I have collected a number of model motorcycles over the years, including those shown above. They are quite intricate and they gave me a better knowledge of what was under the fairings on the full size machines.

The top two were purchased as you see them but the lower two are the Protar series and I spent some happy hours building them.

I also enjoyed scratch building bikes as well. You can use all sorts of items and I have a box in my cupboard of old model aerplane bits and even bits left over from the double glazing. Plastic straws, copper wire, old camera parts, an old clock, and bits of a very old TV have all been used in my model-making...

RE-WORKED BRITAINS MODELS

Looking back, my very first scratch built model was of the 350cc Moto Guzzi, the one with the complex frame that looked like bridge. I used copper rods and bent them to shape then soldered the bits together. I hade the underslung petrol tank out of wood and then tapped out the fairing from a piece of aluminium. The wheels were purchased from a model areoplane shop and I had to do a bit of carving and sandpapering until they were what I felt were good representations of the race wheels and tyres. I had to paint spokes on since they were solid wheels. However the finished model was in a lot of peoples opinion a very neat one, painted in the matt browny green used by Moto Guzzi works machines. I even made a paddock stand for it and it stood on the top of our radiogram.

My other noteworthy scratch-built model was one of the Quasar feet-forward bikes from the middle 1970s. There was talk of using the real thing for travelling doctors during the TT and one was in fact, tried. I sat down and using copper rods (again) a made up the frame and then made the fairing from plastic card. The wheels were spoked properly this time taken from my model bits box.

THE 350cc MOTO GUZZI
IN THE MUSEUM AT MANDELLO DEL LARIO

THE QUASAR
AS USED DURING THE TT

MY 1:12 MODEL OF THE 1957 GILERA 500-4
FIRST THROUGH THE 100mph BARRIER !