CDW

I didn't know about the yellow Hiro tubing. I'll have a look for that as well while I'm at it. The tubing supplied with every plastic car and motorcycle kit I have owned all leave something to be desired, so I've been searching for alternatives though the ones I've found are on the expensive and not so easy to acquire side of things.

She's looking real neat and tidy, Rob. Nice work. One of the things I'm not satisfied with are the rather thick and out of scale clear tubing supplied in Tamiya and other kits to replicate fuel lines. I am wondering if I can find some clear monofilament fishing line that might look closer to scale. Next time I make a trip to a store with fishing tackle, I'm going to have a look to see what I can find.

Once two or three months go past, it won't be as hot and humid as it is now. Glad to see you back and at the bench doing great things. Great fun things that is.

I sure am glad this hot Florida sun, heat, and humidity didn't short-circuit your ability to make wise decisions. 😄 Happy to see you're back on the modeling trail, Alan!

Gorgeous Spitfire!

Brilliant!

I haven't even scratched the surface yet for everything that's available for download there. All sorts of material.

Once you start down the road of building one of these kits, you quickly realize that nothing fits without massaging the parts. And I literally mean, nothing fits. It's not a complaint, just a warning to anyone who decides to undertake a project like this. Consider it a challenge, even for the most experienced of modelers. No wonder there are so many partially started kits out there for sale. In the case of my particular kit, it's easy to see that the previous owner who started this one was not an experienced modeler. Lucky for me that all that was started was the engine. Some of the parts are close to being ruined but I believe I can save them with a little elbow grease and determination (and patience). @gjdale Thanks a ton for recommending that assembly disk from Paul Koo. It's invaluable. I still haven't figured out the numbering system for identifying the kit parts. Maybe it's part of the information covered in the DVD and I just have not found it yet.

Have any of you ever run across the website "Scribd dot com"? There are a ton of reference materials there for digital download all for a monthly subscription fee. First month is free and there is no obligation to actually continue to subscribe and pay a monthly fee. I guess it's all on the up and up but I'm no attorney so not sure how this all works its way through the legal system. I ran across the site searching for the "how to build the 1:24 Airfix Typhoon" book.

Right now I'm thinking the styrene sheet stock route. I'll look around to see if I have some left over photo etch I might cut the plates from.

The Mk 1 Design update set has them but I don't want to spend that much for their entire update set. It's around $220 USD plus postage.

Will you plan to leave any opened panels or model it all closed up?

Does any company make the fishplates in photo etch? There is a nasty seam through the middle of the fishplates. Would be better to remove and replace them as cleaning up that seam will be a big hassle.

Oh wow, looking forward to this! Which Eduard PE set is that? Coincidentally I just placed an order with Hannants last night for some extras for my Airfix bubble top.

Top Studio offers a variety of hose, hose joints, connections and clamps to enhance the appearance of the various hoses found on race cars. These come to mind when considering additional detail added to these 1:12 scale Tamiya F-1 cars. All these fittings and hoses are generic and will work with any of the cars.

Excellent. Looking forward to this build. Will you be using any aftermarket upgrades or scratch built upgrades? I have a small collection of 1:12 Tamiya F-1 kits and like Yves, particularly interested in this one because it's one I have considered adding to my collection. PS: The new release of this kit includes photo etch. Does your version have photo etch included?

Thanks Alan

Hurricanes should be fewer and further between this year. We are in an El Niño year and that makes winds in the upper atmosphere unfavorable for hurricanes. It tears them apart.

My family came to the Tampa area in the 1880’s. They came to Florida in 1820, initially in the area now known as Tallahassee…near the panhandle. Many stories passed down about the early Florida wilderness and what it was like to live in those times.

Thanks Allan. Glad to see you are back and hope you are doing well. I feel for you, out working long hours in this heat.

The engine cylinders were as much a puzzle as they were a model kit. In the end, it looks great.

Building this kit up will probably be a once in a lifetime affair for me as it's not practical to envision doing another of the same kit. Because of this I want to add upgraded parts where it seems they provide a significant level of detail to help the finished model look like the real thing. It gets pricey though. Here is what I intend to add to the engine assembly at this time: Nickel plated acorn nuts for the cam covers: Nuts - Acorn - Nickel Plated Brass 1.0 mm - A007n – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) Upgraded water pipes, hose, and hose clamps: Alfa Water Pipes - A024 – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) Distributor linkage kit: Distributor Linkage Kit - A005 – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) Spark plugs Spark Plugs - Z008 – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) ignition wire Ignition Wire - Z038 – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) Plug wire boots Boots - Z039 – Model Motorcars (model-motorcars.myshopify.com) In addition to the above parts, I may add some 3D printed resin parts as well depending on price and availability (waiting on word back from Paul Koo) All through the building of this kit, there are a large number of upgrade options to consider. All will require time and money to go that route but in some cases it seems worth it. I don't intend to rush to finish this kit, just going to do it one sub-assembly at a time.

I sure am glad that the former owner only started the engine and transmission. It is a mess to say the least. Connecting rods facing in wrong positions; cylinder sleeves upside down in several places; none of the parts were properly prepared before assembling. This is a rescue project in the pure sense of the word. Because of the glue, the crank shaft was cracked in several places where I had to separate the journals in order to release the connecting rods and place them facing in the correct direction. I carefully sanded, shaped and glued the broken pieces back together. I'm not too worried about the repaired pieces as all are internal and will not be seen once the engine is painted and reassembled. I have lots of cleanup and careful fitting to do before putting any of it back together.

When I received my kit, the previous owner had started the engine and transmission. The subassemblies and other loose parts were inside a sealed baggie. I’m going to start by disassembling what was started then looking to see what pieces may be damaged or missing. Will follow Paul Koi’s guide when reassembling and upgrade pieces where it seems worthwhile.

Those videos are addictive. Thanks for sharing the link. Informative.