Finished Mini

 

It's a Good Friday to show a finished project - in this case, the Mini. 

Sitting on my NG7 layout, it looks the part, although I've yet again failed to find a modern car, this is a 1991 model!. 

Somehow, the whole thing is a bit twisted, so I filed the bottom of the tyres hard to ensure it will sit flat on a road. Maybe the suspension is playing up on the car I've modelled...

Bearing in mind the "stick something together and get it down" criteria of this project, it's OK. On the layout, it doesn't look bad. Yes, with a lot more care and attention, I could have produced a better model, but that's not where my head is right now. I'm just happy to have completed something - and that's a win.

Windows in, brightwork on

 

I'll give Heller/Airfix this, the front and back windscreens, and single clear piece, are an excellent, postive, fit in the body. The sides aren't nearly as good. They fit, but don't slip into place in the same way. 

At the front, the headlights are great, but I sill can't work out if the inidicators are in back to front. They didn't seem to fit properly either way. 

For chrome, I've used Humbrol aluminium because it's the right colour, but not too shiny. Application looks a lot worse in the photos than in real life. I tried to dry-brush the radiator to avoid a solid lump of silver, and was only partially succesful. 

At the back, the light cluster is painted, and then stuck to a slightly flat area on the rump of the car. Again, no positive location, so much eyeballing, trying to get the spacing and height the same on both sides. 

At least the bumpers fit properly.

Inside the Mini

 

I feel cheated. Underneath the chassis on this kit is the word "Heller". Yes, this isn't a proper Airfix kit, it's from their French arm. Presumably this also explains the steering wheel being on the wrong side. 

Assembly isn't hard, except there isn't a positive location guide for the sides. Looking at the exploded diagram in the instructions doesn't help much either. The trick, as far as I can tell, is to set them so there is equal space around the wheels. Follow the pictures, and the rear wheels are partically covered. 

Oh, and as with pretty much every car kit I've ever built, the steering wheel is a pain to fit. Glue it in place, and prop the model up so gravity keeps it in place, instead of drooping down into the footwell. What can't kit designers put a longer stalk in these things so they stay put? 

Fitting in with the just sticking it together vibe, I might have painted the tyres anthracite, to contrast with the rest of the Humbrol black, but I can't be bothered to fill those gaps around the tyre, which appeared, no matter how hard I pushed the two halves together. Still, I doubt they will be visible when the body is on. 

Airfix Mini

This is to be a simple stick it togther job. Not a major project with lots of fiddling, just glue and basic paint. I bought the kit for hardly any money, and so if it all ends up in the bin, then so be it. 

I'd normally start a write-up with a photo of the kit, but if I did take one, it's lost in a folder on the computer. Not to worry, I always hate cleaning up the background on these shots anyway, so the pain can be restricted to publications paying me money.

The body is mostly a one-piece mouding with just the front and back to be attached. Part fit isn't bad, but I do wonder if they could have been included in the main body. Did the designer feel that this wouldn't be "kit" enough? To my eye, the shape appears really nice, and the detail has a finesse that diecast models lack.

Colour was decided by the handiness of an old can of Halfords ArtFix paint. Not in the current range, I thought a red colour car would be fun, and stuck the body on my painting stick with some Blu-Tack, then applied a few thin coats of paint. 

Initially, this looked like a bit of a disaster, there was a definite hint of orange peel to the finish, but overnight, this settled down to an acceptable semi-matt finish. Not perfectly smooth, but not bad enough for me to want to attack it with T-Cut. The lesson here, is not to panic I suppose. 

 

SWAG haul

 

Well, there was a second-hand stall, and funds from this help to support the event. Since we don't charge an admittance fee, someone has to help fill the coffers. 

The Peco book has been on the list for a while. I'm always interested in the wider aspects of parts of the hobby, and Peco do a good job with this sort of thing. For three quid, how can I go wrong? 

Fair Price is a brand I've looked at on eBay many times, and trying one of thier kits would make sense to me, possibly as a magazine project. 

Finally, a plastic kit wagon. I know I've got loads in my stash, but I thought I could perhaps just stick this one together as a blog piece. A bit of fun, with no great purpose in mind. 

Oh, and a Hornby Railroad Class 121 DMU. I've a soft spot for single-car units, and despite being in the cheaper range, this one looks pretty good to me. Some dangly bits on the buffer beam wouldn't go amiss, and dirt on the chassis and around the exhaust pipes. 

I think it might be fitted with a Ringfield motor too. If so, there is a remotoring kit looking for a suitable test piece in my magazine pile. 

Best of all, I can see me finding a use for this. A short halt-based layout perhaps.