Last of the DBRs.

The DBR1 was the first serious model I worked on. Reworked from the re-issued early Scalectric bodyshell, the shape was not bad. The fact that it was a little over scale has always irritated me a little and if it was photographed alongside any of the other Astons, it's size would become apparent.

So i've made the decision to delete it from the range. I had a dozen or so shells left and decided to built up three to represent the tean cars that ran at Le Mans in 1958. The paint on the first DBR1 was totally incorrect being California Sage. These three will be painted Ford Forest Green which looks much more like it.

The photographs show one of the cars dry fitted with a few details and a test of the decals. Hence the wrong number.

All three cars will be fitted with a front mounted motor in a nickel silver photo etched chassis. They are now sold and will be going to a collector.

Graham.

Production at last....

Having waited a long while for machined parts, they are at last with me and I am thus slowly finishing machining parts and making up wheel kits, whilst at the same time trying to find time to build up a few sets of wheels for my own use.
One of the long overdue 'new' wheels is that for the primarily the Alfetta 158/9, as shown in the picture below.

This wheel, like most is to some degree a compromise, as there were many different wheels fitted to this type of car.
The illustrated wheels are a scale 18" both front and rear, and feature 3 rows of 24 spokes. The front rims are 5mm wide, the rears are 6mm wide. The tyres are those I had made, and will soon be supplied direct from the manufacturer, though I will continue to supply tyres with wheel sets if requested to.

Also for Alfetta are alternative 60 spoke wheels (3 x 20 spokes) and for rear fixing only, 17" (x6mm) wheels, also with 60 spokes.

Decent pictures in the future.....

Peter.

More wheels on their way.

The recent cold weather was bound to prompt the arrival of new parts, and thus it was that a further spoke etch fret came on Saturday.

I thought I'd show a complete fret rather than just a set of etches and felt it would be a help if the wheels were labelled up to some extent.

The Alfa 2900, 1960's Ferrari/Maserati and MGA Le Mans wheels are all of an experimental nature, and since they take up over twice as much space as a similar sized wheel, are costlier to make.

Above the MGA wheels will be seen more 16" etches, plus a new part in the form of steering wheels, another experiment.

The 'alternative' etches are the result of looking at vast numbers of photographs and finding that racing and sports racing cars even if of the same type, don't always have their wheels built in the same way. The only difference for example between the Vanwall and 1950's Maserati/Ferrari wheel in the spoke lacing.

The 17" wheels will be new, and have only appeared after I was asked if I'd be prepared to do some V16 BRM wheels. The BRM rears are at the bottom of the 17" column.

The K3 wheels were ones I wanted anyway, then someone asked me to do them. The spokes are the same as the ERA E Type front, not the rear as in the caption. The rears will appear on the next, and last wheel fret.

The 21" wheels were a surprise. Initially done for the Bentley, there are two types, one for the standard 3 and 4.5 litre, the other for the Blower car. Other wheels I wanted to do this size were for Delage GP and Mercedes SSK, both of which appear to be the same as the first wheel, whilst a combination of spokes could also make a passable Mercedes/Auto Union 'Avus' wheel, which should I believe, be 22", not 21".

Plans/drawings are now progressing towards my last new wheel fret with perhaps a dozen new wheels, a few new etches to allow further flexibility and probably a complete column of steering wheels.

Peter.