CliffB Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Hi all. I've just finished building this in the Platinum Jubilee Group Build - it's a 1952 XK-120. It's an 'Autocraft' kit, which was produced by a UK company called SMEC back in 1954. It's multi-media, featuring an acrylic body shell, diecast floor-pan/seating, and various plastic, metal and rubber detailed parts. Just for good measure, the supplied firewall is made of card. Assembly presented a few challenges, not least when the nearside front wing shattered as I attempted to drill out the holes for the headlights! All's well that ends well though and you can read all about it in my build thread, if you'd like to. The BRG paintwork is airbrushed Humbrol enamel. I must confess to a little orange peel in places! Cheers 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaulNanu Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Very nice result, congrats, this is a piece of history, even my parents were not born at that time lol! I think I would've had a heart attack if the kit would'e broken as it happened to you, you fixed it very well and is seamless in the end! Which color did you use for the interior? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Very neat work Cliff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 Thank you @RaulNanu and @JeroenS for your kind comments! 1 hour ago, RaulNanu said: Which color did you use for the interior? Raul, I used Tamiya XF-57 'Buff' overcoated with a soft satin varnish. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 That looks rather lovely Cliff! Scrubbed up really nicely for a kit 3 years older than me - it's aged a lot better too....!! 🤣 Really nice Jaaaaggg!! Keith 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Hi Cliff, That's a lovely result from not very promising beginnings. Nice colour and not too shiny. Great work and a really good model. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Very nice Jaguar, and a fantastic result if I think about it's age and the broken wing. I like the TVR shown in your Avatar too Marco F 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitkent Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Very nice Jaguar! I was around when this was released,though I’ve never heard of the company. It looks very smart,and accurate too,maybe better quality than Merit kits? Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Crikey! That's as old as me! It looks a lot more gorgeous and shiny though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 That's a superb result, but especially given the age of the kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 Thank you @keefr22 @Fastcat and @Anteater for your kind comments Cheers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 14 hours ago, Marco F. said: I like the TVR shown in your Avatar too Thank you Marco and well spotted! It's my 1978 3000S. Cheers 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 12 hours ago, Kitkent said: I was around when this was released,though I’ve never heard of the company. SMEC (Scale Model Equipment Company), was a new one for me too Chris. I believe that they only ever produced one kit - this XK-120. They were based in Steyning, which is a small village in Sussex, and coincidentally I found this video on YouTube. Precision Models (1959) - YouTube I'm sure there must be a connection between this gentleman and SMEC. Quite apart from the Steyning link, those machined wheels look identical to the ones on my XK. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 12 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Crikey! That's as old as me! It looks a lot more gorgeous and shiny though. I'm a couple of years younger than the kit but unfortunately the top of my head is just as shiny . 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Your TVR's a beauty Cliff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Fantastic! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 3 hours ago, CliffB said: It's my 1978 3000S. Now that's what you call a classic - absolutely lovely car Cliff! 👍 Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Oh yes a fantastic looking 3000s Marco f 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 (edited) Hi Cliff, SMEC actually produced other cars too. See here : Link . In fact I came across some of their kits on a second hand kit stall at Scale Modelworld only a couple of years ago. I took one look and thought that they represented too much hard work, at least for me and too highly priced for what was on offer. Your XK shows that they could produce a very nice result though. They did some very unusual cars, the streamlined HRG being so off the beaten track that no kit maker today would even look at it. I remember them when they became SME and turned to fine quality pickup arms for hi-fi. Quite an interesting engineering firm. Dave PS: I also found this : Link2 I think the link with Autocraft was a bit more unusual as it introduced a moulded body whereas SMEC more often used wood which was the material on the kits I saw. Also came across this : Link3 Looks like the Jag was rare. Edited September 15, 2022 by Fastcat I pressed the "submit" button faster than I thought I was capable of! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 Thank you for the links @Fastcat (although I couldn't get the first one to open). It's all very interesting stuff and I've learnt a lot. On reflection, it does look as though the snippet that I'd picked up about the XK being SMEC's only kit, was actually referring to it being their only plastic bodied kit (of a kind that us spoilt modellers of today would recognise!). It's interesting to see that the kit's instructions carried a warning about the plastic body being brittle and to take care when drilling it. If only I'd had a set of instructions included with my second-hand 'box of bits'! Cheers 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 (edited) New link Don't know what happened there. But it's only a link to the book. Dave Edited September 15, 2022 by Fastcat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 On 9/15/2022 at 7:48 AM, CliffB said: I'm a couple of years younger than the kit but unfortunately the top of my head is just as shiny . Funny how we are not really loosing our hair when we get older, somehow it just tends to grow a bit lower 🙄 Both your Jag and not least your TVR are looking wonderful 🥰 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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