Bugatti Fan

Less well built kits from years ago generally get cannibalised. Funnily enough I broke up a lot of old kits years ago and created a bits box. It sold at a local meeting a lot quicker than any of the old complete built up models! It's a sad fact that built up plastic car models no matter how well built are poor re sellers compared to well built white metal, resin and multi medium kits. The only exception as far as I can see are very well built Pocher classics.

Whenever you create a part using 3D Cad whether you are eventually 3D printing or using a milling machine, lathe or machining centre the Cad has to create an STL file to download to the machine. The post processing software converts the STL file into CNC code for the machine to understand that programmers often refer to as G codes.

Up to now the only thing that I can think of in the way of aftermarket items available for the big Airfix Bentley was a set of 3D printed Hartford Shock absorbers from Shapeways. A guy named Nick over here in the UK is developing a number of 3D printed partial trans kits, wheels, suspension, engine detailing set etc. He is also working on a full trans kit to improve upon the Airfix kit and also, (wait for it), a full 4.5 Litre Bentley Blower Bentley kit in 1/12th scale eventually. He is working in a program I think named 3D Fusion developed by Autodesk (well known for their Autocad 2D Drafting) Look on the Britmodeller website and do a Bentley search. You will be blown away by Nick's 3D developments and his renders plus photos of some of his 3D prints. Looking forward to these becoming available.

The lens look like a good idea. I have used Artists Acrylic for picking out lettering on tyres. It is good for painting white wall tyres too

DOGS HAVE MASTERS..................CATS HAVE SERVANTS!

Picked up on this question very recently. Depends on what you want. Turned parts or milled parts? Normal machine tool bits like drill and mill bits and turning tools on a lathe generate quite a bit of heat. So maybe machining styrene might have its own set of problems. I have tried drilling styrene only to have the plastic melt on the drill bit because I could not slow down the revolutions enough on my bench drill. Best bet is to contact a local small engineering company and get their advice. CNC machining has the benefit of accurate repetitive work to be be enabled, but the cost of programming could be high depending on the complexity of the part(s) made. A one off job will be expensive but once the program is written up there are economies in scale. In other words the more you have made, the less each part will cost.

Seeking an old Renwall Revivals Bugatti that has been built up. Does not matter if parts are missing. Just a bodyshell wreck will do for ground up restoration. Maybe someone has one that has been lurking in a cupboard just gathering dust down the years. PM me if you have one for disposal. Reason I want one is to make it up and give it to the Bugatti Trust Museum here in the UK. Any help with this would be really appreciated. Thanks.

As John McKenroe once said 'You can not be serious!' Reminds me of Stefano Marchetti's Sci Fi models of a Mag Lev Bugatti and a Harrier jet powered Ferrari that appeared at Telford a few years ago.

I can remember these when released all those years ago. As far as I can remember they were only issued once. I suspect that the moulds are long gone like the old Merit racing car kits. I would dearly like to obtain the Bugatti. If anyone has an old built up that I can fully restore please private message me. Even if it is only an old body with lots of bits, even it all wheels missing that would be ok. I would like to give it a ground up restoration and gift it to the Bugatti Trust Museum over here in the UK. If anyone can help me with this it would be most appreciated. Thanks

Bill's reference to 'hacker chimps' reminds me of a model pickup truck I saw at a show a number of years ago. The logo on it read 'Had enough of the cowboys? Now try the Indians! Raj Patel and Son, Building Services'.

An album of Classics named Masterworks done on synthesizers issued in the 1980's (I think).

Colourful language! It will never die out!

I liked Scott's reference to himself as an 'Eternal Apprentice'. That pretty much summed it up in two words. Becoming a craftsman is attained by doing, learning from your mistakes and constant practice, and there is no substitute for this.

Craftsmanship! Well I guess it means different things to different people. As modellers many of us see building a complex kit and detailing it to a high degree as craftsmanship. Others may see scratch built highly detailed engineered car models like Gerald Wingrove's as craftsmanship but do not see a model no matter how well built and detailed from a kit of ready to assemble parts as craftsmanship, although building and finishing a kit to a very high standard takes a lot of expertise. It all comes down to perception and viewpoint. No matter what people's opinions are it does not really matter one iota whether someone is a 'Henry' and builds a lot of of indifferent models quickly for their own enjoyment, is a gregarious builder who likes to go to a club or show, or is a highly competent modeller who likes the cut and thrust of the competition table. As long as we all enjoy building in our own way there is nothing wrong with any of our approaches to the hobby. Of course there are individuals (thankfully few) who are sore losers in the competition arena. But at the end of the day a judge's opinion is just that, an opinion and a model is no worse when taken off the table than when placed on it. I enjoy entering competitions and have won some and lost quite a lot more, and don't lose any sleep over it. When it comes to modelling I am a serious modeller, but I don't take myself too seriously!

Craftsmanship can be an emotive subject as each and every one of us has our personal limitations whether in the mind or in developing modelling skills to the utmost level of our ability.

Tim Boyd is a very well respected modeller/author within the automotive hobby. Enough said!

Pete, when I worked nights it was 5 nights from 10pm to 6am. The company ran swing shifts 6 to 2 and 2 to 10 each day plus a permanent night shift. I was OK when I went in but my body cycle was low between midnight and about 3 am and then I started to come out of it by 6am. I guess my low period was when normally I would be in deep sleep during the night. Adjusting back to days for normal social activity at the weekends was always difficult.

Scott, I hope that the picture you downloaded will be useful as a reference. On the card where it says front wheel and rear wheel it should read front of wheel and rear of wheel. Replacing spokes is not as daunting as it appears, although it may seem so when you look at a finished wheel. The process is more tedious than daunting but worth the effort. You may have some old wheels in the spares box that you could experiment on. Worst that can happen is a bit of scrappage.

Harry did build up one of the Airfix big Bentley kits. I features on pages 62 and 63 of his book 'The Evolution of the Automobile in Scale' that he published shortly before his passing. He very briefly described what modifications he did to improve the kit. Matt Bacon's reference to John Teresi's build is definitely a good way to go if interested in upping the detailing of this quite elderly kit, showing the potential it has for the more advanced modeller.

Western Models a real blast from the past! This UK company made some really outstanding white metal kits and built up models in their heyday that put many other manufacturers in the shade at that time. Surprised at the scale quoted 1/21st. I thought that their kits were in 1.24th scale.

Thanks Scott. I used a miniature abrasive cutting disc in a tool similar to a Dremel to cut the hood into sections. Hinges are miniature piano hinges from dolls house suppliers. Replacing wheel spokes is not as hard as it seems. On mine I cut out 3/4 of the spokes on the fronts and backs to keep the rims and hubs concentric. Drilled through where I had removed the spokes and replaced with wire. When the adhesive was set it was a matter of removing the remainder of the kit spokes and drilling for the remaining wires to be fitted.

George Orwell should have named his book 2024 instead of 1984. What he wrote about is coming to pass. Did you clock that Google and Alexa?

Scott, I build mine some time before Bob's article appeared. Reading it reminded me of the things I had missed on my model. I have attached a few pics of my old Hubley Duesie.

I have seen some lovely models made from this kit in shows here in England. This particular model will be up there with the very best that I have seen so far. Congratulations on this superb build being shared on here. Nice to see older classics featured on this site. Maybe one day apart from MFH's very expensive Bugatti T35 we might see one by Italeri that would be more affordable for most of us.

To err is human! What gets me is when organisations and governing bodies get it wrong, make a grovelling apology in the media and use that hackneyed expression ' lessons have been learnt' when the same things they should have dealt with happen again at a later date.