Matt Bacon

You should try to get a glue-bomb basket-case if you want a 308 or GTO: the Fujimi GTO is WAAAAYYYY too nice a kit to chop up to basically get a roof... IMHO, obviously! best, M.

...I'm not sure "beauty" is a word I'd use in this instance.... ;-P I'm certainly not seeing a lot of 308/GTO in there... wouldn't you be as well starting with something like this: ? Seriously, I think looking around for a base for conversion that bears a closer resemblance to your final goal might be easier than trying to rebuild it from a "street" 308... best, M.

Google "Humbrol Brunswick Green", and you'll find something very similar. What the exact match in paint ranges you can easily buy is something you'll have to pursue, I'm afraid... best, M.

Thanks, guys! @Dann Tier actually, the vents weren't so bad. The decals (from an eBay slot car supplier) were very nice -- thin, flexible, and tough. I just pressed them over the vents a couple of times with a hot damp flannel and some Microsol, then once they dried, sliced them with a new sharp #11 blade, and applied the hot cloth again. The vents are coloured in with a black marker -- they don't actually go through, but you can't tell from 2ft away... There are two more significant issues with the decals if you're thinking of trying them out on your own Matchbox 917-10. First, they aren't long enough. I think they must be intended for a moulded slot body that has no undercuts. The body stripes should extend all the way under the wing, and top to bottom on the back, and they should also be on the underside of both the wing and the movable flap. Secondly, they aren't wide enough -- the mirrors are at the outer edges of the stripes, and the inner edges almost touch the name script, with the inner black stripe just outboard of the point of the silver mesh covered intake that looks like a bike saddle in front of the wing. I think if you bought three sets (they are only $7...) you could get enough striping to do the whole thing as it should be! Thanks, again, all... best, M.

New album from a guy I'd never heard of until yesterday, but I like it! best, M.

Looks great to me! Love the subtle changes and the colour scheme which add up to something really different... best, M.

If you're going to form it anyway, why not just go to your local supermarket and buy a couple of heavy duty disposable turkey roasting pans? best, M.

Thanks, all! ...worked a bit more on the cutaway... best, M.

not exactly the road, but saw this while I was out in the woods with my dog! best, M.

I've not built mine, but a quick look in the box reveals a pretty comprehensive kit with a full engine (and boy, that V12 is a FULL engine...), good interior details, and what looks like a very accurate rendition of the sleek shape of the XJ-S. Bad news from your point of view, if it matters, is that you can only build a UK spec car, driving on the right and with the single "lozenge" headlights instead of a pair of lenses each side. Still it's a true Brit classic (and it's amazing that you can still buy a good runner 1:1 for £5k...) best, M.

A very nice Classic British Kit, for a show later in the year. It's a shame most of these aren't available now, since the variety of subjects and quality of execution is very high. ...and I couldn't resist trying this out, inspired by the David Kimble book on my bedside bookshelf... best, M.

That looks great, Curt... excellent job on a little known but cool car. I've been trying to discover if they came in any colour other than white for my build, but it looks like the answer is no... (I have the police car kit, since it was cheap, but I think building it street stock simply involves leaving out a couple of interior parts and not fixing the light on top!). Well done! All the best, M.

If you know of any better 215/70s on 15" rims, I'd gladly hear about them... ;-P The "accurate" tyres, with brand name, are even called out on the box! The radial lines are maybe a bit exaggerated (they are present on the real thing), but on the whole I think they're not a bad representation of the tread and proportions of the OEM Michelin XWX tyres... best, M.

You can get stuff called "Sticky Stuff Remover" or something similar (intended to remove label residue), which I have and it's very effective. It smells strongly of oranges to me and I think citric acid is involved, so my first suggestion would be just to squeeze some lemon juice onto a paper towel and try that... best, M.

Very "classic" (ie, "old") Airfix kit, developed from a slot car mold. Decals from Patto's Place, in a spurious scheme because the orange nose decals nowhere near fit this kit. And I couldn't resist getting a bit arty: It's scrubs up nicely for such an old stager. The only real issue is the way the rear wheels tuck under the body shell -- they don't on the real thing, but they have to the way this is engineered. I can't see where the error is -- any lower and the rear part of the floor wouldn't meet the upper body shell, and the car would have a very inaccurate tail high attitude. best, M.

Like the 1:1, this kit is probably a bit under-rated. Mind you, it's hard to keep track of which plastic is in which Bora kit. This one has never been motorised, and has a full engine. Overall, although there are some oddities to be fixed (why ARE the seats ludicrously too narrow, requiring a 4mm fillet to be added in the middle?), and some of the parts need to be fettled to fit (and remove warpage, especially on the clamshell), it's not a bad kit, and certainly provides the best starting point for a Bora in your dislplay cabinet. And lets face it, there aren't many Maseratis out there at all, are there (I only know of the Monogram 3500GT and the Merit 250F racer). best, M.

HLJ used to have a fantastic service where one of their guys would do the parts request for you. I used it a couple of times with excellent results, even if it took a while (I think they batched up their requests to each manufacturer and only submitted when they had enough to make it worth while). Back in the day, they didn't even care if it was from a kit you'd bought from them, as long as you were a registered HLJ customer. Sadly, it seems that these days, they've had to restrict it to replacing parts in a kit bought from HLJ, and requested within 10 days of delivery. ;-( best, M.

Still not getting the picture... best, M.

Thanks, guys. Pretty much all together now, but there's still some cleaning up and final detail painting still to do The engine bay is a bit more "see through" than I'd like, but it's hard to see how you'd fix that and still be able to get it all together! Next time you see this, it'll be Under Glass... but first, off to London for my son's graduation. best, M.

Fixing to the chassis also helps stabilise the frame some more. Trial run to see how it all fits together It's just a swine getting all these bits to fit together, but at least all the triangulation (eg springs) stiffens up this rear subframe assembly nicely. Finally for tonight, I'm hopeful that it will all fit together nicely! best, M.

So, back from a very refreshing holiday in Northumberland, where, as promised, we spent a lot of time with Coasts and Castles (plus a visit to Kielder Observatory, the largest dark sky area in Europe, for some Aurora-chasing...) The cockpit, with a bit of extra detailing, and the strange elliptical vent on the centre console filled and replaced with something a bit more prototypical. Engine done. There's a lot more that you could do at the front, but it's pretty well hidden! This stage is the hardest work of the whole build so far . The combination of brittle plastic, warped mouldings, and socket holes that pierce completely though the delicate framework is deadly. The poor moulding of the exhaust resonators doesn't help either. The good news is that there are enough points bonding the whole structure together (eg the wheel carriers) that if you persevere, it will all come together in the end. The bizarre plastic axle is replaced with wire from a clothes hanger for extra strength, as the front pins will be as well. How hard can it be? Well, as it turns out simply inserting two hinge pins, turning them 90 degrees and fixing to the clamshell is trickier than you think. My advice would be to attach one hinge to the clam and let it set, and then put the other in place inside the body shell, apply glue to the bonding area, insert and rotate the whole rear clam with one already-fixed pin into position, and then bond the second one. And let it dry for a while. best, M.

That looks fantastic Dann. The engine is inspirational. I agree... the XKSS is a great kit. I've done one, and there's another in the stash to kitbash with a Lindbergh D-Type, to (hopefully) achieve a similar effect to you! Great job. beat, M.

Tell me about it -- I was very excited carrying it to the till, and it was only as I was packing the volumes into four heavy duty plastic bags that it really occurred to me that I was gonna need to carry them all nearly a mile up the road! Worth it, though... best, M.

Feeling very pleased with myself, and lucky: just picked up 22 pristine volumes of this bound partwork in a charity shop while on holiday for £20. 2700 pages of 1975 vintage auto history, marques well-known and obscure, technology, famous sports, engineering and design folk, and even "cars of today" in encyclopaedic detail. Bill Boddy, LJK Setright and David Burgess Wise and many other expert names contribute. Setright in particular is great value, whether explaining steering mechanisms or suspension over 10 pages, or tracing Jaguar's history in his inimitable style: "A car for cads, boulevardiers and poodle-fakers..." Just got to get it home in an already well packed car... Best, M.

Thanks guys. Made some progress on the body today. The reason that the build on the Revel box looks so toylike (apart from those awful decals) is that they've forgotten all the areas of different materials on the real thing. And I've been doing little bits here and there all day, so this is where we are tonight: The roof is AK Metals Stainless Steel, applied over primer that had been "brushed" with fine wire wool. And I'm using Molotow Chrome marker for the trim. And to end, in unforgiving close up, the engine is finally wired up, after the arrival of some heat shrink tube today. best, M.