Paul H

Whilst I agree regarding the box art, the actual plastic may be ok, once stuff like a long coat has been added. It was the least inappropriate of the ones that turned up in the search!

According to this article, Saga's one is a '77 911S & the pics show that it has noticably narrower / less flared arches than the ones shown in the link about Revell's releases. My detail knowledge of 911s & variants isn't that high but guessing it's a lower spec model compared to the SC / 3.2, hence the narrower rear wheels & arches? I didn't used to like the impact cars much as well, but they have grown on me too! However it's the more upright US Federal spec headlights which are also seen on some that have been imported back from the States that I really hate because they really spoil the lines. Over a decade ago, a cousin was making serious noises about getting a pre-impact 911, but by the time he had the necessary cash, they had risen far too much in value. I did suggest an impact one to him instead which would have been very much in his price range, and would have been a far more sensible option anyway as it would be parked on the street in London. However he just didn't like them, so that was it. I think they have gone up a lot in value recenty too, whereas whichever modern flashy thing he bought instead would not have done!

Ditto, however since I started using acrylics instead of enamels, I have found it much easier, since any mistakes can now be dealt with much more easily & without damaging the paintwork.

Really impressive work, and thank you for documenting it in such detail, especially all the details and upgrades that you are adding.

Been following this with great interest & hope Tamiya will rerelease this kit soon. What resin is it that you are using to attach the glass?

Just found this thread on here regarding building '70s Porsches in vile green using the Fujimi kits: I was originally thinking that too. Given that the FHC kit seems to have an OTS height screen, I was expecting the OTS to be spot on & thus a must-have. However the pic of the completed kit still doesn't seem to look right for some reason (screen height vs width) so I am waiting for more info on that before making a decision. In the meantime I have Gunze's 4.2 OTS curbside and Heller's 3.8 OTS & FHC which will keep me busy. The end result may well be a bit of a mix and match between them, but the plan is that some of the leftovers will become the basis for a Guyson E12.

Indeed - I've always been a fan of Heller's classic car kits & it is great to see so many being built on this forum! The more I look at these two, the more I realise how impressive both the original kits and also Matt's building of them are. How about their Range Rover 2 door to go with the XJS?

I'm pretty sure that the US stuff shown is just Revell AG boxings of what were Revell USA kits, so are indeed probably the Monogram ones. It's good to see more of these being available over this side of the pond as then they are much more senisble prices. That '70 Charger is starting to look very tempting now... I know what you mean about the narrow body - even with the 964, the really narrow body ones were much more interesting than the wide arch ones. If the new Revell one is indeed the slightly wide rear arch version as shown in the pics, then whilst annoying, it isn't too different. Just hoping it does indeed have the Fuchs wheels rather than one of the other styles. Also a quick look on Scalemates shows that there is quite a range of 1:24 figures available & this one looks like it could be a good basis for adapting into a Swedish detective.

I know! In particular, I have a strong urge to build the 911 coupe in a sickly light green with Swedish numberplates. I think it's due to some of my more Aspergic tendacies...

Seconded & fully agree. My automotive display cabinet, workbench & to do pile are all very much a mix of different eras and types of cars, and I just build whichever particular car I like, which includes quite a lot of classic '50s & '60s American cars. I much prefer forums where they are all together, to the extent that I've stopped posting on a couple of other model car forums because it is too fragmented, and only occasionally still browse on one of them if only because the review / preview section is excellent.

Lovely work! I saw your build thread for this and the 'Sud on another forum & was looking forward to seeing the final results. Comparing to your comments about the CX, these later ones look like excellent kits, especially given the age. Have you also built any of the older ('50sish) cars that Heller also do in this scale? Wondering if they are to this same high standard.

Ha!!! I'm in a similar position with the 1967 Volvo Amazon estate that is lurking under a cover at the side of the house outside my kitchen window... It is currently on sabbatical following MOT failure about five years ago (both the engine & dashboard need to come out to fix everything properly) having been my everyday car for the previous 14 years but it is currently in even more disgrace as it currently refuses to start. This is most un Volvo like behaviour, and am still troubleshooting why the engine won't turn over. However I've only this evening found a replacement starter motor for a bargain price so hopefully that will resurrect it. It is already half restored so it will go again - the only issue is when, as it is an extremely useful workhorse. In the meantime, it makes good overflow storage from the garage...

Details here of Revell's 2021 releases: https://www.kitreviewsonline.de/revell-neuheiten-2021/ Highlights include: Expected E Type OTS version of the new FHC confirmed Camper version of the already announced / known easy click VW Bay Window Porsche 911 Coupe & Targa - confirmed as new tooling, not reissues / reboxings of Fujimi

It's often best to have a search online for pics of rusty real ones - this will show most accurately where particular cars suffer from rust, in particular where the bodyshell is likely to be perforated by corrosion and thus take the guess work out of what to make it look like. However, with Beetles, many just show heavily sun bleached & worn paint with resulting surface rust like you have shown so far, as that look is popular on these cars.

Having read your post about this in the recently bought kits section, I've been looking forward to your build thread! Also sounds like excellent service from SE Finecast, which is confidence inspiring

Couldn't agree more on both counts! This colour scheme makes it look more like the older, pre-Routemaster double deckers to my eye & thus far more of a period piece. However, perhaps that is because as someone who has lived in London previously, I didn't know that anywhere else had used the Routemasters & thus always associate an open rear platform red double decker as a London bus and since it wasn't that long ago that they were finally phased out, I don't see the red London ones as especially interesting.

Lovely work Matt - especially impressive given the size. I hadn't fully appreciated how small it is until your final pic! I don't remember the A310 when new, but read the roadtests of its final incarnation, the A610 at the time and recall them as rating it very highly. It's a pity that these cars are usually so overlooked (especially in the UK), including by model companies. Now that is a modern car kit I would be very excited by - come on Tamiya, it would make a fab combo with the classic A110!

With the right background, that would pass for the build up of a real E Type front subframe!

Hood up or down is usually easy - most of the time those parts just rest in place, so can be swapped over at whim. Aoshima's MG B is a prime example, with the half tonneau, hood cover and hood up parts all being easily removed and switched. I'd be surprised if the Revellogram XK120 is not the same. However, were they ever offered with wires as a road car, or did that wait until the 140, and then become a popular retrofit mod? I've only seen period photos of non racing ones (and even several of NUB120 - guess these are early pics) on steels. A friend of my uncle has a black 120 on wires but everytime I see it, I think how much better it would look with the spats. I know that the vast majority of Mk2s had steels when new, as was also the case with most MG & Triumph sports cars. Having always had the job of cleaning the 18" wire wheels on the 1937 Riley my father had when I was a child, I have an intense dislike of them unless they were the only wheel fitment. I can just about forgive the wires on my uncle's MGA as at least they are painted not chrome - did try to get him to paint them the interior colour without luck - did look very smart in the photoshopped image though (colour is Dove grey with oxblood interior). Tamiya wires may be a bit big for the 120 - I have a recollection of not being happy with them when trial fitting. Aoshima's MG ones may be ok, despite the real life size difference (the rubber bumper version of the MG also comes with ROstyle wheels but can still be built with chrome bumpers). Happy to dig these out and take some photos if that's of any help? Wasn't aware of that level of body mods on the 140 - thought it was more a visual update with the big bumpers (was thinking of modifying a set from a parts bin Tamiya Mk2), tweaked grille and bigger tail lights to modernise the appearance in line with their other products. The plan with the Mk10 was to use the 120 hubcaps but since I have started using Molotow chrome pens, the supplied resin parts may be ok. If so, one set may end up on my unbuilt Tamiya Mk2 instead. The wheels themselves and tyres will be a case of what fits and looks right, even if not strictly faithful to scale. That's all still a long way ahead though as I need to push my modelling & scratch building skills further to build it and my various other Air Trax kits to the standard that my OCD can accept*. The aforementioned parts bin Mk2 and also a parts bin Heller E Type will probably be the main parts donors for the running gear & suspension, as well as various other detail parts. *This is a particular issue with the Volvo Amazon estate kit, as I have owned a full size one for the last eighteen years (it was in the family for another eight years prior to that), so know exactly what everything should look like...

Is that just versions of the XK120 OTS itself, or are you including things such as conversion to DHC, FHC or even an XK140? I've a few of these as well - at least one will definately be a spatted steel wheel & hubcaps build. Whilst later Jag sportscars look ok on wires, I've always thought that the 120 looks best with the full rear spats. Haven't decided exactly what to do with the others though, but one will probably be losing its wheels & hubcaps to an Air Trax Mk10. However I might also have to convert a Tamiya Mk2 into a Mk1 with full rear spats to match the first 120 too...

That looks lovely! Always liked this generation of the SL more than any other version so fantastic to see one of these built. I just wish that there was a 1:24 one too as my OCD struggles with differing scales.

In this case, it would be a Riley Imp, MPH or Lynx Sprite. I suspect that my MG kit will be the basis of an Imp or MPH (possibly both if I can find another kit for the right money). I also have the 1:16 SS Jaguar 100 kit, which I also bought for this - size wise, that is probably better suited to become a Lynx Sprite. I'm not intending to go the full Wingrove, hence needing the donor kits for things like wire wheels & tyres, as well as numerous other bits & pieces. No doubt the chassis will be modified rather than fully scratch built too, but I haven't finished creating all the drawings yet.

I reckon you have struck a good balance there with the weathering - it has the look of a much used but also looked after car, which I think suits this sort of vehicle well. I have one of these too, but I suspect that it will end up being used as the donor for a project that I have in mind which is to build one of my favourite prewar cars.

That looks beautiful! Great detail too. Out of interest, which kit is this?

Thank you - that's definately answered any queries!! I've quite a few ideas for scratchbuilding various projects, including complete car models so based on this, that printer is definately up to the job!