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Joe Caputo
154 articles

Minicraft 1/24 1958 Triumph TR3A Rally Club Car

October 22, 2013 · in Automotive · · 14 · 2.7K

This was one of my "dream cars", as a kid. When I saw this inexpensive, "curbside" kit at a vendors booth foor about $3.00, I had to have a go. It has an optional hardtop, and decals. The steering wheel is on the proper side (left), and although there's not much to the kit, the finished model doesn't look too bad. I can almost see my friend, Simon, sliding in behind the wheel, and heading off to Portsmouth !

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

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14 responses

  1. Good build Joe. Having owned an English sports car? in my misguided youth I'm wondering if anything that has to do do them has a built in "tinker factor"
    I've never really looked at this kit. Does it have a one piece body?
    Yours is a nice clean build

  2. Nice build as usual Joe. I was wondering if the "English Racing Green" is the color of the kit plastic or if you painted it? I ask because I am currently building a 1/32 Airfix MG K3 Magnette to go along with my Spitfire. I want to paint it English Racing Green but I cannot seem to find this shade produced by any of the major paint manufacturers. Did I overlook something?

    • Seamus , I am not sure if you can get Humbrol over in the States, but I know they do in a rattle can.

    • Hi Seamus, the colour is more usually known as British racing green, not English, that may help you find it. It stems when countries competing in international motor sport each had their own colour (before the days of commercial sponsorship). Britain was green, France was blue, Germany was silver, Italy was red, the USA white, and so on. I think the only country that continues this tradition is Italy, Ferraris and Ducatis are red, even though their team colour is yellow...

    • I thought Model Master paints has a BRG color but it might be a metal flake.

    • When all else fails, Seamus, try this: British racing green - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  3. Joe,

    Very nice build. Cute car and fun to drive. It felt like my elbow was going to scrap on the ground as I rested my arm on the door. The racing green reminds me of the kid across the street. He had an MGB that he had been working on. He went through the engine, cherried out the body, and had it painted in the green color. While in SF the vehicle was stolen. Five years later the vehicle was recovered and he re-obtained it. Somewhere along the line it had been purchased by some guy unknowing that it had been stolen.. This guy completely restored the car and when he went to re-register it it came back stolen and wound up back with the now adult kid across the street. He still has it, in perfect shape thanks to the guy that restored it. That does not happen very often.

  4. Cool build Joe, I remember building the Airfix 1/32nd scale version too many years ago, B.R.Green as well, tradititonal for a Brtish sports car.

  5. Another neat build, Joe, and this green really suits it, although they also look good in red. I'm glad you didn't apply the Gulf blue colour scheme! I've owned a few sports cars in my time, though never a TR2, but I did have a pale blue TR4A for a while, tinkering was definitely built in! In the early 70s we used to buy cars from USAF guys returning home, they hadn't received much care and attention, but were usually available at a good price.

  6. Triumph or MG, which was better, the eternal question never answered...
    I had a 1964 Midget and a 1965 Mustang...two different technologies seperated by reliabilty...no wonder the Brits call it "motoring" we call it "cruising". Nice job on the model, always a classic. I built a Lindberg "Sprite" and had two legs and a tool box sticking out from under it.

  7. That would still be my sports car of choice - summertime only, of course.

  8. Actually, Joe, you'll need two - one to drive while the other is in the shop! 🙂

    Brit sports cars of that era are fun (I used to own a MG-TD), but if you don't have some mechanical knowledge, you're likely to end up somewhere you don't want to be with a car that isn't running.

    Nice work on the model, it brings back memories.

  9. British cars leave one scratching their head and saying "These people invented the Industrial Revolution?"

    I had a Sterling, an Anglicized Acura. When it ran, it ran great, and was a real suprise to people since it was lighter than the Japanese version with the same power. But there was this oil seal for the standard stick transmission... that was when I got my AAA membership upgraded to the 4 100 mile free tows per year! 🙂

    I always used to joke it was a great Japanese design crippled by a Lucas Electrical system. 🙂

  10. Nicely done Joe! She looks good in green too.
    "Q: Why do the British drink warm beer? A: Because Lucas makes their refrigerators"
    "The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off. "
    "If Lucas made guns, wars would not start."

    Okay, okay, I'm done; I'll let someone else play now, 🙂

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