Morris 1100 and MG 1300
Going through my boxes of car bits, I found enough Airfix bits of the MG 1300 in 1/32nd scale to do a couple of cars. The Austin/Morris/MG 1100 and 1300 were the 'big brother' of the Mini; but not too many raced or rallied (and the Airfix kit is very rare too !).
The photo on the right is of a Morris 1100 in the Liege-Sofia-Liege rally in 1962, so I'll be having a go at doing this, as one of the cars. Body colour is 'smoke grey', i.e. light blue-grey, and a white roof.
On the left will be the second - an MG 1300. I'll be doing this as a generic saloon racing version, with the Minilite wheels, probably a red colour scheme with black roof, racing numbers and BMC Competition and assorted sponsors decals from the era.
OK, apart from the two shells below, here are all the detail bits and bobs I have - two sets of window glass (one glue-bombed), two dashboards, a set of bumpers for the MG version, MG Grille, one set of steering wheel/gear lever/handbrake and seats for the Morris version. I'm very short on lights, so I'll be scratching those up and / or using slot car spares.
I stripped the old paint off the shells with spray oven cleaner - gloss dark green off the 'MG' one befind, matt red & black off the 'Morris' in front (you can see some traces remain). The Morris - already started by opening up the radiator grille area, and smoothing down the bonnet; also removed the raised trim lines along the side, and the Morris didn't have these chromed strips.
Morris left, MG right. All three figures made up from assorted civilian/military kit bits by Preiser, Academy, Tamiya, MRRC/Airfix. The Morris in detail - parcel shelf, seats, steering wheel, handbrake & gear lever from the kit; kit dashboard, considerably modified; scratch-built door panels with details on. The MG in detail - Recaro-cum-Corbeau seats from a diecast (Saico Escort); rollcage from a Hornby Camaro kit; parcel shelf copied from the kit one; scratch-built centre console; handbrake and gear lever from a diecast; slotcar spares steering wheel; dashboard from kit, modified to have round dials rather than rectangular speedo.
The chassis pans are old Scalextric Metro ones - absolutely perfect in width. The rear mounting tab has been kept - again pretty much perfect (a minor trim) for locating to the MG body. The wheelbase was about 5mm too short, but that didn't matter as I've removed the front axle area, to add MRRC Ackermann steering units. Mabuchi motors, Revell Cortina rear axles & cogs. The Minilites for the MG are also from the Cortina (front ones reverse-engineered so the screw they rotate on come in from the back so as not to spoil the appearance). For the Morris, I've got some '13-inch' ally wheels, and I've made up my own 'steel wheel' inserts (master, mould and casts at the front); rear ones already painted silver and glued in; the front ones will cover up the screw. Tyres - modern reprints of the original Airfix MG slot car ones, and they do fit both type of wheels.
Chassis fixing is a one-screw mounting. I've glued a socket to the inside rear of the body to take the location tab on the back of the chassis. Then plastic strips along the inside lower edges of the body i.e the sills. Then boxed in under the bonnet, and mounted a post made from thick plastic sprue. Then one hole drilled through the chassis just behind the front axle, and in to the post.
Note walnut-effect on MG dash, MG logo on centre boss to steering wheel, dials from Patto's Place decals. Morris - instrument panel made up from a reduced photo of the real thing; left to do, make up a map to stick on the navigator's clipboard.
Most of the modelling done now ! The fronts - MG left, Morris right. THE MORRIS - grille area opened up, bonnet reshaped; scratched badge, catch and trim detail on the bonnet, and also windscreen wiper stubs and interior rearview mirror; bumper location holes filled; slot cut in valance for oil-cooler intake; sidelights drilled out & reshaped; headlamp bezels made from small-scale tank kit wheels & drilled out; in front, scratched rally plate mount, scratched grille, plus spares-box spotlights, and scratched orange/clear sidelights. THE MG - scratched bonnet clips; sidelights drilled out; headlamp bezels made from small-scale tank kit wheels & drilled out; in front, kit grille, plus kit bumper, with numberplate removed, and scratched orange/clear sidelights. CENTRE FRONT - optional headlights.
to the right, stuff done on rear too - Morris bumper location holes filled & scratched mounting for rear spotlight on the bootlid; exhaust pipes made from drilled-out rod attached to chassis; scratched orange/red clear rear light clusters, and also new petrol filler caps on rear wings.
Priming shells - rattle-can Matt white enamel for the Morris foreground, grey primer for the MG.
Finished -
MG finished in Humbrol rattle-can red and black, the Morris in acrylics - off-white roof, and a custom-made 'smoke grey' for the rest - really a light blue with a some grey and yellow in it. Metalwork is done with Bare-metal foil. Decals from various sources, including some I made up, like the Morris rally plates (front one peeling a bit; I've stuck it down now). Everything shined up with Klear acrylic floor polish. Final details made up and added, i.e. windscreen wipers. Glazing - as much of the old glue removed as possible, then scraping / sanding / polishing to bring it back to shiny again; held in with canopy glue, and clear varnish around the edges; on the Morris, both driver & passenger front windows have been opened up.
Morris rear - note rally plate, rear spotlight, and another made-up decal for the 'Morris 1100' badge. And note steering. Racing numbers on both cars are Letraset rub-on numbers with plain white decal sheet as the background.
