Subisidiary to Meng GT40

 Excitement all round. I have just finished watching Ford v Ferrari with Matt Damon and Christian Bale. 

Very enjoyable. However, I am a big fan of this 1966 Le Mans and the ending didn't quite get it right! Ken Miles didn't cross the line first and then find out that he came 2nd. Bruce Mclaren edged his car into first right at the line. However, the film got it right in that, even if McLaren hadn't done that, he would still have won because he started further back at the start and the race was judged on distance, not final position! Here is my take on the end of the race.

At the club last week we got to sit down and compare the two models. The consensus was that the Fujimi was the better kit all round. The body fitted, the suspension was much more delicate and detailed and overall it looked just that bit more like a GT40. 

In fact, I am so disappointed with the Meng kit that I have just ordered the Fujimi example.

I still have plenty of the Zero Paints colour left. The kit should be here next Monday.

In the meantime, my 2nd copy of the Hasegawa S-3A Viking has arrived so I am starting that .

I have got the fuselage together and added the nose weight. I didn't paint the cockpit grey as it can only be seen through the canopy so any grey will do!. I did paint the seats though.

I must crack on so that I am ready for the GT40!

The new Meng Le Mans 1966 GT40

 As you will know, I am a big fan of the GT40 as I was there in 1966 - well waking up every hour or so to check on the positions of the Fords v the Ferraris over that weekend. Also, I have both Bruce McLaren/Chris Amon car and the Dan Gurney one (with the extended roof) - both from Fujimi kits. I was very excited when Meng brought out their 1/12th scale version but was less interested when I found out the price! However, they then released a 1/24th scale version and that I had to have.

I decided that I should do it in Ken Miles' No. 1 which meant going to Hiroboy.com for one of their fabulous Zero Paints. Needless to say, I had to buy some cleaner for it. I then made a bit of a mistake going for their 2-Pack varnish as this, I have found in the past, is tricky to use as it goes off quite quickly and there is always the chance of it solidifying in the airbrush.

When I was at St. Ives for the show, I got talking to a guy from the Mildenhall club who recommended something called Gauzy Agent. One of the traders had some. I must say that it works very well but it seems to be a dead ringer for Future, of which I have a stock anyway. I used it and it came out well so I will stay with that for now.

I don't have a lot to say about the build as it went together very easily. The suspension, at both ends, was a bit fiddly but it got together somehow. The main problem is that I can't get the body to sit down on the chassis properly. I have left it un-stuck as I didn't want to risk ruining the paint job (as you can't brush with Zero Paints) and I can now open it up to show off the engine and the interior. Any way here goes with the slides.

Click on any image to see a larger version.