CliffB

This is looking very nice so far @Mjoo . What's your verdict on the clear resin parts? Cheers

I've now finished the basic construction and prepping of the running gear and interior, so have moved on to the 3D-printed body shell. The first job is to grind off the two spotlights (which I didn't have on my R12). Here's one gone and one remaining. I can already see that the radiator grille is going to be very difficult to get looking neat. Fortunately, it's pretty much all black so that should help to disguise any roughness . Cheers

That turned out well in the end Ray. Congratulations!

I'm sorry to hear that this one's turned into a bit of a 'mare, Craig. I'm sure you've made the right decision (for now at least ). Thanks for supporting the Group Build. Cheers

A bit of sunshine on this damp, dark morning!

A resounding success!

That's beautiful as always Julian. Congratulations! Cheers

Thanks @TimJ I wasn't going to add an engine to this one, but the 16 pieces on the Escort sprue looked too nice to ignore. So despite the fact that it's a Ford engine (not a Renault), and despite the fact that the bonnet will be sealed shut, here it is! On the Escort, the engine sits across the (imaginary) front axle, with the gearbox nestling behind, under the floor pan's transmission tunnel. On the R12 however, the engine is moved further forward so that it's the gearbox that straddles the front axle (because the car is FWD). To achieve this, I had to modify the Escort chassis rails. All good fun though Cheers

A nice touch with the shifter ball! Cheers

Thank you @81-er @Pete in Lincs and @mustang1989. It has been a very enjoyable Group Build Cheers

A Valiant would look nice in the High Wing GB, Adam .

Thanks Steve .

Hi @stevej60. I just wanted to ask whether there is any possibility of expanding the scope of the GB to include all classic US kit manufacturers? I have in mind Aurora, Lindberg and Pyro (I have an Aurora Triumph Spitfire kit that I'm desparate to build ). No problem if not, and either way I wouldn't want to see the GB's name changed! Cheers

Congratulations AW and it's nice to see that everything turned out so well in the end Enjoy your break. Cheers

I had a happy few hours with the Dremel yesterday, cutting out the floor pan of the R12 body and extending the one from the Escort. It's not pretty, but it seems to work! Cheers

I'm full of admiration for your glazing Tony. I'm just trying to do the same thing on another of my builds and it's not easy! Cheers

I guessing that all those corrugations don't help either . Hopefully, all will come good in the end! Cheers

I should perhaps say a few words about the Airfix Ford Escort kit that will be providing the underpinnings for my R12. Here's a shot of the sprues. The kit was first released in 1969, but still looks pretty good. If you go on eBay today you can buy a nice, original, boxed example for just £249.99 (or best offer). Fortunately, a year or two ago you could buy modern bagged examples (sans box and instructions), for just £5 a piece. There seemed to be a job lot doing the rounds. I bought just one - I should have bought more, as they're great for this sort of project. I've started by assembling the suspension. Using the Escort kit is an easy way of supplementing the R12 bodyshell, but of course it's not 100% accurate (nor probably even 50% ). The suspension is a good example. The Escort was a RWD car with leaf-springs at the rear, whereas the R12 was FWD with coil springs all round. To reflect this, I've made a few simple changes to the Escort kit to make it a bit more R12-like (without destroying the fit and structural integrity of the parts). I've sanded off the differential housing from the rear axle. I've cut off the rear half of each leaf spring and then lightly sanded the retained halves to make them look a bit more like swing arms. The result is obviously not perfect, but is adequate for what I'm trying to achieve . With the suspension in place, I've been able to loose fit the wheels and unfortunately this has confirmed that I'm going to have to extend the wheelbase of the floor pan slightly. Happy days! Cheers

Congratulations Tony on a beautiful Mustang and equally beautiful photography Cheers

Great work with the scissors Graham

@JOCKNEY, Should this be in the Bunfight list now Pat? Cheers

Excellent! It's nice to see this one underway Colin

Thank you @Spiny @TonyW @Stef N. @johnlambert and @TimJ. You're all too kind! To be honest, much of the credit must go to the Aurora parts, which were sharply moulded and went together perfectly Cheers

It looks great in the Gallery Chris . Have you got any plans for another Group Build? Cheers

OK, I'm on to this one full time now . As I mentioned before, I first needed to demonstrate to myself that I could sensibly glaze the car using acetate sheet (if not, the build would be a non-starter). 1. First, I traced round the windscreen opening using greaseproof baking paper. 2. I then placed a piece of clear acetate cover the tracing and traced it again. 3. Finally, I cut out the acetate shape. Amazingly, it fitted (just about), first time. This version is 'proof of concept' only (not the final job), but it's served its purpose of showing that it can be done! A pleasant surprise is that the acetate actually clips into the flange that's been moulded around the windscreen opening, thereby allowing the screen to hold its curve even without glue. Thumbs up to the designer . Cheers