the underbody area is all black.... Are there any "rules" to which you should choose for what cars and eras, os is it a case of "whatever looks right"? best, M.

Well, the C111 at least doesn't need a full scratchbuild: Still for sale for about $15. It's a starting point, being an old, formerly motorized kit, but you'd have make a choice of engine anyway... https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10038872 best, M.

Well, it depends what you want to build. The Monogram 1/24 DB4 is not at all bad, if you want to build a DB4, or a DB4GT. If you happen to have easy access to a later Airfix "DB5" (the Doyusha kit in another box, and not SO hard to find or expensive) then you can use the front end for a late DB4 and GT (with faired headlights) on the Monogram base kit. The Airfix "DB6" isn't, because they didn't deal with the roofline and the extra length properly. It's do-able, though, with good scale plans to see what you really need to fix (basically free up and lever higher the rear g;asshouse slope, while inserting an extension at the back by making a Z-cut and sliding the Kamm tail backwards then back-filling. Someone (me, if wishes were horses) could fairly easily tool up a state of the art 1/24 early DB4 through to late DB6 with the help of some clever swappable slide-mold elements... @djflyer is your man if you want info straight from the horse's mouth, since he has the kits to hand... best, M.

For anyone who's interested in that kind of thing, the "Captain Kidd Pirate Ship" is a pretty good and detailed model of a late 17th century 50-gun warship, a two-decker, probably based on the "Wappen von Hamburg" of 1667. See build diary (not mine!) here: http://www.shipsofscale.com/WVH/WVH01.html Worth trading a 1/72 Osprey for any day, if you're ready for the challenge of building and rigging an Age of Sail ship model, and a pretty low entry cost if you're not sure but want to dip a toe in the water... best, M.

Lovely build of a seriously cool car. Great job. as for the colour "popping" I think you're doing yourself no favours with your photo setup. Although the black floor and white backdrop seem logical, because it's like your house or a dealership, it makes it much harder for the camera to take a good picture. If you put the model on a single colour background (a sheet of thick paper on the bench and curving up the wall), then the camera will give the whole dynamic range of lighting to the car. As it is, the large areas of black and white are "compressing" the colours in the middle (non-technical description ;-P). You can use white, light grey or black as the background colour, but unless you have a tonne of lights and and ultra-flat material, I'd steer clear of black... I don't want to hijack your thread, but you can see the richness in the three-layer paint on the LFA much better with the grey background... best, M.

Looks like the Fujimi GT3R might get some way towards the front valance and splitter, and a diffuser for the rear, but it's a central exhaust... best, M.

This is the 1/24 Monogram kit, right? Not the big 1/8th scale one... It's beautifully finished, but that kit doesn't really do the shape of the real thing justice... the front end of the hood looks more like an XKSS than an E-type... All the best, M.

I've definitely caught the bug: I even bought the SP '73 RSR specifically for the body of a Singer build (I got a nice email from a lady at Singer saying that although, no, she couldn't give me scale drawings or 3D model files for their cars, and that the Singer is not EXACTLY like any other Porsche body, the 73 RSR was the inspiration for the look, and is the closest.) Just a shame it's only available as a "not cheap" resin transkit! best, M.

In case anyone reading this gets a Singer itch they need to scratch, it's worth knowing that Scaleproduction does the clever Singer fold-down rear wing in resin to fit a couple of different base kits... best, M.

I'll be watching with interest: I've also done the Doyusha one, but it's a different beast -- no engine and the sides are not curved enough, really. And I have an unstarted Airfix one which I WILL build... which cost me the princely sum of £7 in a local charity shop a few years ago. Needless to say, I was in a big hurry to hand over my money! best, M.

I don't build American cars, on the whole. OK, I have a Moebius Chrysler 300 and a Revell 2014 Corvette and an AMT 50th Camaro and a Cobra in the cabinet, but... I don't build American cars. Oh, and I have a couple of 67/8 Camaros and a Viper SRT-10 and a Mustang GT350H and a Revell 58 'vette and an Accurate Miniatures Grand Sport and a Moebius Hudson Hornet in the stash. But, anyway, I don't build American cars. Except now I have read Tim's excellent "Muscle Car Model Kits". And my stash seems to be lacking in some areas, I'll admit. So I made a little list of kits I should maybe get. The key criteria are very good kits of cars that I actually quite like the look of, and this is what I came up with: AMT 53 Studebaker Starliner Revell 66 Pontiac GTO Monogram 69 Pontiac GTO "the Judge" Lindberg 66 Chevelle SS Revell 68 Charger R/T Revell 68 Firebird 400 Revell 65 Foose Chevy Impala (de-Foosed) Revell 67 Corvette AMT 70 Corvette LT1 AMT 70 1/2 Baldwin Motion Camaro (I already have a Monogram 70 Boss Mustang 329 and a Revel 70 Torino GT on the way...) I'd quite like a 70ish Challenger, and can someone tell me if the Revell Daytona Charger comes with the parts to build it without the nosecone and wing? ;-P So, what's missing from my shopping list? The most important criteria is an excellent, highly-detailed, accurate kit. After that it's "Do I like this car?" Which is, unfortunately, where a lot of new Moebius kits fall down: I'm just not excited by a Satellite, Belvedere, Comet or Ranger... Any advice and suggestions very welcome! And Tim? That's one of the most expensive books I've ever bought... ;-P All the best, M.

Beautiful! Hasegawa Jota SVR kit is still reasonably available on that well known auction site... best, M

Just got my copy today in the UK... it's fantastic. Even though the subject matter isn't one of my main interests, good books about car modelling and model cars are hard to find, and great ones even fewer and further between. This is a great one. It's jumped straight up there on my "shelf of fame" alongside Mat Irvine's volume on space models, Arthur Ward's on Airfix, JC Carbonel's book on Heller, and Thomas Graham's Monogram Models and Remembering Revell... I'm sure that by the time I've finished, a few more of the beauties in the pages will have made it onto my wish list. Now, where am I going to find a Donohue AMX Javelin that won't break the bank...? Thanks, Tim... outstanding job! best, M.

Plus for a lot of desirable cars, the 3D scan already exists... quite a few owners are doing it in case their vehicle is damaged, so it can be returned to pristine condition; restorers are doing it to match their re-build to a known-good existing vehicle; and Jaguar, for example, has built up definitive 3D models of D-Type, XKSS and E-Type by combining data from scans of multiple cars, averaging and making them symmetric and evenly panel-gapped. If only Tamiya (or even Airfix) would license those models and give us the definitive 1/24 E-Type... best, M.

Great project and great execution! But, eeurgh... in 1:1, why does anyone pay Liberty Walk to stuff up great cars so horrendously...? best, M

I’m pretty sure there are only two: the Fujimi kit and the other one, reboxed by at least Italeri, Revell and Testors. What is the back-end like in that one? I still get the shakes thinking about building the Fujimi Enthusiast one, with its accurate but fragile frames, multi-part exhausts and turbos, and nothing that really “jigs” the wheels into the right place. Amazing that it sits on all four wheels on my display shelf at all, even though one of the rears has a bit more camber and toe out than it should! best, M.

It’s possible that Beemax or Belkits might do one... they had great rally/racing records back in the day, and they are still very popular on the Historic Racing scene. Some (well, two..) iconic racing liveries as well... best, M.

...but then you'd have a curvy 280Z.... ;-P That said, there's a place over here which does fantastic-looking "Dino"s on a Toyota MR2 MkII chassis and running gear... best, M.

It's the same here, just the opposite way round. US Revell boxings of regular kits are usually in the £25-£30 range, whereas Revell Germany kits are more like £17-£23, depending how new they are... And Round 2/Moebius/AMT kits are more like £30-40... best, M.

The real thing is a very compact quad cam 3.5L 90 degree V8 that's unique to Lotus, as far as I can see... I' ve been wracking my brains and eyeing the stash to see if I have anything vaguely similar but to no avail so far. I actually wonder if a V6 with some reworking of the manifold might be the way to go, it's so small, but the choices of 90 degree V6s are pretty limited! best, M.

Very interesting, Dann! Could you give a bit of commentary on how you fixed the ride height? I hear that's a bit of a bear... Thanks! best, M.

Errr... what have I found? ;-P One of my "Grail" kits for a long time, but acquired for a great deal less than the numbers quoted above! The only flaw is that the wheels in the kit bear very little relationship to the deep dish alloy originals. They are engineered as two halves, inner and outer, that trap the tyre between them, which means that the dish depth is limited by the thickness of the outer half. Since they are so characteristic of the look of the real thing, I really wish I could find a replacement, but so far no luck. If anyone want to make some and put them on Shapeways, I'm in... best, M.

I'd say 250SWB meets 275 GTB except for the fact it doesn't have any "hips" and both of those do... Something of the Lotus Elan Plus 2 in that waistline... best, M.