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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Jase will be doing a build diary of the very rare 1968 Aurora kit of this famous automobile, and is a kit that has never been reissued despite the popularity of the movie.
Over to you Jase..
Tomick attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Elite       Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2010 Posts: 2,065 Points: 6,295 Location: Gorleston-on-sea
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 Nice one!!! Current Builds: Deagostini HMS Victory: Deagostini HMS Sovereign of the seas. Completed Builds: Del Prado: HMAS Bounty: Hachette: RMS Titanic: Del Prado: Cutty Sark...
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As Tomick says I have the privilege to build this classic kit ahead of the 50th Anniversary of the death of Ian Fleming next year. Ian Fleming wrote the book that was published in 1964 becoming the iconic and much loved musical film. In 1968. Aurora launched there kit number 828-400 of the car the same year. Production of the kit ran until late 1969 and has never been re issued. To my knowledge no other plastic kit of this subject has been produced and the Aurora kit has become a very sought after collectors item. Earlier this year a kit in mint condition changed hands for £500, but due to the short production life this kit is extremely rare.
This particular kit was produced for the Canadian market and at some point found its way to the UK. In the 45 years since this kit was made nobody has even looked in the box. When I received the kit it was still in its original cellophane wrapping!
For the 1968 film, six cars were created, including a fully functional road-going car with UK registration GEN 11. This car was designed by the film's production designer, Ken Adam, and cartoonist and sculptor Frederick Rowland Emett, built by Alan Mann Racing in Hertfordshire in 1967, fitted with a Ford 3000 V6 engine and automatic transmission and allocated a genuine UK registration. This car was privately owned by Pierre Picton of Stratford-upon-Avon from the early 1970s until May of 2011.
Actor Dick van Dyke, who drove the car in the film, said that "the car was a little difficult to maneuver, with the turning radius of a battleship". Public appearances of the car in 2010 are listed on the GEN 11 official website, with a note that there will be no more as the car was sent to Los Angeles, USA, to be auctioned on 22 May 2011, where it was expected to fetch US$1–2m, but sold for $805,000 (£495,415) to the New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson, who according to his spokesperson said he would use it as a charity fund-raising vehicle.
Five other car props were built by the studio: a second, smaller road-going version; a transforming car; a hover-car; a flying car; and an engineless version for trailer work. Most had engines added after filming was complete and were used to promote the film throughout the world.
The second road version, which only appears in 12 seconds of the movie, is on display at the Dezer Car Museum in North Miami, Florida. There were construction flaws on this vehicle which made its use impractical. Eon Productions made a less-detailed transforming version which they use to promote the stage musical but, as it does not have an MOT certificate, is not allowed on public roads. The final road version is privately owned by Anthony Bamford, and is on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, UK. The hover-car was a shell mounted on a speed boat, and was destroyed after filming. Only the original road-going version used the registration GEN 11 legitimately and it was owned by Pierre Picton of Stratford upon Avon. One of the cars used in the film was displayed at a Chicago restaurant for many years, then sold at auction in 2007 for $505,000 to a Florida resident.
One car appeared in a humorous Public information film aimed at British motorists, intended to remind them to pay their Vehicle excise duty. Ironically, there was criticism as all cars built before 1 January 1973, including the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model, are exempt from vehicle excise duty in the UK, though they have to display a tax disc showing the exemption. The PIF was a parody of the MGM film.
In July 2009, the EON copy of the car was prevented from being used in Norwich by the police, as the car was not roadworthy, properly registered or insured. The GEN 11, Pierre Picton car subsequently visited the city of Norwich in August 2009 to promote the theatre show.
Replica cars
There is a MGM licensed replica in the United Kingdom, built for a commercial photography business. The car is roadworthy and has the registration number GEN 22. It weighs around 1.5 tons and is nearly 18 feet long and 6 feet wide. The brass lamps are all original period pieces and the brass snake horn came from one of the original Chitty cars. The engine is a 3L V6 Ford with a BorgWarner automatic gearbox.] The car is displayed at events and in shopping centres.
Another Chitty 'copy' was built by Nick Pointing of the Isle of Wight after his wife Carolyn, a lifelong Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fan asked him to build her her dream car. The car was built on a 1970's Land Rover chassis and engine and was driven 12,000 miles overland to Australia in 2007/8 to raise money for charity.
A replica Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car built by Gordon Grant was sold at an auction held on December 1, 2011 at Bonhams at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. The car was later sold to Broadcaster, Chris Evans after the purchaser found it was too long to fit in his garage!
Stage car
Another version of the car, built for the British stage production of the CCBB story, debuted at The London Palladium In 2002. Built at a cost of £750,000, the car is listed in Guinness World Records as the most expensive stage prop jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Sorry to impact on your build diary Jase but I thought that you might find this link of some use?:
http://cs.scaleautomag.c...ects/f/30/t/112769.aspx
Kev 
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Thanks Kev I have seen this but it is 1 of only two builds I can find on the net!! “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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 Rank: Super-Elite    Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2013 Posts: 4,604 Points: 13,607 Location: Monmouthshire UK
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Hi Jase, this will be good to watch, I suppose this is the other build you have already seen - http://dbest1.fotki.com/...d/chittychittybangbang/
Good luck with it anyeway, I used to have a corgi version of this when i was a kid, loved it Steve
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Indeed it is Kev,s find is a rebuild this a new build and the fact that there is only one shows you how rare this kit is i am talking rocking horse do do rare!!“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Now there's a blast from the past and one that brings back memories.... I took my wife a kids (when the kids were little) to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany where much of the film was made....  .. Brings back the memories of a wonderful day and a great holiday, the castle was also something to behold, steeped in history and beauty but one heck of a climb up a snaking path to get there, the views were spectacular....  .. Will follow your build so I can bring those memories to the fore ..... .. Best of luck with her Jase....  Regards Alan
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 Rank: Master  Groups: Registered
Joined: 05/09/2012 Posts: 1,400 Points: 4,690 Location: Beaminster, Dorset
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This Forum gets more interesting daily, another fascinating build. I had the Corgi Model as a kid, but have never heard of this Model. Good luck
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Just wait and see what else we have up our sleeves..
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Gandale wrote:Now there's a blast from the past and one that brings back memories.... I took my wife a kids (when the kids were little) to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany where much of the film was made.... .. Brings back the memories of a wonderful day and a great holiday, the castle was also something to behold, steeped in history and beauty but one heck of a climb up a snaking path to get there, the views were spectacular.... .. Will follow your build so I can bring those memories to the fore ..... .. Best of luck with her Jase.... Regards Alan Thanks Andy I watched the film with my seven year old daughter yesterday and she was terrified of the child catcher, just like I was will be posting kit pics tomorrow “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 15/04/2010 Posts: 1,266 Points: 3,841 Location: The Quantock Hills,Somerset
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court orchard wrote:This Forum gets more interesting daily, another fascinating build. I had the Corgi Model as a kid, but have never heard of this Model. Good luck Snap Rob Nolli Illigitimi Carborundum!!!Current Builds: HMS Victory, SV Thermopylae
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Its was a sobering thought as I opened the box that I was the first person to set eyes on this for 45 years. I had no real idea what I was going to find but I was pleasantly surprised. The text around the box claims the box art is of the assembled and painted model, not sure they would get that past trading standards today! Inside the box the kit is quite detailed with a lot of parts. This would have been a good quality kit in its day. Many of the parts had come away from the frets but nothing was damaged beyond some mild surface scratches. The parts are formed in Brown, yellow, silver and clear plastic. There is a single sheet of instructions that folds down to A4 which has both diagrams and written instructions along with a nice recommendation for glue (see pic below)
As you would expect from a kit of this age the amount of part prep is going to be huge. There is lots of flash, sink and parting lines to be sorted on every part. Part fit is going to be poor and just to add to the fun none of the parts are numbered.
[size=6][color=darkblue]Not quite sure why you need fireproof glue on a plastic model!!jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2010 Posts: 2,065 Points: 6,295 Location: Gorleston-on-sea
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Even the instruction manual looks enticing Jase..plus the layout of the parts is a stroll down memory lane in itself!! Definitely keeping an eye on this build...Thanks Jase.  Current Builds: Deagostini HMS Victory: Deagostini HMS Sovereign of the seas. Completed Builds: Del Prado: HMAS Bounty: Hachette: RMS Titanic: Del Prado: Cutty Sark...
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First job is chassis clean up, this has taken a long time as there was sink along the full length of the frame with one or two major sink spots and some heavy parting lines around the spring location pins. Next job will be clean up of the springs, drive shaft and differential. once these are cleaned up these parts will be built up to become the first subassembly ready for initial priming. I will be using Alclad II - Grey Primer and Microfiller.jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Springs and drive have now had a clean up, which has allowed me to build up the first sub assembly. Once primed I can do a further inspection and correct any floors that may show under paint.
With the exception of the bar at the front, this assembly will be black. The running board and fender assembly will be prepped and painted separately prior to assembly. Part fit is quite poor around the fenders so I will need to dry fit the wheels to ensure correct location.jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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The first sub assembly has now been given an initial prime. I used Alclad 2 Grey primer & microfiller, its a great product that self levels making fine scratches disappear. Once dry you can re apply to further remove any blemishes but i will be using micromesh to tackle any visible blemishes before a final spray of Primer.jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 04/04/2010 Posts: 3,955 Points: 11,809 Location: uk
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nice spray job jase. looking the biz. Current builds: SotS, USS Consitution, San Felipe, D51 loco, HMS Surprise, RB7, Arab Dhow, Jotika HMS Victory Completed builds: HMS Pickel, Thermopylae, Mississipi river boat, Mary Rose, Cutty Sark, San Francisco II, HMS Victory x5, Titanic Lifeboat, Panart HMS Victory Launch, Hachette Titanic, Virginia Schooner, Endeavour Longboat. http://www.model-space.com/gb/
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More progress on the old Chitty...
The subframe is now painted I have used Vallejo RAL9004 black.
The huge amount of clean up work continues, as more parts are prepped for priming. I am making a modification by replacing the grill. The kit part has a large diamond mesh pattern that looks nothing like the actual car so I am replacing this with copper mesh.I have also begun work on the cabin. Pedals are now prepped as are the seats one set of which have had thier inital prime and paint. I have used Humbrol enamel Gloss 20 (crimson) The high loss finish will be toned down with a wash and varnish. The floor pan comes with a carpet relief that is not the best, so I am going to cover with carpet. I have used Hoppin Hydrd's 1/25 scale Interior carpet (Burgundy)which I sourced in the U.S. and is a great product. The carpet has been cut to shape from templates I made.Thats it for mow more coming later. jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 05/09/2012 Posts: 1,400 Points: 4,690 Location: Beaminster, Dorset
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Great work Jase. I love the modifications, they'll make a huge difference to the finished model
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