1:24 Mini MPI Late Type Wheel Arches (TransKIT)

The detail the whole look rests on

Widened fender flares are among the things by which the late version of the small British car is recognized at first glance. Without them the body looks slight and the wheels are lost under the panels; with them the car settles onto the road instead and gains the characteristic squat stance people remember it by.

A small part, a big difference

This is an example of how a small part decides the credibility of a whole model. Builders who follow a particular year of the real subject deal with exactly such differences – the earlier and later versions differ precisely in the flares, the grille and a few other small things. Anyone who wants a demonstrably correct version in the display case starts here.

What to add to it

The flares call for wheels of a matching diameter, otherwise empty space is left under the fender and the effect is lost. Sets of rims with tires in the same scale are therefore a natural parallel purchase. For a scene a narrow lane with a curb suggests itself, or a garage with a workshop trolley, or the exit from an underground parking garage – everywhere there the small car stands out exactly because it is small.

Fitting

Before gluing, the castings are freed of the remnants of the mold and laid on dry, so that their run along the cut-out of the fender can be checked. They are glued with cyanoacrylate in spots, and the transition onto the body is made up with putty and sanded back. It is always better to fit them before painting, so that the flare and the body come out in the same shade. Symmetry matters more than speed here: a flare seated unevenly on the left and the right side is noticed at once from behind and once painted it practically cannot be corrected.