Aston Martin Ulster, Matchbox, 1/32

[Matt Bacon]

Another of Matchbox's excellent 1/32 car kits  -- 30s sports cars are a big theme in their line-up.

I did a bit of plumbing and detailing under the bonnet -- particularly adding the steering column, without which it looks very odd under there. The only flaws I can see with the kit are that the engine should really be a bit longer and closer up to the radiator, which would give more room for the ancillaries around it, and it doesn't quite capture the low, wide stance of the real thing. I think if I was doing another one not out of the box, I'd try and taper the bonnet down to a slightly shortened radiator...

best,

M.

 

[bbowser]

Great model!  I need to investigate this series.

[peekay]

I agree with you Matt - the Matchbox 1/32nd kits are excellent and you did a beautiful job on the Ulster.

[geetee66]

Very tidy build!

I don't think I've ever seen one of these kits before.

You did a great job on it.

[donb]

Great model!  I need to investigate this series.

thinking the same. Beautifully done too. 

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Now that is cool,  and something you don't typically see. 

[sjordan2]

Very, very nice

 

[mr moto]

Excellent work! I built the Matchbox 1/32 MG-TC years ago and was impressed by the kit but my build didn't look as good as yours.

[webestang]

Wonderful build!!!! 

[blunc]

nice work, it's great to see builders explore the possibilities of the smaller scales.

I have this one in my stash but I think I want to play around with Monty's Humber before doing the Aston.

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Detail level on those is quite good. The built model can pass as a larger scale with no problem. 

I liked the screen detail on the headlights, and the detail paint on the engine bay. Very nicely done. 

[Rob Hall]

Neat...never had any of these, but I remember seeing them in the AMT catalogs around 79-81...

[Dave B]

Great build Matt, tks for showing ☺

Dave B

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[Plastheniker]

Again nice work in this small scale! These old 1/32 matchbox kits were really attractive, unfortunately the scale was too odd for most car modelers. I remember the Citroen and the Mercedes very well.

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, all! The scale isn't so odd when you consider that the only direct pocket money competitors were Airfix's 1/32 offerings, which included a number of kits first offered as slot racing models. 1/32 has always been the dominant slot scale in the U.K.

 

best,

M.

[PatW]

Wow Matt, it's a very long time since I've seen one of these! You've made a super job of it too! I saw a lot of these in my nearly 30 years as a marshall at Silverstone just 5 miles away.

Yes my father bought me my first pocket money kit (for 2/6) in 1956 an Airfix Spitfire in a plastic bag and that awful stringy tube glue (he was a career RAF Sergeant). I've been building ever since.

As a boy I lived in a small village called Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, nearby there was a hillclimb circuit, and David Brown named his cars after the hill after he started to race his first homebuilt cars there. 

Edited August 30, 2017 by PatW