Sprue
Every build starts as a flat box of parts and an instruction sheet. Clean up, dry fit, then commit.
Scale model kits · Aotearoa New Zealand
1 on the benchSmall scale.
Full attention.
The other workbench. Plastic, paint, photo-etch and patience: the kitsets I build away from the keyboard, photographed close enough to see the work.
Spec sheet
- model
- Massey Ferguson FE35 “Gold Belly”
- status
- complete · on display
- frames
- 27 photographs
Tamiya 20060 · Lotus Type 79 1978 · Mario Andretti
5/8 steps 1/20 Photo-etch
Built, photographed,
on display.
Each kit gets a page of its own: the story behind the subject, a spec sheet and every frame from the photo session, so you can step around the model.
complete 27 frames
Massey Ferguson FE35 “Gold Belly”
Heller’s 1/24 Ferguson TE-20 “Petit Gris”, painted as the FE35 “Gold Belly” we had on the farm when I was growing up.
Heller 81401 · 1/24
on the bench 4 frames
Lotus Type 79 1978 · Mario Andretti
Tamiya’s 1/20 Grand Prix Collection kit of the ground-effect car that won the 1978 world championship, detailed with Tamiya’s photo-etched set.
Tamiya 20060 · 1/20
Work in
progress.
Tamiya’s 1/20 Lotus Type 79, kit 20060. The detail going in now will mostly disappear under the bodywork, so this is the time to look.
build progress 5 / 8 steps
From the bench photos, 24 July 2026 · 63%
- ✓
Ford-Cosworth DFV engine
Block, cam covers, injection trumpets and ignition
- ✓
Gearbox and rear suspension
Gearbox, springs and rear uprights
- ✓
Monocoque and fuel cell
Riveted aluminium tub with filler cap and fittings
- ✓
Cockpit
Seat, harness, steering wheel and bulkhead
- ✓
Front suspension
Rocker arms, uprights and brakes
- 6
Radiators and sidepods up next
The ground-effect venturi tunnels
- 7
Bodywork and wings
Black and gold livery, decals and clear coat
- 8
Wheels and tyres
Final assembly and onto the plinth
Plastic, paint
and patience.
Three stages, every kit. None of them can be rushed, which is most of the appeal.
Detail
Paint, washes, photo-etch and decals. The slow part, and the part that makes a model read as real at arm’s length.
Display
Finished kits go onto a plinth under a clear case, then get photographed close enough to see the work.
By the numbers
- kits
- 2
- complete
- 1
- on the bench
- 1
- frames
- 31
- last session
- 24 Jul 2026
[ 04 / ABOUT ]
Away from the keyboard
Same habits. Smaller tools.
By day I build software. In the evenings the tools get smaller: tweezers, a cutting mat, a set of fine brushes and a lot of patience.
The habits carry over. Read the instructions, check the fit before committing, and keep at the details nobody asked for until they’re right.
The software side at mmarkk.dev ↗What next
Next up:
RMS Titanic?
Possibly a 1/400 RMS Titanic. A very different kind of build: long, straight lines, a lot of hull, and rigging and deck detail at a much smaller scale than the cars and tractors so far.
Visit mmarkk.dev ↗