How stupid can one get? I'd just posted this and turned away when I spotted Martyn Wainwright's great 1950s Motorsport in colour on my bookshelf: and there is the definitive answer! The numbers were solid black. Which now prompts the question: why and how did Maisto make such a basic mistake?

All the colour photos I was able to quickly check just now show red numbers - perhaps they were balck only at Aintree?

Red was the normal colour for Mercedes numbers in F.1 in 1954-55.

At Aintree they were definitely black and I wondered whether it was an R.A.C rule or a reaction to the Le Mans accident. (The equivalent of a black arm band.)

and from Barry:
"Red was the normal colour for Mercedes numbers in F.1 in 1954-55.

At Aintree they were definitely black and I wondered whether it was an R.A.C rule or a reaction to the Le Mans accident. (The equivalent of a black arm band.)"

Thank you, both. So the Maisto W196 is wrong. Being an inveterate nit-picker I knew this already, since according to SCM's own account in Doug's book the car he had at Aintree had outboard brakes, and the Maisto verson has inboard drums. Presumably the Maisto Moss Aintree model is just a repaint and renumber of their standard W196 (it is available in several numbers and colour schemes for different drivers).

I think Barry is right in that black numerals on a white background (or white on a black background) was an RAC stipulation, though not just for 1955 and not as a le Mans mourning gesture. All the colour photos in Martyn Wainwright's book show such numbers and a cursory leaf through the pages reveals no coloured numbers at all.

So now I need to check on the numbers for 722 in Mille Miglia mode and the same car in Targa Florio mode (both of which I have in the Maisto set).

Question: do I repaint the numbers on the Maisto model, for the sake of accuracy, or leave them as is, for the sake of originality? The re-sale value of the model is of no importance.

Given the prices that Maisto charge and their claims for accuracy, I suggest that you write to them detailing the inaccuracies and demand that they either send you an accurate model or refund your money. They won't do either but it would be interesting to see what they do say.

Intriguing thought, Duncan, though as you say, they would almost certainly ignore me. Ironically I did pay quite a lot (I think it was around £90 - a sum I would be very unlikely to pay now) for the GP car. It was a self-indulgent Christmas present to myself and the model that began my present collection. I have two others in the set, the two versions of 300slr 04 (722 the Mille Miglia model) and 104 - the same car in Targa Florio livery. Happily I didn't pay anything like as much for them. Both were eBay purchases that came at a fraction of the list price. (The Targa Florio car I got for about US$10, which I considered a very considerable snip, especially as the vendor delivered it for only a further US$4 for me to an address in New York where I subsequently picked it up on a business visit, so I didn't even have to pay transAtlantic shipping.) I have in addition a second copy of 722, still mint in original box, given to me free by a colleague on the grounds that it didn't fit his collection. Very generous of him, I reckon - although the car is, I suppose, not quite mint: some bloke called Stirling Moss has signed his name on the bonnet in indelible ink...

Talking about ridiculous prices for inaccurate models, as a fellow XKD worshipper you might or might not be interested in an earlier rant of mine posted (before this thread began) on Barry's thread about the very expensive Autoart model purporting to be OKV3 and being nothing of the sort: http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php...881#post2836881 et seq if you can be bothered...

Here is a link to a fascinating website with some of the best model cars you will ever see. Rob Walker was a regular customer and there is a feature about his round the pole racers on the site.

Henri Baigent

David

Looks like you'll be buying the new Minichamps 1:18 Alfa Giulia!

Picture

Bjørn, not surprisingly it was called Model Cars and was a mid-60s spin-off from Model Maker magazine. Hundres of Reprints of the original Prototype Parade articles with photos and plan drawings of racing cars are available online here. WELL worth a look.
Alan

Thank you AJB. This is a terrific find. Due to lack of space I had to get rid of my collection of Model Cars mags but managed to save all the drawings. A quick glance through this site has revealed several interesting additions including the 1955 BRM which I am planning to build. Thanks again.

Indeed: this really is a great thread...

Anyone collects the Polisti 1/18 F1 cars from the 70s?
We have some buried somewhere in the attic but I remember seeing some for sale still in the original boxes for around 1.000 FF/model in the late 90s in a monegasque F1 memorabilia shop

Hi Antoine,

I know that shop in Monaco. It is slightly overpriced. But I wouldn't give away those boxed Polistil's. They are indeed sought after.

Arjan

Yes, it's the one on the Fontvieille harbour.
IIRC, I broke some parts on the Polistil 6-wheel Tyrrell and a Ferrari when I was a toddler. Some more restoration projects to accomplish...

Another great site with lots of plans is :

www.smcars.net/forums/

I think this is the Monaco memorabilia / model shop

http://www.monalisamotorsport.com/

I collected various F1-models...but when it came to dust-cleaning, it was soon over...

Now I have two showcases in my office with some Ferrari like the famous Ascari-, Lauda, and Villeneuve-Ferrari...and one with the first five cars of the 1996-F1-championship...

Might be if it's the one that has been under the arcade in Fontvieille for the last... 10-15 years?
I don't really notice it anymore and I'm not sure if it was still there when I went to MC last Summer.

The only model shop I've seen in Monaco is on the rue Grimaldi.

I nearly got thrown out of that one at last year's Historique. I accidentally trod on the good lady's very small dog. I thought it was a soft toy from the Schumacher collection. Pardon!

Yes, tucked under the arcade in Fontvieille, or at least is was in 2004 . . .

IIRC, that shop is mainly geared toward Ferrari stuff, correct?

I thought I would add some of the 1/20 scale F1 car I have made which are display in our den as well as the 1/32 scale Lotus 33 slot car I have made from scratch for our slot car track.


1/20 scale F1:









Lotus 33:







I hope you like them.

John Kit.

I have a number of 1:18 Polistil models and reckon they excellent - except for the Maserati 250F which is hopeless. The photo is of the Ferrari 500.

Another Polistil - the W196 in 1:18 scale.

For the Le Mans model enthusiasts (or tragics), Spark have announced that they will produce the Le Mans Dunlop bridge in 1:43 scale.

In Australia, it will cost A$ 299 (thats USD 195 / GBP 135 / Euro 150). At that price I can't say I'll be rushing out to get one unless I can find it cheaply online - but even then postage costs will be a killer.

That's Jody, turning into Loews, right?

No, left!!! Being picky, beautiful model but, isn't that blue rather on the light side....

By giraffe138

I think you might have a point there, Barry. Kitman's is closer to the shade of blue on the trailer behind....

Barry, yes, it is a bit on the light side and the poor flash photo enhances this as well.

I'm very glad that you like the model of the Wolf. This is the 1/20 scale Tamiya kit as is the 312 T3.

The Lotus 33 slot car is built entirely from scratch. Here is the thread of its construction:

Lotus 33

Thanks,
John Kit.

An interesting idea for another model car related forum, but perhaps the connection here between model cars and Atlas might be better served with linking the model racing car art form and its relationship with preserving motorsport history in miniature. Collections, themes, the common bond between the 1:1 motor sport world and personalities etc. etc.

Just a thought?

Stephen

http://members.shaw.ca/millersbrm/speeddetails.html

Surely left???

See post 78.

I actually got it first time, but thanks anyway, guys! :yawn:

For anyone interested there is a company that does some excellent car modelling paints to match race liveries, including Wolf. They can be found here
http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?c...3f474e64e48f788

Thank you. VERY interesting!

These sites are worth a look for model makers/enthusiasts (guess thats all of us).

http://www.italianhorses.net/

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/...splay.php?f=927

I buy my kits from here - prices of plastic kits (Fujimi, Tamiya etc) are around 60% of the UK price and shipping doesn't add too much extra.

http://www.hlj.com/top/Aut

I heard a horror story from a friend who recently bought from HLJ where the total value for customs was indecipherable, so UK customs picked up on the amount declared, but not the fact it was Yen. The total amount payable for VAT & Duty through the post office was over four times the total cost of the model kits. The e-mail help line was inoperable, the phone help line useless, with the only resolution pay up and then write to customs & excise with a letter pleading your case for a refund.

That is truly scary - my last order was 8200 (yen) - about £30 at the time, so imagine duty on 8200 (£)!
I always have a slight worry about these things happening when I order on the internet.

I hope your friend sorted it out.

He was still waiting, the last I heard. I suppose if you add VAT Duty & shipping to your 60% it comes closer to the UK price. I know he used them primarily because you can access stuff less available than in the UK.

Well, the little cheap 1:43 Brumm turns out to be a more accurate representation of the actual car than the much more expensive 1: 18 Maisto. The Brumm even has outboard front brakes! (I’m fairly sure I can replace the model’s four-spoke steering wheel with a more accurate three-spoker (gotta have one somewhere) and possibly even do something to put the correct S Moss pale blue tartan pattern on the seat.)



Meanwhile I’ve repainted the numbers on the Maisto to the correct black.




(My apologies if by now I am boring you...)

Does anyone know of a kit of a Ralt RT1? I'd like to model Piquet's and Warwick's F# cars from 1978, and have never found one.

Thanks

I made my own 20 years ago out of wood easy to make.

Plans & drawings : www.the-blueprints.com

This covers a lot too Bjorn
http://vsrnonline.com/Mags/MC/MC_Plans_2.htm#1969

Thanks for posting that link Mike, I have wasted a good part of the morning enjoying looking at those plans again.

When I read Model Cars and Model Auto Review in the sixties I just couldn't get enough of the colour schemes and detailing (bearing in mind colour photography was little used in magazines when reporting 'exotic' race series). One of my favourites in MC was the set of 1966 Can Am colours schemes (MC Nov 67). I must have used that to repaint my Lola T70 shell six or seven times!

Steve

I have to say those articles and "plans" had a big influence on my chosen career too. So much so that as part of my final year project at Art School, one of the tutors, knowing my interest in racing, set one of the Q's, To design the livery of a racing team with women drivers "supported" by Playtex.

And then there are Mike Sells with his faboulos collection of transporter plans.

... and then I did it!

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to introduce "F1 Novecento" (the twentieth century), my new home-made showcase.

It's been hard but I think it's a nice job. Naturally my collection is not complete, I'm looking for 40 models who made the F1 history since 1950 until 1999.

Enjoy!

Excellent, thank you for sharing. I can see you're a big fan of F1 history.