Mike Dean

That's a one shot paint job. I can't see this taking you very long! Nice load of bombs and rockets too. Semper Fidelis!

The engine, including the front half of the gearbox, is just shy of 4cm. And you're right, I'm taking this seriously

There are 13 steps on the instruction sheet, and I'll post as each section is completed. Some will be done out of sequence, but most will be done as per the instructions. I'm going to modify the kit a bit, though this might change if things get a bit iffy. So in the words of Deputy Dawg, "let's get on with the show". Section 1. Engine The engine is a pretty good facsimile of a "straight 8", but it could do with some help in the detail department, as I want to display it with the bonnet open. There is some pipe-work for the cooling system that has been omitted, but the spares box should provide all I need. Here is the exploded diagram from the instruction sheet with my written details and various colours called out. The actual engine is the brown blob bottom right! After a weekend of building and detailed painting, it's looking pretty chipper. I've added black rod to the engine top to simulate ht lead covers, filed off and added a better flywheel at the front end of the engine, and added a fan belt from said flywheel to the cooling fan, not that you can see it very well. The extra cooling pipes will be added much later once the engine and radiator are mounted on the chassis (section 12). The exhaust has also been painted, but not glued to the engine at this stage.

Even Herr Gruber would be proud of that "little tank"!

The second issue Hurricane (PK-49) and the Revell Matchbox issue Jaguar T2 (40107) also have 6 sqn markings. Quite a family gathering.

As a pre-amble to this build, here's a bit of background research that I have done on the actual car. First up is the blurb from the front of the instruction sheet: In 1929, The Packard Motor Car Co. of Detroit built 55,000 cars, all "straight-8's". It outsold Cadillac 3:1 and earned $25,000,000 in the process! Packard was the undisputed leader of the luxury car field and was known everywhere in the world as the symbol of wealth and success. It was the car of film stars and Kings. The 6th series cars were introduced on the 1st August 1928 and many of the longest chassis were ordered by clients to be fitted with custom coachwork. Colour schemes were also a personal choice, as the luxury car was made for the individual buyer and not to a factory schedule. The best known coachbuilder was Dietrich Inc., of Detroit, and this convertible (2 doors, 4 seats) is one of only 2 of this style known to have survived. The Packard Victoria provided fast, luxurious transportation and is one the most eagerly sought after "Classic" cars. The key points here, are that each Packard was built to individual order, with custom coachwork and a colour scheme decided by the buyer. Bespoke car manufacturing at its finest. The other key statement here is "this convertible (2 doors, 4 seats) is one of only 2 of this style known to have survived". Being so rare, you'd think they'd be loads of pictures of these two rare cars. On the box art, Roy Huxley has painted his version with the licence plate "XV 1543", and a Google search has brought up nothing. Back in the late 80's Matchbox released some of these car kits (including the Packard) in Germany in a special "Car Classique" range, which included a tube of glue, a metal lapel pin and a small booklet (in German) with pictures of real cars in the "Car Classique" range. The picture of the Victoria in the booklet has the licence plate "620 WJH". Having Googled that, I found one picture of it from a motor racing event at Oulton Park in 1973. Here are the book (top) and Oulton Park 1973 pictures. Link to the Oulton Park picture. http://hyde1841.blogspot.com/2019/06/ Other than those two, I have found one other b&w picture from the period, which states it as a "prototype". It is certainly unusual as it is a two-door, four-seater with windows for the rear passengers. You can find plenty of pictures of a four-door four-seater with rear passenger windows, or a two-door four-seater but without the rear passenger windows. Where "620 WJH" is now, I know not. And what/where is the other one "of 2"? Finally, some stats: Series: 645, model number 1601 (Convertible Coupe, 2 door/4 passengers) body by Dietrich Year: 1929. Wheelbase: 145.5" Engine: Packard deluxe individual custom eight, 9 bearings, 6300cc, 106bhp. Gearbox: 3 speed, top speed 85mph. Weight: 2.5 tons Price when new: $3,350. (not sure if this includes the bespoke coachwork). Enough jibber-jabber, on with the build (shortly).

Not so fast there, inspector. I'll probably be doing a few infills of the ones that haven't been done, and who deserve a place in the limelight. It's a bit early to start doubling-up.

I think I have a spare set of decals for PK-16. Let me check and I'll post here if I manage to locate them. Mike

I've got an original MB version in the "to build" stash, and was possibly going to sneak mine into this GB if no-one else had the inclination. I still might yet, seeing as you're going for the Kiwi version. I had a chance to see a real one when the RN was still operating the Wasp, and I wondered why on earth we still had Wasp's when we could buy these "off the shelf". Then the Lynx came along. 'Nuff said. For such a large kit, the detail is disappointingly sparse, so anything you can add to it, is going to make a postive difference. Good luck.

I was watching recently "Abandoned Engineering" on Yesterday tv, which showed the abandoned Packard factory in Detroit. A once mighty, very exclusive business, completely wiped out after poor designs and consequently poor sales post WWII. They turned their factory over to war production building Merlins, but never moved with the times fast enough afterwards.

This is what the finished kit looks like: There are very few pictures of the real thing, as I'll explain as we go along. Looking forward to the kick-off

All opened up and checked complete, although the yellow body is warped and cracked, although that shouldn't present a problem. Not a lot of parts, and most of the chrome parts won't be chrome on completion, but I'm hoping to do a few modifications that should make it quite pleasing to look at.

One of my favourites. Looking forward to seeing what you do with (to) it.

More work involved?? That's nearly finished, seeing as there won't be an engine involved! Get on with it man, and less of the whinging........ That guy with the Chicago Piano is a mean looking dude.

That's the spirit. You know it makes sense! It is supposed to be a bench clearing excercise after all. I might add a few myself. You see what you've gone and done now?

👍 It would be great to see the Gangbusters all together.

Put me down for the TF-104G (PK-40) as well. It's already sitting on my desk, and if I put it back on a shelf it will stay there. Best get it done whilst it's in front of my nose.

I like that yellow for the Gangbuster '28 Lincoln. Is that a Tamiya colour? I need that exact colour for the my Packard Victoria in the Matchbox GB starting soon. Mike

I'll kick off with PK-451, the Packard Victoria. I have 150-odd other Matchbox kits to choose from, but this will do for starters. I already have a built unpainted one (see below), but a bagged, cheap buy last year got me a builder to paint as per the box top. There may be other builds later, to fill in gaps that others haven't done.

OK, it must have been the beer goggles then! BTW, that's a crackin' line up. Hard to pick a favourite (but definitely the yellow one).

Is it me, but having followed this build from day one, does it look to you that the wheelbase of the white one is longer than the blue one? Probably an optical illusion caused by the different paint schemes, easily fixed by those beers! Cheers, and well done.

Phew, that was a close one! Looking good from where I'm sitting, but I'm guessing that I shouldn't get too close to the black one though? Shame about the windscreen, but I'm sure you'll get around to fixing it (eventually). The white one has an "Indy Pace Car" look about it, which I quite like. Well done on both. Mike

🕛😓 Yikes! You'll be fine...........

My post was a bit of an awkward play on words for seeing so many old Mustangs (ponies) in one picture, not a slur on your lack of progress. No offence intended.

What a load of old Pony........😉 Six builds?! That's going to make one impressive group shot.