James H

A driver needs somewhere to sit, and this is it. The backrest and backrest frame are now pushed together and secured with four screws. Superglue is now dripped into the three holes in the unit. The instructions say to apply this to the pins, but it's safer to do it this way as the glue can't run anywhere and ruin the parts. Push the soft plastic upholstery unit into the holes. The tab helps with alignment. The driver's seat back part now locates to the base. You can easily see how these go together with the channel. The driver's seat upholstery (with pre-fitted trim) now sits in place over this and is screwed together from underneath. The finished unit looks like this and can also be tilted forward. Pack 1 is now at completion and I hope to be able to bring Pack 2 to you fairly soon.

Care needs to be taken over the next stages because you really don't want to damage this beautifully clear part. Screw the window unit into place within the door interior, using three screws. Next, fit the hinge. Note the orientation of this as it's important. Now fit the retaining plate with the bevel facing upwards. Secure with a screw. We can now start building the door interior. Take the inside door panel and lower trim strip, and fasten in place with two screws. The door handle bracket needs to be orientated in the correct way here. Take the interior door handle and fit it like this. Now fasten the bracket into the back of the door panel, slotting the handle through the hole. Take another screw and screw this into the back of the handle. This will stop it from rocking about. The window crank handle now fits into this recess. This is tabbed so it fits in the correct position. Screw this tightly from behind. The interior door panel can now be fitted to the inside of the main door, and secured with two screws. The upper trim strip now fits in place and hides the screw holes. This needs to be fitted carefully so as not to damage the door fittings.

PACK 1 I've only recently started building 1:8 cars as part-works, and I have to say that this model is gorgeous. The parts are seriously high quality with everything fitting perfectly so far, and the paint finish is immaculate. Packaging is the same sort of thing you see with similar kits from DeAg, but this one comes in a real study box to protect those parts. The colour info sheet is excellent and the inclusion of a polishing cloth is a nice touch does help at the end of a session when you pop things away until the next pack....and especially for taking photos for a build log. Things start nice and easy with the front fascia and bottom grille The photo-etch grill is nice and sturdy and fits into the interior of the fascia, secured by a couple of screws. There is a little side-side movement so make sure the alignment looks even and then tighten up those screws. Next up is the bumper. This fits with the pips on the upper side and the recess on the lower side. Pop this into place and secure with the supplied screws. The headlight units are pre-made, and marked as 'L' and 'R' on the rear side. Take each in turn and slot into position from the front of the fascia. Flip the fascia over and secure with screws. Make sure these are nice and tight. Now, it's the turn of the left hand door, also with its famous livery. We now need to fit the mirror unit. The mirror unit has a tab which goes through the slot in the main door panel. Two screws now secure this from within the door panel. This will pull it up nicely into place. Again, make sure it's tight, and careful not to scratch any paintwork. It's now the turn of the door handle. This can only fit into the exterior of the door in one way. Again, from the interior, secure this with a single small screw. And here is the result.

Are we really half way through this build already? After last months disappearance of the camera memory card, I had to get a new one, so this build starts again from here with only the actual pelvis construction unaccounted for. Pack 6 STAGE 51: FITTING DETAILS TO THE PELVIS Hardly anything to do in this stage as all we are doing is plugging the front side of the pelvis into position and fitting a joint connector to the hip. The latter is fixed with some Loctite CA.. We do have a swivel part for the next stages though, so onwards... STAGE 52: ASSEMBLING A MUSCLE AND FITTING ANOTHER PELVIC PLATE . The first task here is to start to build one of the leg muscles. The interior piston sleeve pushes into the main body of the muscle and CA is used to glue the end cap into position as seen here. The swivel part we got in the previous pack can now be fitted, again with CA, to the main muscle/piston body. The literal arse back end of the pelvis is now plugged into position. 😃 STAGE 53: FITTING MORE PARTS TO THE TORSO AND PELVIS The abdominal muscle now slides into the upper muscle piston and the ball socket neatly plugs into the pelvis. This is actually a little loose and I know there's a fix for that somewhere. For the moment though, it's ok as this is still very accessible. The other hip connector is now glued into position on the opposite side to the original. STAGE 54: ASSEMBLING A MUSCLE AND ATTACHING THE SIDE MUSCLES The opposite abdominal muscle piston is now fitted as per the previous. Again, I'll revisit this when I can modify to reduce the slackness. The ball joints easily pop out with a little effort, so I'm not worried about this. There are other parts here which will be fitted in the next stages. STAGE 55: FITTING A JOINT MECHANISM TO THE RIGHT THIGH Unlike the other stages with their plastic moulded boxes, this part is packed into a sleeve and then popped into a large card box. All that is contains is this part and a pack of 2mm nuts. The hip part of the upper right thigh is now assembled by a simple push fit. The instructions call for these 2mm nuts to be made captive by using some CA first but I found the nuts generally too tight to get into position properly. To fit this, I inserted a 2mm screw into each nut and then tapped the top of the screw to drive them down into the holes. You definitely won't need superglue here! 🤣 The hip is then pushed into position on the leg. STAGE 56: ASSEMBLING THE RIGHT HIP JOINT In a random act of electronic haze, my 3 assembly photos have disappeared from both my card and Mac. Anyway, this is a no-brainer. This pack allows us to fit the right thigh to the Terminator. The open plastic cap bitts within the top of the thing, followed by the ball socket which locks into the pelvis. The closed plastic cap then sits atop this and tiger this is followed by the metal dome cap and then the last cap (shown at top). The latter is secured with four 2mm screws and it needs to be tight. The leg is still sloppy at this stage, but that's ok.... STAGE 57: FINISHING THE RIGHT HIP JOINT AND ASSEMBLING A LEG PART In order to be able to adjust the position of those thunderous thighs, but so keep the model stable, another cap is now added to the hip area. This is then screwed into place with a hex screw. You will slacken this to position the leg before tightening to lock in place. For the moment, I've just left it in this position. That leg needs more muscles, and here is the inner muscle being built. STAGE 58: FITTING PARTS TO THE RIGHT THIGH Not too much in this pack but it's got what it takes. This simply screws onto the right thigh and helps to fix the inner small muscle in position. STAGE 59: A MUSCLE FOR THE RIGHT THIGH The leg joint (presumably the knee?) is first assembled by gluing the ratchet in position. This is then set aside until a later date. The leg muscle piston is now built, with a screw holding the rubber grommet in place. The front leg muscle is now fitted... STAGE 60: MORE MUSCLES FOR THE RIGHT LEG Another joint piece. No idea what for yet (ankle?), but this is also glued together and set aside. Another muscle piston is now assembled and the main muscles connected to the right thigh. Sure looks powerful! Here's the work so far. This is a BIG and HEAVY model!

I'm going to leave this image here as a placeholder. It shows the latest pack 5 completed, concentrating on lower spine and pelvis. My camera memory card has gone AWOL for this build (Shelby not yet done, so not affected), but if it turns up, I'll add the images and text here. I can tell you that this built up beautifully too and Terminator is getting very heavy at this point! 🤪 Can't wait to start building the legs.

Pack 4 Stage 31: Fit left shoulder accessories and add right shoulder joint We have a little repetition here with the previous pack as we now add the left shoulder blade to the previous shoulder joint construction. Again, I took real care with this as the pin which pass though the parts and the neoprene sleeve, is plastic. Stage 32: Complete a hinge joint on the right shoulder The hinge joint is now built and added to the RIGHT shoulder joint.....not the one you just fitted the shoulder blade too. It's important you get that right. I didn't first time, but realised my mistake and corrected it. The arm can now be fitted to this joint. The Allen/hex key is used to lock the position and can later be slackened off for final positioning. Stage 33: Left shoulder details The thoracic vertebra is put to one side for a future stage, and the left shoulder hinge joint built up and fitted. A slot within the parts makes sure this will only secure in one position. Stage 34: The first vertebrae Now, the thoracic vertebrae from previous stage can be fitted to the vertebrae frame using the supplied nuts and bolts. The socket can also be fitted too, using more nuts and bolts. Stage 35: Working on the thoracic vertebrae This stage supplies the other socket for the previous frame we just worked on. After fitting this, the rubber caps are inserted within the sockets. These are identified as L and R for identification. These really do need to be properly placed. The caps will stop the later parts from scuffing inside the sockets. Stage 36: Building the next thoracic vertebrae I now built up pretty much the same as we've just seen, by fitting these parts to the next thoracic frame. The caps for these sockets aren't specific to which socket they fit into. Stage 37: Components for the thoracic cage joint and vertebrae Whoops, I lost my parts shot, but never mind! The thoracic cage joint is built by pushing two dome head parts into position and securing with a single screw. The finish is a little slack when fully tightened, but I'm pretty sure that's how it's meant to be. The remaining socket is added t the thoracic frame and the cap pushed into place. Stage 38: Components for the thoracic cage joint and vertebrae Ok, we know the drill with this assembly. Once this is built, the vertebrae shaft is screwed into place on the frame as shown. Stage 39: Connecting the right and left shoulders We really start to see some heavy metal coming together with this simple stage. Once the ratchets are glued into the cage shoulder connector, the right arm/shoulder combo can now be fitted to it, followed by the left shoulder. Stage 40: Creating the thoracic cage Another seemingly unassuming pack, but will really start to bring the T-800 together! The two shafts are screwed into the same frame as before, followed by the thoracic cage base. The arm unit is then slotted into place over the central cage shaft, and the thoracic connectors just sat int place within the sockets. The head is now installed into the assembly. ...and the front part of the thoracic cage is fitted. It's very important that this is screwed up real tight so that everything is help secure, including that ugly mush head!! Sorry for the bench top images in some photos. My workshop is a mess at the moment with a 1:64 HMS Victory prototype, and having just got back from my holidays, I wanted to plough straight into this build. More next month!

Stage 21: Assemble right shoulder and connect up skull Nice and simple. The ratchet discs are glued into the shoulder joint. CA is used for quite a few bits in this latest pack. Some little covers are now glued into place to hide the jaw screws. I used white glue for these in case I need to pop them off afterwards and adjust the tension of the screws. These little pillars are superglued into the top of the head. I can only think they are to stick to magnets on the later panel. These fit perfectly. The top of the head is then screwed into place, being careful not to trap the wires. Stage 22: Connect the jaw, assemble the head These are a little fiddly to make as there are tiny pins that are needed for the pivot. Once made, they are glued into position on the jaw, but left unglued at the skull so they can move when the jaw opens/closes. And now for the face! This just pushes into position. Stage 23: Assemble the right shoulder joint Simply put....the shoulder joint. The instructions warn about orientation of parts, but they can be turned afterwards anyway. This is most important when it comes to fitting the later sections. Stage 24: Connect right hand to right arm I've looked forward to this....fitting the arm together!The knuckle is built, then screwed to the hand this then plugs into the larger lower arm piston, and then the other pistons are plugged into the hand. The springs are threaded through the holes in the hand and then connected to the lower finger area with a cap/plug that's glued in place with CA. Stage 25: Assemble right shoulder The shoulder can now come together. The orientation of the various orbital components is vital. Just follow the instructions to get it right! The joint is then closed up with the large captive spring. Some detail is then glued onto the joint. I removed the chrome plating from any plastic that needs to be glued to the metal. Stage 26: Connect right arm to elbow joint This part now needs to be unscrewed from the lower arm so that the upper arm can be fitted. Ratchet discs are then glued into position. The upper arm is connected to the lower arm with the forward piston first. This has a washer fitted to either side and is held captive by refitting the plate we just removed. Now the rear piston can be connected once the small metal sleeve is slotted into place. A screw holds it secure. The elbow pin is then inserted and tightened from the other side with a he'd-heqd screw. This can be locked and unlocked to position the arm. Stage 27: Assembling left and right shoulders The right shoulder socket is assembled and glued onto the joint. More superglue at work here! Stage 28: Continuing assembly of left and right shoulders Now for something meaty. The joint now has a neoprene sleeve fitted, followed by the shoulder plate and pin/cap assembly. This needs to be done carefully as the pin is plastic and is fragile until inserted. No.....I didn't damage mine! More of the same for this, as per the other shoulder. There is some repetition in these stages as we are working on areas on both arms simultaneously. Stage 29: Left shoulder build continues Stage 30: extend the left shoulder I'm presuming we start the other arm and continue with the shoulder in the next pack. I can't wait to start bolting sections together!

Pack 2 hit the doorstep on Friday.....before the postman scurried off in case he caught the Black Death from me, so I thought I'd make an immediate start on and supplement the skeletal parts I'd built from the previous pack. PACK 2 Another sizeable box too with plenty of parts to play with. Let's crack on! Stage 11: Assembling neck and jaw joints Well, we've started the head, so we may as well get some neck done. This pack contains half of the neck, the neck joint and some bushes/screws. The first thing to do is to connect the two halves of the neck knuckle joint. Three screws does this job nicely. I used a thin screwdriver because of diameter of holes. The black plastic head motor joint that was made in Stage 7 can now be fitted to the lower jaw. This is just squeezed in a little and aligned with the pin holes in the lower jaw. Once fitted, the jaw is then connected to the lower head section and the two bushes inserted into the connecting holes, followed by two fixing screws. The jaw will move and shouldn't be too tight. Stage 12: Assembling the right forearm This simple pack builds up into the lower arm... First thing I needed to do was to use superglue to connect the muscle springs to one of the main forearm parts. I used CA gel for this as it gives a few seconds to get it exactly right. The springs and the connector are then screwed to the main forearm 'bone', and the cap attached. Stage 13: Assembling the neck and right finger component Pretty obvious that this pack's main focus is the neck, and now we can complete it. The knuckle I previously made is screwed to the neck half that was supplied with that pack, and the lower head/jaw assembly sat into position. The opposite neck half is now laid over this and the final screws attached for the knuckle and head. To hide those screws, small plates are pushed into position over them, making the joint invisible. I also assembled the half a finger supplies, exactly as I did in Pack 1. This will be shown next. Stage 14: Adding to the right lower arm, and assembling fourth right finger Three piston tubes are supplied here. these are slowed into the end of the cap and the piston tubes attached (shorter one in middle). A screw then holds everything together, whilst allowing the piston tubes to move freely. The previous finger is now completed and fitted to the hand, as shown. In my case, all finger joints seem to be nice and tight, and again, I fit the plastic sleeve BEFORE adding the pin, as it stops the sleeve bunching up and not inserting fully. Stage 15: Assembling part of the left head and the fifth finger of right hand A whole new finger is supplied here and this is first built and fitted to the hand. All fingers are now present and correct! I resisted the temptation to form it into a well-known gesture! 🤣 The head side panel is also built as per the previous one. Stage 16: Begin the assembly of the first lower arm The lower arm now really starts to take form. The black plastic rotator ring that controls articulation, is push fitted to the arm joint built in Stage 7. This is then aligned with the large cuff in this pack, and the lower arm unit with piston tubs, slotted into position and screwed together. The piston plungers now have their rubber sealing cups added, and these are inserted into the lower arm piston tubes. Stage 17: Fitting sides of the head to the top of the head Both completed head side panels are now screwed to the top skull piece from inside, and the unit put to one side until later. The three ball joints are now screwed to the underside of the palm. Stage 18: Assembling the eye motor support Back to the head again now as the plastic bar from Stage 1 is now sat onto the pins on both eyes, locking them into position. To secure this bar in place, a plastic block is screwed into position above it. The eyes will now move freely, and together. The eye motor is now secured in position. Everything was assembled as supplied as it all seemed to be aligned. The upper face/eye unit is now screwed to the lower head. These screws are neatly hidden in the underside palette. Starting to look a little eery now. 😎 Stage 19: Assembling the head motor Of course, the head needs another motor to operate the jaw, and first the two-part gearbox is assembled, and the motor secured to the motor housing. The gearbox is now fitted to the motor housing. Stage 20: Assembling and mounting the head motor support After the motor support is securely fixed in place, the motor is fitted to it and the 'U'-shaped casing added. This holds the motor to the mounting. Make sure that you don't nip/damage any cables at this juncture, as there's a few wires waving about. (and no....I didn't damage any myself! 🤣) The head is temporarily made to look a little angular as the two brackets are then screwed into position. That's it until the next pack. What a great build!

Hi all, Whilst I've never really been a Sci-Fi fan, some stuff does grab me.....such as Blake's 7, Space 1999, Terminator, Star Wars etc., so pretty much a lot of the classic Sci-Fi. Agora's new T-800 hits the sweet spot for me, and in a massive half-scale too! This has been previously released by Hachette in other sales territories, and this release incorporates the fix to the original floppy fingers problem that plagued the original release. The first pack is a sizeable box too, so time to dive in and start some building! This will be entirely out-of-box, with no mods etc, although there are some out there if you do a little searching. PACK 1 Stage 1: Components for head and eyes Just to tempt us straight away, it's common for these models to supply something very recognisable. In this case, it's the upper face in all it's metal, metallic glory. The first step is to push the eye pupils/lenses into the chromed eye orbits. These are a nice, snug fit. Next, taking extreme care with the wires, the LEDs are now pushed fully into the orbits. These completed eyes can now be installed to the inner face plate. Orientation of these is very important as they will later be connected to a motor so the eyes will move from side to side. The outer pegs on these must go upwards when fitted. Once in position, the eyes are then held captive by a brace which is screwed into position. Creepy! Stage 2: Components for the head and right arm Hot on the heels of the upper face, I now build the upper jaw. The face panel I just built is secured to the upper jaw as shown here. The two parts only fit together in one way. Injection moulded plastic parts are supplied for the upper teeth, and these are installed as 5 separate parts, secured in place by a spot of CA gel as this gives more time to work with the parts and get them in absolutely the right position. Some heavy metal work now as the upper arm begins construction. These parts form the swivel attachment at the shoulder, and align when these indents are together. Two screws hold everything securely. Stage 3: Components for the right arm and right arm The arm components in here form a piston which operates as the tricep. This is the main body of the piston, but as yet without the plunger. A screw holds all three components securely. You now need to fit 3x AAA batteries to the box. Once you've done that, plug it into the small LED testing board, and then plug each eye into that board, in turn. Each should light very brightly. Spreading the workload around a little, the first finger is now built, using the updated parts which stop the fingers from being floppy. In a change to the instructions, I find it easier to insert the sleeve between the joints, and then the pin. This was, the sleeve doesn't bunch up underneath the joint, and good the full depth. The small cap is then plugged into the pin, to finish it off. Stage 4: New components for the upper right arm We get a good stab at the upper arm with this stage, and start to see some things come together. First, the bicep piston is built, and the plunger, complete with rubber seal, is inserted. The plunger is also built and inserted for the tricep piston we built earlier. The articulated should joint is now built. First, the previous part is now fitted with plastic grips. Both tricep and bicep pistons are now fitted to the main bone of the arm, and the shoulder socket pushed into place. When everything is in situ, the large metal arm part from Stage 2, is then used to lock everything together via the piston screws. Stage 5: Components for the lower jaw and neck Back to the head now, with this lower head plate and neck socket. The neck socket is first screwed together and sat into the hole in the lower head, once the black plastic ring is first seated. A small cap now protects the top of the socket and a bracket screws into position to lock everything. Stage 6: Teeth of lower jaw, and the bridge of nose As with the upper jaw, the lower jaw now receives some detail treatment. All parts plug snugly into the jaw and are fixes with a spot of CA gel. The nose bridge is also fitted after a little CA gel is put into the two locating holes in the face. Stage 7: Components for upper arm and head motor A little more attention is now paid to the should area of the T-800, with this ratchet joint. The ratchet place is first glued into the shoulder part, and the unit GLUED into the previous assembly, using more CA gel. More upper arm parts screwed together . Once done, this is put to one side until we get another pack. One last thing we need to do on this stage is to put the two plastic parts together that relate to the head motor. Stage 8: Components for right thumb and right palm Time to get handy again as we look at the right palm and some finger parts. The next finger fits together exactly as the previous, plus both are now finally fitted to the palm. Stage 9: Components for right-hand side of head This pack contains just two parts and a pack os screws. The right hand side of the head has its mechanical plate fitted and secured with two screws. That's it for this! Stage 10: Inner eye sockets and right middle finger Back to the head again. The eye sockets are now fitted within the upper metal face panel. I didn't find these needed any glue, and the instructions only say use it if needed anyway. Oh, and another finger is built and fitted! That's it until I receive Pack 2 🤪

No painting at all, if you don't want to. I suppose you could always add more wiring under the hood etc. and small details like that, but it builds up completely out of box without 'needing' a lick of paint or anything else.

If anyone is interested, I'll also post the build log for the GT500 and my T-800 Terminator endoskeleton.

On the Gt500, the batteries are in the car battery and the speaker is in the right side front wheel arch. You really can't see any of this stuff when complete. Oh, the dash lights function too.

The electronics aren't networked. There are a lot of working bits for electronics though such as pedals that produce engine sounds, working horn, headlights and taillights etc. Lots of other stuff works too such as the steering, folding back seat, opening doors, hood, trunk. She's heavy when complete, weighing in at over 18 pounds! A lot of the GT500 will be metal when complete, including the shell.

Pretty much. This is the GT500 I'm building. Two more packs and it'll be complete.

Pack 3 This pack now means that we're already a quarter way through this beautiful car model. Even though I absolutely love the Super Snake, I feel this one is even nicer, with its all metal chassis and ingenious assembly. You really do get the feeling that you're actually creating some engineering. Everything fits just perfectly in every way, and she's already gaining some early weight 😆 Ok, let's crack on! STAGE 16: LEFT LATERAL CHASSIS MAIN FRAME BOTTOM SECTION Cross-members 3 & 4 bottom section The left lateral chassis bottom frame is the main player here, and all we need to do is to fasten the two bottom halves of the cross members 3 and 4 to the frame. These are clearly numbered and there's nothing to go wrong here. STAGE 17: RIGHT LATERAL CHASSIS MAIN FRAME BOTTOM SECTION Cross-members 1 & 2 bottom section Now it's the turn of the right lateral chassis bottom frame. The cross members first screw to the left hand frame that I just built, taking care to get the offset holes in No.2 bottom cross member, facing the front of the chassis. With these in place, the new right hand frame section can be screwed to the left hand side, creating a symmetrical unit. STAGE 18: FRONT SUSPENSION SUPPORT: Cross-member No. 4 Top, Left Horn, Right Horn The first part to fit to the lower/bottom frame is the upper part of cross member No.4. The left and right horns now push onto the front suspension support. No glue needed here. This is now put aside until the next stage. STAGE 19: LEFT LATERAL CHASSIS MAIN FRAME TOP SECTION Yet more frame work! The front suspension support from the last stage is now screwed to the lateral left top chassis in this new packet. For this stage, that's it. STAGE 20: RIGHT LATERAL CHASSIS MAIN FRAME TOP SECTION Cross-members 2 & 3 bottom top section Now the right top lateral chassis can be screwed to the previous assembly as shown. You can see just how well everything fits together as the top frame is fastened to the lower frame. Six screws hold these firmly in place. Lastly, the two remaining upper cross member parts (No.1 and 2) are screwed into position. Again, numbers are cast into the parts so you really can't get this wrong. STAGE 21: REAR CHASSIS PART & WISHBONE MOUNTING The rear chassis is first screwed into position... ...followed by the rear suspension wishbone mounting frame. Definitely some weight here now! Remember, this is all metal. STAGE 22: RIGHT FRONT INNER & OUTER WHEEL RIM The front inner and outer rims are screwed together. A very simple stage. STAGE 23: TIRE & OUTER RIM The reverse of this wheel is now screwed into position and the tyre added. To get the tyre on, it really does need to be soaked in freshly boiled water for about 5 minutes to make it pliable. Without that, you will most certainly struggle. ...more next time!

Pack 2 It doesn't seem two minutes since Pack 1, and this beauty rocked up, so it'd be rude not to crack on and build it. Seems strange to be building the engine on this one so early when it was much later with the Shelby Super Snake. Certainly not complaining as I like the detail stuff. STAGE 07: ASSEMBLING THE ALTERNATOR First, the alternator is assembled and then connected to the mounting arm and mounting plate. These last parts are then swung around, pushed together and then mounted to the oil filter assembly that was built in the last pack. STAGE 08: WATER PUMP PULLEY, CRANK SHAFT PULLEY AND TIMING BELT COVER Work carries on with this part of the engine as the crank shaft and water pump pulleys are screwed together. The timing belt cover is then attached and timing belt added. STAGE 09: LEFT CYLINDER HEAD COVER AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD PIPES This pack only takes a minute or two to complete. All the manifold parts are numbered, as are the ports on the cylinder head cover. They can only fit one way too as they are keyed. STAGE 10: RIGHT CYLINDER HEAD COVER AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD PIPES ...just the same for this pack, and then both cylinder head blocks can be tarted up with stage 11. STAGE 11: ROCKER COVERS, CAPS AND SPARK WIRE HOLDERS Both rocker cover caps are fitted to the rocker covers and these are in turn screwed to the cylinder head blocks. The spark plug wire holders are a little tricky. They kept dropping off my engine, but were later fixed using a knife and a spot of CA. STAGE 12: DISTRIBUTOR, FUEL FILTER, IGNITION COIL AND CYLINDER HEAD CAP The ignition distributor and fuel filter are fastened to the upper engine block with a single screw each. The Cylinder Head Central Cover cap and ignition coil are then friction-fitted to the cylinder blocks. STAGE 13: ENGINE BLOCKS AND COOLING FLUID TANK BRACKET Not a fan of heavy metal, but it's definitely appreciated in a build like this. With these parts, I can start to see how things will finally come together. The right ending block is screwed to the right cylinder head assembly. The same applies to the left hand engine block and cylinder head assembly. STAGE 14: FLYWHEEL COVER, GEARBOX, INSPECTION COVER, GEARBOX RODS Screws are fitted to the reverse of the gearbox inspection hatch. The right flywheel cover is then fitted to the right hand engine block... ...followed by the left hand flywheel cover and right hand side of the gear box. After sliding the inspection hatch into position, the other half of the gearbox is screwed into position. All three gearbox rods are now installed. STAGE 15: OIL PAN, PROTECTIVE PLATE, SPARK PLUGS, SPARK PLUG WIRE AND WIRE CONNECTORS The oil pan is screwed to the protective plate. This model utilises a lot of hidden connections like this where screws are fastened on the inside and the flanged head is trapped between other assemblies. A neat trick to minimise external screw holes. The timing belt assembly is now slotted into position the right hand engine block... ...and the protective plate fitted. The top of the engine is now fitted into position. Both sides of the engine block area finally brought together, trapping the other sub assemblies, and creating a large and heavy engine. Care is needed to attach the spark plugs. A little push and they click into place. There is some wobble in them, but nothing I'm particularly bothered about. And then the ignition lines are fitted. using a colour coded guide (for cutting the vinyl hose) and also for orientation of the leads to the ignition distributor.

Morning all! Adding to a Shelby I'm currently building, is the beautiful Cobra from Agora Models. I was thrilled with the original Shelby GT500, but I already think this takes it to the next level. I'm also a sucker for the more classic looking car. Agora's new kit comes in their new style box which is designed to withstand the rigours of our postal system, so it arrived with me in great condition. Included with the kit is a large poster, cleaning cloth, and a screwdriver in the first pack of parts. This one is also magnetic, unlike the one in the GT500. Pack 1 Stage 1:Hood/Bonnet assembly As a nice teaser, that very identifiable bonnet is part of the first to item to be built. I still have no idea why some call it a 'hood' 😆 After having experience of one partwork where the bonnet latches were badly moulded and loose plastic bits only, it was reassuring to see that this model from Agora has some proper sprung-loaded latches that also look extremely good. Yes, a little fiddly to assemble, but definitely a nice touch. Some neoprene tape is also added to the top edge of the bonnet to protect the bodywork from being marked. Stage 2: Left-leaning Front Wheel Unlike Agora's GT500, we get an early appearance from one of the wheels. With this one, the centre wheel section is sandwiched between the outer rims, as well as being firmly screwed into place. It's also vital that you soak the tyre in just-boiled water for around 5 minutes to soften it enough so you can fit the inner assembly in position. This one still took a little wresting but it does fit in the end. Now the wheel brake is assembled as shown, and a single screw holds the parts together. The brake assembly will only fit into the wheel in one position due to a slot system, and the wheel is secured from the outside using a screw. Be careful not to tighten too much or the wheel won't rotate. The hubcap is then pushed into the knock-on and this fasten my magic magnet to the wheel. Stage 3: Steering wheel and exhaust parts I'm not sure what the leather seat is made from, but it does feel like leather and is beautifully soft. The steering wheel also has a realistic wood grain effect. The Cobra badge fits to the middle and will only fit the correct way around as the locating pips are different sizes. The exhausts are also a much fit and can only fit one way round. Stage 4: Engine & Exhaust Parts Perhaps the most fiddly part of this is curving the photo-etch edge of the air filter. To help, I first wrapped it around a small paint bottle and then inserted in the groove in the air filter top. This is all locked in place when the bottom is added. The carburettor bottom and top are now added and the whole assembly fitted to the engine block. The exhaust manifold parts are numbered and plug into the main exhaust system. I found things fit a little easier by scraping away some of th chrome plating first. No glue was needed at all as everything was a very good fit. Stage 5: Oil Filter and Exhaust Parts The oil filter is fitted to the bracket which then connects to the engine plate. There's not a lot to this pack as the exhaust parts are scheduled to be completed in the next stage. Stage 6: Exhaust Pipes As with the first exhaust, the manifolds on this are assembled in the same way as the first, using the numbering system. This is a little fiddly but goes together quite well. Final adjustments can be made later in the build. That's it until next time 😊

Please do! Another sure will be good 😎

That is looking so nice. Glad the Chaos Black fitted the bill too.

That really is very beautiful. Is that boxwood or lemon?

That sir, is looking champion! The sanding and shaping look real good. The second layer should be quite easy now.

I'm interested too. Minwax Wass recommended to me, but not sure it was water-based.

Excellent work! I'd love to see you start your own build log and sharing with us please. Nicely planked hull.

That's looking spot on. Those ply bulwarks are easy enough too. You shouldn't have any ripple with them on the bow either. Just get the top of them as close to the tops of the bulkheads as you can.

Pretty much anything is fixable, especially at this stage. Just take your time. Really liking watching you build this one.