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Shelby Cobra, 1/43 Monogram Plastic Kit


Fastcat

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Hi

    For something like 15 or 20 years I played with 1/43 scale kits and over that period came to both love and hate them. I loved the variety and breadth of the scale but disliked how little research went into each model by the makers. There were a few exceptions to this, notably Renaissance and Marsh Models but generally it was a case of quantity rather than quality, although maybe not too surprising considering the output required to generate enough sales to make it worthwhile.

When Monogram announced a trio of kits in plastic they weren't particularly well received by collectors - they had no heft, they were too small and complex and worse - they were made of ................plastic. They didn't stay around for too long which was a pity because they were nice kits.

The Shelby Cobra was a 289 cu. ins. and was sold as a road or race version. I started mine and built the engine and chassis but abandoned it when something else took my fancy. I picked it up again when I came across a set of decals for three different versions of the early race cars by DMC who make a huge range of decals for a wide variety of subjects and scales. They were labelled as for a Cobra 427 but are definitely for the early race versions of the 289 as they are for wire wheeled variants only. I chose to do the car driven by Dave MacDonald because it was red. It needed a lot of scatchbuilding, mainly in the engine and cockpit and although I'd planned to use the kit wheels, I think I bought a set of Renaissance wheels in the end. And there is a full engine in there, but the bonnet (hood) is a bit stuck and I don't want to damage it! Anyway, I like it better with the bonnet closed.

 

 

P1040250 P1040249 P1040248 P1040246

https://flic.kr/p/2nPAJ5c

P1040244

 

P1040243 P1040241 P1040240

 

 

I had intended to do the white car of Ken Miles later but that never happened. Apologies in advance for some of the photos but I struggled with the depth of field and camera shake - the model's quite tiny, about 6 cms or 4".

 

Dave

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Thank you. It's a nice kit and lends itself to modification.

I forgot to say that it has a decent p/e sheet as well. Also, the windscreen is for the road version. Most of the race versions use a cut down single screen.

 

Dave

 

 

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Hi Keith,

                    Thank you.

You may be right. I seem to remember an American Muscle car but maybe the series stopped at two owing to their poor reception at the time. After 30 years and at my age, memory failure isn't totally unknown!

 

 

Thank you also Trevor and Kitkent. Anything that sets off a digging spree in the stash can't be bad!

 

 

Dave

Edited by Fastcat
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Hi Chris,

                   I'm sure he wouldn't mind!

 

Just as an afterthought, painted wire wheels can be simulated by spraying with matt clear rather than silver. Most silvers have too large a particle size for 1/43rd whereas matt clear, very lightly sprayed avoids that.

 

Dave

Edited by Fastcat
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Beautifully built model, especially in 1/43rd scale.  Lovely to see a representation of a 289, the more elegant and understated older brother of the 427 that everyone seems to produce.

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Hi Neddy and thank you.

It's amazing how often some subjects are overlooked in favour of lesser but more well known types. The Blower Bentleys are a case in point. But that's the way of things. The 289 was very much nearer to the AC that the Cobra came from and retains a lot of the elegance of its parent. I liked the fact that it originally kept the wire wheels from the AC but soon ditched them when the racing versions produced so much power that the wheels couldn't stand the strain.

Marsh Models produced the whole range at one time and they made really nice models. Renaissance also made  the AC. In 1/25th., AMT did the 289 which can be made into a nice model but it's hard work.

 

Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks desert falcon,

                                            Altogether a really nice and under-rated little kit and very easy to modify. Shame they didn't follow it up but commercial success ruled.

 

Dave

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That is a lovely little job there Dave. Its only since I started looking in on this forum I've become aware of 1/43 kits, not something we saw out here or maybe just not in my locale. I do agree with the sentiments above that the 289  is a more elegant, dare I say prettier beast than the 427 is & you've caught that look beautifully.

Steve.

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Thanks Chris, glad you liked it.

 

Thanks Steve. Most of the 1/43rd kits are resin or white metal or a combination of the two but Monogram tried to be a bit different and I think they got the 289 very nicely. The plastic allows for just that bit more delicacy.

I'm not sure that 1/43rd ever took off as much outside of Europe and the US. France and the UK were the biggest makers but I liked the Southern Cross series of models from Australia.

They were lovely kits and deserved to do much better than they managed to.

 

 

 

Dave

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@Fastcat, I'm also into 1:1 scale kitcars and have been for years.  On the Kent/Sussex border there's a well-respected company called Hawk Cars who produce very high quality and accurate replicas of several AC models including the original Ace, the 289 and the 427, using handcrafted aluminium bodies made to order in Poland as well as fibreglass bodies.  Their products are a joy to see and drive - have a look...

 

Hawk Cars

 

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Hi Neddy,

                           Thanks for the link. They look really good. There's a big market for classic cars - at least in appearance - these days. Says something about the original designs although it's a shame to have to go to Poland for the metalwork. After all, we were the originators of the English Wheel. Our son was involved in reproducing a very limited number of James Bond Aston Martins, although these were replicas as near to the original as possible (minus the more offensive weapons!).

Makes me want a driving licence all over again (I had to surrender mine due to being diagnosed with progressive ataxia a few years back).

 

 

Dave

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Ouch! You have my sympathies.  As a born and bred petrolhead I really feel your pain.

 

The story behind the Polish aluminium bodies is a fascinating one.  Gerry Hawkridge (owner of Hawk Cars) always wanted to get as close as possible to the originals but the cost of UK production was prohibitive.  However, he got wind of an aircraft factory in Poland lying idle ever since the fall of the Soviet Union and went to investigate.  He found a fully equipped factory and a number of very skilled workers all lying idle, fully skilled and experienced in the production of military aircraft-grade aluminium work.  The rest, as they say, is history...

 

It brings a whole new meaning to the term "MIG welding" though!

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