Matt Bacon

Crumbs! Did it come with a little tiny key to start her up? That's quite an extraordinary model, even at 1/18th scale. I'm not surprised the prices are "stratospheric" given the humber of hours that must go into building one, whatever the rate the fine-fingered oriental lady in the factory is being paid... best, M.

The ones Airfix had at Scale Model World to show some Humbrol paints, especially the prismatic colour change effect rattle cans, looked like Mclaren had used one as the prototype for the MP-12C... best, M.

Roy Black makes a nice set of in-line webers: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Weber-carbs-set-for-1-8-scale-Revell-Monogram-E-Type-Jaguar-car-kit/183041120811?hash=item2a9e19da2b:g:J~YAAOSw44BYOG6R best, M

+1 here. Got a set for Christmas and they are amazing. You literally can't feel them slicing through the sprue. And they're fine and sharp enough to cut horizontally through the nubbins if your sprue is attached to the joining surface rather than the outside edge of the part, like Tamiya do a lot these days... best, M.

I'm kind of hoping it will switch to "Life on Mars" as it crosses the orbit... ;-P best, M.

It was pretty amazing to see... much more so the boosters landing than the car in space, IMHO. Falcon Heavy is a big declaration of intent: the trend in satellites and commercial space is small-sats and clustering, so no one really needs the throw weight of this bird, never mind the next gen "BFR". This can only be about the Moon and then Mars, with people... That said, that plucky little Curiosity rover is still doing a great job, and flying the flag for robots in space... best, M.

Beautifully done! Is there a WIP showing how you opened and hinged the doors? I'd love to know.... Just stunning looking. All the best, Matt

This is what I do: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ best, M.

No build for this one... it's a REALLY simple kit, built in a few hours, whose main virtues are a good shape and a nice interior. Just don't look underneath... Paint is Tamiya Light Gunmetal with TS-13 clear over the top. I thought, given that most of the real examples out there are red with tan upholstery, that this would be a slightly unusual colour scheme. But after finishing up, I looked for other builds of this kit, and they ALL seem to be silver of some sort with red leather... great minds, and all... best, M.

I must confess, I went to some trouble to remove the distinctive UK shaped number plate from the picture, because I thought with the general look, fender mirrors and RH drive, Japan would be a handy distraction! ;-P best, M.

Who got it right: matthijsgrit dw1603 ChrisR carsntrucks4you otherunicorn DonW iamsuperdan Earl Marischal VW93 TimJ Ace-Garageguy Congratulations, all! best, M.

It's a very thin self-adhesive metal foil: https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/manufacturers/b-d/bare-metal-foil.html Very good, in theory, for reproducing metal, because it is metal. It needs a bit of practice to use, and is somewhat variable in quality -- I've never got the "Ultra Bright Chrome" to work particularly well. I've also had problems with "shelf life". I find that if I keep a packet for a while, it develops wrinkles which essentially "crack" the foil, so it's increasingly had to get the length/size of piece you need. You can end up ditching 3/4 of a sheet because it's become unusable before you use it. And although it is flexible and a bit stretchy, you will run into the problems you'd expect trying to drape a flat sheet over a large compound curved surface. In short I used it a lot for window frames and trim, but have switched happily to Molotow for that purpose. It's great for unpainted metal aircraft with a shiny finish, though... best, M.

Thanks very much, guys. It's a nice little kit, especially at a bargain price! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the spare Buick V6 I have kicking around. I have some build photos which got a bit overlooked in the rush to TRY and get it done by Dec 31st. Now I have a little more time, I'll post up a WiP next weekend, which may help a few other people building one... BTW, as for putting a V8 in it, this is a great example of how building a kit helps you understand the real thing a bit better. Without scale, it's hard to see how small this thing is: it's 2/3 the size of a Corvette, at most. I have a spare Cobra V8 sitting around, which occupies about 1 cubic inch or so. You'd completely fill the engine bay, and have to knock out some chunks of the wheel arches. The transmission would fill all the space under the firewall and require a much bigger tunnel in the cockpit. Even then, unlike this, where the fore-and-aft balance looks quite nice with the engine block behind the front axle and the people in the middle of the wheelbase, you'd end up with the engine sitting right over the front suspension. It's a neet reet peteet fun car, which would only be crippled by a big iron mill at the front! All the best, M.

Apologies for the slightly ahead of time launch, but I have a tight schedule first thing Monday... Usual rules apply: no reverse image lookup, no clues in your comments, PM to me with your answer, contest results posted first thing Saturday morning my time (UK) to give our American friends all of Friday for last-minute under the wire entries! Have at this: And the answer is 1959-64 Citroen Bijou, a unique take on the 2CV for the UK market, made at Citroen's plant in Slough. Not hugely successful mostly because it was rather more expensive than better equipped and larger rivals from Ford and Vauxhall, and indeed, a Mini... Good luck, everyone! All the best, M.

I've wanted one of these for a while, but they've always seemed rather expensive. But for £17 at Scale Model World, how could I resist? It's such a cool-looking car, even if the performance wasn't so hot. It's only when you get it in the display cabinet that you realise how small it is compared to say, a Miura or Daytona... The kit comes with three engine options, but I wanted to use the Opel straight-4 as in the real thing. Paintwork is a Zero 2K "Giallo Fly" intended for Ferraris, but also good for 80s Lancias, and close enough for this baby. There are a bunch of pimping options, with different hoods, suspension, roll cage, grille, wheels and tyres, but I think it looks pretty good made the way nature intended. I opened out thenose vents, and followed Harry P's suggestions for the tail lights, which as moulded are too big and in the wrong place. These are the kit parts in coloured red plastic, sawn off, and placed on a filled and smoothed rear panel, surrounded using 7mm "slip rings" from the jewellery aisle at the local Hobbycraft. It's not a £40 kit, but for £17, it's a steal... best, M.

I knew I kinda recognised it (though those orange Matchbox cars didn't reflect the rather nicer lines of he real thing). In the end I searched "sleek purple european coupe pebble beach" and that found it on the first page of "image" results... best, M.

It does seem like a fatal flaw, when you look at the period competition in terms of sleek Italian-designed GT cars, with or without American muscle. Everyone else had the sense to leave the howling (Italian) or snarling (US iron) engine on the opposite side of an insulated firewall and often double glazing! No wonder he didn't really want to sell them... I suspect they'd have been returned or traded in short order when the owners had driven them five minutes down the road to the shops, never mind from Milan to Geneva... best, M.

Oddly, Matchbox did one of these in orange in 1973, which both I and my 4-year old sister liked so much that we ended up with two, which are still lurking in a box full of vintage toy cars at my parents' house. With only 2 of the real thing built (and maybe 2 more if you count "continuation cars" as the real thing), I'm sure Matchbox production dwarfed that of Monteverdi -- who didn't seem to want to sell real ones to people if he could avoid it... He must have had good relations with the die-casters, though, because Dinky released a rather nice Monteverdi 375, which although more prolific than the Hai, was hardly a common sight on British roads... Something made in rather larger numbers next week... best, M.

I'm just going by experience using it in my last year's builds. I dare say it will rub off if you try hard enough, but in the normal handling of a model being built (say for example using the chrome marker to outline the window trims before putting the glass in and then assembling the body and chassis) I've not had any issues requiring redoing the chrome. And I've used Tamiya masking tape over it with no problem about lifting the chrome layer off the base or even the lifting of silver particles you often get with metallics like Humbrol Metalcote, even after it's been polished. I'm sure the makers are right to be cautious, and not over promise -- it's not miraculous, after all. But the way I use it -- and I have used it, repeatedly, using the pens, fine detail brush painting and airbrushing, so I'm not "blowing wind outta my bone box" either -- it works very effectively for the jobs I'm using it for. You want "bullet-proof" chrome, then send the parts out to be plated by a specialist; you want an affordable, easy to apply (compared to BMF) and pretty tough solution for chrome trim on a model car, then Molotow is a good one... Like this: or this: or this best, M.

I don't know where you're buying your Molotow refills, but Amazon in the UK has them for around £16, which is more like $20-$25, which by my reckoning makes 8-10 for the same price as a can of Easy Brush. Plus, I KNOW Molotow Chrome pens give great results, and it airbrushes very easily as well. Once it's cured properly, like 24 hours in a warm airing cupboard, it doesn't rub off, and you can mask over it with no issues. I hope the ALSA works out for you, but I'm sticking with Molotow... best, M.

Get a hypodermic needle from a medical supplier, cut the end off flat with a grinder disc in a Dremel, then twirl the end at 45 degrees on the spinning disk, and lo and behold you have a sharpened hollow punch. I used to use them all the time for rivets and fasteners on aircraft, and I'm sure it would work for these parking sensors as well. It's easier than I might make it sound... best, M.

It doesn't require a black base coat -- goes on perfectly well over primer (Tamiya Fine Surface in Grey in my case). Obviously it's only as smooth as the primer. so you need one with a good finish. I do most of my airbrushing at around 20 psi, but that's so dependent on what airbrush you have, it's not necessarily much help as advice. My top tip is to make sure you shake the refill tube very well before decanting it into the brush for spraying... best, M.

Fantastic collection, Jay. They're all lovely, but the Lotus and the little Abarth are probably my favorites. And clearly, we're very much on the same wavelength in terms of subject choice: I have far too many of those kits in the stash! best, M.

1/25 AMT Camaro 50 1/24 Italeri Ferrari 275 GTB, rescued from the shelf (well, tank of IPA) of doom 1/24 Revell Maserati Bora 1/32 Airfix Gulf Porsche 917 1/32 Matchbox Porsche 917-10 1/32 Matchbox Aston Martin Ulster 1/32 Airfix 1930 Alfa Romeo 1/32 Matchbox Jaguar SS100 1/32 Tomy Jaguar SS100 1/32 Airfix Ferrari 250LM 1/24 Fujimi de Tomaso Pantera I was hoping to sneak one more under the wire, but it looks like the Opel GT is going to be first completion of 2018... Having ventured into 1/32 scale this year, for a Classic British Kits display, I've also acquired a small handful of 1.43 racing cars, so I think one or two of those will hit the bench in 2018. Plus that Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camel I got for Christmas... Happy New Year, all! best, M.

All that recent discussion of Pantera kits got me interested in building one, and the Fujimi seems to be a pretty good offering, albeit pretty simplified. It's highly "curbside" with simplified chassis/suspension and no engine at all, but the cabin interior is crisp and paints up nicely, and overall it seems to me to capture the shape and external detailing of the real thing very well. It's bigger than I expected, as well... I thought the Pantera was a smallish car, but, well, no.... And this is my attempt to recreate the cover of an early 70s issue of "Car" magazine: best, M.