ALEXANDER Y LEOPARD
WESTERN SMT L2198 (KCS 168F)

EFE released a similar model to this some years ago, in quantites which did not satisfy demand. Unfortunately I never purchased one and will not now pay the fifty-odd quid they command. Instead I made my own, which has allowed me to fix some of the mistakes EFE made and add a little extra detail.

The shell is little changed, with only the side indicators and rear lights being replaced. Inside, a set of headrest covers was made from printed paper, and the usual bulkhead detail was added. The wheel trims on the front were filled in with lots of black paint to provide a flush surface inside the chrome ring. The rear hub caps were made using thick silver paint built up in layers until flush.

The "Western" transfers proved difficult to find. Modelmaster offered a set which although of typically high quality were far too small. Mabex Products also have a set which turned out to be just the same, but of inferior quality. Finally I decided to try Modelmaster's 1/50th scale version of the same decal and found it to be a closer 1/76th scale, but still too small! Unfortunately I did not have the same luck with the rear bootlid decal, which is far too big. I could not find a source for the Leopard badge on the front so I painted my own leopard which was tricky to say the least!