Jo NZ

Nooo! Don't put metal in the microwave!

Have you tried Matte Medium to fix the sand? It dries matt and is also easier to remove than PVA if you get it wrong. I used it years ago for railway ballast, and if you need to modify or shift the track it just scrapes off - not like PVA!

It was hard enough for me getting a Monza body to fit the chassis, and remove all the moulding distortion. This is on another level. If you hadn't already done so much work on the rear, would it have been possible to insert a wedge along the centreline of the rear deck?

Looks like an awesome kit of my favourite Ferrari (no I'm not a Ferrari nut!) I built the 1/43 Bosica version a long time ago, I don't think I could do it now. Here's a pic...

Yes, wish I could do scale cobwebs like that

The front axles do droop over time. Think about reinforcing the axle with a piece of metal in the slot. Or possibly go for the Model Motorcars version....

From the way it looks, I think that you could get away with reassembly with a little CA and a judicious touch up with white or black if it's needed. You say it will be wall mounted, so won't be scrutinised too carefully - it is, after all, a display model and not a detailed replica. Perhaps a local modeller could help to fix it? As for the steering wheel, have you asked Amalgam for a replacement? - they may be able to help you here. BTW it's very nice!

S.R. refers to Southern Region. Humbrol still make a Malachite Green in their rail colours.

Pochers post better if you remove the wheels....

S.R. refers to Southern Region. Humbrol still make a Malachite Green in their rail colours.

Glad to be of help! One other thing - I screwed the rim parts together at every step (not just clamped), that enables checking that the assembly fits together without gaps. My rims are in red plastic. My green workshop carpet looks red by the time I've finished 5 rims.... There's a lot of plastic to get rid of. If you look at my picture again - I turned down the top of the tyre valve to get a more realistic profile.

Here's a pic of one of my wheels - see what you think. Incidentally the tyres are Pocher, matted down with about 20 minutes rubbing with a Scotchbrite pad.

I've also modified the assembly for the Alfa wheels. To start with, I made a tap for the 1/16" Whitworth screw threads by soldering a long Pocher screw into a piece of hex tube. By setting the tube on alternate flats it's possible to file 3 slots into the thread - good enough to tap plastic. I pre-assembled the wheel rims step by step, filing back the plastic parts to the level of the metal rings. When the assembled wheel is painted, it's difficult to see the joins, and the rim looks much more of a single piece. There's also a better orientation for spoking the middle row, if you don't have this let me know and I'll dig it out....

I've recently dumped my land line because the only calls were from "Windows" help desks, telling me my computer was running slow. Usually I reply with my best string of English expletives, but occasionally I'll play them along. E.g. But I don't have Windows, I've got a Mac (or "will this work with Linux") "Are you from Microsoft" gets an instant and wordy response "no, we're nothing to do with Microsoft, we represent Windows" I don't have a computer I'm an IT professional, your IP address is being geo-tracked and the police will be there in half an hour. We've been waiting for your call. (Usually gets a note of panic going) I wanted to find out what it's all about - they guide you to an error register and tell you that it's all viruses slowing down your computer. Getting to that requires a few key presses, including the "Microsoft" key. My gaming PC still uses a 20 year old server keyboard (marked "Digital" which gives some indication of it's age), and it doesn't have that key. So the conversation went ....."Press the Microsoft key and F" I don't have a Microsoft key... You must have, it's on every keyboard" Can't find it... It's on the bottom row of keys, on the left" Still can't find it... "It MUST be there" Nope (Getting frustrated now) "Can you read out the keys on the bottom, row, left to right" OK: Ctrl, Alt,Spacebar, Alt, Ctrl "You missed the Windows key - it's got a little picture of a window with wavy lines" Sorry, haven't got one "I don't believe you" etc. ...at which point, having wasted about 15 minutes of his time, I called it a day....

That reminds me of the guy who opened up a speedometer to clock it and found a note saying "Not Again!"