FIRST POST

 FIRST POST 28-Aug-2020

I stumbled upon a Brand New In The Box Airfix model of the '1930 Bentley 4.5 Litre Supercharged' kit that I remember building way back when I was a schoolkid. The kit was unopened and although the box was a little grubby, everything inside was as new! The decals looked a bit discoloured and may not even be usable - I won't know until it comes to trying them at the end of the build. Maybe Airfix can supply some new ones?

I've not built a plastic model for over 40 years, so this is going to be quite a challenge. As a kid I was a prolific kit-builder (mainly aircraft), but that was then and this is now. I'm older, have poorer vision and don't think I retained any modelling skills, so it'll be like starting from scratch. Hopefully, it will be enjoyable.

So here goes - the first few steps begin with the engine. Straight away I am amazed at the modern glue applicators. Wow, that fine needle is just amazing! I soon remember that the glue virtually melts the plastic pieces and welds them together. I also quickly learn that excess glue strips the plating of any chromed parts - oops!

It's not going too well, but I'm not worried about it too much - it's a learning process and I tell myself I'll get better. Another new experience for me is the acrylic paint - it's obviously radically different to the old enamels that I used to use. And it's soooo easy to clean the brushes!

So there we have it. My first plastic kit building in four decades and I really enjoyed it! Looking forward to doing the next bit - especially when I've finished decorating at home and can build a permanent work area in the spare room.

Thanks for visiting.

Day Two!

DAY TWO! 29 Aug 2020 

I'm winging it here. Made a few basic mistakes today but managed to recover. I'm not trying to add any fancy "effects" or "aging" to this model - I'm just trying to get back into the swing of plastic models again. 

Anyway, I seemed to work hard today but don't feel like I got a lot done. I think it's because work was interrupted by painting (I hate waiting for paint to dry). I noticed today that one of the mudguards was split. Very strange considering the kit was unopened. I managed to use a tiny strip of metal to bind it together and stop it from spreading. 

Next up was the huge fuel tank. That was very straight forward and didn't take long at all. It could also be painted as one unit, which was good. 

Then it was time to do the chassis and for some weird reason, I struggled with it! It was such a simple thing but when it came to installing the engine and gearbox, it felt like the chassis was misaligned - things weren't clicking into place as they should. Anyway, I managed to sort it out eventually.

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One thing that I WAS pleased with was the number-plate. It starts off as a silver plate and you have to add the black. It came out pretty good (after a few attempts) lol.

 

Finally, I built the wheels and rear axle (but I forgot to photograph the axle so I'll post that tomorrow). I've managed to paint all the body panels using Tamiya's acrylic British Green aerosol. Unfortunately I only bought one can and they're pretty damned small, so I had to paint smaller odds and sods with a Humbrol BRG enamel. Luckily, the two paints are a pretty perfect match, so nothing stands out.

 

More tomorrow - thanks for popping by 🙂

 

Tom.

ERRORS MADE

 DAY THREE 30Aug 2020

Little bit done today (been out for most of the day). I mentioned previously that there seemed something wrong with the way that parts were being mounted to the chassis - well I found out what it was today. Dumbo me had fitted the left side rear suspension point in the wrong place. I should be thankful that I found it at this point and not at the end of the build, I guess. Anyway I "deconstructed it"  and corrected my error.

 After that, I carried on with the steering, front suspension and engine bulkhead, followed by the big Bentley radiator. The 40yr old decals had lost most of their ability to stick to things and they have also hardened up a bit, so instead of falling into the mesh of the radiator, it kinda stands proud. I'm not going to mess with it because I know it'll just break up and I'll be in a worse mess. The decals are also showing their age in their colour too.

I'll be honest and say that I totally cocked up the front steering 😮 because I hadn't realised which way around the front cross-member was in the instructions. The previous few images of the kit had all been upside-down, but then in the cross-member image, they decided to flip it the other way and I wasn't paying attention 🙄

 

Unfortunate, but hey-ho, it is what it is. I couldn't be bothered undoing my mistake, so I accepted the fact that the steering won't be working from the steering wheel (if ever it should have). Other than that (and my chassis error), I've not done bad considering the four decades of absence from modelling 😂

 

Thanks for popping by.

 

BAD PAINT MATCH???

 DAY FOUR 31 Aug 2020

What a crap day. Instead of getting better, I swear I'm getting worse!!

I put the main body-panels on and a few other bits and bobs, and then realised that the paint finish on the bonnet panels is far better (or more glossy) than the bodywork. How could I not have noticed that before bonding the body to the chassis?? 😲😫😫😭 Such a jackass.

 

Ah well, it's another lesson learned. Like I said right at the start, this was never gonna be anything special - just the first step back into modelling after a lifetime away, lol.

I've come to the conclusion that beginners like me may need to buy TWO kits so that they can discover all the pitfalls on the first attempt and then maybe produce a great model on the second. Having said that, I've been doing this model from a makeshift/temporary location in the conservatory and I'm sure that things will be better when I can build my permanent modelling area in the spare room.

And then I discover from friends on the Model Ship World forums that the Bentley did have gloss bonnet panels and the body was actually painted canvas over an ash frame - so the finish I was moaning about is actually as it should be!

Even though the finish ends up actually being correct, I'm still scolding myself for not noticing that there was a difference in the first place. This time I got lucky, but next time it could be different.

HAYNES WORKSHOP MANUAL

DAY FIVE 02 Sep 2020

Pleased to say that my Haynes Owners Workshop Manual arrived today. There's an immense amount of data and detail in it and I look forward to reading it and referring to it should I decide to do this model for a third time :-) 

If there's any detail pix you need, give me a shout and I'll gladly email a close-up.

ON HOLD

PAUSED FOR DIY  04 Sep 2020

As much as I would have liked to carry on with this kit, unfortunately I had to put it away because 'real life' got in the way. My wife bought me a much bigger kit in the form of two double wardrobes 😂

New wardrobes does, of course, mean new bedroom. Stripping everything out, painting (two coats), new fittings, and then finally building these huge, heavy parts. No fun at all - just four days of blood (literally loads of finger-cuts), sweat and some tears 😂

Anyway, once I'd completed that little task, it was time to declutter the spare room which has become a bit of a rubbish tip these last few months. In here I will be laying claim to a corner for building the Vaporetto!

DAY FIVE

 I'm calling this finished!  

To be honest, I just wanted to rattle it off in the end so that I can start my Vaporetto build. This kit has made me realise that I'm not really a plastic kit modeller. 

I nearly ordered a couple of 1:24 scale aircraft the other day - I'm glad I didn't now. I made quite a few mistakes throughout the build and even forgot how damaging the glue itself can be. And let's not even talk about those damned front fenders!!!! 🤬

 

Anyway, here she is...