Alan R

I have one of the original 1960's mouldings of this. Bright red plastic and 'wordy' instructions, not pictures... It was moulded as a pig then! This has been on and off my workbench more times than I have had hot dinners. Well, maybe not that often, but the worst problem that I have had with it is the warped chassis rails. I guess I will have to have another go at finishing it. The biggest hurdle is to fathom out the ladder rigging... Cheers, Alan.

Lovely build! I had this one (and the Ole Bill version) when I was a child, probably 50 yeas ago, so the 100 year old moulds ain't far from the truth... I have a hankering to get this again, and do battle with it, as I like a 'Challenge'! Your build is inspiring. Cheers, Alan.

I am really pleased that you could get the right wheels from C1 models. I'm sure that they will look great on the model. All the best, Alan.

Today in our village. A 1988 Sierra on the forecourt of our local garage. Looked pretty tidy for a car 29 years old.

Hi Roy, Thank you for the kind comments. It does turn out into a nice replica. Kind Regards, Alan.

Yesterday in Chippenham. A Ford Capri Mk3 2.8. They are pretty rare these days. Our office car park is a mine for classics. You never know what might turn up! Oh, and there is a Mk4 Escort estate running around our housing estate, see it every few weeks. Cheers, Alan.

Hi Roger, Thank you. I hope that each build I do, I discover a new method to make them a bit more realistic. Recently, I have been doing a bit of mild weathering, for example. On to my next build the Ferrari 348... Cheers, Alan. Hi Robin, Thank you for your kind comments. I am rather pleased with it. Anyway, onwards and upwards, as they say! The car park is beginning to get full! Cheers, Alan.

Hello All, I'm calling this done. Finally got the decals on. All six of them! Apart from that front wheel, I am really pleased with this one. So, pictures: On the whole, I enjoyed working with this kit. It would however, seem that Italeri kits suffer from wheels that stick out a bit from the body. The same happened with the Lamborghini Diablo... Thanks for looking. Cheers, Alan.

Hello All, Finally, all done. The decals have been applied and micro-soll'ed. The only one that nearly drove me to distraction was the little Ferrari badge on the front. It would just not stay where it was put. All the others stayed where they were put! Anyway, here are the pictures: That wheel! The camera focussed on the rear of the gear-box for some reason... This is going into RFI now. Thanks for looking, Alan.

There are two around the corner from me. A Saloon and an Estate! Cheers, Alan.

Hi Ian, I had a quick look on Hiroboy and found this: http://www.hiroboy.com/124_C1_Porsche_Boxster_Spyder_Resin_Transkit_Fujimi--product--9839.html The wheels in the trans-kit seem to look the same using the ole mk1 eyeball... However at 49 quid, I don't expect that you want to invest in all of that just for a set of wheels... Cheers, Alan.

Hi Ian, True. I do have to fit it around other tasks. My full-time job as a software engineer (pays for the good things in life!), and house-hold jobs. I had to re-hang two kitchen cabinet doors this weekend, as the screws had become so loose that they weren't holding the doors up. Fiddly and time consuming, but satisfying to get them working properly again. I also so some of the ironing. I can do it whilst watching a movie or listening to my music. I also get a short time after getting in from work before my wife gets home which is my time. Usually about 45 minutes to an hour & half! I make the most of that. I can fit in cooking tea in the time as well. The trouble is, like most of the guys on this forum, I have several kits on the go at any one time. Still, I get great pleasure from the hobby, and it is very satisfying when I finish one. Cheers, Alan.

Looking so good! My eyesight must be crappier that I thought! I can't see any dust! I can never get a model done as quick as this. Enjoying your build though!. Cheers, Alan. P.S. Hiro Boy is listing the Boxster as in stock. I might just be tempted...

Hi Ian, Thanks for that. It looks really good. I'll have to do the same on my Ferrari 348! Engine is just crying out for that! It makes it all pop. Cheers, Alan.

Hi Ian, Thanks for that. I will watch with interest. I have book-marked the Flory web-site. I think that I'll have to give them a try. Thanks also, for the answers to my questions about Alclad and the chrome pen. I'll have to get some of those (Alclad). The Boxster is looking really good! All the best, Alan.

Hi Ian, A quick question or two, if you don't mind. You are using Alclad paints on your Boxster. How do you find them? I really want to try them, but I am a bit concerned about spending a fortune and then not getting on with them! By the look of your exhaust system, they do produce an excellent finish! Did you spray the Alclad? I also noticed that you have a Molotow 'chrome' pen. Is it as good as so many people have said it is? I have one on its way from Hiro Boy, and would like your assessment. Thanks in advance, Alan.

Hi Ian, You're ahead of me on this one, then! I plan to use washes on some of my cars, especially around the engines etc. From my little amount of experience, it does make the engine and gearbox 'come alive' so to speak. Amazing work on the Boxster! Cheers, Alan.

Hi Ian, That floor-pan looks great. Car bottoms are usually pretty bland, especially after a few miles on the road! You probably already know this but, one thing that some people do to make the base look less boring, to use your phrase, is to wash it with a slightly different colour. Usually a very dilute 'wash' colour just allowed to flow into all the nooks and crannies, then left to dry. For the black floor pan, I would suggest a very dark brown wash. I know that Tamiya do have special enamel based wash colours for highlighting detail. As far as I can tell, most people here on BM recommend using enamel washes on acrylic as it doesn't damage the acrylic finish, and you can tone it down a bit by wiping off the excess with a cloth or kitchen towel lightly dampened with enamel thinners. The washes are available from Hiroboy. Link: http://www.hiroboy.com/Tamiya_Panel_Line_Accent_Colour_Dark_Brown__87140--product--9747.html. That's the dark brown, but they do a black and a brown as well. Hiro Boy aso have Tamiya weathering stes. They look like cosmetic packs, complete with soft brush! I'll be honest, I have only done washes on small areas, like engines and 1/48th scale aircraft cockpits, but I have to say, it does really pop out the detail and make it look a bit more realistic. Hoppe that helps. Cheers, Alan.

Hello All, I'm hoping to do the decaling today. So this may well be on the RFI before EOP today... (I love my TLAs...just ask, if you don't know) All the best, Alan.

Hi Ian, You're coming along well with this one. Everything is so neat. Your workbench looks incredibly neat and clean. Completely unlike mine that looks like someone has had a wild party on it! Maybe if I'm brave I'll post a 'picture of shame' of it... Love the Lapis Blue colour. Keep up the great work. Cheers, Alan.

Hello All, Another update. I have managed to put all the lights on and the wipers and a few other small parts. In fact there are no plastic parts left to put on. All that is left to do to call this done is the few decals. So, here we go: The wheel centres have been installed, as you can see. I have also put a black wash into the shut-lines, to give the panels some definition. Apart from that wheel, it doesn't look too bad. The little prancing horse went on without too much trouble. A dab of 'Cristal Clear' adhesive sorted that.The side lights are just painted on. I see that the left one (our right from here) needs a bit of touching up. Just a dab of black will sort that. The rear three-quarters view. The tail lights are in and another prancing horse added to the back panel. She is a handsome beast from this angle! Imagine that disappearing into the distance as you vainly try to follow it... The engine cover is done. It just didn't make it into the photo-shoot! Just the decaling to do. Thanks for looking, Alan.

Nice video! Anyway, Hello All, so minor updates: I finally got the wheels on. This is the most disappointing part of te build. I was lead to believe that the rear wheels would stick out past the wheel-arches. This wasn't the case. The fronts however ... I'll let the pictures tell the story. It doesn't look too bad from here, does it? The right wheel doesn't look too bad. I can live with that, but the left one sticks out rather a lot. I'm not sure why, and anyway, I can't remove it now as it has been cemented onto the axle! I had been successful with the other three, so assumed there wouldn't be any problem with the fourth. Doh! Still, if I park it carefully, maybe no-one will notice. There's no way I'm going to attempt to pull it off. The suspension is a bit wobbly from my attempts to push it further on... Apart from that glitch, it all looks quite good. Wheel centres, lights and wipers to go. Oh, and the engine cover... Thanks for looking, Alan.

My kids are both grown up. Just paying to get them through uni... P.S. I would have 'liked' this, but like isn't the right thing. I hope you get to see your son. Cheers, Alan.

Hi Ian, Thanks for the info. I'll have to get some. That will have to be the next order. I just ordered a Fujimi FIAT 500 Abarth. The wife won't be too pleased if I order anything more this month! All the best, Alan.

Hi Ian, That's been my experience with the zero primers. I also found this out with the Halford's primer paints as well. Dust on a protective coat (or two), let it harden for 15-20 minutes. Then a couple more coats after that, all quite fine. I have found on the few occasions that I have used ZP primer, that a fine sand was normally enough. I have used Tamiya lapping film, which seems to bring up a shine like yours on the primer coat. I think though, that I will look up those sanding pads. Did you get them from Hiro Boy? Fabulous finish on the primer, by the way. I found that the most difficult part I had was with the clear coat. I used the ZP 1K clear-coat. I don't trust myself with the 2K stuff. I don't have a respirator mask. I ought to get one anyway! I think that I need more practise. I shall watch this thread with interest. All the best, Alan.