Time for the orange

 

At least the colour choice is easy for this model. Over a white primer coat, I airbrushed (couldn't get a rattle can) on several thin layers of Humbrol orange enamel. I don't like working with gloss, but didn't have any choice. 

After a couple of  day, on went the transfers. Another day drying and it was time for varnish. 

Five minutes with a spray can of satin, it all went wrong. Acrylics and enamels don't like each other unless you leave them a very long while. I didn't, and the result looks like a coat of Hammerite. 

And so the model has headed for the bin. Yes, I could look at stripping it, but I'd still have no transfers, and its not an expensive kit. 

Bond will be back...

Painting the "dude"

 

The Bond Bug driver figure is a pretty good model. Not everyone agrees, and alternatives have popped up on eBay, along with new wheels that operate under the "3D printing good, plastic bad" theory. 

Hanging on the figure seems the trickiest job, so for the skin tones, I sat him on a cushion of Blu Tack in a paint pot. 

For the rest, I l took advatage of a big slot in his back to insert a ScaleModelScenery Professional Folding & Scoring Tool, although a cocktail stick would have worked as well, I just happened to have this handy. 

The downside of close-up photos, is you can see I really need to redo the wonky eyes...

Bond Bug body

 

The Bond body is a prettysimple afair. A top and a bottom, the later includes the wheel arches, slot together nicely. Handily, there's even a seam running along the join on the real car to save us some sanding. Mind you, since it was a fibreglass moulding, I suppose that's not much of a surprise. 

Interior detail is limited to a gear lever, hand brake, pedals, staeering wheel and speedometer. Plus "the dude", but he goes in later, after painting. 

The canopy just sits in place right now. Part fit is all pretty good, especially for a kit whose origins are the best part of 40 years ago. 

One nice touch is this piece of sprue to hold the wheelarches apart the correct distance, which can be cut away later. 

The chassis plugs into the bottom, and fits perfectly too, which was a relief!

Bond Bug chassis

 

Starting with the chassis, the kit shows its age. The side rails are joined by four cross pieces, and it's all a bit floppy. My solution was patience - three cross pieces fitted, and then the whole thing left to harden overnight, suitably propped up on a flat surface. In the morning, it was nicely solid. 

After this, the suspension components were fitted. The location, and angles of these is a but vauge. For example, the rear trailing arms don't stick straight back, but splay out a little. Glue, let it go tacky and then try to position them in the right place worked here. The shock absorbers need to go in at the same time - a three handed job really, but I managed.  

At the front, the steering arms are just as bad. All hanging in mid-air until you get glue on them. Not sure how you'd sure this, although more accurate holes in harder plastic would help perhaps.

The engine assebled OK, but exactly where it fits in the chassis is a little mystery. It sort of sits between the middle cross member, and the front one. Except that if you do this, the fan and the front crossmemeber try to be in the same place at once. I bent the fan to clear, but the results aren't pretty. Fortunatly, they will be hidden. 

Bond Bug

 

When the Bond Bug appeard in the Airfix Vintage Classics range, I was soooo pleased. It's a car that has always fascinated me, even though I doubt I'd fit in one. Many years ago, an antiques shop had one in the window for £500, and I did seriously consider it, although on balance, not raiding my savings was probably a wise move. 

It's not just me either. This has been the most pre-ordered kit in the range ever, so there are plenty out there who like orange wedges of motoring fun!

Mostlty produced from original, and refurbished, moulds, the parts are clean, but moulded in a slightly soft plastic. Not Dapol soft, but not as hard as you normally find. 

The exception are the clear parts, which I believe are new moudings, reverse-engineered from original parts borrowed from a collector. Certainly not bought - original kits are stupidly expensive!

Transfers are also new, and well up to modern standards. 

In theory, this should be a quick, and fun, build.