u/Jaasim99

Finnish duo, Markku Alen with co-driver Ilkka Kivimäki, raced for over two decades (1973–1993). Ilkka was in the co-driver's seat for all 19 of Alén's World Rally Championship (WRC) victories and his 1978 FIA Cup for Drivers title. Therefore, taking their Fiat 131 Abarth along for a trail in the Finnish countryside felt apt. Since it is a Hobby64 casting from TarmacWorks, it gets special attention to the interiors in addition to the race-accurate exterior. I just KNOW that this would look good next to the Alitalia Stratos by MiniGT back home...

6D + Sigma 100-400C

A 5.7L naturally aspirated V10 producing 603 hp put inside a pure carbon-fiber monocoque structure. Oh and a complete lack of electronic stability control. This is the Porsche Carrera GT, a mid-engined, very analog supercar. Its legacy is the 918, a hybrid hypercar combining a 4.6L V8 with two electric motors for a combined 887 hp. A whole second faster to 100kph than the Carrera GT, not that there were that many to begin with. Putting them side by side, we can see that despite the changes, just how much has also stayed the same. 918 Spyder by PosterCars and Carrera GT by Kyosho (might be my favourite Kyosho casting in my collection).

Is this what it has come to? Both sides do seem plausible...

The Jaguar XJ220 is a mid-engine two-seater supercar produced in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). It held the title of the world's fastest production car, reaching a top speed of 217.1 mph (349.4 km/h) until the McLaren F1 surpassed it. In concept car stage, a naturally aspirated V12 engine and all-wheel drive was planned. However, engineering constraints forced Jaguar to switch to a twin-turbo V6 and rear-wheel drive for the production version. A decent casting by Kyosho gives a good look at the V6 powering the beast along with treaded rubber tyres and stock rims.

Bonus trivia: The factory in Coventry which hand sculpted the aluminium panels of the XJ220 also built the engine ducts for the pictured BAe Harrier operated by the RAF.

The Jaguar XJ220 is a mid-engine two-seater supercar produced in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). It held the title of the world's fastest production car, reaching a top speed of 217.1 mph (349.4 km/h) until the McLaren F1 surpassed it. In concept car stage, a naturally aspirated V12 engine and all-wheel drive was planned. However, engineering constraints forced Jaguar to switch to a twin-turbo V6 and rear-wheel drive for the production version. A decent casting by Kyosho gives a good look at the V6 powering the beast along with treaded rubber tyres and stock rims.

Bonus trivia: The factory in Coventry which hand sculpted the aluminium panels of the XJ220 also built the engine ducts for the pictured BAe Harrier operated by the RAF.

A slightly lazy build of this old Harrier kit by ERTL that I got at a bargain. The jet is mostly unpainted plastic barring decals and some touchup with black acrylic and white correction pen. A DIY wash of acrylic, water and dish soap was applied to panel lines and overall for subtle weathering. Played around with some extras like a square piece cut from the clear sprue for the HUD and some copper wires for internal tubing. The final spray-can satin varnish didn't come out as smooth as I hoped. Nice hobby, would spend hours again.

Packed some diecasts which I felt might turn up at the monthly car meet. In the end, managed to snag 6 matches with the Mercury Cougar (#2) in the exact color and trim.

Got really lucky with the first one, in the exact trim and color: Mercury Cougar. The rest are, respectively: Corvette Z06, Cadillac Sedan deVille, Dodge Challenger R/T, Volvo 850, BMW 850i, Dodge Charger, Ford Mustang.

Last home race for Max 😭

What's rarer than a Ferrari Enzo? An Enzo in Nero. 

Out of the 400 total Ferrari Enzos produced, only ~30 car were finished in Nero Daytona (gloss black) from the factory. This sleek model by Kyosho provides a good bang for the buck. The Phillips head screws make it easy to take apart to have a look at the details on the interior! The V12 engine sits above the suspension linkages. Underneath the lenses of the headlight are the bulbs themselves. Meshes and grills in all the right places. Rear tyre track is wider than front, just like the real thing. Trivia: A rarer Enzo is the single one in Nero Opaco i.e. matte black; that Ferrari crafted for the King of Brunei.

What's rarer than a Ferrari Enzo? An Enzo in Nero.

Out of the 400 total Ferrari Enzos produced, only ~30 units were finished in Nero (black) from the factory. This sleek model by Kyosho provides a good bang for the buck. The Phillips head screws make it easy to take apart to have a look at the details on the interior! The V12 engine sits above the suspension linkages. Underneath the lenses of the headlight are the bulbs themselves. Meshes and grills in all the right places too.

Taking out this Audi RS6 and IMMEDIATELY swapping the 5 spoke wheels for the goldline wheels. Still rolls well and is all set to have a track day out on the Nurbirgring! Pictures with original wheels towards the end.

Far from the path of totality in Finland, I planned to capture the sun and moon together against the granite tower of Kultaranta: the Finnish Presidential Residence. I did a couple of rehearsals the week before the eclipse to get the location, angles and timing right. The clouds were always an uncontrollable factor (this is by the Archipelago Sea) and almost threatened the plan. But they turned out thin enough to photograph through during the eclipse. The image was shot from a DSLR with a 100-400mm lens at max zoom, on a static tripod, just one frame from a timelapse sequence that I have yet to compile into a video. I had envisioned the building to have the Presidential Standard flag up, but it was lowered at 21:00 , about 20 minutes before this image.

6D with Sigma 100-400mm C

With a wheeswap 👀 I can never resist a mainline with front and back tampos (a la Factory Fresh). This RS6 is no exception. The 5SP were traded for gold line mesh wheels to suit the muted gold paint on the car. How would you rate it?

That's the sound of the Police! EraCars Audi A6 of the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland). Adorned in the blue and fluorescent yellow 'Battenburg' pattern: a high-visibility, checkerboard-style vehicle marking primarily used by police and emergency services. The pattern was created in the UK in the mid-1990s: the alternating two-row design maximizes daytime and nighttime safety, allowing vehicles to be spotted from up to 500 meters away. The name Battenburg came due to its similarity to a style of layered cake with the same name. The casting itself comes with EraCars standard: opening parts, lensed lights, rubber treaded wheels and a nice interior. Case-in-point: the Audi logo on the steering wheel in #4.

How many of you know the Mitsubishi GTO/ 3000GT (and rebadged as the Dodge Stealth)? Featured advanced-for-its-time tech including full-time All-Wheel Drive (AWD), Four-Wheel Steering (4WS), Active Aerodynamics (auto-adjusting front and rear spoilers), electronically controlled adaptive suspension (ECS) and variable active exhaust 🤯 While this one is an older release by Para64, keep your eyes open for the Matchbox variant (in all white)!