Alan R

I am going to have to try Bare Metal Foil sometime...

I built this kit years ago as a kid. All these gaps didn't seem to be a problem to me then. Much less critical eye then (50 plus years ago) Cheers, Alan.

Looks a damn sight better than mine. I gave up and tossed it on the shelf of doom. The chassis rails were warped and I snapped a number of bits trying to unwarp it! I still have it, I may revisit it, seeing how good a job you have done! (After I have finished my current work load...) Cheers, Alan.

Hi Spiny, I built this kit when it originally came out 40 (ish ?) years ago. I mucked up the paintwork on the body then, but i did get the ignition wiring right, even the firing order (I think ) I recently bought this again, and have so far completed the engine. (I think I have a build for it somewhere here...) I noticed a bit of flash on mine that I don't recall on my original one. Beware also, some of the parts are very fragile, especially around the steering area. I shall key an eye on this for some inspiration... Cheers, Alan.

Good reason not to have a cat ... Cheers, Alan.

Hi All, I have tried this approach with limited success. I have always found that proper 'buffing' of the edge of the tape with something hard, but smooth works for me, though I like the idea of a damp cotton bud (The modeller's friend ...) BTW, I think you are doing a sterling job on this kit... Cheers, Alan.

I can't really think of five, but: Bandai 1/20th Fiat X 1/9 (or whatever the nomenclature is) Tamiya Aston Martin DBS 1/24 Matchbox 1/32 Porsche 935 (Also boxed by Revell) There are probably loads more. but for the moment.... Cheers, Alan.

Borderline MOT failure there I would say... Lovely work there... Cheers, Alan.

I have only built a few of the Fujimi 'Enthusiast' models over the years (A couple of Porkers and a Ferrari Dino), but here are my observations. They are complicated kits with very many (some may say too many!) parts, so dry fit and trim (very carefully) before committing to cement. They do seem to build up into quite accurate replicas with some care. As others have observed, the engine does build really well and the fit is good, though I do remember the Dino exhaust manifolds s were a nightmare! Beware the wheels. On all of my enthusiast models, the hubs have moulded on wheel studs (Similar to the real thing, I suppose). You can get an alignment issue when fitting the wheels. Certainly on the two Porsches, I had problems, but the Dino was a lot easier. Body fit to the chassis can be an issue, certainly at times with the Dino, I thought that the shell was going to split, but after a bit of wriggling and twisting, it popped into place. I must admit that with the Dino, I kind-of lost interest for a while, due to the complexity, but I eventually finished it. here's a link to my build: Hope that helps, Alan.

That's the kind of masking that has me running scared ...

Yes!

I think that I prefer the Mk 1, but I understand your preference for the Mk 2. My dad had a 1500 deluxe Mk1, brand new in 1966 Goodwood Green it was. Later he had a 1600 Mk2 Saluki Bronze. I never drove the Mk 1, but I did (quite a bit) the Mk 2. My dad was a bit of a Ford fan... Mk1, Mk2, 2 Mk3s (1600GT, 2000E), Zephyr 4 (1700) Mk 3, First shape Granada (2000), Second shape Granada (2.3), Mondeo and last car was a Fiesta Mk 4 (The boxy one). I'm surprised I can remember them all TBH. Nearing retirement age, the old grey cells aren't what they used to be... Ah, memories. Cheers, Alan.

I concur completely! The rule I break the most is the second.. I'm a stubborn git, and don't know when to take a break!

Just spotted this lunch. A late model Sunbeam Alpine, with the slightly less prominent rear wings... No piccies, as I was driving. Cheers, Alan.

It's surely due to what we like as a model makes it viable in our eyes, methinks... I really would like a 1/24th modern technology mould of the Lotus Cortina. Come on Tamiya... No personal bias there at all ... Cheers, Alan.

I have lost count of the number of times I have stripped and re-primed only to have to do it again (and again...) It's nearly always the roof that's the main culprit. I have re-primed the roof of my Ford GT yet again, but now I think tat my air-brush nozzle is shot as I'm getting paint 'splodges' all over the place. I thins a new nozzle is in order, but at 14 quit a shot, I'm reluctant to spend the money.. (Skinflint!) I wonder if I'm using too low a pressure? Cheers, Alan.

I really want the Abarth! I wish I had bid for one that came up on eBay a year or so ago, I think it went for 25 quid!!! Now they rarely appear on the site and when they do, it's for gazillions! Oh well, maybe one will come up for a reasonable price, or Tamiya will re-release it... (One can hope!) Cheers, Alan.

To turn something that started out so bad into this masterpiece is a work of sheer art *(Not to mention blood, sweat and tears!) Magnificent! Cheers, Alan.

I have a carpet monster, even though I have a plain laminate flooring !!!!

Ah, I have a soft spot for red sports cars. The bronze is the traditional colour for the 240Z. Cheers, Alan.

Evening all, Some more progress on these last two in the group. Not may pictures, but some degree of progress, nonetheless. So, here we go: This is Zero Paints Bright Red. (Similar to Tamiya X-7). This is after I corrected the roughness of the paint on the roof. Another image of the body and floor=pan. The floor-pan has had a couple of more coats to cover up missed bits during the last paint session. And another shot, showing the bonnet. This is the R35 painted in a black base-coat. The final colour is 'Midnight Blue'. A top coat has to go over the black. That's all for the moment. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alan.

Evening All, I have been working on this car as well over the last few evenings. The evening temperature in the Garage was reasonable, so I was able to do some spraying. Here we are: I decided that a metallic blue would be appropriate for this car. Besides, I had the colour in my stash... This is the slide up/down doors and the seat backs. The body and front/rear valances. The windscreen surround and boot-lid. The bonnet has since been painted. On the whole, the paint went on well, nice and smooth. Apart from a buffing with some compound, I don't think there's much to do before gloss-coating. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alan.

Evening all, Here, as promised are some update pictures. As I said before in my preamble, I decided to paint this car red. Who doesn't like a red sports car? Especially a 240Z... This is the body with the roof resprayed. It has come out really smooth, just some polishing before gloss-coating, I think. The front. A bit blurred, too shallow a depth of field... The bonnet looks a bit rough. It doesn't look that bad at all in real life. The camera is being hyper-critical here. If, after looking at it again, I may sand it back & respray. The floor-pan all ready to accept the engine... That's all for this one tonight. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alan.

Hi all, Finally an update. (No pictures yet!) I have pulled this one from the stash again. It only happened as I had decided that I would paint the GTR 2000 a (non standard as far as I know) red. I’m using the Zero paints bright red for that. It’s supposed to be ‘similar’ to Tamiya X-7, and it does look remarkably similar. well, the point was I had decided way back that the 240Z should be red, hence the reason for getting it out of the stash. As a BTW, I always seem to have problems when spraying car bodies with solvent based paints like Zero paints. I can always get a smooth finish on the sides without much effort, but when it comes to the roof, it goes all rough, as if the paint has reacted with the plastic underneath. This always need remedial work to fix which is a complete PITA. I have tried various methods with varying success. Eventually, I worked out what I was doing wrong. When spraying the body, I was going over one side, the roof, the other side, then back agin. I then turned the body 90 degrees and sprayed from front to rear, another 90 degrees, and so on. The end result was that the roof got about four times as much paint as any other part, causing the problem I was getting. Finally, I also reduced the pressure considerably, and held the nozzle of the brush much closer to the body and just whizzed it over. This seems to get me a much better and consistent result. I also hand-hold the part while spaying and only go over it once, so the roof only gets the same attention as the rest of the body. I also spray a lot let’s in one go, as I am a bit impatient and want to get the job done! Up until now, I always viewed spraying a necessary but onerous job that I needed to do to get the thing finished. Anyway, more to come. Pictures later. Thanks for popping in, Alan.

That's my memory of my MkII XR2. I remember many times barrelling across the Salisbury plain at what I now would consider insane speeds. It was a proper Go-kart. Loved it. I wish I had never sold it TBH... My 61 plate Focus diesel was faster to 60 and returned around 50MPG. Handled well for an estate as well. Happy days.