A couple of F1's, a Gran Torino, and a Motorbike.

[Briggers]

Heres a few models ive made over the last 6 months or so.

First up, two Tamiya F1 kits, the 1/20 scale Ferrari 640 and Williams FW11.
The Ferrari went quite well, only really the nose doesnt quite fit properly, it doesnt quite meet up with the panel surrounding the suspension arms.
I used Halfords Vauxhall Flame red, looks ok but im not really bothered if its not 100% right.
The Marlboro decals with Mansells name on were plain with no "marlboro" on them so i printed some on decal paper and added it, looks much better imo.
Im still getting to grips with spraying paint and theres some signs of orange peel.
Also added a few photo etched screw heads to the side panels for a bit of realism.

The Williams gave me alot more trouble. Firstly the panels around the front suspension leave unsightly gaps so i decided to do as ive seen others do and stick these to the main body and fill the gaps, then cut down the suspension in half.
After lots of sanding i think i got it right, not really noticable.
The biggest problem were the decals, the originals had yellowed slightly on the white so i bought a set from Indycals, these werent so great.
I had major trouble trying to get the decal flat enough with no creasing around the small bumps above the suspension and i probably made an error as they didnt quite fit together right.
So i decided to leave the original ones in the sun for a few days to try and bleach the white bits. I then stripped the decals and applied the tamiya ones.
These were much better and although i never got them prefect even after tons of microsol im happy with them.
Last problem was the engine cover, its a bit warped and doesnt quite sit right. As someone pointed out to me i shouldve checked at the start
I tried putting it on and holding down with a rubber band and it helped a bit but you live and learn.
Also i used a Tamiya photoetched seat belt set and a few PE screw heads on the rear wing to cover the join points.

Ive decided to do a TV cars theme and i started with Revells Starsky & Hutch Ford Gran Torino(1/25).
A nice little kit with not majorly over detailed but some nice dashboard decals to give a woodgrain look, the stripe was in 3 parts and a bit tricky to get lined up.
I made a mistake with the headlights and the glass clouded up.
But here it is, again im still happy with it .

To go with the TV theme i have a Aoshima LA chips kawasaki 1000 police bike, ive never done a motorbike and want to do it justice so i thought id buy another bike to practice on first.
So i bought the Tamiya Yamaha XV1000 as its quite cheap. The instructions say to paint the fuel tank and side panels maroon but i wanted to do something different, as you can see.
The only problem with doing the stars and stripes would be the stars. But my mrs makes hand made greetings cards and happened to have a die that popped out some stars, although not perfect and they are rounded on the ends rather than sharp i think it looks ok.(although im not sure if i put too many stars on?)

So thanks for viewing. (And if you read all that, well done )

[Caution Wake Turbulence]

They look good to me - all very neat! :-)

[Natter]

Worth the read! Lovely models, the Virago is nicely 'different' and I have a bit of a soft spot for Gran Torinos.

[Spad]

Love 'em all though the Williams for me is the hottie in there!

And, yes, I did read it all!

ATB
Rick

[Hugh Jampton]

Great builds, the 640 is the most beautiful of cars, had one when I was a kid and didn't do it justice, that can't be said for yourself.

Regards

John