Bugatti Fan

A very nice model, and very well executed. Looking at the photo with the DB5, Lotus and BMW Z3 makes a nice little JB collection. I think in one of the Brosnan movies a BMW 5 series featured as a Bond car, but have not ever seen a model in 1/24th scale. For anyone seeking to make a JB DB5 there is a new book that hit the bookshelves recently It is titled simply titled James Bond's Aston Martin DB5. It is quite a big heavy tome devoted to this car with plenty of good research by the author about the original car, clones, studio drawings for some of the gadgetry, lots of info about the movies and excellent photos. A real tour de force about this iconic vehicle devoted only to the DB5 and to my mind the best reference so far available. A must have for Bond enthusiasts and modellers alike.

There is a guy named Nick in North Wales developing transkits for the old Airfix big Bentley kit. He has a presence on the Britmodeller where you can see the 3D printed stuff he is developing for this kit, He has a website Unobtainium for selling, but you will see more of what he is developing on Britmodeller.

Thanks for coming back Bill. De Agostini seem to be the main part work seller here in the UK. I must admit that I have always been reticent to commit to part work buying in case the company concerned goes belly up! So I have steered away from it. The James Bond DB5 was sold in this way a few years back, and must admit I was tempted. Have seen one built up by a friend at IPMS Telford show and must say it is impressive! Incidentally there is a new book that was published just before Christmas that is devoted to the James Bond DB5. I treated myself to it. Brilliant book! Loads of studio information, pictures and drawings within.

Lovely model! Was it a complete kit, or a part work series build? Either way, a most impressive model. An impressive amalgamation of a British Sports Car being given American grunt!

Greg, I think your splitting problem on your muffler may be an application problem. Any liquid solvent cement evaporates very fast. It may have been that it was starting to go off before you could get the tube halves together, plus the fact that you said that you were trying to drill it on the cemented seam line, its weakest point if this were so.

Deserter seems an odd choice of vehicle name. It put me in mind of a TV comedy sketch that I saw years ago. A young boy was opening his birthday present to find his Action Man box empty. 'Dad, there's nothing in the box!'. Dad replied 'It's an Action Man Deserter son!'

That old Lola kit makes up into a really impressive model. This one is looking really good.

Nice model. Back in the days of cigarette advertising this was by far the most striking racing car colour scheme.

Surprised that Greg reckons that Plastruct's Plastic Weld liquid cement to be weak. I have been using it for years with no problems. It is my go to liquid cement as it bonds different plastics as well as styrene. The other product I get through a lot of is Revell Contacts as my other to go cement.

Is your Austin Healey Sprite made from the little 1/32 scale Airfix kit or is it made in 1/24th scale by someone else? Didn't Gunze make one of these in kit form? Correct me if I am wrong.

Luke's suggestion of Craft Beading Wire is good. It is available in different gauge thicknesses like he said, but it is also available as plated and sometimes coloured finishes.

Sometimes kit items are better replaced with other materials. An example of this is the bonnet (hood) panels on my Bugatti Type 59 model were made with aluminium litho plate that was a correct scale thickness and enabled me to punch form louvres that looked right. Thin Aluminium or Brass sheet from the K&S metals range would be an alternative for this type of work too.

I take your point Casey, but I was not advocating that anyone should build a complete model from household materials simply because they are free and have as you describe it a 'Wal-Mart mentality. Things like seat belts made from thin aluminium food trays, windshields from clear plastic packaging or CD cases, beading wire wound into realistic looking cables, wire wheels made from plastic or metal tubing and spoked with beading wire, off cuts of acrylic, plunge moulds made from odd bits of wood to name a few. I do quite a bit of scratch building and adapt quite a few of those household things to suit my requirements. And yes, I also mainly get through a lot of proprietary stuff, plastic card, plastic extrusions like Evergreen and Plastruct, basswood, balsa, Brass and aluminium bar and sheet. The list goes on. Maybe I do have a Wal Mart mentality when it comes to seeing things that I can utilise and I make no excuse for that. But they are an addition to the materials I mainly use and not a substitute. You can see some of my builds in the 'Let's see some scratch built things' thread. The steering wheel outer rim on my Napier Railton was made from an old brass curtain ring!

Mike, that article made really interesting reading.

Er, Rick, please advise me as to why I should check with SfanGoch before posting any further? Am I missing something like some sort of connection that you consider that I need to have with him? Your post has simply left me confused. Could not find any other post in this thread apart from mine suggesting wooden coffee stirring sticks as a source of material. ???????

Wooden coffee stirrers could be another source of flat bed material. Consistent thickness and width generally, can be stained, varnished or distressed depending on the model being built.

My way of simulating leather is quite simple. Use a base coat of whatever colour you want the seat to be of Matt enamel or acrylic. Use a slightly darker wash of same colour to pick out details like the creases and seams etc. When dry I use a cost of waterproof drawing ink that is nearest to the base colour. Red over red, Brown over Brown for example. This imparts a translucent sheen finish to give a leather look. Black has to be approached differently. I paint the seats overall flat black. I then use a dark grey that is almost black and dry brush all the raised parts of the seats. When dry a coat of clear semi flat will impart the leather look.

Tom, some good brand names for you Winsor and Newton, Reeves, Rowney all UK brands. Liquitex that is also a top notch product and manufactured in the USA. All well established brands. HTH. The Createx that you have found to be good is a brand unknown to me. I guess that it is a US made product.

Anything is fair game for model making from around the house that can be adapted with a bit of imagination and lateral thinking.

Regarding Art Acrylics....There are the cheaper brands that you can buy in general stores. The better ones with more concentrated pigments are marketed in art shops only or on line from a specialist art product supplier.

Agreed it is free. If you can utilise it. Not quite as consistent as veneer or ship modelling strips, but if it works, why not? I like the lead like foil from wine bottles for seat belts. Sadly it seems to be diminishing in use, but aluminium from a takeaway tray is almost as easy to.use.

Horses for courses. Paint by its nature is subjective, depending on what you are using it for, and how you are using it. It is good fun experimenting with different types of acrylics, artists oils, enamel and lacquer paints. The list goes on. I love going into an artists suppliers shop who carry large ranges of other colouring mediums to use that modellers may not normally think of.

Bill-E-Boy credited me with making wheel hoops. Not me I am afraid. You need to credit the Bill Newcomer who's post preceded mine. PCB board drilling bits. As mentioned they are made from Tungsten Carbide and extremely brittle. The smaller diameters break very easily when subjected to any sideways stress and needs a flat surface to drill into, whether the end of a bar in a lathe or a piece of material sheet or block. Presenting anything flat at an angle or something with a radius to one of these bits is asking for a breakage.

Charlie, did whoever bought your Bugatti Bodysbell finish the model? The stage you got to with it looks very impressive as is this current build.

Bill, thanks for putting up the Big Boy footage. What an impressive locomotive!I It was interesting to read your comments about a cast steel frame as opposed to a welded fabrication with regard to structural integrity. It would take tremendous stress to fatigue a solid cast steel frame compared to welded box sections.