Bugatti Fan

Mike, The plastic tubing will probably be a good way around the headlamps problem albeit with a bit of trial and error cutting and shaping to fit. Another way around this if you cannot get the exact tubing diameter you want is roll paper thin plastic card sheet into a tube shape and do trial fits into the headlamp apertures on the bonnet (hood). If you roll the tube a bit smaller than the aperture then slide it into position, then let the tube unravel a bit until it fits perfectly within, but sticks out at the front. You can try this out with some copier paper before committing to plastic card to get a feel for how it is done. Ensure though that the positioning and depth within the aperture is correct to take the lamp itself and circular concentricity is maintained. Liquid cement can be used to both set the tube itself and to within the aperture. Once set hard, the excess sticking out of the front can be cut away with a razor saw and cleaned up very carefully with small files and some wet and dry abrasive sheet. Where this work is done will probably then be hidden by the kit chrome surround and clear cover. You have not mentioned if Heller have omitted the headlamps themselves or not, but I guess that they are in the kit. NB Thanks , I see that you are considering my apology. Kind regards Noel

Johnsons Klear as it was, I still use for sealing decals and it levels off really well when brush painted on.

Leslie in Scotland......Check out South Eastern Finecast….. They may be able to supply a set of Rostyle wheels in 1/24th scale.

Mike, Can I just say in my defence that I was not attempting to hijack your thread. You have made your feelings abundantly clear about my post, but I was not knowingly trying to cause you any offence or steer your thread in another direction. The first two lines of the four were referring to your build, and I tried to give credit to you on your build of that reputedly difficult Heller kit but somehow it appears to have been lost in translation. I have been looking at your further posts since and your build is coming on really well. I hope that you will accept my apology as it was not my intention to upset you in any way. Kind regards Noel

Matt B's explanation of how to set up for model photography is a real gem, especially about the lighting.

Cracking kit, but why not in 1/24th scale instead. Cannot understand why Airfix stick with this scale that now very few manufacturers work in. The irony is that they have made their Lego like clip together car kits in 1/24th scale aimed at kids to knock up in less than an hour. They already have the licences from VW Bugatti for the Veyron and are soon releasing a Chiron in that range. Just a crying shame that they were not proper plastic kits as they do not appear in other manufacturers ranges. There is an Alpha Resins kerb side Chiron kit but very expensive.

Looking back again at earlier posts in this thread at the picture of the ( I assume Heller) kit wire wheels. They do look a bit odd as though the brake disc is lodged within the spokes. Not a lot that can be done about this apart from retro fitting some wires from another source. From what I have heard the Heller kit is a bit of a challenge and this build appears to be going very well, so all credit where it is due. Andrew's picture of the Gunze kit reminded me that a number of years ago Airfix released it under licence for a short while. I believe that Gunze dropped the white metal bits eventually in favour of good old polystyrene plastic but possibly retained the photo etched parts. There have been no further comments from mine so far about a brand new tool E type coupe this year from Revell Germany. Anyone got one to comment on it?

I would really like to get over from the UK to the next GSL and put in one or two of my models. I understand, unfortunately that it will be the last GSL but have no idea as to why it will be discontinued. Having pulled up the pics of the last one is just inspirational. Mark's Caterham that won best of show is something to behold!

I am trying to get my head around home ownership associations. Are they official bodies or just a bunch of neighbours who set up a committee to try to pontificate to others about their properties? I can understand a gated community where maintenance charges take place and there is an expectancy to maintain a standard, but in normal suburbs? Here in the UK it is a bit different as pointed out in an earlier post.

Have seen pics of the new Revell Germany 1/24th E type Coupe to replace hat tired old 1960s 1/25th scale kit they kept re re re re issuing over many years and it looks nice. Maybe they will also follow on with a roadster version? The Heller one has been around for some time now. Didn't Gunze make one with white metal chassis etc, I have a fully detailed 1/24th scale white metal roadster kit by SMTS to build that looks like a bit of a challenge. They had a bit of a dabble at 1/24 a number of years ago and also made an AC Cobra kit. Their main lines consist of 1/43rd stuff.,

Thanks for the further feedback Pete,

You may be right about the CMA one costing a lot more, BUT, it is well known that CMA 's Marshall Buck will not compromise on accuracy of detail on any of that company's models. One must remember also that they will not be mass produced like the DeAg kits.

It will be interesting to see what the De Ag price fir their kit is compared to the 1/12 scale multi medium kit that CMA will be producing.

Thanks for the help and feedback about the CA guys. I had a feeling that the gel CA may be the way to go.

I have used craft acrylics for interiors, detailing and mixing up washes. Provided that the surface being painted is primed with either flat white or grey primer they go on pretty well. We also have some inexpensive store brand craft acrylics over here in the UK and generally the quality is ok. One must remember that the target market is artists for these paints, not model makers. It is true to say that you only get what you pay for, so if you are looking at art acrylics then Winsor & Newton, Reeves, Liquitex and Rowney are the top end products. It is all down to the pigments used and the own store brands are not quite so refined. But hey! The store brands are inexpensive paints and well worth experimenting with, and are good for painting figures to go with the vehicles.

Modern technology. Gazing into a phone instead of looking where you are going on the street! Is that real progress? (Joke)

A sad loss of a British Icon. She was inspirational to servicemen and women during WW2.

Seen a lot of modelling magazines (not only auto related) come and go over the years. It has always been a bit of a fickle business, hobby publishing, so we will have to see how it all pans out. Over here in the UK Airfix Scalemodelworld and Tamiya magazines carry civilian automotive articles as well as FSM that we can get off the shelf over here. Scale Auto seems to be stable. Model Car Builder and Model Cars Mag are unavailable in the UK so do not know the SP about those two publications. WH Smith ( I guess our version of Barnes and Noble) carry a number of Aircraft and military modelling magazines regularly.

I used to build batches of the Solido 1/43rd hybrid kits wirh die cast bodies and plastic innards for Modeltime Wholesale the UK distributors back in the 80's. Fairly simple kits but they did have nice Cartograf decals in each kit giving three options in each. Used to be French manufactured I think, back in the day,

I have used epoxy reasonably successfully on resin. Is there anything better to use on large flat mating areas? Would gel cyano be any better, as I have not tried it on resin? Any help would be appreciated. I am a UK based modeller and recognise UK trade names, so if any of our American friends replies please describe the type of adhesive you recommend as I may not recognise US trade names. Many thanks.

Not seen one of the MGB Roadster kits customised like that before! Very innovative, and a very good build. The earlier chrome bumper versions of the real production car were always the nicest looking before the rubber bumper version was introduced to conform to US safety standards at that time.

Justin, Wingrove's book has gone to reprint a few times. I think that the latest publisher was Haynes Publishers in the UK. Not sure if still in print or not, but Amazon or eBay may be a good bet if not. HTH. He has also written a Complete Car Modeller 2 book that mainly describes his Weinberger Bugatti Royale build. Regards Noel

Bart, the paint brushes I use are just normal but good art/hobby paint brushes about 3 in all. A small, medium and large. I do not use sable brushes for liquid cement, only for painting as they are very expensive. The sort of brushes to aim for have synthetic bristles. Do not buy dead cheap ones as they shed hairs. Most craft hobby stores stock good ranges of relatively inexpensive brushes that would be most suitable for this purpose. Humbrol's own brand or similar are just fine. You do not need to clean the brushes after use, Just store them with the bristles facing upwards after use. As soon as you dip them into the liquid cement again what has set on them will become flowing liquid again. Looks like a number of you guys on here are extolling the virtues of the Flexifile Touch and Flow Applicator so I will be buying one based on the comments on this thread and see how it goes!

Gerald Wingrove's book The Complete Car Modelled No1 has a tyre moulding process explained in detail within. The book was written back in the 80's but the techniques have not changed. However, newer moulding materials have been developed since then.

I have been using Plastruct's Weld Liquid Cement for many years not only because it is good in itself, but works on other plastics like acrylic and ABS as well as polystyrene. My preference is to use a small selection of paint brushes, sizes dictated by the coverage required. I keep my Plastruct bottle in a shallow glass jar with just enough clearance around the bottle to store the brushes bristles upwards alongside it inside the jar. The applicator brush set into the screw top I found to be a nuisance as it gets a curve set into it where it bottoms in the bottle and this makes it awkward to use as you have to keep turning the brush when removing it when going to use it. That is why I use separate brushes. The other cement I regularly use is Revell Contacts from its precision applicator needle set in its container. There are others of course, but these two generally work well for me.