Anyone into civil aircraft or slot cars?

[Guest]

Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone here is a fan of the non-military aircraft?

I have an interest in "between the Wars" sports and racing planes and wondered if anyone shares this.

I am currently working on a pattern for a 1/32nd scale kit of the Dragon Rapide.

Also, I seem to always have a model car body pattern on the bench for slot car use. I don't mean those ghastly R-T-R things that are oversized toys of LMP cars, but accurate models of usually older racing cars in 1/32nd scale.

I've done about thirty over the last couple of years and am currently working on an 860 Monza Ferrari, Iso Grifo A3C, Piper GTR, Citroen BX Group B rally and a Ferrari 312 F1 car. Although these are meant for slot racing, they would make perfectly good bases for static models with the addition of interiors and suspension detail where necessary.

Cheers,

Martin

[Guest]

Slot cars yes ......well i "used" to be heavily into them

Have about 800 ft of track in the loft with some older cars such as Scalextric stock cars (the ones that could do a u turn and run both ways round the track) a lot are in disrepair though .. to my shame.

Myself and a friend (who has the other 800 ft or so of track) used to use 1/32 kits to make our own cars occasionally

We had Riko slot cars for our main racing days though. Scalextric cars pale in comparison when you've had a blat with a Riko

We had an 8 lane track in the loft of his big old detached house, all built up on a table 3ft off the ground with "pop-up holes" scattered around to enable us to get to the cars to put them back on the track.

We had a "cut out" timer button on each players position that reduced the power to the other cars, when you came off you hit the button and it gave you ten seconds to get your car back on before full power was established to the other cars. (was a bit more sporting)

Our "power" was car battery chargers with the current leveled out through old 12v bike batteries, the older transformers/power-packs seemed a little gutless in comparison.

[Guest]

Blmey, Colin, you WERE into it weren't you? That's a lot of track. Alas, I don'y have space for any, but I built a hardboard track for my son's loft which we must finish sometime and we make all sorts of oddities fro 1/43rd scale to 1/24th (old Merit kits).

I remeber Riko stuff.Used to sell it in Barries Model Shop in Romford when I was a kid. I had a Rikowhip in a vac-formed Broadspeed Anglia.

Modern Scalex are very quick and would probably run rings round an old Riko these days.

Happy memories of the 60s. Now I'm doing it all over again!

Martin

[yak face]

Hi martin , do you mean like these? they are -williams bros 1/32 caudron c450 racer, airfix dh88 comet and a what if? bf109f reno racer . Ive also got a 1/32 williams brothers Wedell Williams racer in the stash , I plan to do this with a figure of Col Roscoe Turner and Gilmore , his pet lion cub that used to sometimes accompany him on his record attempt flights! cheers tony

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[Guest]

Very nice, Tony. Yes they are exactly what I mean. I'm amazed that people trot out the same old brown and green stuff ad nauseum when there are such beauties to do and few ever attempt them.

Nice to see the black version of the Comet racer. I have plans to do that in 1/32nd scale, to go with the Dragon Rapide.

That 109 racer is nicely done, too.

More, more!

Cheers,

Martin

[yak face]

A dh88 in 1/32 , thats what ive been saying for years, its well overdue a decent moulding in ANY scale but a big version would be amazing , its such a beautiful aircraft. The same thing goes for the DH 89 too , something ive been waiting to get in the stash for a while, but again ,about time some big kit maker(trumpeter take note!) gave us a nice 1/48 or 1/32 version! REALLY looking forward to seeing the big scale dh 89, cheers tony

[Guest]

Tony,

I was approached by an American gent to make the pattern for the DH89, because I don't do war stuff or WW1. Just don't do old crocks! Same with veteran cars!

BUT, he wants to pay me if and when he sells kits. I'm not keen on that idea, but it does seem to be what our Colonial chums regard as the norm.

In case he doesn't come up with the goods, I will have moulds made from the master before sending it to him, so I can protect myself....so you will get it one way or the other! Same deal on the Comet.

I'll put some pics up of the current state of play on the DH89. It's a big old bird in 32nd scale!

The models will be VERY highly detailed. That was his main brief and is why they're taking a long time to do. Every rivet and rib stitch is required. Not easy to master for a resin moulding. Easy for Wingnut Wheels by spark erosion.

Cheers,

Martin

[yak face]

Sounds amazing martin, best of luck with the venture. I hope this chap appreciates the effort and pays you accordingly, if he doesnt ,then im sure there would be a market in this country , i know there is a 1/32 dh88 in resin already on the market but its expensive at about £100 , but theres always room for another , not to mention the dh89! cheers tony

[Guest]

I had a Rikowhip in a vac-formed Broadspeed Anglia.

Modern Scalex are very quick and would probably run rings round an old Riko these days.

My favorite shell was a Jaguar XK120, (i've always been a bit of a jaguar nut - including collecting diecast etc)

Modern stuff is simply on another level eh? .... i'va had a play with a modern basic figure 8 set and it's so smooth and responsive to what i remember.

When you say you're doing it again, do you mean you're setting up a track ?

[Guest]

Colin,

I am building a hardboard track of about 65ft per lap in my son's loft with him, but otherwise I am doing patterns for slot car bodies and building a few cars for myself after 46 years away from it all!

If you're a Jag fan, you'll want want my XJ13 when it comes out! Slot car again, but with an anglewinder chassis in nickel silver so it'll have full cockpit detail and a fair bit of four cam V-12 under the back window. It's a proper XJ13, too....pre crash, 1966.

Tony, I wasn't aware of another DH88. I doubt if he'll do one if there's a reliable supply of another kit. But there are others that could/should be done in that ilk, such as a nice Miles Hawk Speed Six or the Witney Straight.

The kits will be expensive though because of the detail in the master and the cost of production to a high standard. Put it this way....he sent me a Wingnut Wheels Albatross as a sample of what he wanted!

Cheers,

Martin

[Guest]

Colin,I am building a hardboard track of about 65ft per lap in my son's loft with him,

If you need any extra odd track bits to get a nice level fit... just PM me and i'll look to see if i've got 'em .... they're doing nothing in my loft .... if you desperatly need the odd couple just cover the postage.

If you're a Jag fan, you'll want want my XJ13 when it comes out! Slot car again, but with an anglewinder chassis in nickel silver so it'll have full cockpit detail and a fair bit of four cam V-12 under the back window. It's a proper XJ13, too....pre crash, 1966.

Sounds nice, sounds really nice .... in fact i seem to have a little saliva dribbling out the corner of my mouth

[Guest]

Well, well, just googled the DH88 model and find it's by Marsh Models. I was forgetting they'd moved from Can-Am cars into aircraft.

I used to go slot racing and full size racing years ago with John Simons!

Never done a pattern for him as he always used Ian Pickering, an old mate and also my opposition in the brass master world years ago. I taught him how to silver solder. Big mistake. Dick Ward has also done a lot of pattern work for Marsh Models. I also did some instruction artwork for his mate's Indy car range.

This is really a very incestuous business.

I thought John was doing 1/48th scale. If he does 150 of those models I would say that was the likely limit of sales.

I see he uses PPD for photo-etchings. An excellent outfit in the deeps of Scotland. Resins by MCD...I don't know them. But the mouldings look very nice.

Cheers,

Martin

[Guest]

Colin, here's the XJ13 so far. The master was very bitsy to start with so I got a pal to mould it in resin and I've continued from there. The windscreen frame is very fragile and grows out of the bodywork, so I will have them cast in white metal and then I'll bond them in to the resin bodies, fair in and paint. All Xj 13 models should be dark BRG anyway.

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Thanks for the offer of track, too. I think we're OK for that at the moment.

On the DH 88, I see that there are accuracy issues with it of a fairly basic and important nature, so maybe it needs to be done better after all?

Cheers,

Martin

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[Guest]

Here's the DH89 so far. Doesn't look much, but it's hours of work. And the other engine nacelle has to be done as they're handed Ugh!!

Only initial shaping so far on the fuselage, which has to be in two parts to get inside with the detailing.

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Martin

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[yambam26]

Mr Tin, Im a car builder and ive seen so many airfix 1/32nd car kits made into slot cars on ebay but i would love to have them in kit form as such, You wouldn't happen to have a morris minor mould or any other classic cars like that.

Im always on the look out for cars which have gone out of circulation on the model market

Cheers,Ben