The kit (which was also marketed by Academy Minicraft) is #4 in the Gakken Classic Car Series, and probably dates back to the 70's or early 80's. In comparison to today's kits it is a little crude but being of decent size lends itself nicely to some modification. Chassis and engine parts are moulded in black plastic, the body in blue and the brass work in a heavy gold colour. The wooden floor, engine mounting plate, dashboard and mudguards are moulded in a grainy brown plastic to represent the wood. Six pages of plans are hand drawn and printed in a fetching shade of blue. Instructions are in Japanese and a curious and rather entertaining pigeon English. A box stock model, then you'll be able to appreciate the work Martin did on the kit (Editor note) I wanted the model to look as realistic as possible and decided to try building the kit using as many 'original' materials as I could and hopefully come up with something which did not look as if it had been just pushed off a trailer at a Concours event. I found that references to the car are extremely thin on the ground and apart from a couple of colour pictures restricted to rather grainy black and white. Body styles varied quite radically, and only one picture, of another model, showed the car with the wooden mudguards. Consequently any detailing that I have done is guesswork in an attempt at realism.

• 1919 Hispano-susia Alfonso Limited Edition 1/16th Scale

1919 Hispano-susia Alfonso Limited Edition 1/16th ScaleMinicraft Model Kits