Mgb 1/24 Scale By Airfix - Finished Today

[Junkman]

By the way, I have one of those rare MGB racer kits in my inventory. Plan is to build an American style road racer of the late 60s to early 70s, such as that raced by Kas Kastner, Jim Dittemore and Lee Mueller or Joe Huffaker. It will have a low plexi windscreen replacing the windshield, wider rims on the Minilites with wider tires, roll bar, racing seat, chin spoiler, engine under the hood (no curbside for me), and may have fender flares. I need competition for my Porsche 356 and BRE Datsuns.

Richard

Where would you get an MGB engine in 1/24 scale?

[Junkman]

Thanks, I'll keep my eyes out for one of these. It doesn't appear that Airfix is currently producing this kit, but maybe they'll bring it back as they get back on their feet and there is always ebay.

The one I drove was exactly like the one you built but dark green. It will go well with the Jag E-type in my stash.

They aren't currently available. but there are loads on ebay.co.uk for surprisingly little money. As I said, contrary to the Aoshima original, the Airfix repop includes both bumper options.

[Junkman]

Nice build!

That brings back some memories for sure..................some good, most bad.

Yes, mine went a bit further than a block before it broke down........ , but I swear every other week I was fixing something on that car! I had a '71, (a Midget no less) and it was probably the most troublesome car I have ever owned!

I bought the car in March of '85..............and by the end of that summer as fall arrived, reality set in that winter was soon to follow, and there was NO WAY I wanted to work on that thing in the cold winter!

I got sensible and got rid of it for a '76 Dodge Coronet!

This '58 Chevy ragtop of your's is el nico! Ya sure it's not for sale?

[jbwelda]

you tell em colin! i had two mgb's and both were good runners. if you keep up on maintenance

you dont have problems. but if you drive them like a typical yank, they fall apart fast.

one thing the guy said though that i agree with: put japanese running gear in one and now you

have reliable. a plumber (!) around here has a morris van in silver and black with all datsun

running gear and motor.

anyway about the 1/24 mgb motor, i dont know of a four cylinder but southeast finecast sells a

killer metal V8! this one is done up more in morgan trim though the SU setup used here might

be from the mgb.

>7) If anyone knows where I can get one of the Aoshima Club Racer kits I will pay dearly for it,

>just to get the Sebring headlight covers and the Minilite wheels.

if you mean the one i posted the photo of above, pm me and we can see what can be worked

out.

Edited February 3, 2008 by jbwelda

[Junkman]

one thing the guy said though that i agree with: put japanese running gear in one and now you

have reliable. a plumber (!) around here has a morris van in silver and black with all datsun

running gear and motor.

There was only one man ever who replaced the running gear of a British roadster with what actually belongs in them: He stuffed a 427 Side Oiler into an AC-Bristol roadster.

The MGB never recieved this performance upgrade, since it already has to fight hard not to fall apart when this little four banger it came with was fired up - if it started at all. The handful that left the factory fitted with this asthmatic Rover V8, which has even less power than the four cylinder but the gas mileage of a fighter jet were thanks to their atrocious handling wrapped around trees before anything could go wrong.

If anyone tells me his MG runs fine, he either had his car restored several times (MGs actually do get better with each careful rebuild) or he just isn't used to proper motoring anymore. Fact is what left the factory was complete and utter rubbish. Funnily enough, even hard core MG lovers seem to agree the best thing to do is replacing the drivetrain with 'something Japanese'. How fed up with the original do you have to be to put you through this? As I said before, the only sensible thing to do is replace the entire contraption with something Japanese - an MX5.

The model however is a dream to build and really captures the characterful lines of the car. No wonder, it's Japanese too.

[colin]

There was only one man ever who replaced the running gear of a British roadster with what actually belongs in them: He stuffed a 427 Side Oiler into an AC-Bristol roadster.

The MGB never recieved this performance upgrade, since it already has to fight hard not to fall apart when this little four banger it came with was fired up - if it started at all. The handful that left the factory fitted with this asthmatic Rover V8, which has even less power than the four cylinder but the gas mileage of a fighter jet were thanks to their atrocious handling wrapped around trees before anything could go wrong.

If anyone tells me his MG runs fine, he either had his car restored several times (MGs actually do get better with each careful rebuild) or he just isn't used to proper motoring anymore. Fact is what left the factory was complete and utter rubbish. Funnily enough, even hard core MG lovers seem to agree the best thing to do is replacing the drivetrain with 'something Japanese'. How fed up with the original do you have to be to put you through this? As I said before, the only sensible thing to do is replace the entire contraption with something Japanese - an MX5.

The model however is a dream to build and really captures the characterful lines of the car. No wonder, it's Japanese too.

Jeez.....What makes you so bitter? Unfortunately a number of inaccuracies in your statement.

The car you refer to as a British roadster with a 427 was an AC Ace. The AC Bristol was an Ace with a Bristol engine. The original AC Cobra however was fitted with a 289 Ford, not a 427 side oiler.

There was never an MGB roadster that left the factory for retail consumption with a Rover V8. The only V8 MG was the MGB GT V8. The MGC was fitted with the Austin Healey inline 6 cylinder.

The Rover V8 is an American engine..a BOP and as fitted to the MGB GT produced 137hp, almost 40 more than the 1798cc 4 cylinder.

Comparing 45 year old technology (MGB) to an MX5 would be the same as comparing a P51 Mustang to an F16. Seems to me the technology in domestic cars during the day, late 50's to early 60's was nothing to write home about, but that is another story. The problem with British cars in the North American market was NOT the cars but the drivers. As built, the British sports car fared very well in it's home market, which it was built for. American drivers treated these somewhat delicate roadsters as they would a domestic car, long high speed interstate trips, no maintenance etc. Remember, the average domestic V8 was probably turning around 2000 rpm at 70 mph while the poor little MG was cranking out a whopping 4200rpm at the same speed, unless it was one of the rare models that had overdrive.

The MGB may not have been the epitimy of engineering marvels but it provided a lot of drivers with romance, fun and excitment that no domestic car could. Besides...they were chick magnets:-)

Relax, take a pill and stick to modelling, which you do quite well BTW.

[jbwelda]

really colin, im with you again. and through first hand experience:

>If anyone tells me his MG runs fine, he either had his car restored several times (MGs actually

>do get better with each careful rebuild) or he just isn't used to proper motoring anymore

in 1965 i bought a 54 MGTF. now if that isnt a beautiful boat anchor i dont know what is. i then in

my teen age years proceeded to pound that car, drove it to lake tahoe in the middle of the

winter with a gal and our equipment, up from 0ft elevation to 7500 ft and back, time and again.

drove it to school every day and to san francisco every weekend. did that for 3 straight years

and the only problems i ever had were bad fuel pumps (replaced with bosch after about 10 lucas

and the problem went away) and one day i broke the clutch activation rod. and rarely changed

or even checked the oil. my friend around the corner had an healy 100 that he put a bleedin

corvette V8 into and we kept sparring on whether we would do the MG next, but never did.

then i moved away to college and wanted more of a "real" car so i was going to sell it and buy a

new (68) MGB. well my mom would not let me sell the TF so she and my pop bought me a brand

new MGB if i gave her the TF. done and done. and 9 months later done again when i proceeded

to drive it off the cliff on the way to muir beach. long story short, no one was hurt but car

terminally crunched.

back to the TF, meanwhile the fantasy had worn off for mum and the car ended up sitting in the

garage a lot unless i came over, swapped the oil and filter and took it out for a drive. at this

point i think the car had about 150,000 miles, the motor had been opened once only, for a

head/valve job, and still started first time every time and ran like a top. yeah it leaked a little

oil, or as its called, "marked its spot".

when my mom passed away in 92, i got the TF back and did a backyard resto on it because the

body had deteriated a bit and the wood superstructure needed some attending to, the interior

had gone ratty, and i thought about doing a workthrough of the motor. but then i checked the

compression, it was like 1 or 2 psi off from each other over all four cylinders, so i just cleaned

up the motor a bit. i would drive it near every weekend for awhile but as we all know, a TF can

be fun, but its more "chick magnet"/cruise around fun than any sort of motor sport. regardless i

would still race around in the hills, and i replaced the 48 spoke wires with some jaguar 72 spoke

wheels and radial tyres which really made a difference.

when i sold it in, i forget, 2003 or so, it went to a guy in michigan who did a frame off and says it

ran better with the old motor than with the newly remanufactured one (that he put 20k$ into).

all those years: started first time every time with the exception of maybe 10 times. had

electrical gremlins but when i broke down and bought a quality complete wiring harness (rhode

island wiring by the way, check em out), everything worked perfectly all the time, from the turn

signals (not self cancelling) to the horn to the brake lights, everything.

so you cant tell me all MGs were piles or even MGBs though i had more problems with that B in

the year i had it than i did with the MG over 4 decades!

i also questioned your account of the V8 in the B, and i knew it was a BGT with the V8, and so

im glad colin came in with some facts i more relate to.

heres the mg on its way to michigan to drive its life away around a lake and pine trees:

[colin]

That is a really sweet little TF. Those 72 spoke wheels really do change it's appearance for the better. Shame you had to let it go.

[Peter Lombardo]

I think some of you guys are over doing it with the MG bashing. This is a model car forum, not a sports car site. On sports car forums, the diminutive little British sports cars are loved and fawned over like your first girl friend that made you a man. Over the years, MG’s, in particular the MGB have gotten praise from enthusiasts and competitors alike. The MG, more than any other European sports car is widely credited with igniting the sports car revolution here in America. It was the returning GI’s after WWII that brought a great desire back with them for the fun to drive, nimble little sports cars that started it all. GM saw the need to fill the empty US hole with, by all accounts a woefully under powered Corvette.

MG went on to sell well over 100,000 MGA’s and more than 500,000 MGB’s before the emission controls, bumper /crash requirements and the general malaise over the British auto industry of the late 1970’s caught up with them in 1980. In fact until just recently, the spunky 1800 MGB was the best selling sports car in the world.

Sure, the Mazda Miata is a more reliable auto, but at three times the cost and the benefit of new technology and no home government interference, it well should be. I ran a Mazda dealership for 15 years and drove countless Miata’s. Nice sports car…hard to find fault with it, but, and this is important, at least to me, it has no soul. It is antiseptic in its execution. Drive one and I think you will understand what I mean. MG’s are raw. They are gritty and base. You feel every little nuance in the road. The smell of gasoline and oil fill your head. The gutty growl of the engine being pushed to its limit sing to you like an early Rolling Stone song from the mid sixties. As you work your way up and down the gearbox, you feel the gears meshing with a mechanical crunch that just can’t be duplicated on any car born after the turn of the century. The wind in your hair, assuming you still have some, just reinforces why you drive one. Take an MG out on a nice Saturday afternoon and the cares and troubles in the world slip away. You have to work at driving this car. It is not transportation, it is an experience. And as you drive around, look at the faces of the people who stop and stare at you. Well, not you, they are looking at the car. You can see in their face that they have great memories of an MG from their youth. Maybe a MGB, maybe a Midget or an Austin Healey Sprite, but they have memories.

As I drive my MG’s around in the summer months, I get so many thumbs up, and people at stop lights telling me of the MG they knew. And with time, all of those wet mornings that the car would not start, the electrical short in the lights or fuel pump, all drift away. No, MG’s are not reliable, comfortable or for everyday use. MG’s are like a fine wine or that 80 year old Scotch in the back of your liquor cabinet that only come out when you need to recharge your battery. There is nothing, except teeing off on a great golf course, that is a better use of a beautiful warm spring morning than bring out my MGA, letting it warm up in the driveway, wiping the dust off it, and driving away.

Ok, maybe I over did it a little here and there, but you need to understand what these cars meant to the sports car world and how they are enjoyed today. I have a beautifully restored 1960MGA and my son and I are now rebuilding my 1977 MGB for this spring. This will be a beautiful car, as the engine (90,000 miles on it, but the block is perfect) is getting the full rebuild, over bore and upgrade so it will put out around 130 horsepower, up from the standard 98 or so. I have a brand new overdrive and a new tan leather interior, complete, going in. A little body work is being completed and it will be repainted in the Corvette 50th Anniversary Red. The rubber bumpers are replaced with brand new chrome ones and fresh wheels and tires will round it out. I can’t wait to get it on the road again. I drove it for 12 years as it was before this major refreshing was begun last year.

MG was, and is a proud marque. They have earned a place of honor in automotive history and they need to live on in our minds and on our roads as a reminder of a simpler, more innocent time. If you have never driven one and you get the chance, enjoy the moment. It is not a Porsche, not a Ferrari and certainly not a Corvette, but then again, it was never intended to be.

[colin]

Over did it a little? I don't think so. Most eloquently put.

You are definitley correct about this being a model site and not a place for bashing. Unfortunately when something near and dear to us is attacked, ones defense mechanism just automatically kicks in.

Thank you.

[Junkman]

No build without its moments.

Earlier today I cleared up my workbench (hint from me: don't!).

I left my subsequently rather full rubbish bin underneath it, blame tonight's weather.

Then I continued to work on the MGB. First I attempted to add the knock off spinners to the wire wheels, which are little jewels btw. Three went in in absolutely hunky dory fashion. When I grabbed the fourth one with my tweezers, it escaped and of all places possible landed in - you guessed it.

Well, it's on now after two hours of taking piece by piece out of the rubbish bin and examining it thoroughly for an adherent Airfix MGB knock off spinner. Needless to mention that the affair was accoutred in lyrics appropriate for the occasion, but not this forum.

Also added are the door handles, the wipers and the windscreen is finally attached permanently (or so I hope at least). A task not dissimilar to combing sparrows or milking fleas.

Next come the mirrors and front indicator lights and then the decals. After all this is accomplished, I'll post pictures of the finished model.

So far, I have to say that this kit has not put a foot wrong.

[Junkman]

It's finished!

Again, I have say this kit is a pleasure to build and has no bad surprises whatsoever. I am very pleased with the result. Hey, if I can do it, it can't be a difficult kit to build!

[evilone]

nice detail on the engine

[colin]

Nicely done!!!!! Ugly, but well done. Now, when are you going to do a chrome bumper version?????

[Junkman]

Nicely done!!!!! Ugly, but well done. Now, when are you going to do a chrome bumper version?????

As soon as I decided which colour to paint it.

[jbwelda]

more important, when you gonna drop a V8 into it?

naw, really, great build. the rubber bumpers sure are ugly and you portrayed them well, and i mean that as a compliment. they even look kind of oxidized and porous. great job on the paint and color too, MGB disco style!

[Junkman]

more important, when you gonna drop a V8 into it?

naw, really, great build. the rubber bumpers sure are ugly and you portrayed them well, and i mean that as a compliment. they even look kind of oxidized and porous. great job on the paint and color too, MGB disco style!

Hey thanks!

Disco style, yes, that's exactly what I wanted. This is how I remember these cars from when I was a kid in the Seventies and this is the look I wanted to achieve.

The effect on the bumpers is easy to replicate. Use Revell (or similar) semi gloss black that you diluted with a fair amount of cellulose thinners. I applied it with a brush. For once, the cellulose 'eating' into the plasic is a welcome effect.

No worries, I will do a chrome bumper one. But again, it will be in a color I remember them in, not the universal british racing green or Porsche red that's universally used on them nowadays.

I remember a sort of brick red and a brown that makes -errr- chocolate? look good. I probably go with the brick red though.