TonyW

Well done on getting a decent result from a very difficult kit. I always admired the way Mercedes used those louvred panels instead of glass behind the driver. A clever styling trick that made the car look so much more two seater than it was.

A trip to the shed with a ruler brings tidings. The body is 25.5 cm long with a 15.5 cm wheelbase. The kit wheels are 22mm across and the kit tyres are 4cm high. I don't have dimensions for the real deal to work things out.

Thanks Graham. That copy of Aero Modeller shown at the top of the thread led me astray. The plan in there says DSG and EDSG. I had my doubts and winged it instead.

A few more steps on the road to completion to report. Cammo is now applied, two coats of each colour got the job done. Humbrol Extra Dark Sea Grey looked far to dark to me, so a suitable lighter version, also from Humbrol was substituted and I'm happy with the period look it gives. This build is never going to be about ultimate finesse or total accuracy, it's intended to be built as it may well have been back in 1959 or so. Once the paint had dried, transfers were tried. How poetic! They are a bit thick but still worked just fine after all these years. The prop blades have been given a coat of black and the spinner propped into place for the picture. I'm undecided about adding cockpit detailing at the moment. A bit would be nice, but I want to keep the period feel of the build. More paintwork should happen today, along with a bit of work on the undercarriage and rockets. The build is rolling along at its own pace and I'm rather enjoying it. I'll have to find another easybuild kit to replace it once it's finished.

A bit of self inflicted thread drift coming up... Check out the travesty that was the Airfix 'Customised' Cortina. A whopping great big box for a tiny model, bumped up to series four, instead of the original series one. Not one of Airfix finer moments, on many levels. It's very collectable these days.

Both are crossplys Pete. The Cortina ones are spoiled by the heavy raised sidewall script and the slightly rounded tread area. The new ones are much cleaner, having smooth sidewalls and a more square cut tread area with a subtle groove pattern. The look a bit like Blockleys and that's not a bad thing. They look right for the period as well.

This article in the Guardian is worth a look. The guy can certainly create a stunning building or two. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/feb/03/lovingly-reconstructed-miniatures-of-tokyo-houses-in-pictures

There was a big Ambulance kit as well Steve, A 1:16 scale Dennis AV Ambulance. Kit No F603. Flashing lights included. Lines Hellstrom book says it's a bit crude. I've never seen one.

And the plan took a major step forward today, with the arrival of a parcel containing six FROG tyres! A helping hand for the project, provided by Scott AKA @Jinxman. Thank you Scott, the build will be that much smoother thanks to your generosity. Surplus to Scotts requirements, just what was needed at this end. Life can be so good sometimes. First port of call was to check the sizes of what I have to play with now... The Cortina wheels were a baggy fit on five of the tyres and a tight fit on the last. The new tyres are much harder than the rubber ones that come with the Cortina, although still with a bit of give to them. They have a nice clean sidewall and a far better tread area. They are a tiny bit shorter than the black ones but the kit tyres looked a bit tall anyway. A far better tyre all round for the Cortina. Out with a length of plastic card and a bit of wide wheel banding took place. By George, I think I'm on to something here! There's a bit more to do on the wheel, but I'm pretty confident things are going to work. Thank you @Jinxman, you are a star. Tony.

Beautiful. That pretty much covers it really, just beautiful.

I'll be buttoning everything up, hood and trunk both glued in place. The engine is too toy like to be worth having on show and I'm not up for any scratch building in there. Likewise the boot. The boot lid has a terrible fit at the rear window edge and having things fixed in place makes dealing with that a lot easier. I thought of printing out a cross hatch pattern in circular form to sit between the wheel rim and hub cap to suggest the wheel trim. I would rather change the wheels though. I'm not aiming at a perfect replica here, more a build that reflects the car and the times I remember. Cortinas were everywhere when I was a teenager, they were the '55 Chevy of South London. I'll be keeping the Cortina vibe but with a bit of Jack the Lad South London teenager added to the mix. It won't be jacked up, that came at the far end of the seventies. A bit of lowering and a change of wheels should do the trick and keep things late sixties, early seventies looking. More Cars and Car Conversions than Custom Car. That's the plan at any rate.

Thanks Jeff. I like the Rustoleum colour, the spraying of the stuff is a different matter. It's very pigment heavy and sprays thick. It's probably more suited to a larger area than a model car body. I had the can on the shelf and added it to the picture. I bought it years ago, intending to use it on a Monogram 1:8 '32 Ford. If I go blue with the Cortina I'll use a finer paint. The kit wheels are bugging me, being rather toy like. Something will have to be done about that. There are a couple of options available and I'm waiting on the postman for one of them. I sat a couple of 1:18 Dodge Chargers against the Cortina to see how the 1:18 wheels measured up. They would do the job at a pinch as they are the same height as the Cortina ones, complete with nice fat tyres. The only fly in the ointment is the stud pattern, 5 stud Mopar, 4 stud Ford. Too eye catching for me. Not to worry, it made for a nice picture. The picture also shows the front seats have been removed and are now in a bleach bath to get the old paint off. The steering wheel has also had a bit of repair to the rim. .

I never thought I would ever see one of these models being built. It's a joy to be following along.

The Typhoon got pushed back a bit by the arrival of the Cortina also currently underway. The Typhoon itself has pushed back the Comet builds! Mission creep arrives early in the GB for me, yet again. The Typhoon is plane shaped now. The fuselage is buttoned up, wings and tailplane added and primer applied. There's a tiny bit of filling here and there still to do but cammo can't be far away.

A bit of assembly has taken place. Trial fitting of the parts showed nothing much to worry about, so a bit of glue got applied to the two sides, engine bay/wing top assembly and the rear panel. Once that had set a bit, the roof was added and the whole lot taped up tight, awaiting more tomorrow. The body is still de-mountable. It's taped to the chassis to hold things square while it dries. That Rustoleum blue might get a look in here... The Chrome parts are OK and I hope to be able to use them. The wheels are very toy like and the very distinctive Ban the Bomb tail lights look a bit thick. The jury is out on those for now. The glass bits are very thick indeed. There's a sliding driver door facility that might even work! The fit isn't bad, but I suspect I'll be adding much thinner glass. The problem then is the lack of interior detailing. More as it happens...

Raking around in my books and magazines hasn't exactly turned up a ton of Cortina related info. The internet helped a bit but seems limited to pictures of cars in showfields and for sale adverts. All useful to a point, although I'm not sure what I'm looking for! Zen and the art of Cortina building in progress here. Checking out the fit of the parts see's a few memories coming back of the one I owned. No pictures exist and it's probably just as well. Bought as a cheap daily driver in the eighties, it was brush painted bright red with blue flashes down the sides ala Lotus Cortina style. Stock as a rock and good right up to the next MOT test. There was never a thought as to keeping it or restoring it in any way, it was one of many cheap and cheerful old bangers I got through at the time. I have no desire to build a replica of that one! There's not much out there in the way of aftermarket additions, wheels especially. A set of Rostyles would be nice but size is an issue. 1.16 scale 13 inch wheels are a bit thin on the ground and I'm not sure I want to spend an age on sourcing them, only to find I don't like the look in the end. A 6J steel wheel with hub cap is achievable with what the kit provides if I band the kit wheels. The tyres would need a bit more width as well. I may well mold a set. A colour for the car needs deciding on as well. Resale Red is the obvious one but will be rejected for that very reason. White would be nice as well, if a bit sales rep. Adding a side flash and wider wheels would give it a look that was all over the streets of south London in my teens, lowered GT's were everywhere at that time. I'm leaning towards a bright, very sixties colour, wider steel wheels and tyres and a bit of lowering. A US color card has a few paint ideas that would fit the bill as well as being period. Caribbean Turquoise or Light Blue keep catching my eye...

This GB seems to generate thread drift by the bucket load, with me being one of the main culprits. It's all part of what makes GB's so engaging to me, long may it continue.

@Dave Homewood, I don't think it would be possible to get better reference pictures of such an obscure type! A real treasure trove of information. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I had exactly the same experience cutting the fuselage of my Comet build. Such a distinct aroma. Back to the Shell Welder, it's good to see a second build taking place, especially a converted/modified one. There are some classics starting to appear in the GB.

A chance find at an Auction over the weekend has given me the opportunity to add the FROG Cortina to the GB, and to my collection. Best I take full advantage of that situation then! Here's the kit as found. Had it not been started I would have kept it unbuilt. A bit of assembly makes it a builder though. I'll be removing the front seats and dash, both are very firmly glued in place. Once that's done a bit of a plan can be formulated for the build. .

The Victor is an FB, a bit early. The Cortina is an early one as well, with ribbon speedo and fluted dash pad. I've had a few Vauxhalls in the dim and distant past, a 2000 Auto FD. Two Fe's, a 2300 Estate and a saloon. I found Vauxhalls a bit slow compared to the equivalent Fords. A Ventora might have cured me of that , but I never had the chance of owning one. The FD's drove me crazy with the endless winding required for the door windows! About twelve full turns to completely drop the glass as I remember.

What a project! I'll be following along with plenty of interest.

Excellent work. It's convincing from every angle.

It's a two door on the box top Pat, but once you have parted with your cash and got it home from Gamages, you are delighted to find it's a four door. I couldn't inflict Lotus colours on a four door.

I've had a string of Cortinas over the years. A Mk 2 Super made for a decent enough parts hauler...