paddy
Well-known member
Blimey...bit dark and dusty down here in the civil section 
And this is what we are aiming for
So here we are, 45 years on from its original release when Airfix ruled the modelling world, the Blower Bentley is back in 1/12 form. Now moulded in Grey plastic rather than the original green (and better for it) it’s just as I remember it. Detail is good for its age and there is just enough for the modeler in 1975 but will it be enough today for that same modeler as he approaches 60 years young and a couple of decades of Tamiya super kits and WnW perfection?
Well, there are two ways of looking at this, a lack of original detail means you have a blank canvas with no blobs and indents to cut off or fill if you want to detail up, however it does mean you need a pile of reference to see what should be where and what it looked like.
Personally, I think this model will build into a very presentable display from the box but the opportunity to super detail is endless, so it works for both camps. I myself will probably come down somewhere between the two adding detail that will be seen but not going as far as trying to get 1930’s air in the tyres.
First thing I notice is the spru have letters but these letters are not called out in the instructions, just numbers, so while part1 might be on spru A… part 2 might be on sprue B so you will have to hunt for it…then I notice there are no or very few locating pins or tabs so alignment of parts will be done by eye.
This is a big model, about 14” long, or about 36cm in some foreign lingo, I have attacked one of these big Bentleys twice before over 30 years ago and failed miserably so now its time to see if I have learned anything since then or if this thing can still reduce me to a quivering wreck
starting with the engine, this is a big lump about 3" tall. the front over head cam drive is by a shaft and bevel gear which is in a housing at the front that should be separate from the cylinder block so first job is to open the gap up
Because the engine is basically 2 parts with the manifold moulded in things like the block, barrels front bevel tube and manifold which are all different colours which will have to be masked off and painted rather than painted separately and added as you would normally do.
Quite a bit of forward planning.
And this is what we are aiming for
So here we are, 45 years on from its original release when Airfix ruled the modelling world, the Blower Bentley is back in 1/12 form. Now moulded in Grey plastic rather than the original green (and better for it) it’s just as I remember it. Detail is good for its age and there is just enough for the modeler in 1975 but will it be enough today for that same modeler as he approaches 60 years young and a couple of decades of Tamiya super kits and WnW perfection?
Well, there are two ways of looking at this, a lack of original detail means you have a blank canvas with no blobs and indents to cut off or fill if you want to detail up, however it does mean you need a pile of reference to see what should be where and what it looked like.
Personally, I think this model will build into a very presentable display from the box but the opportunity to super detail is endless, so it works for both camps. I myself will probably come down somewhere between the two adding detail that will be seen but not going as far as trying to get 1930’s air in the tyres.
First thing I notice is the spru have letters but these letters are not called out in the instructions, just numbers, so while part1 might be on spru A… part 2 might be on sprue B so you will have to hunt for it…then I notice there are no or very few locating pins or tabs so alignment of parts will be done by eye.
This is a big model, about 14” long, or about 36cm in some foreign lingo, I have attacked one of these big Bentleys twice before over 30 years ago and failed miserably so now its time to see if I have learned anything since then or if this thing can still reduce me to a quivering wreck
starting with the engine, this is a big lump about 3" tall. the front over head cam drive is by a shaft and bevel gear which is in a housing at the front that should be separate from the cylinder block so first job is to open the gap up
Because the engine is basically 2 parts with the manifold moulded in things like the block, barrels front bevel tube and manifold which are all different colours which will have to be masked off and painted rather than painted separately and added as you would normally do.
Quite a bit of forward planning.
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