Bugatti Fan

There is a company named Motobitz making resin conversion parts to make the Italeri Ford Transit Van into a pickup or small tipper. They also supply alternative decals for the Heller Citroen Fougon H Van kits.

Christian (alias Junkman) Thanks for your responses to my E Type posts. I too have read about Hobbicraft. In reality I would think that Revell will carry on business as normal until this is sorted, and probably still carry on after under self or new ownership.

Re the post from Anglia 105, the £5.75 price is the marker price. The refills cost a lot more as they can be used a number of times to fill any of the series of chrome markers. If airbrushing is intended, it is necessary to buy the refills for this usage.

Junkman.......The Heller E Type.that you recommend I buy!......Been there......Done that .....Got the T shirt. Another old kit from way back in the 80's that could have been better. Still stand by my wish that Revell should re tool the E type in Germany this time and in 1/24th not 1/25th like the old offering. It is such an iconic car that with Revell in Germany could do a really good job of it now and bring it up to their current car kit standards. It surprises me that Tamiya have never done this subject.....but it would be very pricey, just like the Gunze and Haxsegawa kits. A re tooled Revell Germany offering would be a lot more affordable. SMTS made a white metal EType, fully detaled kit in 1/24th of which I have one. That will be a bit of a challenge if I build it.

A boring MPV!

Allen, the reason that Revell gets criticism every now and again must be because of the regular re pops of kits from tired old moulds that were made a long time ago in a galaxy far far away (Whoops! Wrong crowd!). But to be fair their new stuff is really good. Particularly their auto kits from Germany that I think are on a par with Tamiya (and a lot less expensive). The hobby industry in all its forms regardless is a fickle business to be in. Hobbico will not be the first or the last to go into bankruptcy. Unfortunately there is no sentiment in business.

Reading the posts, were Hobbico actually full owners of Revell Monogram, or just signed up as their sole distribution agents in the USA? I ask this as Revell GMBH is a separately registered company with its own European distribution network it would appear.

Trying to obtain a realistic chrome finish has for years been like Indiana Jones trying to find the Holy Grail. Up to now virtually all silver metallics are (and remain) soft paints long after drying. Clear coating generally opens another can of worms when applied over these paints. The Molotow inks appear to be the best and most durable painted on chrome finish to date. I have found that a combination of using Molotow and Bare Metal Foil on a model can yield really good results. It is a matter of what parts on the model lend themselves best to the use of each of these mediums.

I see you checked the DVLA website Christian to see what of the numbers is in current use.

I wish that Revell would re tool the E Type Jaguar in 24th scale instead of re re re releasing that tired old kit from the 60's.

Nice subject.! I noticed a couple of references to the Auto Models kit. It is in white metal, 24th scale and is made by South Eastern Fine cast here in the UK. The company has an interesting range of classics in their Finecast and Auto Kits ranges. They also have a nice range of old British steam road going vehicles in 32nd scale. Their catalogue is on their website and they work mail order. Incidentally, one of their main lines of occupation is the manufacture of British Locomotive models for model railway enthusiasts.

Regarding British Car Number Plates. There appears to be a bit of misapprehension about ownership. The car owners own just the car not the registration number. ALL British registration numbers remain the intellectual property of the DVLA (Driver, Vehicle and Licencing Authority) i.e. the UK Government. When a car is either scrapped or exported the number can be re allocated to another UK based vehicle. If a car is exported and the owner wishes to carry on using the UK registration number on that vehicle, the car will still need to remain registered in the UK. In pictures of Ralph Lauren's car I have not seen an American licence plate fitted to the vehicle, so my guess is that he has it taxed and insured in the UK and the insurance tailored to cover use in other countries. Also, I find it difficult to believe that a Bentley executive actually dictated to Hornby claiming ownership of the number. The DVLA actually owns it for the reasons outlined above in this posting.

Bill Geary, your name sounds familiar. Were you in Cranky's book Rats,Rods n Rust as a featured modeller?

Snake 45....It will be interesting to make the open 2seater from this. You maybe able to cut and use part of the roof for top of the boot (trunk) if the curvatures are OK. The later versions of the Spitfire were restyled by Michelotti. I think that some time ago there was a white metal kit available in 1/24th scale of the later version. Unfortunately I do not know who made it. Certainly not South Eastern Fine Cast, a UK company who incidentally have a good range of MG kits as well as all their other classics in 1/24th scale, plus a range of steam road going vehicles in 1/32nd scale.

Hi Frank, Like you I happen to like 'old school'......it is model making as opposed to model building! Nice to get your head around the challenges of how to actually make all the parts yourself from raw materials as opposed to buying in proprietary kits and bits. Don't get me wrong, I still like building and converting kits, but having a couple of scratch built models now under my belt has given me more overall satisfaction. Your Ford coupe looks to be coming on really well, and what a nice subject as opposed to the more exotic stuff. Look forward to following your build with interest.

Your model with the new number plate UU5872 looks really good, and is very nicely finished. Really like the cord grip detailing on the steering wheel and the real leather bonnet (hood) straps. I have built one of the older kits with the number plate UR6571 on it. Why Airfix only re tooled the number plate on this last release is a bit of a mystery to me. The most glaring thing wrong with the kit is the position of the Winged B badge on the radiator shell that has never been sorted out, despite a number of re releases over the years. It is far too low on the kit item. Look at pictures on the web to see what I mean, as the car is now owned by Ralph Lauren. Airfix had full access to the original car when it was owned by Neil Corner, before it went to Tony Bamford, the boss of JCB. As the part is plated, many model makers are unable to correct it unfortunately.

Bob Downie mentioned that this kit could be converted easily into a Triumph Spitfire. Body wise the basics are there for a Spitfire Coupe but I think that the Spitfire did not have the power bulge on the bonnet (hood). A bit more work would be required to make it into a two seater open sports car however. Also, bear in mind that if converting it to a Spitfire the engine would have to be modified to an in line 4 Cylinder. The GT6 as far as I know was only built as a coupe and had a 6 Cylinder in line engine hence the GT6 tag. Both the Spitfire and the GT6 were built on chassis that were common to the Triumph Herald 4 cylinder and the Triumph Vitesse 6 cylinder cars. They were the last volume production cars to be built on separate chassis in the UK. Spitfires and Heralds were a very common sight on UK roads in the 60's and early 70's whereas the GT6 and Vitesse less so. Airfix released a Triumph Herald in 1/32nd scale quite a while ago that could be converted to a Vitesse. It is such a long time ago since I looked at one of these kits that I cannot remember if the chassis was separate on it as on the real car. If so there may be possibilities if there are any slot racing bodies available of the Spitfire or GT6. I think that Airfix have re released the old Herald a few times over the years, so locating one should not be difficult.

Sean W's idea about using spectacle hinges is good. Another source is Dolls house suppliers. You can source miniature door and piano hinges from them.

What actually is it? Looks like a cross between a Lone Star and a Civvy Hummer. Tasteless and tacky like stretched limmos for weddings and high school grads. Can't beat hiring a Roller to make to make the ultimate classy car impression!

Hi Guys Just a heads up. There is a company named Motobitz making after market resin chassis and parts to convert the Transit Van into a tilt pick up truck. They also market alternative sets of decals for the Heller or Ebbro Citroen H Van kits.

Really nice model Jurgen. It just shows what can be done with an elderly kit. This particular 'bug' is a lovely looking car. As far as I know only Pocher has kitted the same subject but in the huge eighth scale. The work you have done on this little Heller model is superb. Incidentally, the very same kit was marketed also under the Airfix name when Heller and Airfix were joint owned by a holding company.

Looks like a nice resin kit. Looks as though it was cast off original kit parts. Nice to see it around again albeit in resin. I remember building one when it first came out way back in the sixties I think. Still have the box top photo in a folder as well as some pages of articles about detailing the kit and modifying it from an old copy of Model Car & Science published from way back when.

Thanks for the heads up Wayne. I remember Dale King writing a section about scratch building in Robert Scleicher's car modelling book. I do not have the book any more, but think that his scratch build essay was an open 2 seater Fiat sports car as well as another section about building the big Tamiya Porsche. If Schleicher's model car racing is about slot cars and is well established then Slot Cars Magazine will have to fight on its hands for a slice of this market. I am retired, and like you have seen many old model making friends and acquaintences pass on over the years. Such is life I'm afraid. I keep telling my grown up kids to ensure that the grandkids know that life is not a rehearsal.

Any body remember this little line? 'Who's Rich Morgan. 'Who cares? You might!' about a guy named Rich Morgan from the old Auto World model catalogues? Not heard about him for many, many years. Another guy named Robert Schleicher wrote a book on car modelling way back in the 80,s. His book featured the work of modellers Dale King and Tony Lorette amongst others. Anyone remember him also? Are any or all these guys still active in the hobby?

Art, I was not aware that Radio Shack had gone. We used to have Tandy stores all over the place here in the UK that had Radio Shack items as regular stock. They have also long gone.. I guess that maybe Tandy was the same company as Radio Shack trading in the UK.