Bugatti Fan

Phillipe, Thanks for the feedback about FPM making wire wheels for the big 1/12th scale Bentley kit. I thought they just made them in 1/24th.

Thanks for the feedback Al. I will take a look see! It really would have been a great pity it all those years of contributions to the SA forum had been wiped out.

Steve Milberry mentioned the 'Internet Archive' in his post. It would be interesting to see if the Scale Auto forum activity was archived there when that site closed, or if all the years of contributions were simply wiped out.

Thanks for your reply about the accessories Tomasz. I agree the old Bentley kit that was first issued way back in the 1970's from Airfix is worth doing the extra work on. I have upgraded one myself in the pasf. I am surprised that no one to date has made an upgrade set in photo etched for that kit!

Nice model from an interesting era. Makes a nice change from all the modern racing cars!

Bill, 3D printed items are made from a different plastic to what most of us are used to, so it will be interesting to see what works for you eventually. There are a number of different metal like finishing products like Alclad, AK and S&J aluminium polishing powders, but a lot of experimentation could get a bit expensive! Dare I say it, but it may well be worth having a look at other websites for the aircraft modelling fraternity who have been simulating polished aluminium panels on their models. I recently finished a scratch built Napier Railton with a polished aluminium body. Mine was made from polystyrene plastic card. I used white matt automotive acrylic primer, followed by a raffle can chrome finish. This was sealed with clear. When dry I went over it with CI metallising powder and buffing it up, then followed on with S&J aluminium legalizing powder and buffing it up also. There are some photos of the Napier in a thread ' Can we see some scratch built things?'

Superb model build Tomasz. Those older Grand Prix cars from the 50's make good subject material. I wish that Tamiya or Italeri would make some of these in 1/12 th scale. Italeri have made a couple of vintage racers, a Fiat and an Alfa, so hopefully they will carry on with these. Maybe a Bugatti Type 59 or 35b, Auto Union of Mercedes from the inter war period would be nice, or even a much better detailed 1/12th scale Blower Bentley than the old Airfix kit. The MFH kits are truly brilliant, but the cost is too prohibitive for many who would love to see more affordable kits of these cars.I A question Tomasz. Did you make all the accessories like tools, oil cans and other bits and pieces from scratch? If not, are they included in the MFH kit, or as a separate kit from someone else?

It looks like one of the Italeri Royales was used as a donor kit for the chassis and running gear. I was not aware that anyone had made a resin body of the Kellner coupe, and this is a very nice model considering that the builder stated that a lot of work was needed on the resin.

Iconic build of an iconic car. Previous posters have said it all about this model, so there is nothing I can really add to the praises made already! Considering the DS series was introduced way back in the sixties, the car was so futuristic for its time both in body styling and technical innovations such as adjustable hydraulic suspension ride height at the touch of a button and a steering wheel with just one single spoke. Ebbro have certainly made a very fine kit of this car in 1/24th scale. I can only think of Heller having made kits of a DS but I think theirs are 1/16th scale (a saloon and a convertible) and have been around for some time now.

This is a really nicely built model. Lovely paint job that does justice to this iconic classic everyday 1960,s vehicle. The chrome looks most effective done with the polishing powder. I have the C1 polishing powder that I would imagine is pretty much identical to that used in this VW model and have to say that it is a very good product too. The 'blackened' look according to a previous poster looks more due to how the reflections look in the photographs. I have found the C1 product gives a better scale chrome effect than other spray on types that I have tried.

At least most automotive models can be packed securely in rectangular boxes. The guys I pity most having to move home are the aircraft modelling fraternity. Awkward shapes and fragile undercarriage legs. Mind you, if you know any aircraft modellers and they do shows, they will be expert at how to pack models to minimise any risk of damage in transit! Like some previous posters suggested , I would never trust having built up models shipped by any carrier. Even if secured to the N'th degree just the shock from boxes being handled roughly will result in breakages.

As an alternative to BMF, I have sometimes used smooth aluminium plumbing tape. A bit thicker than BBC but quite forgiving and a lot less expensive. I tend to use either or, depending on the application.

I had a look at the new Mustang Mach E at a Ford dealership over here in the UK. Apparently it will.do 0 to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds. Pretty rapid! But the electric car did not look much like a Mustang should to me. Not the same as the 5 litre that was parked next to my boring MPV out in the parking lot! It will be taking a bit of getting used to miles per charge instead of miles per gallon. However, we have to accept that electric cars will predominate and take over in the future, and the change is happening already. Looks like the OPEC countries who produce nothing much other than crude oil will be in for a rough ride when their main revenues start to dwindle in the next few years.

A big job well done. Besides the updating of the website and system a lot has been happening since Covid struck. Many have been stuck at home and decided to ether return or take up the hobby. That can only be good for the hobby that was in decline before covid. This forum will be seeing much more traffic as a result. Besides the newbies and returners we have migrants from the now defunct Scale Auto site. Yes we will see many questions come up from newcomers and returners getting up to date with all the new stuff available since they dropped away from the hobby. Some 'Old Timers' may see this as a bit of a nuisance, but must remember that they were beginners once asking the self same questions! Instead look at this as a golden opportunity for us more experienced modellers to share our experiences and further enhance the hobby, rather than 'been there, done that and got the tee shirt' so to speak. Kurt, I feel was a bit unkind about IPMS not doing anything for him apart from some awards. One has to remember that IPMS is a general modelling society, so automotive is just a part of it. So Kurt is not really comparing like for like unfortunately. My prime interest is making automotive models, but as a member of IPMS UK I have learnt many modelling techniques from other genres that have been transferable to use on my side of the hobby. It is a bit like comparing Model Cars Magazine to Fine Scale Modeler Magazine. You guys in the States are so lucky to have MCM and Model Car Builder magazines as automotive modelling is so strong on your side of the pond. Not to mention the number of regional dedicated automotive model clubs and shows that you have access to.

Rex, I completely lost track about how long the CMA proposed kit has been up on their site. So, in answer to your question , I do not know anything more than you do. Some of the other posts following on to yours about CMA and Marshall Buck made interesting reading though. I can remember having the old IMC kit way back when. Getting the kit back into the box was like trying to solve the Rubik' s cube puzzle!

Moving away from 1/24 th scale to 1/12 th, have a look at the multi medium kit that CMA (Creative Model Associates) are about to release. It may be the ultimate GT40 kit..............at a price!

A neighbour of mine used to own the standard road going far with this body style. I think it was a two litre engined car that was a 'sporty' version that did not have flared out wheel arches like the rally cars. In the UK there seemed to be quite a number of them in a dark orange colour like my neighbour's car. So maybe it was a limited edition or something by Fiat. I don't think they were Abarth tuned like the rally cars.

The wrinkling with age problem mentioned in some posts could be down to expansion of contraction of the backing paper either drying out or absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. Only a theory, as I have never had any problems with mine in the past. I keep it stored in a drawer in a relatively stable environment. I may have suggested in an earlier post to give smooth aluminium plumbing tape a try. It is thicker than BMF and a bit more forgiving. It is cheap and obtainable at most hardware stores or building suppliers. Add this to your armoury as in many instances of would be better to use than BMF. I use both depending on which I feel would be best suited for any particular task in hand.

It looks like 3d printing by hand instead of using a computer and 3d printing machine. As Spock on Startrek would say 'Fascinating!'

Lovely model. The lines look slightly E Typeish from the side view.

Hi Mike, I knew of the S E Finecast wire wheels, having used a set on a model years ago, so my suggestion to look on their website was just based on having used and knowing of them. If they have an email address on their site it may be worth contacting them directly and see if they reply and can attach a PR photo. Maybe if you go into the web and type in either South Eastern Finecast wire wheels or use their previous name Wills Finecast you may get lucky with some pictures that have been posted. I have a feeling that their white metal MGB kit had those wheels so if you can find any builds on the web it may give you a good idea of what they look like. If my memory serves me correctly their PE wire wheels come with little white metal knock off hubs. Hope this bit of extra info helps. I will have another look and if I can find out more, will reply again.

Have a look at South Eastern Finecast UK for Photo Etched Wire Wheels. They come with tyres fitted and being more narrow than the Revell ones may look more in period for this particular car. Not aware of any other Photo Etch detailing parts for the E Type.

Kurt has done a very nice job of the Planet Models kit in 1/48th scale. I have recently built the Fisher 1/24th scale model with engine detail. It is a very nice kit but there is no way that the engine cover will fit with the engines installed, so best left displayed off the model. There were a couple of issues whereby one of the tail fins was distorted and part of the engine cover. This was sorted out by dipping the affected parts in very hot water and carefully bending back into shape. One has to be very careful not to immerse those parts in the hot water for too long. Also the model is quite weighty when built and I felt that the undercarriage was a weak point as the legs have no reinforcing metal rod moulded into them for strength. The kit parts would have been prone to breakage if the completed model had an accidental sideways knock. I replaced the kit undercarriage with scratch built items from aluminium. Fisher made a secondary kit run with no engines with the engine cover moulded in situ in the top half of the fuselage. Alas Paul Fisher suffered a disastrous fire that destroyed his house and workshops shortly after the kits were released. I sincerely hope that his business may be resurrected at some time having to start all over again.

I have had the same problem as Peter by using epoxy as clear lens material on a Pocher Mercedes dashboard funnily enough. Fortunately I built the dashboard up and stored the kit for over 20 years not having done anything else to it so I can rectify the problem. Gauges are downloadable from the internet I believe so I will have to look at printing some more off and reinstate them whilst sorting the clear bezels problem. In the past I have printed gauges onto paper and used good old clear Sellotape stuck directly down on each face to good effect.

Guys, besides BMF I have used smooth aluminium plumbing tape. It is a bit thicker than BMF, self adhesive and a bit more forgiving. Plus the amount on a roll equates to a number of sheets of BMF. It depends on what you are doing which product would work better, so it would be a case of experimenting a bit.