Bugatti Fan

Er! No books on cars and car modelling magazines?

Some fear retirement. Others embrace it. There are so many variables and we are all different. I spend about 5 or 6 hours a day doing my model making. It gives me a routine (well sort of) that can be flexible so I can get other stuff done like typical household chores, gardening and DIY plus retaining a social life for clubs, outings and family etc. Much as I enjoyed the work I used to do, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would as my activities have now taken a different daily direction. I would urge anyone running up to retitement, it you have a spare small room, attic space or a garage storing junk instead of your car, make yourself a small studio workshop. The great thing about mine is that I can leave stuff not having to clear it away after each session but can also break away to do something else and come back to it left intact.

No regrets retiring. About two years running up to it I converted the back half of my garage into a dedicated workshop cum man cave. Did some scratch building that I never got time to do before. Been retired 15 years and never get bored as plenty of modelling plus other DIY stuff gets done as well as some writing projects. Fearing getting bored when retired depends on personal motivation. I saw my own parents sit and vegetate in front of a TV when they retired and it made me determined that I would remain active, physically and mentally in retirement.

I particularly like Bangers and Cash on UK TV. It is about a car and auto memorabilia auction house Mathewsons in Yorkshire dealing with all sorts of classics, most of which are affordable to many everyday people, rather than all the exotics that goes through the upper class auction houses like, Bonhams, Sothebys and Christys.I Top Gear on the BBC used to be quite an informative programme about new models, classics and other motoring topics. That is until it degenerated into a farce about a few mature guys fooling around like boy racers in every programme. It was a disaster waiting to happen as Freddie Flintoff, one of the presenters nearly killed himself in a bad crash during production. The programme was pulled shortly after the incident.

I think that classifying model kits as toys causes some model builders to consider it as being insulting. Why ? Is it because there may be a perception by a great many people outside model making thinking that the hobby is still not a grown up activity? Same old story. Same old question. When asked what your hobby being pursued is and answering 'Plastic model car kit building', the response is often 'Oh, I used to stick together Airfix kits when I was a kid.' I'm afraid that stigma will not go away. Best ignore the perceptions and just get on with enjoying what you enjoy doing in your spare time. People outside the hobby will never understand it unless you go into great detail to explain it to them, and on the other hand there are those that you will just be wasting your time trying to explain it to anyway !

Nice model Pat. A Range Rover from when it was a true off road vehicle before it was redesigned over the years to become a Kensington fashion accessory.

Models? Toys? Does it matter what they are cslled if a tax is being dropped on them ?

Nice one Rich !

Nice project taking shape here, and seeing an old classic being built makes a refreshing change. Those Monogram classics were good kits from back in the 70's. It is a pity that they never did the Auburn Speedster as part of that series. Pyro did one, but it was a bit crude and I think 1/25th not 1/24th like the Monogram kits. Lindberg's 1/24th scale Weinberger Bugatti Royale was quite a good kit too from way back. Since then we have to thank Heller and Italeri for producing older classics in 1/24th scale.

MARVELlous !

Should be a good conceptual build to follow Alex. Being a car designer it would be very interesting to see how you would approach doing something like Virgil Exner did back in the sixties where he designed modern day concepts of some of the old classics. There was a small series of kits by Renwal named the Revivals featuring Exner's designs. I believe that some of those designs made it to bring built into real concept cars. The Bugatti and Mercer Cobra designs come to mind.

That Iceman resin looks good Bob.

Ditto what everyone else has said!

Interesting feedback Marty about the subsequent re releases by Monogram. 3 between 1966 and 1967 ! That was a very short time frame between those follow on releases from way back. No wonder I only thought that it had been released once after all these years. I must have bought mine when it first came out as I still have the photo cut out from one of the flat boxes shown in an earlier post behind the featured build model. I also have the article pages about it from Model Car Science magazine tucked away in a folder. I have read various bits of speculation about what happened to the moulds for this kit. Does anyone know for sure?

Thanks for coming back on the Ex-Acto square Paul, and for looking out the part number and possible sources for me. The part number will be of great help. I managed to find a couple of flat squares over here on a UK tool supplier's website, but they did not have any measurement scales etched on them like your Ex-Acto square has. I'll be able to do some more proactive searches now with the information you have kindly shared with me. Thanks again for taking the time to look out the information for me. Kind regards Noel

Paul, is that Xacto flat square of hours a current item? it does not appear on the Xacto website.

Going off subject slightly. I seem to remember a 1/8th scale E Type Jaguar kit of about the same vintage, that was not a pop of the Monogram one. Was it Eidai Grip of someone like Bandai that made it?

Thanks for the further replies and suggestions Brian and Mike. Will certainly follow up.

Agora had a stand at IPMS UK Scale Modelworld show. Lovely 1/8th scale die cast kits built up on their display to drool over. JB DB5, Lotus Esprit, Ferrari 250 LM, E type Jaguar, Shelby Cobra to name a few.

Brian, I can vaguely remember building that little plastic kit way back when Hawk first issued it. Cannot remember how good the quality and accuracy was however as it was so long ago now.

Releasing it again would be good. A great canvas for a custom paint job !

Thanks for the further feed back guys. Brian, Artesania made kits of both the single ended Powell Street Cable Car and the double ended California Street Cable Car in 1/22nd scale. (Curiously in this odd scale rather than 1/24th scale?) The AL kits have been out of production for quite a while and difficult to get hold of. Mind you I would bet that there are many unbuilt kicking around on builders shelves . The Occre one you mentioned is of a double ended California Street in 1/24th scale and quite readily available from many sources.

'' I'll be back !''

Great to see a car pulled back from the brink. Fantastic restoration !

Thanks for the suggestion about Google images Espo. Brian, the kit is a multi medium kit by Artesania Latina. Mainly of wood and metal. It has been out of production for a number of years now.