Matt Bacon

I'd be on for any kind of a Riva in 1/24... can't even find a paper model. Though I guess I could just scale down some R/C model boat plans and build it from scratch... best, M.

If you're in search of inspiration, you won't find better than browsing here: https://www.alfaholics.com best, M.

In that box, it's been out relatively recently. The "1/24 Historic Car Series" badge is something that Tamiya has been doing the last few years with some of their older kits. It's a lovely little kit, improved dramatically by drilling the rear shock absorber mount points about 2mm deeper... best, M.

Slow but steady progress... The seats are 4mm narrower than the space in the tub. As it happens I had some 3mm thick strip that I could use, so, I sliced them top to bottom and glued it in... Tub masked and sprayed with Plastikote "Velvet" to give some texture to the carpets. These are "ferrules" for finishing wires. Originally bought to make intake trumpets, the wrong way round they make good hollow exhausts. Not stuck in yet. Wheels more of a pain than you'd like -- there are several "slots" in each wheel that didn't mould cleanly. Not flashed over but just not there, so I guess the mould broke somewhere down the line. Sprayed with Humbrol Metalcote "Polished Aluminium" with BMF "hubcaps"... Primered with Tamiya fine grey primer and the stainless steel roof masked off. Zero 2K basecoat applied, BMW Sienna Brown with a very light transparent glaze coat form the 2-part Rosso Fuoco that I had in the stash. Diamond 2K clear coat applied. A few spots to clean up and polish, but it's pretty shiny now! Baking in the airing cupboard for 24 hours before cleaning up. best, M.

OK. so my plan to have operating doors is not going to pan out. Just way too flaky fit and hinging. I'll stick with getting the rear clamshell to work. So, time to put the doors back in place. The door edges are built back up with plastic strip, and then spacers inserted between the doors and sills/frame to sit it in the aperture. If you're doing one, I recommend NOT separating the doors, but just trying to clean up and reduce the joining pins so they sink back into the shut line a bit further. The white "tailpipes" are sprue filling the locating pin holes for the rather weedy plastic exhausts. I have a better plan. A bit of "gizmology" on the carbs -- there's not a lot of room between the heads, so some of the initial detail had to come off again... ;-( The heads are "crackled" with "Suede" paint from Plastikote, which I also used to texture the parcel shelf. best, M.

Hey, Rob... looks like you've accidentally posted some photos from your local specialist hobby store... what does your workroom look like? ;-P best, M.

Very nice... Thanks for the photo. I think they're definitely due a revival. Sleek, refined, powerful... and practical (there's a good sized trunk under the hood...).Black's timeless, but I'm not sure it does justice to the 70s cool factor, although the cream seats definitely add to that vibe. This side of the water you're talking £150-200K to buy one, so I guess the people throwing numbers around were on the money. Mind you, supercool as it is, if you have that kind of money you can buy a brand new McLaren 720s, which I'm afraid is where my money would go... Looks like I don't need to be overly concerned about getting the shut lines around the doors precise and even, mind you... best, M.

See, here's the big problem with horseless carriages. Cost. This 1903 Olds is going to cost me $1000. I got a perfectly good buggy here, only cost me $50, and even if I buy new horses, that's only another $100 or so. But I don't need to. Horses can get bred, right? And I just leave them out in the field grazing, occasionally give 'em some hay or carrots. I can top them up right there at home. Buying that new fangled gasoline for an Olds is going to cost me darn near 30c a GALLON! And I gotta go to a special charging station to pick it up and put some in my so-called "automobile." Not so "auto" now, is it? No, thank you. I guess maybe I could get one of those Stanleys that uses lamp oil for fuel instead. But then I have to wait half an hour to get it started, whereas I can just hitch my horses to the buggy and away we go. You want me to buy a ve-hickle that's TEN TIMES more expensive than this buggy I already own, that I have to buy darned expensive strange chemical hooch from twenty miles away to run at all, and that needs an "expert mechanicician" every time anything goes wrong in that smelly pile of reciprocating gubbins under the hood? You're kidding, right? I think for now, I'd rather stop at the feed merchants every once in while... best, M.

The Airfix 1/32 was an Indy -- more the equivalent of a Ferrari Daytona. There was a brief glorious few months last year when Airfix announced it was going to be re-popped, but it foundered on licensing issues in the autumn... best, M.

One suggestion, David... while Patto's decals are brilliantly designed and printed, in my experience they often don't fit... What I mean is, I think he designs them for a slot car body, often his own, and if you are not lucky enough to be building on exactly the same base model, then you are at the mercy of whether both your kit designer and slot car body designer managed to make the exact same shape when modelling the original. His 1/32 917 decals, for example are quite significantly off in both shape and size for the Airfix 1/32 kit. All of which is a roundabout way of saying, if I were you, I'd paint the whole car black and cut up the decals to apply the coloured parts in separate blocks, and then gloss coat the whole thing. best, M.

Thanks, all... there are a few challenges to overcome, but I am kinda surprised this kit isn't better known or re-popped. Revell Germany could easily release it in the same "classic" (read: older kit) series as they've already done with the XK120, Healey 3000 and BMW 508... There seem to be plenty of pics both with and without the "parcel shelf" (aka "filler panel") in place. It just clips into a could of holes in the rear structure, so I can leave it removable. The books make much of the effort Maserati went to to ensure good sound insulation for the occupants (eg double glazed panel between the cabin an engine space) and I guess the filler panel is part of that. So I can also understand why thems as wants to drive their Bora like a sports car instead of a GT might leave it out. As for colour, I didn't want to go out and buy yet another Zero colour matched colour, so my thoughts are tending towards this Starting with BMW Sienna Brown lightly dosed with red... best, M.

Interesting kit, interesting car. I've decided I'll document this build in reasonable detail, since I couldn't find a single other build up online. This is a Revell 1/24 kit, from an, I guess, 80s series. I think it is genuinely 1/24, not 1/25. without one to compare, I don't know if it is in any way derived from the Japanese (Eidei?) motorised kit that Airfix has also released. What I do know about that one is that it has no engine detail at all, whereas this is fully detailed kit, with engine and suspension detail, interior etc. I decided I'd like a few more Maseratis after the 3500GT, but it turns out the choice is remarkably limited. Having decided on this one, and picked up the kit for a very reasonable £15, I read up on the car a bit more. Turns out that the real thing, like possibly this kit, is being re-assessed. It wasn't so popular back in the day... As far as I can see, Maserati made the mistake of building a classic Maserati GT car in the layout of the Countach, Dino, 308GTB and 365/512BB. People expected a serious sports car rather than a comfortable GT... and of course the layout makes for not so much boot space -- although the Bora had a carefully crafted 3-piece luggage set shaped to fit the front storage area, much like the Mclaren F1. People may have though it looked a bit a "sturdy" compared to the competition, but I think the years have treated it well, and personally, I think it's a really good-looking car. Anyway, on with the work in progress... We shan't be using those decals (the sill panels below should be black, anyway), and one of the standout features of the Bora is that it has stainless steel A-pillars and roof panel, which will be fun... I'm not sure what the "parcel shelf" over the engine is, since the photo I have show the engine visible through the real clamshell glass. You can see the chassis, subframes, some engine parts and interior details. These certainly aren't in the Eidei kit. The seats, more or less in the middle, are BIZARRELY narrow. I can't see any reason looking at the tub that they need to be so emaciated: it's like they are no wider than the mounting slots, whereas there's a few mm on each side. I'll have to bulk them out somehow. A few parts, but the beginnings of a nice Maserati V-8, a rarity in kit form in itself. The rear clam was pretty badly "squished" -- I think packed when it was still soft rather than mechanically stressed. There'll be some cycles of re-work yet, with the final attachment of the stiff internal glass pulling it precisely into shape... right. As you can see, quite a few sink marks to be filled. The doors came moulded into the body. If they'd been attached as nicely all around as they were in some places, with very fine gaps bridged by tiny pins, I'd probably have left them in situ, but sadly the upper edge was heavily flashed over and rough, so they had to some off. Anyway, opening doors are a classic 70s working feature, aren't they? Quite a sleek looking car, I reckon. As you can see, this door needs a bit of bulking out to reduce the panel gaps. Not so the other side, but both sides needed some extra plastic at the base of the A-pillar where the combination of mould separation lines and removing the doors left a dangerously small cross section remaining. Following my previous experience with the Monogram Maserati 3500 GT, I'll spend a good while test fitting and fettling these opening doors before committing to primer and paint. Plenty of time to decide what colour it's going to be! Tally ho! best, M.

Lovely job. I think this is a great little kit, and you've made a very good model from it. Of course now he has that, he has no need of the real thing, right...? Or he can say to his wife perfectly truthfully "Honey, someone at work gave me a new Corvette..." best, M.

Hi, all... what do you Porsche fans think would be the best 1/24 starting point to adapt into one of these babies: best, M.

Electric or not, the shape's pretty typical for smaller European city cars: accommodation for four adults on the smallest possible acreage, with a very good view of the extremities for manoeuvring and parking in tight spaces. Bob Lutz has lots to say about electric vehicles in "Car Guys and Bean Counters" -- he was the man who pushed the Volt. The thinking is driven by the >80% of car journeys that are less than 60 miles daily, going to work or shopping, and recharging at home overnight. The time will come when there's a big enough fast charging network to top up your Tesla in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee (it's already in place in Norway) for travelling from one side of the country to the other. Today, you need to consider buying an all-electric, plug-in hybrid, engine-powered hybrid, fuel cell powered or gas-guzzing V8 based on your actual driving profile. If I had the money, a BMW i8 would suit me down to the ground... Personally, I think that we'll end up with all-electric plug-ins as daily drivers/second cars, and probably some kind of car-sharing/pooling of larger hybrids combining very efficient generator IC engines (1-1.5 litre with 200BHP/litre, like Volvo's recently demonstrated) or, even better, micro-turbines with mega torque at each corner, for when we need to go on those transcontinental trips. And a while after that, when we have the fusion economy, everything will be fuel cells! best, M.

Thanks, all... Had an email this week from Round2 confirming that the "Camaro" engine decals were missed off the decal sheet, and will be corrected in the next issue. best, M.

Thanks, gentlemen. You will notice that the engine is missing the two red "Camaro" legends from the engine cover. They are clearly shown in the instructions as Decal 16. I thought I'd lost them, so asked Round2 for a replacement decal sheet, which arrived today. Problem is, there aren't any decals on the new sheet either. Decals 1-15, yes; 16, no... Does anyone have a Camaro 50 kit that actually has these decals on the sheet? Does anyone who has the SS release from earlier have a sheet to check if they were included on that set? Does anyone have a good contact at Round 2 I could check this with? best, M.

Hi, all... anyone who's looked at my Camaro build in Under Glass will notice that the engine is missing the two red "Camaro" legends from the engine cover. They are clearly shown in the instructions as Decal 16. I thought I'd lost them, so asked Round2 for a replacement decal sheet, which arrived today. problem is, there aren't any decals on the new sheet either. Decals 1-15, yes; 16, no... Does anyone have a Camaro 50 kit that actually has these decals on the sheet? Does anyone who has the SS release from earlier have a sheet to check if they were included on that set? Does anyone have a good contact at Round 2 I could check this with? best, M.

Who got it right: Ace-Garageguy Geebee sjordan2 matthijsgrit maltsr dw1603 DonW ChrisR Draggon Well done, all! best, M.

Definitely not my usual sort of thing, but I spotted a "damaged box" on eBay for £15, so I thought "why not"? I'd heard good things about the kit, and I wasn't disappointed. There was a tad more flash than you'd expect on such a new release, and the plastic is a bit brittle (the tie rod between the steering front wheels snapped the second time I tried to squeeze the wheels parallel...). But the detail is very impressive, especially on the engine and chassis/suspension. The interior comes up well with some detail painting (though not a lot is visible, as you can see). I thought I'd overdone the orange stitching on the seats, but it needs to be a bit OTT to see at all in the gloom. Paint is Tamiya rattle can metallic black, cleared with TS-13, and polished gently with Novus #2. I've never found such a finish for attracting fluff and dust out of the air -- the marks you can see are not, thank goodness stuck to the paint, but you only have to pick it up and it magnetically attracts crud. My only disappointment was the decals, which are pixellated and for thinks like the "Fifty" legends ahead of the doors become quite invisible in parts on the black. I'd have preferred a metallic sheet, or at least one with solid inks. Keen-eyed folks will notice that I'm waiting on the red "Camaro" decals for the engine, which I thought I'd ruined by tipping Microsol on the remains of the sheet, but it turns out they were never there in the first place (see below). Also, we need a UK number plate at the rear. Choices, choices: should it be C4MRO, or CMR 50, or MB50 CMR? best, M.

You know the score... PM me with manufacturer, model and year. Please don't use image lookup as that defeats the point of the game. And don't post your answers, guesses or clues here for all to see... on with the game: This is a 1972-73 Puma GTE Happy hunting! All the best, M.

A fairly quick build, just to get my eye in again... Engine's not bad... not too many parts, but nicely moulded. I think the exhaust headers are actually rather more complicated than this, if the pics online are to be believed... Same with the interior. Its snap-fit origins are clear, but not very noticeable when it goes together, and there's plenty of detail to paint: The "stitching" is a bit garish, but once it's buttoned up in a dark interior, it'll be fine, I think... ...and it probably is... The body is painted with Tamiya TS Metallic Black and TS-13 Clear, with a bit of a polish. best, M.

... I think there may have been irony involved, here and there... My takeaways from this thread are: If you're starting from a stash with no 250GTOs in it, then the best thing to look for is a Fujimi (and I've snagged two for less than £30 in the last couple of years, so they aren't that hard to find)If you have some GTOs, then as long as they aren't the Aurora/Monogram version, you have some entirely buildable kits that you might as well get on with.If you're going to build one, then there's no point in paying collector prices for any of the older kits -- just find a Fujimi...best, M.

Thanks, all... I think this (as with all things with hand-built Ferraris) is complicated. I've made things more even complicated with the "1:1" picture I posted... The kicker is that I left off the front bumpers... If you look at this: You can see that the nose cone is actually higher off the ground than the main body floor (which isn't true for the GTO style nose...) On this one, they've put the front bumpers higher than the chrome trim line under the doors, which I think is where they are MEANT to be (sure are on the Italeri kit....) Whereas here, they've levelled up the bumpers and the trim line: My instinct, having looked at quite a few images now, is that the Italeri kit is correct: the widest part of the nose cone, where the bumpers are normally fitted, is higher than the chrome trim nder the door, and they shouldn't line up. That means that when the bumpers aren't in position, the nose looks "raised" compared to the rest of the body. The GTO definitely has a "droop snoot" where the nose angles down to a level "floor" all the way along, but that's not true of a standard 275 GTC/B... That's my interpretation, anyway... when I have a real one in my garage to compare to, I'll be sure to let you all know the real answer! best, M.

All the window brightwork on this one is Molotow pen: Whereas this one is BMF The main difference is that the first took about 5 minutes, the second about two hours... you really can't see much difference in the display case. Don't get me wrong. I like BMF (but agreed, not the Ultra Bright stuff). It's not the application that bugs me, but the fact that although the amount on a sheet in theory could last me for years, in practice, within a year the sheet has wrinkled in the packet, and cracks everywhere there's a wrinkle. So I'm paying the best part of £10 for a sheet, which I can maybe use 1/10 of before it becomes virtually unusable. best, M.