Mark, The Master Modeller

Stage 4 gives us more of the floor, the bell housing and more of the gearbox. Take the adjuster lever and push it into the hole in rail B. Remove the protective film from the floor panel, then the adhesive strip backing tape, and stick the panel in place on the floor. Now press the floor rails in place. Take the seal plate and the bell housing. Note that the cutout on the seal plate goes towards the bottom of the bell housing. Place the seal plate over the bell housing. Place the bell panel over the opening of the bell housing. The tab at teh bottom goes in teh cutout of the seal plate. Screw the two halves of the gearbox together. This is the part supplied in this stage, along with the parts assembled in the previous stage. Put the bell housing assembly in place on the gearbox. Fix it with 2 screw inserted from inside the bell housing. Press the side panel in place on the left side of the gearbox. This completes the stage.

Stage 3 gives us the next part of the dashboard, the stage of the gearbox and the floor. Take the instrument panel assembled in the previous stage and screw it to the dashboard supplied in this stage. It looks like this from the front. Take the get lever and fix it to the left gearbox casing with a screw. The gear lever does move as if you're shifting gears! Take the aluminium floor and remove the protective film. Turn it over and remove the protective backing from the self-adhesive tape. Press the floor panel in place. Push the seat adjuster lever into the hole in floor rail B. Push the two floor rails into the holes in the floor panel. Rail B with the adjuster lever goes tot he outside of the car. This completes the stage.

Stage 2 gives us the driver's door and the dashboard. Fit the frame (instrument bezels) inside the dashboard. It looks like this from the front. Take the smaller lenses and remove the protective film. There is film on board side of the lenses. One side clear and one side blue. Fit the 5 smaller lenses in the back of the frame. No need to push too hard as the dials will hold them in the correct position. Fit the dials to the back of the dashboard and secure with 2 screws. It looks like this from the front. Take the larger tacho lens, remove the protective films and press this into position. For once, reflections on the photo help! Here's the completed dash without the reflections obscuring the dials! Fix the door frame to the inside of the door. This is held with 3 screws. Push the door handle into the hole in the outside of the door. This completes the stage.

Let get the show on the road with this beauty. One of the prettiest cars ever. Stage 1 gives us the bonnet and steering wheel, and also a screw driver. We start with the bonnet hinges. These screw on to the front of the bonnet. Now take the clear plastic air intake covers and cut them from the sprue with sprue cutters or a craft knife. They are marked with L & R on the sprue so don't get them mixed up. They press into place. This completes the bonnet. Feel free to take a minute to drool! The steering column is joined to the steering wheel assembly with a single screw. This completes the stage.

Try looking for a spudger on Amazon or Google. It's a flat bladed plastic tool used for prising open phone cases, etc. Ideal for the job and they are very cheap. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Personally, I'm tempted to remove the latch from the mechanism so it doesn't need pressing to open the door.

Don't worry if the engine doesn't turn properly at the end of Pack 1. It really needs the base in position to support everything, and that is provided in Pack 2. Have a look the official build diary. That shows the assembly quite clearly. However, the assembly is a bit fiddly. Pack 2 sees the main parts of the engine complete, but remember to only turn it anti-clockwise by hand. It does take a few revolutions to get it to free up and turn without jamming. However, once the engines are installed in the engine room and connected to the electric motor it will turn quite smoothly. Here are links to the official build dairy. https://community.agoramodels.com/forum/171-pack-2-of-the-official-titanic-build-diary/

You did a great job, she looks fantastic.

That's taken the engine details to the next level. Brilliant work!

A decal setting solution will help. I use MicroScale Sol & Set, and have had good results with the Revell decal setting solution in the past. I couldn't get on with the Tamiya product though.

Mine isn't perfect, but the front wing isn't properly secured yet. There are replacement hinges for the bonnet coming in Pack 10 and the front wings get properly secured. It should all be fine after Pack 10 is completed, but do let us know if you still have problems.

$25 is an absolute steal!

Stage 5 gives us the fuel pump and details. Push teh 4 fittings onto he fuel pump. These all had a fair amount of flash on them that needed removing with a sharp blade. Push the small pipe fitting on to the fuel pump part A.The pin not he fitting points directly backwards, as per my photo. Fit the assembly to the fuel pump body. Push the fuel pump part B onto the fuel pump body. Fit pipe one as shown. Fit pipe 2 as shown. Fit the joint (short pipe) between the fuel pump body and pipe 2. Fit the gold coloured fitting to the fuel pump assembly. Finally, fit the fuel pump assembly to the engine block to complete the stage.

Stage gives us more of the engine block, and what they call the central gearbox. This is the gear drive for the cam shaft Fit the two parts of the upper block together with a couple of screws. Fit the first part of the camshaft gearbox to the upper block. This is also secured with screws from the inside. Push the oil pressure valve into the central gearbox. Fit the upper part of the camshaft gearbox to the block. This is a push fit. Take the second part of the upper block and fix this to the assembly. It's secured from the back by these two screws. Take the lower black assembly completed in stage 3 and fit it to the upper block As usual, it is secured from the inside with 2 screws. This completes the stage.

Stage 3 gives us the stage of the engine block and the steering column. Fix the oil pan to the left lower block. It's fixed with 2 screws. Put the oil pump in position. The just rests here, but will be trapped by the right hand side of the block in the next step. Screw the right hand lower block to the left hand side. This holds the oil pump securely. Place the oil pan bracket over part A of the oil pan. Now place part B of the oil pan over the securing lug. This is secured with a single screw through the side. Take the steering wheel and put the ignition advance/retard control in place. Turn the steering wheel over and screw the bush in place. The advance/retard lever should like up with one of the cross holes. Push the steering bearing into the panel. The bearing is inserted in the side opposite the mounting lugs. Slide the steering column part A in through the bearing. Screw the steering wheel bush to the column. The steering wheel will probably need to come off again, so no need to grind the screws really tight. Slide the rubber bellow onto the middle steering column. There is a ridge on the column to hold it in the correct position. Join the two parts of the column at the universal joint with a couple of screws. Finally, add the third part of the column, again, fixing it with a couple of screws. to complete the stage.

I’d call that a roaring success! Fantastic job with the painting a weathering too.

Stage 2 gives us the radiator grille and the dashboard. I left the parts in the plastic tray as it lays them out very neatly! Fix the grille to the frame withe 2 tiny black screws. Fix teh two hinges to the frame with a couple of larger black screws. Fix the bracket 2F inside the nose cone. This holds the radiator grille return spring. Fix the grille assembly to the nose cone with the two hinge supports. Finally, the spring is fitted. This is easily done with some fine tweezers, but unfortunately I forgot to take the photo! Now we move on to the dashboard. This is a very simple affair when compared to more modern cars. Just a rev counter, water temp and oil pressure gauges. Start by pushing the fuel low indicator and the cold start injector into their holes in the dash. Now fit the rev counter. This just pushes in, and needs a firm press. Make sure you get it with the legend horizontal. No need to fit the other two smaller gauges as they are replaced later in the build. This complete the stage.

As some of you may know, I enjoy a bit of model engineering alongside scale modelling. I'll post some photos and videos of my engines now and again and hope it doesn't bore you too much. This is a Stuart 10V. One of the smaller engines that Stuart Models (formerly Stuart Turner) make. I originally bought this engine as a machined kit around 1980 as I didn't have any metal working machines at the time. This model was assembled and worked very nicely. It was run on air and steam occasionally, but mostly stood on a shelf on display, until it got put into storage in 2005 when I went abroad for work, and it never got unpacked! Recently I bought it out and decided it needed to run again. It was very stiff, mainly gummed up with oil. I did think it may need completely stripping and cleaning, but a few strategic squirts of 3 in 1 oil and she freed up. I've decided that I like the patina of age she has, so I'm going to leave her exactly as she is. I'll just give her a light brush over with a soapy toothbrush to remove some of the grime and dust. She's around 45 years old, so deserves to look her age! And she still runs a treat. This is with an air brush compressor with the air hose just pushed agains the valve chest as the steam union has gone walkabout. IMG_5710.mov

Time to start this beautiful car. I do have a spot spot for early F1 racing cars, and also wire wheels, so this is ringing all the bells for me! As you may remember, I built one for Agora and posted some sneaky preview photos a while ago. So this is my second model, and I rarely build the same model twice! But my display cabinet was simply begging me to build it!! I'm afraid the lighting isn't quite up to my usual standard, but I'm not building this in my usual modelling den. Let's start with stage 1 which gives us the nose cone, steering wheel, some details and a screwdriver. The first task is to fit the Mercedes logo to the nose cone. It's fixed with a screw from the back. The radiator support is fitted inside the nose cone. The air intake frame sits on the air intake. It's not a tight fit. This is then fitted inside the nose cane with 2 screws. The air intake frame is now held securely. This completes the stage.

Thanks! The car is looking stunning, but it is taking a little bit of tinkering to get a good fit! The last stage is nearly finished!

Stage 100 gives us the final details such as the wipers, license plate, remaining logos, etc. We will fit the bonnet (front body) first. Turn the bonnet upside down and flick up the hinges. However, don't tape the wires like this, tape them to the outside of the bonnet. Learn from my mistakes!!! Put the bonnet in place on the car, turn the whole model upside down and screw the hinges to the front chassis. Here's a close-up of the hinge screwed in place. You may find that the bonnet doesn't close properly. Don't panic, there's a simple fix. Remove the bonnet, and then remove the radiator. It's only held in by two screws. Refer back to Pack 9, stage 70 for details. You will also need to pull the two radiator pipes away from the radiator. See stage 71 for details. Once the radiator is out of the way, remove the paint from the two mounting posts. A small file or sanding stick is ideal, or you could even use an emery board for finger nails. This will lower the radiator a little so the bonnet can close properly. Here's a close up of one of the posts. Now replace the radiator and bonnet and it should close nicely. If not, it may be the Tank tube support that is standing a little too high. Refer to Pack 9 stages 68 & 69. Sand the top of the tank tube support so that it is flat. This can be polished with a nail buffing stick to get a nice shiny finish. The observant amongst you may notice that the tank cap is missing! I didn't notice until after the photo was taken 🤦‍♂️ The front body/bonnet should close nicely now. Now you may find that the doors don't close securely or line up with the bonnet. Again, this can be fixed. Remove the door; you will need to unplug the switch cables from sockets 14 & 15. Pull on the plug itself as you may pull the cable out if you pull on the cable. Take a 4mm drill bit and use this to remove any burred from the hinge mounting holes in the body. Remove the paint from the hinge. Be as thorough as you can and pay attention to removing the paint from around the bottom of the locating pins. Also remove the paint from the edge of the hinge where it lands against the door. The thickness of the paint may stop the door closing properly. The doors should close properly now and be aligned with the bonnet. However, I couldn't get the bottom of the doors to line up with the bonnet perfectly. The door holds closed, but doesn't close with a definite click. However, if the doors don't hold closed properly, it is likely that the spring plate of the hinge isn't tight enough. Refer to Pack 1 stage 5. You will need to disassemble the door to fix this. Here's an example of the plate that isn't properly tightened. Note that there is a gap between to plate and the door, and the screws aren't down tight. You will need to remove the door panels. These just prise off, but they can be a bit tight, so be careful not to damage them. Then remove the door frame which is held with screws. Now you can remove any burrs around the holes with a large drill bit. Apply a little lubricant to the holes, then replace the hinge and spring plate. The spring plate must go down tight when the hinge is in the door closed position. Now the door should hold itself closed. Now the bonnet and doors fit nicely, we can continue with the rest of the stage. Next we connect the headlight wires. Turn the model over then feed the headlight wires under the wishbones. Then easy up the radiator pipes and push the connectors under them. Push the radiator pipes back down afterwards. Connect the wires to sockets 9 & 10. Take the bottom floor panel and align it so you can plug in the power connector. The power connector fits in socket 5. Fit the bottom floor plate by sliding the tabs at the rear under the rear sub-frame. Here are the tabs, aligned and the floor plate is ready to be pushed backwards into position. Note how the screw holes align when is it in the correct position. Now fit these two screws. Fit the two screw that go under the side skirts. Finally, fit the two screws at the front. Now is a good time to insert some batteries and test the electronics. You have to switch the power on under the car, and then insert the key in the centre console. You can't just leave the key inserted, it has to be inserted after the power is switched on. Brake/rear lights. Instrument lights. Headlights. Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot of the interior light. I just couldn't get a decent angle on the camera. Next up is fitting the side skirts. These are a bit awkward to fit, but you can make it a bit easier by using a large drill bit to chamfer the location holes. You're just trying to make a small chamfer, so just give the drill but a couple of twists by hand. DON'T use a power tool!! This gives the pin a bit of a lead into the hole. Locate the side skirts and push them into place. I found it easier to locate the tabs at the top first, but this may have just been luck! The chassis plate is fitted next. However, there is an ejector pin just where the chassis plate is located, which needed filing smooth. Now stick the plate in place. You could touch up the scratch marks with satin black paint if you wished. However, they were very inconspicuous to the named eye. Stick the license plate to the support frame, noting that the pins go to the top. The just pushes into the holes in the bottom of the forward body. Remove the backing paper from the logo template and stick it to the side of the model. Align it carefully with the edges of the panel. Take one of the pieces of double sided tape and stick it to the model in the aperture of the template. I found that the back of the logo was a bit rough and needed filing smooth. Now stick it in place. The "B" logo should have the double sided tape stuck to the logo first, simple because it peels off the backing paper easier that way. Now stick the "B" logo to the car. Push the two logos down very firmly, then gently remove the template. There are two shims which helps the door switches operate more reliably. Stick the shim to the small disc of double sided tape. The photo shows just one shim and one adhesive tape disc. Then stick the shim to the door latch. Take the remaining sheet of double sided tape from stage 99 and apply it to the inside of the windscreen surround. The pieces of tape are all cut to size, and the instructions show where each piece is fitted. Remove the backing tape and push the windscreen in place. Note that it is held by both the tape and pins. Push the washer nozzles in place. These are fiddly little blighters! I used tweezers and a strategically placed finger to make sure that they didn't ping off into hyperspace! Push the windscreen wipers in place. They are handed, but they are obviously wrong if you get the left and right wiper blades mixed up! They are a bit fiddly and I needed to remove some flash from the locating pins. The last step is to apply the transfers to the back of the car. Helpful tip. Remove the front licence plate before tipping the car onto its nose, or you'll likely break it off! Apply the templates carefully. Try to get them right first time as they tear if you try to pull them off. See the left hand template! However, it's not the end of the world as these are only a temporary part. Take the transfers from stage 1 and trim them fairly close to the lettering. It doesn't need to be too close as the plastic sheet is removed later. Remove the backing paper and apply them to the model using the template as a guide. Make sure that the black of the logos is stuck directly to the car and not on the template. It doesn't matter if the clear plastic sheet overlaps the template. Rub the transfers down firmly. Use a cocktail stick or a pencil to burnish them down. Carefully peel off both the clear plastic sheet and the template. If necessary, you can place the clear sheet over the template again and rub the transfer down if the edges look like they haven't stuck firmly. This completes the car. I hope you've enjoyed following along with the build, and if you're building the car yourself, I hope it's been useful. Here's the finished car, and it looks absolutely fabulous. She's doing a ton while standing still!! Some more beauty shots will be taken soon!

Stage 99 gives us the windscreen and surround. Before preparing the windscreen, let's fit the hub caps. These just press on. Take the windscreen trim and the windscreen fixing tapes. These are the thinner tapes. Peel the double sided tapes off the backing sheet and apply them to the trim. The sheet has a complete spare set of tapes in case you mess up. Don't overlap the tapes. Trim them if necessary as a double thickness of tape may show up an an unevenness in the windscreen. The windscreen has protective film on both sides. One clear, one blue. Remove the clear side. Remove the protective backing paper from the double sided tape, then stick the windscreen in place with eh clear side sticking to the tape. Remove the blue protective film. Finally, place the "IN RODAGGIO" sticker on the passenger side of the windscreen. I believe this translates to "Running in." This completes the stage. Sorry, but I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger now. There is a lot of work in the final stage so it will be a few days before it's posted.

Stage 98 gives us the side skirts and tail pipes. We fit the tail pipes but the side skirts are left until later. Push the tail pipes into the holes in teh bottom of the rear body. They come in bags marked L & R so you can easily get them the right way round. Take the extension lead supplied in stage 97. The purpose of this is actually to reverse the connections. I guess the manufacturers got the wires to the Instrument panel LEDs the wrong way round! Carefully remove plug 7. This is best done with tweezers. Don't pull on the wires as you'll probably pull the wires out from the plug! Then fit the extension cable into socket 7 in the pub and fir the original plug into the socket on the extension cable. Now we have to run the wires for the rear lights and speaker from the back of the car to the PCB. Start by feeding the wires through the gap between the boot compartment and the wheel arch. This shows the cables coming out from the rear body. This is the left side of the car as it allows clearer photo. Back to the left side of the car, run the wires under the wishbone, but over the drive shaft. The wire should now go through the hole in the fire wall and into the central shaft. Finally, take the wires into the pub compartment and plug them in. Repeat with both rear lights and the speaker wires. The rear lights go into sockets 11 & 12, and the speaker goes into socket 4. This completes the stage.

Stage 97 gives us the bottom floor panel and battery compartment. First of all, take the Lamborghini logo from stage 7 and fit it to the bonnet. Take the battery compartment and fit it to the floor panel with 2 screws. The red wire is closest to the aperture for the switch. Fix the switch into its aperture with a couple of screws. The connects with the wires soldered to them go closest to the batter compartment. Take the battery compartment lid and push the chromed screw through the hole. Turn it over and push the clear plastic washer over the threads of the screw. This will hold the screw in position when you remove the lid. Finally, fit the battery compartment lid to complete the stage.

Stage 96 gives us the last wheel and the hub caps. The tyre pushes onto the rim easily. When it comes to fitting the wheels to the car note that there are two tabs on the hub, they are pointing straight up and down in the photo. There are matching slots in the wheel. Make sure that these are aligned when you fit the wheel. Put the wheel in place and secure it with the long screws supplied. The hub caps are fitted later. Repeat for all 4 wheels. The two Bertone logos are pushed into the holes into the left hand side of the body. This completes the stage, and please excuse the mess on my bench!

Lovely job. It'll look even better once it's been weathered.