Matt Bacon

Getting back to the bench with the next in the series: the Auto Kits BRM P57 driven by Graham Hill. Although Auto Kits did make a kit of the 1961 car with the "stack pipe" exhausts as in the picture above, the kit I have is of the 62/63 car which has normal horizontal exhausts. I don't mind too much, since I prefer the look of the more familiar layout, although trying to figure out the way they intertwine and join to the engine promises to be "interesting". This model will be my first use of low temperature soldering in anger. The rear fairing and head rest are two separate parts from the body and they were held firmly in place and soldered on. The liquid solder flowed nicely to fill the gaps, and could be remelted easily to smooth it our and remove excess. The grey you can see is the remains of the primer I used to check for holes and gaps. The whole car has had a very thorough clean up and sand to get to this smooth surface -- there were some pretty rough mould lines and pour stubs on both top and bottom sections. Both half-shells have been "adjusted" for as close a fit as possible. The suspension is pretty well detailed, and the geometry fits together really well. There was a bit of a pause because my kit had two rear left upper wishbones and no right hand part, but the nice lady at Squires Tools fixed me up with a replacement part in a few days. All eight exhausts have to thread through that rear suspension behind and below the shock absorbers and under the half-shafts... Thought I'd better check, but with no further adjustment, it does sit with all four wheels on the ground. Phew! Next job is to at least make up the exhaust clusters for each side, though I may not fix them permanently in place until after I've closed up the body and painted it to make masking the suspension easier... I also need to figure out whether Graham can go into the cockpit and be adjusted to grip the steering wheel from above after the body is joined, or whether I need to get him built and painted first. best, M.

Really annoying thing… I know I’ve painted #1 in very recent years, but can I remember what it is…? Best, M.

@CabDriver thank you, and yes, the DB5 and Land Rover are in the issue after the one with the McLaren and Lamborghini. Short answer: I liked it a lot, though I swapped the wheels for some 3D printed wires. The kit ones with a wash to pop the detail are not at all bad, though… best, M.

Thanks, all, but I’m not sure what brought this blast from the past back to the surface: it’s 12 years old! @Pierre Rivard the paint is colour matched Zero Paints Almond Green (I think… it’s just possible it might be California Sage) best, M.

I got a couple of these in the UK IKEA store, but they are available across the pond as well: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/skuffen-shoe-box-clear-30532356/ I reckon 4-5 built models in each, and they stack neatly.... best, M.

Started out with some 1/43's from Airfix, which some of you may have spotted in MCM this year... McLaren 765LT, Airfix, 1/43 Lamborghini Huracan Evo, Airfix, 1/43 Land Rover Series 1, Airfix, 1/43 Aston Martin DB5, Airfix, 1/43 Audi eTron GT, Revell "Easy-Click", 1/24 BMW 1000RR, Lego, 1/5 AC 289 Sports MkIII, Monogram(ish), 1/24 Lotus Esprit, Fujimi, 1/24 And the year's big project -- a series of recreations of comic covers painted by artist Roy Cross built using Classic British Kits for a display paying tribute to his life and work. 1928 Delage, Auto Kits, 1/24 1958 Vanwall, Merit, 1/24 1961 Ferrari 156, Auto Kits, 1/24 1955 Mercedes W196, Merit, 1/24 There'll be a few more of these to come for 2025. Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! best, M.

Oh my word! That’s the best built one of those I’ve ever seen or am likely to see. Though I think it’s more a fantastic model “inspired by” the kit rather than built from it… Well done indeed. I do find it odd that despite well over a century of being “the best cars in the world”, as far as I’m aware that kit and the SE Finecast Silver Ghost are the only 1/24 Rolls Royce kits (unless you count the very fine rendition of the Merlin in Airfix’s Spitfire, Hurricane and Mustang superkits…) best, M.

Yes… I think those Monogram metal body kits were effectively diecast, like those Hubley kits. That alloy is harder and more brittle than the pot metal these are cast from. These you can carve with a modelling knife, file away and cut quickly, and the material sands and polishes very well. Also, if you have the skill or are prepared to pick it up, low temperature soldering is a really good way to join and fill parts, since the “solder” is the same stuff as the metal you’re joining, so the two parts really become one instead of needing separate passes of glue and filler… best, M.

That looks brilliant… great job. Those Heller kits aren’t exactly shake ‘n’ bake, but in the right hands they do give you all you need for an accurate and good looking model. If you fancied having Jack aboard, the Immense Miniatures figures range in 1/24 includes a set of beautifully sculpted heads for different stages of his career, and a driver body to put one on… best, M.

Mike runs the quizzes. If you have a subject that you think would make a good one, you can message him with the idea or the idea and an image, and he will likely use it. He always credits whoever suggested it in the quiz post. Bear in mind that there are a lot fewer truck quizzes than auto ones, because fewer people are knowledgeable/interested so participation is lower. So a truck quiz suggestion might take longer to appear because there are fewer slots… best, M.

Oooh! Have fun, guys… nice to see someone else building these properly classic kits. FWIW, my advice is: first be aware how flexible the white metal is, particularly while getting the top and bottom halves ready to fit; secondly be aware how brittle it is if you need to reshape small parts; and finally, consider making a “stand” to fit underneath and relieve the finely moulded suspension of the considerable weight of the body and engine! I’m looking forward to this.. popcorn at the ready. best, M.

There aren't any drones. It's just people who've forgotten what the night sky looks like or maybe don't realise that you can see the approach lights of landing aircraft from 40 miles away if they are pointed in the right direction. There are no more fleets of drones over New York and New Jersey than there were fleets of saucers over the US in 1947... best, M.

If it's any help for reference, Pierre, I have this hefty chunk of metal in the stash Personally, I'd say the cycle fenders are pretty essential for a "race-look", though I could understand if you don't want to go to the trouble of drilling out the chassis rails! I think the white, black and burgundy colour scheme is one of the most purposeful looking, and black wheels hid a multitude of sins (in this case that the rear spokes are cast on to the drums, and you just wire the front face of the wheel... I shall be watching the master at work with interest! All the best, Matt

A "Personal Message". Click on "carsntrucks4you" at the left hand side the post with the quiz subject on it that Mike has posted (eg the first post in the "Truck Quiz #26" thread) and when the profile opens click the little envelope "message" icon up by Mike's user name and send your answer directly to him. DO NOT POST AN ANSWER IN THE QUIZ THREAD... best, M.

In the end it still comes down to basic optics. Until phone cameras and apps can do “focus stacking” - despite the computing power in smartphones, there’s still no “app for that”, even though there are some high-end DSLRs that can do it - the focal length of the lens, effective aperture and amount of light control how much depth of field you will get. Smartphone cameras and apps optimise how they work for the kinds of pictures most people take. We are not most people. You can get camera apps that give you more control over all the parameters, and make the best use of the phone optics and sensor to do what we want. But you have to be prepared to deep dive a bit. However, “lots of light and a tripod” is a reasonable approximation in most circumstances! best, M.

+1 to this. Good several-generations-old (so "only" 22Mpix sensors, and 1080P video...) used high-quality DSLR bodies can be had for £50-£100. The main expense is lenses (they have much longer "generations" and most are compatible with current bodies, so the second hand price is more robust). But if you really want to take pictures for print, then one is probably the answer (it's the sharpness and depth of field that phone cameras struggle with, especially with default settings and the default camera app. Just on the matter of wide-angle versus longer lens.... if you want to accurately represent what the human eye sees, then you need a 45-50mm lens on a full-frame SLR camera or 35mm on a compact sensor model (Canon EOS x0D for example), shooting from 2.5-3" above the the base your car is on, from about 10-12" away. Anything with a shorter focal length from closer up will be starting to "fisheye" distort the subject; anything zoomed from further away will compress the perspective. Of course, both of these may be effects you want to achieve: Shot from close up at about 17mm focal length. Shot from about 4m away at around 100mm focal length, zoomed in. Shot at 40mm from 3" above the table, filling the frame... best, M.

Lots of light, a little tripod, and shoot from further away using the _optical_ part of the zoom (x2 max) to reduce distortion… best, M.

I’m proud to say I’ve never seen it before, or if I have, I have managed to completely blank it from my memory… best, M.

I thought it was Italian -- has something of a Lancia Fulvia or Alfa about it -- but no dice there. Then knowing how these things go, I started looking at legacy German car companies, and found the wheels on a DKW/Auto Union roadster. And then it was "just" finding a DKW-adjacent car bodied by a Carrozzierie Italiani... best, M.

It's amazing how, no matter how well organised and extensive your workshop is, you always end up before long modelling in the slightly less than 1 square foot space at the front and centre of your cutting mat on your desk... best, M.

Looking good! Very glad to see this one heading towards the finish line, and that colour looks magnificent! best, M.

Sausage is a great example of two countries divided by a common language; my sausages are neat tubes like on Bill’s pizza (the best of which is called an “Orientale” in Paris, made with Merguez), but you guys make flat patties for breakfast, more like black pudding or haslet… 😜

That’s just crazy… at least in Europe it’s only different countries that have different priorities at roundabouts (and you already have to process driving on the other side of the road, so you really do notice!) The worst of all is France, where IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES cars joining the main road from a side road on the right have priority… best, M.

If you want the whole nine yards... https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/ best, M.

Make sure it’s clean, and just hit it with 2-3 light coats of Tamiya Fine Surface Primer 5 minutes apart from 20-30 cm away, and keep it away from dust. You shouldn’t have to sand the primer at all. Keep the can moving, and build up by doing several light coats rather than trying to get full solid coverage in one. You don’t want a “wet coat” in primer… best, M.