Fastcat

Hi Peter, If you aren't bothered by the cost, Profil24 do several Aston Martins plus a number of cars from the same period so have complete metal rims and wires (p/e). I think Renaissance do complete wheels too. More expensive still are wheels from Model Factory Hiro but they're pretty good. Also check out aftermarket sets for the Ferrari 250 GTO and Testa Rossa. I think these are 15" too. Hobby Design did a set for the Testa Rossa. I think I even bought their set from BNA Modelworld in Oz! The Doyusha wheels do look too small so it would greatly improve the look of the model. As an afterthought, also see if there are any suitable slot car wheels in 1/24. You never know and slot car stuff can work out cheaper. Dave

Hi Peter, Have a look at Profil 24 or Renaissance. They maybe have something suitable. Also try Grand Prix Models. Dave

Hi Chris, In addition to the above, Protar did a Matchless G50 and AJS 7R in 1/9th scale, both the same bike but different colours and both now out of production so only available s/hand or via eBay. They also did a Greeves Scrambler. Gunze Sangyo did a mixed media BSA Gold Star in 1/12th also o.o.p. SMTS did an all metal Goldie in 1/16th, also a Norton Commando. The Triumph 3HW was also originally released as a civilian version in red and chrome but hasn't made a reappearance. Someone released a metal Bonneville in 1/8th I think, plus a Vincent and Goldie. These were some years back and when they occasionally come up for sale, go for big money. I think that that's about it. Sad, isn't it for a once great bike industry. Dave

Ah, just curious. If you have no luck, maybe Whirlybird could help but it's not listed in their 2018 catalogue although some of the other Comet Racers are. Dave

Hi Rossm, Did you try Aviation Megastore for the Whirlybirds decals? Dave

Lovely pictures. I looked at Getty Images but didn't find these. Some great details in the hi-res shots. Thank you. Dave

Hi Rossm, Whirlybirds did a sheet for The Burberry in the blue scheme. It's WB72028 and Aviation Megastore reputedly have two sets in stock at 6.95 Euros. If they aren't actually available, you can maybe try elsewhere. With such a contentious scheme, KP should really have covered both schemes. At least the believers in each camp would have been satisfied. Incidentally, it wasn't unusual to have a complete colour change for different sponsorship. When the Smithsonian stripped back Charles Blair's Mustang, they found the grey scheme of Glenn McCarthy and then beneath that, the bright red colours of Paul Mantz. So it did happen. Good luck with the decals. Dave

Hi Rossm, There was an interesting discussion on this in the manufacturers section on AZ round about p37 to p39. I can't think why the whole aircraft would have been repainted and then changed back but................ This is from an article here: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/26-march-1938/ I don't know where the information came from or when it was written. Peter Cooksley describes and draws "Australian Anniversary" as pale blue and dark blue, presumably Cellons Morning Mist. "The Burberry" follows a similar pattern but in beige and dark red - doesn't seem likely but who knows? Or is this another best guess which, in time, becomes fact. I would have thought Morning Mist was a blue-grey and beige was a warm grey, tending towards brown. Certainly no-one by now will know the real colour unless the Shuttleworth came across it during restoration. Dave

Yes, it's one of the problems of guessing colours from monochrome photos. One of the the Vega Gulls schemes is a bit iffy too. Joan, Lady Sherborne's Kings Cup winner (she didn't race it in 1952 although she was the owner) is shown as red and silver but the race programme describes it as blue and silver - not the Percival blue but a darker colour. It's impossible to tell from black and white photos and of course, the programme could be wrong. I've so far failed to find anything definitive although I'm inclined to trust the programme....................... Dave

Aircraft have been painted in asymmetric schemes but I agree with Roger Holden that I'm not sure that this is one such. If you have a look at the photos on Dora's F/B page, Dora have it that the wheel spats are also asymmetric, ie the silver wing has a silver spat and the red wing a red spat. The photos, however show either two silver spats or two red spats in the more colourful version. Also, the area under the nose looks very dark and doesn't appear to have a clear demarcation between the colours. Unless there's an eye-witness or better photographs, Dora's scheme looks unlikely. It also appears that in the original scheme, the simple fuselage fuselage stripe may have been a different colour to the rear fuselage. I also think that it's two different schemes on two different occasions. But I bet it'll become "fact" in a short while! Dave

Alternatively, if you don't want all the hassle, try George Turner Models. He makes resin slot cars but does some decals too. Number plate decal sheet is DEC-1 listed under accessories. It's 5 quid + postage. I think Colorado Decals do more modern plates. Dave

Well, there are some pictures here;Linky and here:Linky and here:Linky and here:Linky. You have to be careful of the latter images because they're not just of the race. There are lots of other pics dotted about if you search Google for 1934 MacRobertson race etc., not just Boeing 247. Here's some more: Linky and :Linky Dave

Hi Ian, Have a look at Airscale's stuff. While it's not car related, there should be something useful. After all, in this scale no-one's going to read them (famous last words!). Without checking, the Merc's may be black on a white dial face so you should find something of the right size. The Merc star you might find something suitable from Carpena Decals. They do a range of scales for German car badges, also instruments. Failing that, do a search on eBay. There are quite a few decals available from home made sources. Dave

Lovely little model Bill and amazing attention to detail. All those little fiddly bits..................................! One to be proud of. Dave

Hi peekay, That's a stunning build of a very old kit. You can only appreciate the lines of the car with the bonnet closed so being curbside is a positive. The '90s re-issue was all plastic i think. I have the original Monogram issue with an all metal body and I think the fit is a bit better but if I manage to make it look this good I'll be well pleased. Lovely work. Dave