214 Complete.

A couple of months ago I posted some photo's of the 214 being built by Claus Eisenschink in Germany. I'm glad to report that the model is complete and looking really very good. Finished in Californian Sage as it should be, it's built to Claus's usual hight standard. As with all Claus's builds, it's complete with light kit and Leds and i'm pleased to see it's not fitted with those very annoying "xenon" blue things! When I see things like this, it makes me a little proud to have actually produced the kit in the first place, although Claus tells me he has used other items not in the kit, to enhance it.

It looks like it's ready to go. Ten out of ten Claus!

Graham.

Well, the last of the Bugs have now gone, with number 20 below. It was only when this (commissioned) car was all but complete that I realised it was the 1929 Williams Monaco car, thus the headgear and other clothing should be a little different.

And this is number 24, racing in German colours, driver unknown.

I still have three unfinished cars, two of which were development cars, the third just got sidestepped when I couldn't at the time get around a problem. The problem was solved on number 17, so all will be finished off one day.

Soon the computer and AutoCAD will take over my life for a while, so no new finished cars for a while.

Unless I buy one and just have to get on with it....

Peter

More proper cars....

Welcome Taffy!

I am of course biased. A guild member who makes pre-1960 cars is already a friend.

A beautiful car, well finished and to a degree, unusual. Excellent!

Perhaps I might ask for a few pictures of other cars?

Again, welcome.

Peter

May I introduce...

....myself?

First I have to say thank you to Graham, who kindly invited me to contribute to this blog!
My name is Hans-Peter, but slot-folks call me Taffy.
I have to apologise for my bad english, but I am no native speaker...
I´m a german and live in Königswinter, a little town in the Bonn-Cologne area.
My slotracing career started in 1999 at the age of 36, the beginning of scratchbuilding was in 2002.
Most I like prewar- and postwar-formula- and sportscars until the end of the 60´s.









This is my Talbot T 150C Graham asked me to show in this blog, and I am very pleased to do this.
It is one of my last scratchbuilts; I thought, the best entrance would be with a rather fresh car. I hope, you enjoy!

Taffy

TR4 Complete.

The TR4 shown a few months back is now at last complete. Finished pretty much as I had hoped, it looks better than the last one. I still have 2 kits left, one will be built as a club racer without screen, because the kit came without any clear parts, then the last with a full conversion to correct Monte Carlo spec. with new rear screen, top etc.
Inevitably fitted with some of my wheels, this car actually used this spec of wheel, which is perhaps why it looks right. Later cars, that is TR4A on had the cross laced type, a variety I am still working on.
The rear tyres are Grahams new urethane replacements for Scaley W9533 fronts which will be available in pack of four in the very near future. Rears are to follow, as are others in the future.
I did a few track tests with these and they have a much increased grip over the Scalextric parts.

On eBay at the moment, the TR is not there to sell, but to illustrate both wheels and tyres and let potential buyers know they are available.

Work on the new selection of wheels continues at a slow rate with much work involved in all the planning and plotting of drawings.

Types now projected include;

16"
Jaguar XK/C Type 60 spoke, 2 etches.
Aston Martin DB2/3 60 spoke, 3 etches.
HRG 60 spoke Not worked out
MG racing T Type 48 spoke, 2 etches

Experimental etches will be made for various Borrani types and also DB3S/Early DBR

18"
Alfa P3 60 spoke, 3 etches
Talbot Lago, 72 spoke, 3 etches
Alfetta, 72 spoke, 3 etches.

19"
Mercedes/Auto Union 70 spoke, 2 etches
Alfa 2900/8C/12C etc, 72 spoke, 3 etches
MG K3, 70 spoke, 3 etches.
MG general, 48 spoke, 2 etches.

21"
Generic type, or did most manufacturers use a similar pattern?
Bentley, Invicta, Delage, Mercedes, 70 spoke, 3 etches. The spoke pattern is quite different to both Mercedes and MG K3 types.

That makes 12 types plus experimental ones, a minimum of 31 etches, more like 40 and goodness knows how many spokes!

Oh well.....

Peter

Racing Masers. Well nearly.

Splendid news on the 16 inchers Peter. I think that some scratch builders (read "me") are crying out for these. I certainly hope to be using a fair few of them along with my own rendition. I've not read much on Maserati, but your comments regard the cock ups sound parr for the course. I read recently an article by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori recalling their 1959 Aston Martin Le Mans win. They both remarked how well organised the Aston team were (shame the cars weren't!) and that they had both had experiences with other famous racing equipes. Maserati in particular were mentioned and described as a complete and utter shambles. On one occasion, Salvadori arrived for a particular race meeting and had no idea which car he was supposed to be driving. Neither did anyone else for that matter,so practice could not take place. The mechanics were very reluctant to talk to him and the team managers appeared to have no idea at all about what anybody was supposed to be doing. My guess is that they built those beautiful cars just to be looked at!
Graham.

I like the Maserati Coupe, a car which seems to keep cropping up from my point of view. Within the last year I read a biography on Costin which gave several interesting facts, whilst I have just finished the 'official' biography on Sir Stirling. Both volumes are in agreement that Zagato, (the body builders, not our Graham) completely ignored all of Costins instructionsand calculations and simply built the body they wanted, albeit with a shape similar to the projected one. Thus there was insufficient air for the induction system and engine heat was directed into the cockpit, to name but two of the cock-ups involved. It had originally been intended that Fantuzzi, the regular Maserati body builder do the work, but such was their workload, Zagato were used.
The engine went on to power my favourite sports racing Maserati, the Tipo 151/3 from 1964.

It's nice to see Toms HRG being developed. Since I'll be doing 16" wheels hopefully before the year is out, producing the correct spokes for this car will be no problem, so I guess they'll be added to the list.

Peter