1:24 Mini Ragtop Sunroof (TransKIT)

Fabric instead of sheet metal

A folding fabric roof across the whole length of the headlining was popular optional equipment on the small British car. It did not turn the car into a convertible, but it opened a wide strip of sky above the heads of the occupants – a solution that was simple, practical and today much sought after among collectors of originals.

An open roof changes the rules

For the builder it is a more interesting part than it seems at first glance. Once the roof is folded back, the interior stops being a hidden space and becomes a shop window. It therefore pays to tie it in with add-on parts for the cabin: upholstery, the dashboard, small things left on the seat. Work that nobody would appreciate on a closed car is suddenly on view.

A subject for a scene

An open roof automatically determines the weather and the season. The model accordingly belongs in a summer scene: a dusty road between fields, a parking lot by the coast, a crowded square. A figure leaning against the side of the car or a piece of luggage thrown over the rear seat finishes telling the scene. Rain and a wet road surface, by contrast, would read as illogical here.

How to handle the fabric

So that the fabric does not look like sheet metal, it needs a matte surface and a fine bringing out of the folds. A darker shade of thinned paint drawn into the recesses and a light dry brush over the raised edges work well. The rolled-up part above the rear window deserves the most attention, because it is what gives away whether this is textile or a casting. Choose the color rather faded, more than would match a new car – fabric dried out by the sun tends to be a tone lighter and less saturated than freshly stretched material from the factory.