Matt Bacon

Where's the "Piranha Spy car" from, then? And that 1/125 scale "Blue Devil Destroyer" must be pretty sizeable, eh? I'll have to lay in a Space:1999 Eagle Transporter as well... bestest, M.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to lay down a transparent, even, non-distorting coat of a clear colour? I'm finally getting back to the workbench (I hope) with the Jaguar XJ220. The XJ220 has a well-smoked sunroof, and in theory should also have blue-green tinted windows. I've done a few "smoked" windows notably these: ...but you can't really see clearly through them, and it doesn't really matter since you can see in through the main cabin windows, and all they are concealing is the "boot", really. The other times I've used the clear colours it's been on small parts like lights, or the odd cabin window on a helicopter, where the optical quality is a lot less noticeable. The sunroof on the Jag is one of the main ways to view the cabin, and obviously if all the other windows are green-tinted, I need them to be as optically "clean" as possible as well. I've got Tamiya clear colours, and could try tinted Klear. The problem is whenever I've tried airbrushing either, I get a slightly "frosted" look. Has anyone got any top tips for a foolproof way of tinting clear parts that leaves them as transparent as unpainted plastic...? Any and all suggestions much appreciated. bestest, M

Lucky man -- I was hanging my nose over a 1972 MkIII in my home town only yesterday, but I REALLY don't have £10K spare... bestest, M.

Thanks, guys! I'm not doing 1/43 -- it's an area I know nothing about, and it can be what Douglas Adams called an SEP. Harry -- do you know if the Life-like 1/32 RRs you mention are the same as the Pyro ones listed? I have a feeling that Life-like and Pyro were related somehow. And MPC are often Airfix reboxes, aren't they? Skip -- 1/16 XJ-S, eh? I've never even heard of that one! bestest, M.

...I'm not covering dedicated race cars like the T-70 (well, actually, I am a bit, with Lotuses and Jags, but...). It's not my normal build theme, and if I open THAT door, someone will want the Group C cars, and then it's only a small step to the F1 cars and an argument over which ones are built in the UK (the clue... almost all of them!). If someone wants to start a "Great British Race Cars Kit Inventory" then they are more than welcome... bestest, M.

Hi, all... this is something I got started on Britmodeller, where a bunch of locals contributed to it. I thought some of you guys might find it useful, and feel free to add to it as well. I'll try and keep both lists up to date with all new information. NB: This is NOT a "wish list" thread -- just kits that you KNOW exist, please! Aston Martin: DB5 "James Bond" (original issue), 1/24, Airfix DB5 "Spy Car", 1/25, Aurora DB6, 1/24, Airfix (modified James Bond tooling) DB5 1/24, Airfix (Doyusha kerbside plastic) DB5 James Bond (with some spy gadgets and resin James Bond and Oddjob figures), 1/24, Doyusha DB5 street version, 1/24, Doyusha (Kerbside and quite simplified) DB4, 1/24, Monogram (working doors etc, old kit, shapes a bit off) DBR1, 1/24, Profil24 (resin) DBR, 1/24, Merit DP214, 1/24, Profil24 (resin) Ulster, 1/32, Matchbox (gem of a kit) International, 1/32, Pyro Le Mans, Pyro 1/32 DB5, 1/32, Airfix (pretty terrible) DBS (1970s), 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) DBS, 1/24, Tamiya DBR9, 1/32, Airfix Austin 7 Chummy, 1/24, SE Finecast 7 Ulster, 1/24, SE Finecast 7 (BMW Dixi), 1/24, Heller (reboxed by Revell)(rather different from an Austin 7 in some areas, but a starting point) A40 "Gasser", 1/25, Revell Maxi, 1/32, Airfix London Taxi, Imai, 1/24 (also reboxed by Revell) Bentley 4.5L Blower, 1/32, Airfix 4.5L Blower, 1/24, Heller 4.5L Blower, 1/24, Union (not the same as Heller) 4.5L Blower, 1/12, Airfix Competition Speed Six, 1/32, Pyro Continental R (52-55), 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) Bond Bug, 1/32, Airfix Dennis A/V Ambulance, 1/16, Frog 1914 Fire Engine, 1/32, Airfix 1914 Fire Engine, 1/16, Entex Ford Anglia (59-66), 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) Anglia (dragster), 1/25, Revell Lotus Cortina, 1/32, Airfix Cortina Estate, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) Consul, 1/32, revell Consul Cortina Mk.1, 1/16, Frog Zodiac, 1/32, Airfix Escort Mk 1, 1/32, Airfix Escort Mk. 2, Esci, 1/24 (Zakspeed, Rally Rothmans, clear-bodied 1800) (also Himbrol and Revell Rally reboxes) Capri, 1/32, Airfix Capri Mk1, 1/24, Doyusha (ageing ex motorised kit) Capri II, 1/24, Monogram Escort XR3, 1/25, Revell Sierra XR4i, 1/24, Tamiya Transit Mk.2, Esci, 1/24 (rare and expensive to find) Healey Sprite, Gunze, 1/24 (Hi-tech and standard boxing) Sprite Mk1, 1/32, Airfix Sprite, 1/32, Monogram Sprite Mk2, 1/32, Lindberg (very basic. Maybe same as Monogram) 100/6, 1/25, Revell (also released by Matchbox and ?AMT?) Austin Healey, 1/32, Revell (also sold under Advent label in USA) Austin-Healey 3000, 1/32, Aurora Healey 3000 Mk 2, 1/24, K&R Replicas Healey 3000 Mk3, 1/24, K&R Replicas Humber Cabriolet 1940s (Staff Car), 1/32, Airfix ("Monty's Humber") Jaguar 'E" Type, 1/32, Airfix E Type Convertible, 1/24, Airfix (ex Heller, with factory hardtop) (also "racing" boxing) E-Type Convertible, 1/24, Airfix Hi-Tech (Gunze Sangyo Hi Tech kit with white metal engine and etched parts) E Type Coupe, 1/24, Heller E-Type OTS, 1/24, Heller (convertible) E-Type Lightweight, 1/24, Profil24 (resin) E-Type Lightweight Lindner-Knocker, 1/24, SMTS (resin/metal) XK-E ,1/25, Revell, (open top, with factory hard-top) Jaguar E-type Coupe, 1/24,Monogram (shape not very good) E-type, 1/16, Frog (motorized kit) Jaguar E-Type Coupe, 1/8, Monogram (fantastic kit, expensive and hard to find) XK120, 1/24, Revell (also metal body version) XK120, 1/32, Gowland and Gowland (also issued by Merit) XK120 Coupe, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) (also Monthlery version) C-Type, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) (various versions from different events) D-Type, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) (various versions, including long-nose) D-Type long-nose, 1/24, Fisher Model and Pattern (1955) XK140, 1/32, Lindberg SS100, 1/24, SE Finecast SS100, 1/16, Entex (also Gakken and Minicraft) SS100, 1/32, Matchbox SS100, 1/32, Tomy (later Hasegawa, detailed kit with metal, plastic and etch parts) Mk 2, 1/24, Tamiya 420, 1/32, Airfix Mark X/420G, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) XJ220, 1/24, Tamiya XJ220, 1/24, Italeri (also reboxed as Heller) XJ220, 1/25, AMT XKSS, 1/24, Revell D-Type, 1/24, Lindberg [hard to find, but not rare, can be bought for around the £10 mark, a very basic kit though] D-Type, 1/24, Strombecker XJ13, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) XJ6, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) Daimler Sovereign, 1/24, K&R Replicas (white metal kit) XJ-S, 1/24, Hasegawa (TWR, Targa, Coupe, TWR racing) XJ-S, 1/25, Revell (New Avengers, Gambit) XJ-S, 1/25, Revell (snap kit version of above) XKR GT, 1/32 Airfix (Scalextric-derived) Land Rover: Mk2 SWB Station Wagon, 1/25, Monogram Mk III LWB, 1/24, Esci (in both "Safari" station wagon and FFR Paratrop armed open top. Reissued by Italeri) Mk III?, 1/12, Airfix ( Sean the Sheep set) Defender 110, 1/35, Hobby Boss (military series) 109 MkIII SAS "Pink Panther", 1/35, Tamiya WMIK & Snatch, 1/48, Airfix [both can be civilianised] LWB soft top and hard top, 1/76, Airfix and JB Range Rover Mk1, 1/24, Esci (Standard, Dakar Rally and Police) Range Rover Mk 2, 1/24, Aoshima (Standard, “Tuner”) reboxed by Revell Lanchester 1907, 1/32, Airfix Lotus Super Seven, 1/24, Tamiya XI, 1/24, Profil24 Elan S3, 1/24, Gunze (Hi-tech and standard boxings) Elite, 1/24, Profil24 (resin) Elite, 1/24, Airfix (ex Japanese kit, rally version) Europa, 1/24, Tamiya Europa Special, 1/12, Nichimo Esprit Series 1, 1/16, Bandai/Hales Esprit S1, 1/24, Gunze (also Airfix rebox) Esprit Sport 300, 1/24, Monogram Esprit Turbo, 1/24, Monogram Caterham Super Seven (BDR, BDR Cycle Fender, JPE), 1/12, Tamiya MG 1100 Saloon, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) 1100, 1/32, Airfix MGA 1600, 1/32, Monogram (reboxed by Lindberg?) MGA twin-cam, 1/24, Strombecker MGB, Aoshima 1/24 (street and competition forms, metal and rubber bumper versions) MGB, Airfix 1/24 (rebox of Aoshima) MGB roadster, 1/24, SE Finecast (metal kit, and expensive) (also rubber bumper version) MGB GT Coupe, 1/24, SE Finecast (also rubber bumper version) MGB GT V8, 1/24, SE Finecast MGB, 1/32, Revell (also sold under Advent label in USA) MGA Coupe, 1/24, SE Finecast MGA 1500/1600, 1/24, SE Finecast, TC, 1/24, Monogram (also metal body kit) (also reissued by Revell) TC, 1/24, SE Finecast TC Sports, 1/32, Matchbox TC, 1/16, Gakken (Academy/Minicraft reboxes) TC, 1/32, Revell K3 Magnette, 1/32, Airfix K3 Magnette, 1/24, SE Finecast Autokit 'M' SE , 1/24, SE Finecast Autokit TD, 1/24, SE Finecast Autokit TF, 1/24, SE Finecast Autokit Metro 6R4, 1/24, Profil24 Mini Mini-Minor, 1/32, Airfix Austin, 1/24, Tamiya Morris, 1/24, Tamiya Cooper, 1/24, Tamiya (rally version) Cooper Mk1, 1/24, Revell Cooper, 1/24, Revell (1964 Monte Carlo rally) Cooper, 1/24, Imai Innocenti, 1/24, Imai Cooper, 1/24, Fujimi (several versions: "Old Mini Cooper", "Union Jack version", racing version, 1/3i w/Minilites) Cooper, 1/12, Tamiya (“Rover Mini Cooper”) Morgan 4/4, 1/24, Tamiya Plus 8, 1/16, LS 3-Wheeler 1935, 1/16, Minicraft Morris Cowley 1923, 1/32, Airfix Cowley 1926 (Bullnose), 1/32, Airfix Cowley "roadster", 1/32, MPC 1100 Mk.1, 1/16, Frog Minor, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) Minor Traveller, box scale (about 1:38), Revell Marina, 1/32, Airfix Rolls Royce Phantom Mk1, 1/32, Matchbox Phantom II Continental, 1/16, Revell Phantom II Henley Roadster, 1/24 scale Monogram Silver Cloud, 1/24, Minicraft Phantom II, 1/24, Italeri Sedanca Coupe, 1/32, Pyro 1905, 1/32, Airfix 1911, 1/32, Airfix 1909 Silver Ghost, 1/32, Pyro Silver Ghost Touring Car 1/32 scale, Revell Town Car, 1/32, Pyro Rover P5, 1/32, Revell Sunbeam Alpine, 1/32, Revell (also sold under Advent label in USA) Tiger, 1/32, Aurora Rapier, 1/32, Airfix Tiger, AMT, 1/25 Triumph Herald, 1/32, Airfix TR2, 1/24, Gunze (hi-tech and standard boxings) TR3/3a, 1/24, Gunze (hi-tech and standard boxings) TR3, 1/32, Aurora TR3, 1/32, Lindberg (maybe same as Aurora. Very basic) TR3a, 1/24, Minicraft TR4a, 1/32, Airfix TR4, 1/32, Revell (also sold under Advent label in USA) TR4/5, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) TR6, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) TRS, 1/24, Airtrax (resin, Finland) GT6, 1/24, Pyro (reissued by Lindberg) Spitfire, 1/32?, Aurora TR7, 1/25, revell (New Avengers, Purdy) TR7, 1/24, Airfix (Rally, ex- Gunze) Vauxhall Prince Henry, 1/32, Airfix (gem of a kit) Cresta, 1/32, Revell Victor Estate, 1/16, Frog Vauxhall Victor 2000 Estate, 1/32, Airfix Viva, 1/32, Airfix bestest, M. (if anyone else want to chip in below, I'll copy paste additions into this list)

Looking forward to seeing it, Jurgen... I have one in the AIrfix "Hi-Tech" boxing in the stash. Actually it's not the the pewter parts that scare me so much -- it's the lengths of metal rod to be cut and made up into chassis components, the steel pins to be cut down and used who knows where, and the etched metal to be folded and origami'ed into interior structure! bestest, M.

I keep hoping that Airfix will do state of the art 1/24 Jaguar E Type and Aston Martin DB4/5 kits... bestest, M.

Brilliant build, Jurgen. The finish is exemplary, as usual, as is your attention to detail. It's the best colour for one of these, I reckon (my Zero Paints collection includes 3 versions of Aston Martin racing/sage/California green...). I have one to build as well, and I'm looking forward to it now. The only thing I'd change is the line of the roof over the side windows -- it should be pretty much flat over the door, and the highest part is more or less at the front corner -- it doesn't curve back down again from a high-point a bit in front of the B-pillar. And that's going to mean raising the "brow" of the windscreen, because the curve to the pillar has finished at the top of the side window height. Aaaargh -- another crash moulded windscreen in my future I fear... But that's not to detract from your very fine build of the kit as is... Congratulations. bestest, M.

I'm looking to bring the Tamiya Jag Mk2 up to "Callum" spec. I've got plenty of details to work from. The kit has cut outs for mounting the metal bumpers. I'm wondering if you guys can tell me if the "modern" bumpers on here remind you of anything that I can source? I think the rear one looks a bit "80s Porsche", but at the front end I'm lost... Any ideas? bestest, M.

If the Board members are doing their jobs, then they shouldn't give a rat's about the politics of the racing team, and their only concern about the number of podiums is whether it has an impact on the financial performance of the company. The board's responsibility to the shareholders is to maximise the shareholder value. No one argues that Montezemolo turned the company round, and has continued to deliver record profits year on year of late. The fact that Marchionne can acknowledge that while simultaneously effectively firing di Montezemolo for "not winning races" suggests to me that Marchionne is 1) unprofessional, and 2) has lost sight of what the real job of a senior executive or member of the Board at ANY company is... bestest, M.

In what way? When he started, the company had the F40 and the 348. On his watch, we got the F50, 355, 360s, 575, Enzo, F430s, California, 599s, F12 and LaFerrari... plus 8 F1 constructors championships, making them overwhelmingly the most successful F1 team. Which part of the soul went missing? And do you think it's very likely that the boss of Fiat/Chrysler knows what to do to bring it back? bestest, M.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/classiccars/11067858/Jaguar-Mk2-reimagined-by-Ian-Callum.html ...I guess it helps if you're the design director of the company that built it in the first place. I want one... (and if anyone knows a good source of those wheels, I'm all ears...) bestest, M.

"I bought a horseless carriage for my baby", 1899, by Robert Allen Cole, according to Amazon... ;-P bestest, M.

Fantastic work and colours so far! (I think if you can afford to buy a 599GTO, you get to choose what colour the interior is...). The exhaust is great -- what paint did you use for your "hot metal" colours? I can't tell from your pictures whether or not you've done the bonnet (hood) yet. The Achilles heel of these kits (the 599 GTO and SA Aperta) is the front left corner of the bonnet. If you don't do something about it, it will not shut properly closed (look at other builds online, and see how many people didn't fix it...). The fix is easy, if you do it before you paint! You need to bend the corner down just a little (I held the bonnet part in steam from a boiling kettle before bending it) and thin down the "pins" at the end of the bonnet hinge so they have freedom to move inside the housing (they need to be able to lift a little as you close the bonnet). The friction with the side parts of the hinge will still keep the bonnet open perfectly well. ... I know, it's an Aperta, but both kits have exactly the same issue.... bestest, M.

Could you use some of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-Anti-Dust-Mesh-Anti-Dust-Mesh-for-Apple-iPhone-4-Speaker-Earpiece-and-Mic-/330729400839?pt=US_Cell_Phone_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item4d01022a07 and round the end of some sprue of the right size into a "punch" that you could press into the mesh over a suitably sized hole? bestest, M.

As it says... "The finest known copy of the most sought after comic book in the world"... I guess if you're a comic book collector, that's worth a bob or two. Makes $38 million for a beautiful piece of fantastic engineering with real history seem like a good deal, though... bestest, M.

For anyone who's interested in the recent history of Jaguar Land Rover, this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewels-Crown-transformed-Britains-Jaguar-ebook/dp/B00DFM72D8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408127478&sr=1-1&keywords=tata+jaguar+land+rover http://www.amazon.com/Jewels-Crown-transformed-Britains-Jaguar-ebook/dp/B00DFM72D8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408127478&sr=1-1&keywords=tata+jaguar+land+rover Is actually a really well-written and well-informed book by a senior staffer at Autocar, which you can grab for only 99p... (or a dollar sixty-six) bestest, M.

And it is in fact the "actual factory," not just the manfacturer - the new JLR "Special Vehicle Operations" "Heritage" activity is based on the Brown's Lane site in Coventry where the C, D and E-types were originally built. They seem to be doing a mix of personalised and one-off vehicles (which may not be built at Brown's Lane) and a sort of "Jaguar Classiche" for owners and restorers of classic Jags with its own restoration services as well. Apparently, the spark of the idea came up in a conversation between Harry Metcalfe and John Edwards over dinner last year... bestest, M. And a big +1 on Burt Levy's books. Get all of them! The Buddy Palumbo books follow US "sporty car" racing from the MG TC era through to Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, and the linked follow-on trilogy -- still only on its first part -- will lightly fictionalise the GT40 vs Ferrari battle.

I've just been re-reading "Car Design America" as a result of being reminded in the latest Hemmings "Sports and Exotics" that "Car Design Asia" is out. At the risk of being branded a heretic here, it did remind me why, generally, I don't build Detroit iron. However, it also provoked a shopping list of US classics I would like to give a home to on my shelves. So I'm appealing to the collective wisdom of this fine institution -- can you give me an idea of if it's possible to build the following, and if so the best route -- and the most accessible one? 1933 Cadillac Fleetwood Aerodynamic Coupe 1955 de Soto Flightsweep 1956 Continental MkII Coupe 1959 Buick Invicta Coupe 1963 Corvette (Corvair? The caption is a bit unclear) Fastback Coupe 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado 1970 Dodge Challenger 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Oh...and if anyone knows of a model of a 1957 Cadillac Sixty Special Fleetwood hard top sedan -- please keep it as far away from me as possible! ;-P bestest, M. (I know there are others that should be on a list of great-looking designs, but I already have several Shelbys, and later Corvettes...)

I guess it depends on what you want it for. IMHO 2-part 1:1 auto body filler is a sledgehammer to crack a nut for filling the odd sink mark and seam on a plastic car kit. I agree that the Tamiya isn't great (which is unusual for Tamiya tools and accessories) -- I have a variety of Tamiya filler products, and the regular plastic filler is just way too thin and "sloppy", so it's no surprise it shrinks a lot as it dries. Their UV curing "putty" is probably for RC models, since it's slightly soft and very resilient when cured, but no good for sanding, and the two-part epoxy putty is OK, but no better than Milliput or Citadel/Games Workshop. I've never had issues with shrinkage using Humbrol filler (let's face it, you'll almost certainly have to do any serious filling twice -- once on bare plastic, and again after you've primered, sanded back and spotted where it isn't pristine). I tend to use filler for sink marks and ejector pin dings, but if I want a seam to disappear (and I do this on aircraft in bare metal finish paint, which is a much less forgiving task than a car body which will be under primer, Zero base coat, and then a good layer of Zero 2-pack clear) then I apply "runny" plastic cement (ie not tube glue, and not thin liquid like MekPak) such as Revell Contacta or Humbrol Liquid Poly to both sides of the joint, let it sit for a minute, and squeeze it together hard. You get a "bead" of melted plastic squishing out. Leave it to dry until tomorrow, and then you can take it off with a sharp knife, sand the seam with a four-way nail care "buffer", and it's completely invisible -- the whole surface is just styrene. bestest, M.

I've never looked beyond Humbrol modelling putty for smoothing scratches, dings etc, and adhesion to plastic, and Milliput 2-part white "superfine" for building up larger volumes. Squadron white and and green are coarse-grained compared to the Humbrol. Revell Plasto seems to be much the same as Humbrol, but the latter is easier to find near me... bestest, M.

Really interesting "war stories" from the designer here: http://www.tsrfcars.com/toys-heller.htm bestest, M.

These pieces were all done using a black base over-sprayed with Zero Paints "Graphite Grey" through some fine mesh bought from the sewing+materials department of the local store. I've also used ribbon from an Easter egg -- any flexible mesh will do. You can vary the sizes a little, and for variety, sometimes lay down the graphite as the base and overspray with black. It's easy, quick, and allows you to spray all kinds of complex shapes much more easily than getting decal to lay down over them. The mesh technique also comes in handy if you need to replicate the technical fabric of a superhero's suit: ;-P bestest, M.

I'm going for real. And "lake"? ;-P bestest, M.