Talbot Lago T46 1/24 Mister Craft (ex - Merit)

[Eric Mc]

This was finished over a month ago but the Mister Craft decals disintegrated once I put them into water so I had to wait until I was able to get hold of some replacement blank roundels which only arrived in the post a couple of days ago.

The kit is fairly ancient as the mouldings date back to the late 1950s when it was originally released by Merit. Since then it's appeared under various kit manufacturers such as Heller, Smer and Mister Craft.

I decided to leave the disks as blank as it wasn't that odd to see racing cars of that era showing no numbers. When they arrived at a venue the numbers were often allocated by the event organisers on the day of arrival.

The kit is definitely of its age but I am quite pleased with how it looks.

[tangerine_sedge]

Some of these old kits can make really nice models with a little effort. Good work with the kit wheels, but it's crying out for aftermarket etch/3d printed.

[Eric Mc]

I did buy some replacement wheels but they were a tad undersized so I went with what came in the kit.

[Simpo Two]

Could you enlarge the exhaust bores with a drill so they don't look so thick?

[tangerine_sedge]

Eric Mc said:

I did buy some replacement wheels but they were a tad undersized so I went with what came in the kit.

That's a shame, but it still looks good.

[Eric Mc]

Simpo Two said:

Could you enlarge the exhaust bores with a drill so they don't look so thick?

They were actually moulded completely solid so I did drill them out. I went as far as I dared as I didn't want to drill through the sides. With a kit dating from around 1958 or so you have to be prepared to accept some compromises.

I'm currently working on an even older moulding (1956 - Airfix Westland Whirlwind helicopter) and it suffers from the same issues.

[Richard-390a0]

I quite like the fact it shows its age as being a vintage kit. Quaint or charmingly old fashioned!

[Eric Mc]

I look on it as a kind of Plastic Kit Archeology

[Glosphil]

Eric Mc said:

Simpo Two said:

Could you enlarge the exhaust bores with a drill so they don't look so thick?

They were actually moulded completely solid so I did drill them out. I went as far as I dared as I didn't want to drill through the sides. With a kit dating from around 1958 or so you have to be prepared to accept some compromises.

I'm currently working on an even older moulding (1956 - Airfix Westland Whirlwind helicopter) and it suffers from the same issues.

I built the Airfix Whirlwind kit the year it was released. I was 11. I made a poor job of it.

[Simpo Two]

Glosphil said:

I built the Airfix Whirlwind kit the year it was released. I was 11. I made a poor job of it.

I built a Westland Whirlwind

(model of!)

[Eric Mc]

Glosphil said:

Eric Mc said:

Simpo Two said:

Could you enlarge the exhaust bores with a drill so they don't look so thick?

They were actually moulded completely solid so I did drill them out. I went as far as I dared as I didn't want to drill through the sides. With a kit dating from around 1958 or so you have to be prepared to accept some compromises.

I'm currently working on an even older moulding (1956 - Airfix Westland Whirlwind helicopter) and it suffers from the same issues.

I built the Airfix Whirlwind kit the year it was released. I was 11. I made a poor job of it.

I'll start a separate thread on the Whirlwind.