Bugatti Fan

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.

Nice to see them all at Telford Matt.

Very nice model build set off beautifully with those lovely wire wheels. I can remember building the original long, long ago, but I don't recollect it ever being re released by Monogram. Got a feeling that someone in Australia did kit it in resin a few years back also in 1/24ths scale. Recently heard that Steve Scott the builder had passed, and that the car has been found and is being fully restored to its original condition.

Anyone out there that lives in or near San Francisco who might be able to help me? I have recently bought a 1/22nd scale kit for a single ended Cable Car that plies the Powell Street lines. It is specifically car No 16 that is finished in a blue livery that I wish to build from it. What I am looking for as a model maker would be plenty of detail pictures of this particular car both inside and out to make the model as accurate as possible. I have pulled what I can from the internet up to now. Would be very grateful if anyone can help. Thanks.

I heard a really brilliant bit of AI being used on the UK BBC Radio 2 programme today. It was featured on a show by Jeremy Vine at about mid day. Anyone interested may be able to pick it up on BBC Sounds. Looks like one or more of the phone companies has developed an AI program to replicate a little old lady to keep scammers on the line for hours by pretending to be a bit doddery whilst not giving anything away, butting in to ask the scammer odd questions to interrupt their flow, like saying that they had hit the wrong key etc etc. It is deliberately programmed to really waste hours of the scammers time as they are incentivised per con achieved. I heard some of the transcript and it was hilarious. There was a recording played of this thing in action against a scammer (possibly in India judging by the accent). You could hear the scammer getting more and more frustrated believing that he was talking to a real person they were trying to con. And the beauty is that the AI could be used thousand fold at the same time against scammers on the phone.

If one can afford a 3D printer and the time to learn how to use it, then it can become a hobby in itself. 3D printer technology was NOT originally developed for hobby use it has to be remembered. It was actually primarily developed for the RAPID PROTOTYPING of parts for industry. That said though, as Pete has intimated, it can be a hobby in itself now that many have become affordable. It really depends on how one wants to use it. If one just likes to make things on it for the sake of it then it can be used as a creative hobby in itself. On the other hand if one is making parts on it to create a kit, or parts thereof to rectify or improve a model, then to my way of thinking as an engineer it is really another tool. Very sophisticated, but still just another tool, like any other machine that is used to produce things.

Horses for courses as always. It depends on what the individual either needs of desires. Considering the cost of a decent 3D printer, material used in it and a learning curve to become proficient in 3D design one has to consider if it is really worth it or not. Yes I know that previously drawn up design files can be bought as downloads ready to use, but even so, would the cost outweigh the usage if very minimal? Don't get me wrong, as I appreciate that 3D printing has opened up possibilities for model makers hitherto unavailable before. The short run resin kit and after market companies have very quickly latched on to this technology by not having to produce masters to take moulds from are a testament to this. The perennial argument will probably keep rearing its ugly head where some consider 3D printing is scratch building and others disagree. I fall into the latter category as in my view 3D printing is the result of a computer kit or part design exercise downloaded for a machine to fully make for the end user. Is 3D printing worth it? That was the original question, and my short answer is that it depends on overall usage.

Besides the new angle cutting toois being discussed, I cought a glimpse of an Xacto flat try square being used. The Xacto square looks like a good bit of kit too. I have engineers squares but the Xacto flat one would make a lot of jobs easier than using a conventional engineers square. Bosco mentioned that the company making that special tool was asking for his Email password and he sensibly gave it a miss. Hmmm. Makes you wonder why they were asking for it? Scam maybe or something more sinister?

Lovely scratch built models Manfred. Those old cable cars have so much character and so many variations and colour schemes. I have been following your website homepage and You Tube videos and learning so much from them for when I start my own build.