MARTIN LOVELL shows us how to add this interesting scenic project to your layout.
Back in the 80s (when I was a lot younger!) one of my favourite days entertainments was to go to Swale Raceway on the isle of Sheppey in Kent to watch an afternoon of Banger racing.
There was a large dirt track surrounded by a steel and cable fence, and teams of drivers in beaten up old cars would race, with as much contact as possible, until the prescribed number of laps had been completed. Or, in the case of the demolition derby, there was only one car running!
The team we used to follow were the Swale Rebels, with driver names such as “Flash” Gordon, or Daft Ada. Around the area, you would often find a Banger racer or two alongside a local garage and, since I described the building and modification of the Fordhampton Service Station in a previous article, I thought that I would model a typical Banger race car to go alongside it on our 1980s inspired shop layout.
I started with a Ford Zephyr from the Oxford Diecast range as this car, as well as cars like the Austin Cambridge, were often used. The model I chose is OD76ZEP011. Removing the screw from the underside of the model, the car was divided into chassis, interior and body.
The glass was removed, and the passenger seat was cut away. The interior was painted black.
Next, using a small grindstone in my trusty Minidrill, the bodywork was attacked to represent typical damage and, when satisfied, the body was then painted in the typical rough finish (usually Woolworths emulsion in real life!) The race number was then added to the roof, some mesh to replace the windows, a roll cage added, usually made of scaffold poles, and the model was then reassembled.
Final details included drilling out the lights and the hubcaps, a final touch of paints and weathering, and the car was ready to be put in position.
So, there we are, something a bit different to have on your layout. Who knows, perhaps someone will build a complete Banger race track in the future?
For now, Happy modelling.
Martin.