The MFH Rescue Centre

[paddy]

So here we have a part built MFH 1/9 Brough Superior bought in an online auction.
Someone has assembled part of the engine and put it in the frame and assembled one wheel. unfortunately he has hand painted the black parts and they look awful.
First job is to see if i can get this all apart and then check if i have all the pieces. this is a £500 kit which i paid £120 for. so basically 25% ..if i can build this into a half decent model i can sell the new boxed example i have for probably more than £500 and have enough to buy something else

Plan B is to build it as a wreck...mix it with a couple of italeri model of the same scale and build a diorama like this....

This a load of old bikes found in a yard in Bodmin UK. There are three Brough Superiors here, ...restored they would be worth up to half a million each.

T.E Lawrence (of arabia) was killed on his Brough Superior in 1935

So this is what i bought although the picture the auction site used didnt show any assembled parts :-(

this what has been done, note brush painted black...yuk

these are the parts i have. On the face of it i think its all there but because of the strange way MFH number there parts on the instructions but dont number the parts supplied its hard to tell. ...I have asked MFH for a parts list, lets see what happens.

I did wonder if i could leave the engine assembled but i am not happy with the finish on the metal and now i find the front cylinder is crooked

 

[centaur567]

You can do it! Another masterpiece in the works.
Gary S.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Ditto what Gary said Paddy! You can do it. I have seen you do amazing things.

 

[paddy]

Have i got a treat for you today ? not just 2...but 3 out of focus pictures you lucky people
I stripped down the work that had already been done on this model using Acetone, spirits, paint stripper and a roll of kitchen paper towel
One of the beauties of these models is they are 95% metal so Acetone strips the paint and CA glue quite easily but i would love to know why acetone only ever strips 95% of the paint ? you are always left with a little bit to clean up.

This what we started with, it doesnt look to bad in the picture but a £500 model deserves better than brush paint...

Front wheel with spokes, i may remake these. thankfully the spoke nipples are fine.

Engine parts with individual cooling fins separated . Most of the engine is held together with hex head 0.5mm pins which didn't survive so i have ordered some more and will need to drill the old ones out, no problem.

Frame and fuel tank cleaned up fine, surprised to see the tank itself is resin with alloy side panels. The resin had been brush painted and deserves some special treatment with the spray gun and lots of clear coats.

I have been unable to get a parts list, its the only model on the MFH site without one available to download. I did email them but haven't heard back. it really is essential as parts are numbered for ID on the instructions as you would expect but not marked on sprues or packaging so you need a list. The pictures on the instructions are not good enough to identify small parts.

 

[centaur567]

Wow, that's quite a tare down. Good job! Gary S.

 

[Rhino]

There he goes............
Paddy's at it again. That "motor bike" thing.