Jaguar Mk. II Saloon Is Done!

[mrmike]

My latest project with a McNally, Boston PI story.  The story is called Death Over There and is only to show what is driving this project.  The names described in it are not related to anyone living or deceased.

The Build

This project will include the Tamiya Jaguar Mk. II Saloon Kit #24151-2000.  This is a fabulous kit!  I can't find any flash or mold lines on the body or parts which is molded in white black, and grey.  My paint will be Model Master GTS Blue Pearl.  I wanted a medium to dark blue for this kit and the stock dark blue is a solid not a metallic or pearl.  I happen to love metallics and pearls, so this is the color I'm using with a grey colored interior.  These wire wheels have to be the absolute finest molded one piece wire wheels I have ever seen!  They are just gorgeous!!!  Even the plating is just right!

The Story

A silver car drives down an alley in London, England and stops part way down the alley.  The rear passenger door opens and a body of a man is pushed out onto the wet pavement and the car quickly drives away.  An early morning jogger finds the body on his run and calls the Metropolitian Police Service to report the body.  DCI Philip Ashenbell instructs his people who go about gathering any and all evidence that they can find.  A wallet is found on the body and the drivers license confirms who it is-Jonathan G. Crumbalt, a local businessman. 

Inside the wallet, DCI Ashenbell finds a card from an American lawyer by the name of Charlotte Rothmann, Esq.  He will call her later when the States wake up.

McNally will return...

Edited May 5, 2018 by mrmike

[Ron Hamilton]

Those are gorgeous cars, and that is one nice kit.

[PARTSMARTY]

Very cool-great car !!!

[espo]

That should be a great shade of Blue for this build. You are correct on the Wires, they look perfect.

[BVC500]

I'd double-check for molding lines. They were present on my kit. Pretty faint, but still there.

Will be watching!

[mrmike]

Thank you guys!

The Story

McNally gets off the plane at Heathrow Airport and catches a taxi to his hotel in central London.  He checks in to his room and takes his SIG Sauer P227, unloads it and locks it in the room safe in the closet.  He hangs up his clothes and leaves the room for the lobby and the consierge to enquire about a rental car.  He is directed to a Rental kiosk and he rents an silver Vauxhall Astra 4-door sedan.  He then heads to Scotland Yard to look up DCI Philip Ashenbell and inquire about the late Jonathan Crumbelt and the special gun permit that the DCI is holding for him.

McNally finds a parking spot near Scotland Yard and walks inside to a counter manned by Constable Dalton who calls DCI Ashenbell and she tell him that McNally is here to see him.  Constable Dalton tells McNally to have a seat in the waiting area and the DCI will be down for him shortly.  A few minutes later DCI Ashenbell arrives to take McNally up to his office.  The DCI is a gruff looking man who is not being friendly at all towards the Boston PI.  His questions and answers to McNally are short and to the point and McNally feels like he is wasting his time there.

The Build

Although the wheels and tires assembly is not until later in the instruction sheet, I couldn't resist temptation and assembled them first.  One set for the left side and one set for the right side of the Jag.  I started assembling the engine and realized that I'll need to paint some components before assembling them together.  Yes, its been a few years since I built a Tamiya kit!  A closeup of the engine side telling you all that this is a 3.8 Liter Jaguar engine!

McNally will return...

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Isn't that nice when tires have an actual brand name on them? Are you listening Revell????

I had this kit on hand a few years ago. Traded it for a Tamiya '95 Mustang GT, that sits unbuilt in the stash. 

The B pillars were super fragile. 

[mrmike]

Thanks Tulio!  Revell doesn't use brand names on tires because of licensing requirements.  This can be expensive given the number of tire manufacturers out there.  Many of Revell's kits say "Licensed by______" on the side of the box now as many manufacturers have trademarked their designs.

[mrmike]

The Story

The next morning McNally is up and dressed when he hears a knock on his door.  He opens the door to Detective Constable Ashley Campbell of Scotland Yard.  She is to guide him around London while he conducts his investigation.  She sees the SIG Sauer P227 hanging under his left arm in a shoulder holster and she asks to see his permits, which gives to her for viewing.  He offers his Federal Firearm permit, Massachusetts Firearm permit, and the temporary permit from Scotland Yard.  DC Campbell looks them over and hands them back to the Boston PI and says that they are good.

After grabbing a coffee from the dining room, they get into McNally's rented Vauxhall Astra and head over to Jonathan Crumbelt's flat.  The Metro cops have already searched the flat and it is a mess, but this doesn't stop McNally from looking around, through, and under everything.  He finds a set of car keys in the kitchenette drawer and goes down to the back of the apartment building to a separate buildings that were turned into garages.  He unlocks the assigned garage door and finds a Jaguar Mk. II Saloon inside.  He searches the interior and the trunk and finds nothing of interest.  He closes up the Jag and the garage doors and pockets the keys.

He informs DC Campbell that he wants to search Crumbelt's business, Crumbelt Enterprise, to which the Detective tells him no.  Metro Police and Scotland Yard are still searching the business and it is off-limits to him.  With no clues to find here at Crumbelt's flat or in his car, McNally will call it a day and he sends DC Campbell back to Scotland Yard.

The Build

I did some painting this afternoon of the interior parts.  The chassis was flocked with embossing powder and painted with Tamiya AS-25 Dark Ghost Grey and I finished the 3.8 Liter Jaguar engine.

McNally will return...

Edited March 17, 2018 by mrmike

[mrmike]

After looking at the interior floor pan/chassis, I need to make some floor mats!  I found a tutorial on Italian Horses website.  Alex Kustov has an excellent web site with a tutorial section.  

http://italianhorses.net/Tutorials/Floormats/fmats.htm

[Anglia105E]

Hello Michael... I shall be watching this build of yours with interest and the story element to it is also a nice feature. Currently I am building a 1:24 Tamiya Jaguar MK II, except I am converting it to a MK I as it would have looked in 1955. As you have discovered, this is one hell of a gorgeous kit by Tamiya, and those chrome wire spoked wheels are the best I've seen. There is no sign of mould lines or flash anywhere on my boxed kit. The paint colour for my Jaguar build is gold with a crimson leather interior. One photo here for you Michael....

[mrmike]

David, I wish you good luck on your conversion!  After a careful look, I found faint mold lines along the roof and the front fender tops of my body.  They were removed rather quickly with some 600 grit sandpaper.  Definitely a great kit!

[Anglia105E]

Thanks Michael.... and the work you have done on the engine is impressive. You mentioned floor mats, and I noticed there's a piece of red carpeting in the kit box, which doesn't appear to be large enough for the whole floor? I am really looking forward to starting the build on this one, having built four Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds by Revell and Minicraft, a Revell London Bus, a Tamiya Morgan and an Emhar Bedford tanker truck during the past six months. All these vehicles are for my 1950's diorama so my interest is in British cars between 1955 and 1959 mostly, with some of the models dated 1929 to 1948 also.

David

[mrmike]

Thank you David!  That piece of red carpeting is to be cut up using the masks in the instructions and they fit the interior in a specific manner.  I didn't use mine since I was using a different color for the interior and the red would have clashed with the blue-grey that I chose.  I have the Minicraft '62 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II for a TV/Movie Car build, but the mold mis-alignment on the front fenders has put that build on the back burner until I can figure out how to correct it.  I wanted to build the Rolls-Royce from the 1963 American TV show Burke's Law starring the late Gene Barry.

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally returns to his Hotel and has supper in the Dining Room consisting of a small steak, mashed potatoes, and a mixture of vegtables with a cold Budweiser.  He signs his dinner check for his room and goes up to his suite.  He calls Stateside to Boston Police Dept. Homicide and Lt. Det. Adam Troy.  He asks Adam if he could do him a favor and check out Crumbelt Enterprises in Cambridge for him.  He's looking for an address book or any computer files might give him a clue. 

Adam says he'll check it out for him since Scotland Yard never called BPD Homicide to check the business.  He'll call McNally on his cellphone later with his results.  He then calls Charlotte "Charlie" Rothmann and updates her on the case.  He tells her of his frustration with Scotland Yard and how he is being "guided" not only through London, but his investigation as well.  Charlie says she might be able to get the State Department involved if she has to. 

McNally replies that he doesn't want to involve the State Department right now, but he may have to later, if needed.  For now, he'll try to stay out of Scotland Yard's way and try to find some clues on his on and if possible, without them looking over his shoulder.

The Build

I have been thinking about my color choices lately.  I want this build to be more factory stock than not.  On the Jag's body, I decided to use Polly Scale CSX Blue, a flat paint, but it is the shade of blue I want without the metallic.  This will be gloss cleared when dry.  For the floor mats, I'm using Polly Scale Grimy Black, a very dark grey and then a mixture of white and black embossing powder to give the mats some texture.

McNally will return...

Edited March 21, 2018 by mrmike

[Jantrix]

On 3/5/2018 at 4:03 PM, mrmike said:

 

I gotta say, those are the most impressive parts I've ever seen injection molded.

[dublin boy]

On 3/17/2018 at 10:05 PM, Anglia105E said:

Hello Michael... I shall be watching this build of yours with interest and the story element to it is also a nice feature. Currently I am building a 1:24 Tamiya Jaguar MK II, except I am converting it to a MK I as it would have looked in 1955. As you have discovered, this is one hell of a gorgeous kit by Tamiya, and those chrome wire spoked wheels are the best I've seen. There is no sign of mould lines or flash anywhere on my boxed kit. The paint colour for my Jaguar build is gold with a crimson leather interior. One photo here for you Michael....

Hi David,

Is that an Airtrax Anglia?

Are they still available, I assume it's resin.

Is the old Hunbrol Escort M2k 2 RS 1800 usable as a donor chassis.

[Anglia105E]

Hello Shay.... I am pleased that you noticed the Ford Anglia 105E in the Jaguar photo, and it is a resin body shell but not Airtrax. When I decided that I would like to build an Anglia, because it was the first car I ever owned, I tried to find the Airtrax site but couldn't locate it. Previously I had seen that the Anglia body shell kit was a bit expensive but good quality. Anyway, this one that I have bought is from Modelkars in Yorkshire, England and a chap called Andy offers the Anglia on his website as well as on Ebay also.  Here is a link to his Resin Bodies web page: http://modelkars.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=42&zenid=ugb19i3mm2c33c3bj9rl7ramc2

You will see the Escort MK I chassis and the Escort interior which I believe will be suitable as a donor kit. I have just finished a build of a Morris Minor Traveller, using a resin body shell kit from Andy at Modelkars and a Tamiya Morris Mini Cooper as a donor kit for that one. Photo below.

The Ford Anglia resin body is a better casting than the Morris, which was a bit rough but okay once tidied.

David

[Anglia105E]

On 18/03/2018 at 11:34 AM, mrmike said:

Thank you David!  That piece of red carpeting is to be cut up using the masks in the instructions and they fit the interior in a specific manner.  I didn't use mine since I was using a different color for the interior and the red would have clashed with the blue-grey that I chose.  I have the Minicraft '62 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II for a TV/Movie Car build, but the mold mis-alignment on the front fenders has put that build on the back burner until I can figure out how to correct it.  I wanted to build the Rolls-Royce from the 1963 American TV show Burke's Law starring the late Gene Barry.

Apologies from me Michael, as I have posted a reply to Shay O'Dowd about the resin Ford Anglia body shell..... I didn't intend to hijack yout topic, sorry. Thanks for the info regarding the red carpet for the Tamiya Jaguar MK II and I am interested that you have a Minicraft Rolls-Royce kit. What sort of mold mis-alignment on the front fenders is giving you cause for concern? I do remember the Burke's Law TV show and the Rolls-Royce motor car.

If it is any help to you I used crimson red felt for the carpets on one of the Silver Clouds and also real leather for the upholstery.

David

[mrmike]

18 hours ago, Jantrix said:

I gotta say, those are the most impressive parts I've ever seen injection molded.

Yes they are!  I just picked up the Tamiya Morgan 4/4 and the wire wheels in that kit are just as beautiful!

17 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Apologies from me Michael, as I have posted a reply to Shay O'Dowd about the resin Ford Anglia body shell..... I didn't intend to hijack yout topic, sorry. Thanks for the info regarding the red carpet for the Tamiya Jaguar MK II and I am interested that you have a Minicraft Rolls-Royce kit. What sort of mold mis-alignment on the front fenders is giving you cause for concern? I do remember the Burke's Law TV show and the Rolls-Royce motor car.

If it is any help to you I used crimson red felt for the carpets on one of the Silver Clouds and also real leather for the upholstery.

David

No apology is needed.  You were asked a question and you answered it.  No problem!  Check the pictures below of my Rolls Royce.  The mis-alignment is rather bad along with mold lines and a rubbery-like plastic.  I'll deal with this some other time.  

Edited March 22, 2018 by mrmike

[Anglia105E]

Thanks Michael.... and I see exactly what you mean now. That particular issue with the Minicraft body shell is what made it very difficult for me to mask off and airbrush a two-tone colour paint scheme that looked right. I too have recently completed the build of a Tamiya Morgan 4/4, which has the exceptionally good chrome wire spoked wheels. Having purchased a second Morgan that has no wheels, I shall fit the wire spoked wheels from the Jaguar kit to the Morgan and fit pressed steel wheels to the Jaguar MK I.

David

[mrmike]

I have seen pictures of a Jag with steel wheels and the car does not look as elegant like it does with wire wheels.  Maybe that's just me.  It's a good thing I only paid $5 for the Rolls Royce kit as it is a badly molded kit.  Someday, I will have to study the body and decide just how to go about fixing the front fenders.  In the mean time, I have the Jaguar to work on and then the Morgan 4/4.  

[dublin boy]

Many thanks for the link on the Angle box David.

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally decides to check out Crumbelt Enterprises on his own, so he drives past the business and notices the Constable standing in front of the storefront, guarding the business.  McNally drives about a 1/4 mile up the street and parks his rental and walks back towards an alley behind the business.  He checks for CCTV cameras and sees none.  At the back door, he picks the locks and opens the door to a back room filled with inventory and a nearby kitchenette with a coffee maker and a hotplate.  He turns on his "headlight" and looks for an office and finds one.

The search for clues begins as he searches the desk and the middle drawer does not pull out all the way.  A sharp tug on the drawer pulls it out and he finds a slightly crumpled notebook in the back of the drawer with names and addresses, and notations detailing an attempt to smuggle cocaine into the US, specifically the Boston area where Crumbelt has a failing business there.  McNally puts the small notebook into his coat pocket when he hears the front door being unlocked and the Constable walking in with his flashlight on.  McNally shuts off his "headlight" and hides under the desk while the Constable searches the business and finds what he was looking for...a bathroom.

When the Constable is finished, he walks past the office without shining his flashlight inside, goes out the front door and locks it without turning on the alarm.  Apparently, he doesn't know how to set it.  McNally returns to searching the office and not finding anything else.  He leaves the business through the back door, locking it behind him and walking back to the rental car and back to his Hotel to look through the notebook that he found.

The Build

I fired up my paintbooth and airbrush for a littlepainting session this afternoon.  I painted the hood and body with Polly Scale CSX Blue.  When it has gassed out, I'll coat it with Tamiya TS-13 Gloss Clear.  Before turning in last night, I cut out a set of floor mats.  I painted them with Polly Scale Grimy Black and when the paint dried, I coated them with watered down white glue and sprinkled a mixture of white and black embossing powder.

McNally will return...

Edited March 23, 2018 by mrmike

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally enters his suite at the Hotel and locks the door behind him.  He pulls out the notebook from his jacket pocket, sits down at a table and starts reading through it.  The notebook chronicles Crumbelt's interactions with a drug dealer who wants to ship drugs from London to Boston by keeping Crumbelt's failing business in Boston alive.  The notebook lists meetings with various people including Metro Police who deemed the actions of the unknown drug dealer not severe enough to warrent any action at this time.  The recent terrorist bombing in London may have pulled resources from this case to investigate the bombing instead.

McNally's cellphone rings and it is DC Campbell demanding to know where McNally is.  He tells her that he is at his Hotel suite and has been there since he returned in mid afternoon.  She says she is coming over with DCI Ashenbell to talk with him and that he should remain at his suite.  The call ends with McNally taking an empty plastic bag and wrapping the notebook and placing it outside on the ledge of the Hotel under a weight and away from the window.  Twenty minutes go by and there's a knock on the door.  McNally opens the door and invites Campbell and Ashenbell inside to talk. 

DCI Ashenbell demands to know of McNally's actions since midafternoon.  McNally lies to the DCI about his whereabouts during the afternoon and early evening.  He tells DCI Ashenbell that if he is interferring with Scotland Yard's case, to send him home with the caveat of him contacting the US State Department and filing a complaint against them for a lack of cooperation.  Ashenbell stares at McNally, snorts, and leaves the suite with DC Campbell right behind him.  McNally waits five minutes and then retrieves the notebook from the ledge before it starts to rain.  From now on, he'll keep it locked up in the room safe.  

The Build

The engine has been installed in the chassis.  I have started work on the interior by installing the seats, center console, and the floor mats.

McNally will return...