Fastcat

Hi Bill, Many thanks for the kind words. Coming from a skilled scratch builder makes them even more special. Dave

Hi Noel, Yes a flawed but ultimately nice kit - and you can't fault the subject choice. Dave

Thank you Col. No, there aren't many bikes and even fewer classic bikes. Such a pity that there aren't more classic bike kits available. The kit did have me pulling out what remains of my hair at the time. I never could see why some of its construction was the way they chose to do it but in the end, it makes a nice model and if Gunze hadn't kitted it, we'd probably still have been waiting. Dave

Thank you Jylhami, The Italeri bike is virtually the same as the old Protar kit but it makes a nice model. It needs a bit of work but it's worth it. One thing - it doesn't make a '50s bike of Geoff Duke like the current box says. It makes a more recent '60s bike by which time, Duke had long gone. Norton changed their race bikes often and keeping track of the modifications isn't easy. Dave

In the dim and distant past I used to own a Healey 100/4 and I've always understood that the term "big" Healey was used to make some sort of distinction from the smaller Austin Healey Sprites, as Paul H says. My car was always referred to as a Big Healey. It had a capacity of 2660 cc and was only four cylinders, predating the 3000 by a few years, first being made in 1953 (mine was a 1954 model). It was originally designed by Donald Healey as a private venture but was taken over by Austin for mass production. I don't think the nickname was used at first but came about when the smaller Sprite was introduced, kind of like the differentiation between the earlier Frogeye Sprites and later models. I'm sure that they were never official designations. Dave

Hi John, Thanks so much for sharing this film. It has a personal significance for us since our son was involved in the production of the Goldfinger Aston Martins. He worked at the "Q" Division at Wellesbourne and got to drive one of the prototypes when they were testing it. So much work went into making them authentic that it's hard to imagine, BUT, they weren't allowed to have the extending wheel spinners, "Boudicca" chariot style, in addition to the precautions outlined in the film. Neither were they allowed to use real machine guns! Pity! When they were taken over by AMG, all the special projects stopped. Perhaps they were just too frivolous for AMG's mentality. Dave

Hi Neddy, Thanks for the link. They look really good. There's a big market for classic cars - at least in appearance - these days. Says something about the original designs although it's a shame to have to go to Poland for the metalwork. After all, we were the originators of the English Wheel. Our son was involved in reproducing a very limited number of James Bond Aston Martins, although these were replicas as near to the original as possible (minus the more offensive weapons!). Makes me want a driving licence all over again (I had to surrender mine due to being diagnosed with progressive ataxia a few years back). Dave

Thanks Chris, glad you liked it. Thanks Steve. Most of the 1/43rd kits are resin or white metal or a combination of the two but Monogram tried to be a bit different and I think they got the 289 very nicely. The plastic allows for just that bit more delicacy. I'm not sure that 1/43rd ever took off as much outside of Europe and the US. France and the UK were the biggest makers but I liked the Southern Cross series of models from Australia. They were lovely kits and deserved to do much better than they managed to. Dave

Thanks desert falcon, Altogether a really nice and under-rated little kit and very easy to modify. Shame they didn't follow it up but commercial success ruled. Dave

Hi Cliff and thanks. If it hadn't been for the Mercedes promotional model, I could never have finished it. It was ready to go into the bin! Dave

Thank you desert falcon, I wish the real car was in my garage! The W154 certainly looks fearsome and fast - I think it's one of the best looking cars of its age. There aren't many kits of '30s GP cars in 1/43rd scale because resin was the preferred medium and the suspension was difficult to produce in that material which restricted the number of makers. Pity really. It deserves more attention. Dave

Thank you Toryu, Not a bad kit, considering its age. And never likely to be done again with a more modern kit which is a pity. Dave

Thanks Trevor, Yes, I was very disappointed with the Top Queens kit, especially as it wasn't cheap. The promotional model was a lifeline but of course, at a price. By combining the two kits, I could get the 154 but without the under bonnet detail which was there I'd paid for. At the time, there wasn't the fine series of models by Fernando Pinto in 1/24th or the 1/32nd slot cars by George Turner. Basically, I had no choice (other than the bin). Dave

Thanks Jorgen, Yes, everyone knows Carraciola and von Brauchitsch but Lang gets forgotten. The 154 is bit of a beast isn't it. A very impressive and fearsome looking beast at that. It manages to look the part brilliantly. Dave

Thank you. It proved quite expensive but worth it in the end. Pity about the engine but I rather like the brutal lines of the car. Dave