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Merit Maserati 4CLT GP Car

Research and Photos by Roger Virgo

The Merit series is a selection of classic Grand Prix and Sports Racing cars from the mid-fifties. Here is the list:

Grand Prix Cars circa 1954/55

Mercedes-Benz W196

Connaught

Simca-Gordini

Maserati 250F (Resin reissue)

Vanwall (Resin reissue with scratch-built chassis)

Lancia-Ferrari D50 (Herb Deeks kit)

BRM P25 (not shown)
 

Lago-Talbot (with engine detail)

Alfa-Romeo 158 (with engine detail – not shown)

Formula 3

Cooper 500 (with engine detail)

Sports Cars

Lotus XI

Jaguar D Type (Early version with no fin)

Aston Martin DB3S

And the almost mythical Bluebird K7 (not shown)

Resources

Most Merit kits you will find today are built, and unbuilt kits in good boxes will be fairly expensive. Czech manufacturer Smer took over the Lago Talbot and the Alfetta, and they are still available on eBay or at swap meets.

Resin reissues were available from Keith Sorci directly.

Keith Sorci’s last known address:
Colorado Resin Specialists
12650 West 64th Ave. E-426
Arvada, Colorado 80004

Please update this information if you have something more current.

1/12 Porsche 911 RSR by Dale King

This model was originally built in the late 1970s as the King Brothers car:

It is based on the Otaki/Entex model of the first 911 turbo show car. Over the years the model deteriorated a bit, and it needed repairs. Originally the rear wing had been enlarged and new extended fenders made using Aluminum and bondo. While I was redoing it I decided to scratch build a new front clip, new rims and tires, make a few other new parts, and turn it into the Brumos version.

The body was completely striped down, repaired, corrected and repainted. The wheel centers are resin castings, while the outer rims are turned and polished aluminum.

All of the decal artwork was done on the computer, and printed on an ink jet printer.
I was fortunate to be able to photograph the carefully restored car at Rennsport III at Daytona, Florida in 2007.

Dale King

To see more of Dale’s amazing work, visit his home page: http://web.mac.com/dwking2/

Cooper Mk IV F3 car by Chris Hale
1st Place – Competition Category

Chris Hale’s Cooper Formula 3 Car

It’s actually a Herb Deeks resin kit. I scratchbuilt a frame inside it, shocks, roll hoop, brake and fuel lines, accelerator cable, pedals and machined the white metal wheels. Its painted Tamiya BRG.

Herb re-did a Merit kit to make a master, but he hasn’t made this kit for many years. I have been friends with Herb since the 60′s and occationaly he comes up with some neat stuff like this kit that builds up real nice.

I actually found the 1959 Sports Car Graphic in my collection that had a cut-away of this car to help do the build. I also found a manual for building the 1:1 car. Like I said, all the GPMA guys inspired me to do the build.

Chris

For photos from the Cactus Classic, see the Fuelish Spectator (John Hilkert’s) Fotki page:
http://public.fotki.com/JTH109/17th-annual-2008-ca/

Champion Audi R10 TDI Concept by Henry Trent

The Southern Nationals is a great race car show. The variety is good, and the quality is as good as any show anywhere. Some of the drag cars I saw were amazing in their chassis, engine, and interior detailing, and a few were over the top. But there are also awe-inspiring paint jobs and creative subjects. So it’s just a great show.

The star of this show had to be Bill Cunningham’s mostly scratch-built Maserati Birdcage. You may have heard of his vacu-formed bodywork and intricate chassis detailing. You can see his model in the ACME Fotki album.

1/24 Brun Porsche 962C, LeMans 1988 , by William Bauer

This was a fun event, held Oct. 11, 2008 at the Towe Ford Museum in Sacramento, CA. There was a good turnout for racing cars and the usual hot rods and customs. The overall build quality was high.

Our own John L. Roberts was busy organizing things and provides a great photo album here:

John L. Roberts’ Fotki Page

And yes, that’s Yours Truly showing my best side in the first shot. Thanks a lot John!

KJS

1/20 Tamiya Ferrari F2001 by Russell Wells

I think Russell was demonstrating his digital camera with these photos, but I really like the way he captures the model itself, particularly the reflection in some of these shots. Thanks for letting us see these, Russell.

1/12 Martini Porsche 935 by Nicola Melluso

Many thanks to Nicola Melluso of Italy, who recently sent these photos of his amazing Porsche 935.

1/24 Fujimi Ferrari 126 C2 F1, 1982 Long Beach GP Version

Kit No. 090337
Full Engine Detail
149 Parts

Overview

This is a new tool for Fujimi, which has not produced F1 kits in this scale the past. Apparently this is part of a new series of F1 kits, which will be a welcome addition to the market, since Tamiya has apparently stopped producing new F1 kits.

History

Many people seem to believe that this car never raced with its distinctive dual wing, or that it only ran the dual wing in practice, or that it never finished the race at Long Beach in 1982. None of these assertions is true. In fact, the car was always competitive during the race weekend, and Gilles Villeneuve drove it to 3rd place behind Niki Lauda’s McLaren and Keke Rosberg’s Williams. It was only after Tyrrell filed a protest that Villeneuve’s car was disqualified.

References

There are many good references available for this particular car. The following books provide plenty of photos of this car as it appeared at the 1982 Long Beach GP with the double wing arrangement:

Alan Henry, Ferrari: The Grand Prix Cars (Richmond, Surrey, UK: Hazelton Publishing, 1984 and Rev. 1989), p. 294.

Anthony Pritchard, Ferrari Turbos: The Grand Prix Cars 1981-1988 (Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publishing/Motorbooks International, 1989), p. 30. 

Ian Norris, Ed., Automobile Year No. 30: 1982/1983 (Lausanne, CH: Edita Lausanne), p. 91.

Ian Bamsey, Ed., Automobile Sport 82 83 (Somerset, UK: Superprofile/J.H. Haynes), p. 43.

The usual web image search should uncover some useful images if you don’t have the above books in your collection.

1/24 Hasegawa Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

Kit No. HC-19

Full Engine Detail, 135 Parts

Overview

This is a brand new tool of a classic Ferrari. The first thing you notice upon opening the box are the many small parts that will go into this detailed model. Chassis frame rails, hood latches, bonnet, etc. All of these separate pieces would usually be part of a large chassis or body piece, but not in this case.

Molded in White, black, clear, and chrome, the castings are smooth and details are crisp.

History

The Testa Rossa is one of the most rare and sought-after racing Ferraris. This kit represents the cars that raced in 1958.

Several racing versions are possible with this kit. Decals are included for the following cars:

1958

No. 14, Sebring Winner, Phil Hill/Peter Collins
No. 14, Le Mans Winner, Phil Hill/Olivier Gendebien

No. 102, Targa Florio 3rd Place, Mike Hawthorn/Wolfgang Von Trips

No. 12, Nurburgring, 10th Place, Gottfried Kochert/Erik Bauer

I can understand the choice of No. 14, but the other two seem odd. Bauer tragically died from injuries sustained in an accident on the cool-off lap of the Nurburgring race.

Kit Review

Many details are faithfully represented in this version. One of the nicest details is the beautiful engine. The valve covers or Red Heads are nicely molded with full detail. There

The body is molded in white, which will make painting

References

A must-have reference for the Testa Rossa is Ferrari Testa Rossa V-12 bv Joel E. Finn. This book is available in paperback, and it’s not only a good reference with chassis numbers, race results, and period photos. It’s also a fascinating book in its own right. Enzo Ferrari, Phil Hill, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, and many more great names are featured in this book.