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1/32 Airfix Jag 420 ++Finished++


CliffB

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Hi all.

 

If 2020 hadn't already been bad enough, Airfix decided to add to my misery by announcing the re-release (in 2021), of their long discontinued Jaguar 420 kit ;).

In an attempt to alleviate lockdown fever, I had spent much of 2020 acquiring old Airfix car kits, some of which were quite expensive.  The Jag 420 was a case in point.  Overnight, the value of my investment had plummeted :doh:

 

It could have been worse.  Because I was buying to build (rather than to collect), I was able to keep the cost down by choosing non-perfect examples - and so it was that I came to own this kit.

 

P1120138.JPG

 

My example is actually an American MPC version of the Airfix kit, but without a box lid and without the 'go faster stripe' decals that these versions had.  A few of the original parts were missing, but the vendor had replaced these using old bits salvaged from other kits (you can see some of the yellowed parts in the photo).

 

I thought I should take the opportunity to get some pleasure from this kit before it loses it's rarity value - so here it is in the GB!

It'll be next month before I start this build, but I am genuinely looking forward to it :winkgrin:.

 

For those who may be interested, here's a link to the missing box art.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

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It is not my usual fare, but I'm watching this because weirdly enough this is a car I'd want to model. Just like the E-type is one of those.

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17 hours ago, Brad said:

Welcome, ah yes, the old curse of buying that OOP kit only to have it reissued or a new kit made. I did the same with the old Testors RSO artillery tractor!

 

Thanks for the welcome Brad.  It looks like the Group Build should be particularly varied and interesting :thumbsup2:

 

9 hours ago, alt-92 said:

It is not my usual fare, but I'm watching this because weirdly enough this is a car I'd want to model. Just like the E-type is one of those.

 

Just looking at the parts (apparently there are 114 of them), it looks like it should be a fun build.  There's quite a lot of detail for the scale, particularly with the running gear and engine.  The opening bonnet is actually hinged too, which is not that common with Airfix kits.  IIRC the RRP for the re-release is about £11.99, so it could be worth a punt.  Probably a better bet than Airfix's E-Type!

 

6 hours ago, nimrod54 said:

That should be a lovely model once you have worked your magic Cliff.

 

Thanks John.  I think the most important success factor will be the choice of colour!  The instructions suggest a gold bodywork, with red interior, which to be honest doesn't really appeal to me.  I'll have a look online and see what other colour combos are out there.

 

Cheers

 

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Great choice Cliff

Unusual that Airfix chose the 420 rather than the traditional Mk 2, that with a choice of different bumpers would have covered a lot more cars and owners looking to replicate their real cars.

Best of luck with this one.

cheers Pat

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Thanks for your comments @stevej60 @TimJ @Thom216 @Bengalensis and @JOCKNEY :thumbsup2:

 

I was just having a quick look the kit again and was puzzled by the transparent red parts.  It turns out that they are stands for a scenic backdrop that was printed on the side of the box lid.  You can see what I mean at the bottom of the instructions.

 

spacer.png

 

You can also see the design of the psychedelic body stripe decals that were provided with this version of the kit :hypnotised:.

 

Cheers

 

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2 hours ago, CliffB said:

You can also see the design of the psychedelic body stripe decals that were provided with this version of the kit :hypnotised:.

 

Cheers

 

 

I'm not sure Sir William Lyons would have approved, it doesn't really go with Grace Space and Pace !

 

Cheers Pat 

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  • 2 months later...

I've just finished my 'anything but injection' build and my Texan's in the paint shop, so I've no excuses now for not making a start on this 420.

 

This MPC boxing provides plated parts, so my first task was to strip these using oven cleaning gel.  I'll being re-finishing most of them using Alclad in due course.  If you look closely at the middle of the sprue, you can just make out the pouncing jaguar statue for the front of the bonnet :coolio:.   In case you're wondering, many of the plated parts (including the sump!), had been taken off the sprue by a previous owner.

 

P1120448.JPG

 

I mentioned before that this kit had been cobbled together using a mixture of new and salvaged parts.  Most of these are OK, but a few will require some refurbishment - nothing too difficult though.

 

P1120449.JPG

 

Of more concern is the quality of the body shell.  There are several ugly seam lines to remove, along with some shrinkage.  The areas around the headlamps are particularly messy and will be a little tricky to repair.

 

P1120451.JPG

 

On a more positive note, I've started to build up the engine and so far it's gone together nicely.

 

P1120450.JPG

 

Cheers

 

 

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I bought two of these last year (one Airfix and one MPC) for a lot of money. Not that I begrudge Airfix re-releasing the kit again as I was prepared to pay the money at the time. Anyway, I can build a re-release and keep my pristine boxings for another time.

 

Dave

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3 hours ago, davecov said:

I bought two of these last year (one Airfix and one MPC) for a lot of money. Not that I begrudge Airfix re-releasing the kit again as I was prepared to pay the money at the time. Anyway, I can build a re-release and keep my pristine boxings for another time.

 

Dave

 

Unfortunately, by boxless collection of bits has absolutely no residual value now that the re-release has been announced!

 

I'm interested that you've got both the Airfix and MPC boxings Dave.  Do you know how the quality of the moulding compares?  I've got a couple of other MPCs (Capri and Rapier), and I just feel that the moulding quality on the bodies and glazing is quite poor.  I've never been able to make a direct comparison with the equivalent Airfix kit though.

 

Cheers

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Cliff, although my MPC Jaguar white parts are still in a sealed bag, I can tell that the mouldings are no different to the Airfix one. Even the flash is very similar. As for the tranparencies of each boxing, they are both very good (the MPC ones are the better of the two) when compared to the Airfix Mini, Victor Estate, Lotus Cortina, Sunbeam Rapier, Zephyr Zodiac and MG 1100 that I built last year. All of those suffered from very thick, ill-fitting transparencies.

 

Dave

 

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Thanks Dave, I'll stop fretting then.

Purchase-wise, I'm just after a Marina now.  I'm having some second thoughts though, given the re-issues.  I may give it a few years - like you, I've no shortage of kits to build in the meantime ;)

 

Cheers

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I'm sure they will re-issue the Marina - if only because it was the most expensive Airfix 1/32 car I have ever bought. I paid £35 more for that than I did for the Airfix 1/24 James Bond Aston Martin DB5.

 

Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for an update I think.

 

First up I finished the engine, which was fun and relatively easy to do.

 

P1120462.JPG

 

 

Since then though, I've been prepping the body shell which has been more of a chore.

Amongst other things, this has required the firewall and rear seat to be fitted to the floorpan.  Getting these two right is critical for a good body shell fit.

 

P1120461.JPG

 

 

Unusually for Airfix, the kit's opening bonnet also has working hinges.  I'm not normally a fan of openable panels on 1/32 model cars (the shut lines always seem to be too big). but I thought I'd make an exception in this case out of respect for the hinges!  It took me a while to get there, but I'm now reasonably happy with how things are looking.  I've decided to paint the car a gunmetal metallic colour, which will hopefully further disguise the gaps :winkgrin:

 

P1120460.JPG

 

Cheers

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11 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

That looks great. I’m very much looking forward to that re-release! Having just finished Tom Karen’s excellent autobiography, I’m wishing hard for the Bond Bug to follow next year…

best,

M.

 

Thanks M.  I must admit that I had to Google Tom Karen, but I'm glad that I did.  I shall look out for his book :thumbsup2:.

Unlike you, I would be extremely unhappy should Airfix re-release their Bond Bug ;)!

 

P1120464.JPG

 

Cheers

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I acquired two Bond Bugs last year so I guess that is another certainty to be re-released by Airfix in due course.

 

Dave

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This morning, I've been working on the running gear.  20 parts in total, all of which required quite a bit of cleaning up but ultimately went together OK.

 

P1120465.JPG

 

Some elements would probably benefit from individual painting, but I'll just be spraying the whole of the underside black.

 

Cheers

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Whats worse than buying kits that get re released? Building Vacforms that get released as injection kits!

So far 1/48 Javelin, TSR2 and Sea Vixen (Dynavector released by Airfix), Meteor marks (Classic Airframes released by Airfix), Gloster E39,,etc

Brings tears to my eyes!

 

 

Lovely Jaguar 

 

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11 hours ago, Colin W said:

Whats worse than buying kits that get re released? Building Vacforms that get released as injection kits!

So far 1/48 Javelin, TSR2 and Sea Vixen (Dynavector released by Airfix), Meteor marks (Classic Airframes released by Airfix), Gloster E39,,etc

Brings tears to my eyes!

 

 

Lovely Jaguar 

 

 

You're right Colin, it's a constant occupational hazard!  Even amongst injection moulded kits, new releases can sometimes maker older versions obsolete overnight. It's all part of the fun!

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