Jag Mk II

Subject:
Jaguar Mk. II
Kit Used: Provence Moulage 1/43

Review & model by:
Kevin Kethman
Pictures: R. Forys

History: It is kind of ironic that the company that went on to produce the Jaguar automobile was not started to make cars, and was not called Jaguar. In 1920, William Walmsley had a business of converting war-surplus Triumph motorcycles for civilian use and built an octagonal-paneled sidecar that became very popular. Around this time, he met a young man named William Lyons, who shared an interest in motorcycles, and after a short time they started the Swallow Sidecar Company. By 1926, the company started branching out to produce car body conversions for the Austin Seven automobile. It was called the Austin swallow. By 1928 the business started to prosper and by 1930, the name was changed to The Swallow Coach-Building Company.

In 1933, the transformation of Swallow, from a custom body constructor to a total automobile manufacturer evolved, and by 1934 production reached 1800 cars annually. In 1935, the company launched a new model; however, the end of the year saw the founders break up when Walmsley left the company to build house trailers. The Jaguar name didn't appear until 1936, when a marketing manager named E.W. Rankin picked it out of a zoological book. He also produced the famous hood ornament stylized by F. Gordon Crosby that lives on to this day. The ornament was an accessory in 1937, and didn't become standard equipment until 1957.

The Jaguar Mark II Saloons were produced from 1959 through 1968, and came in 2.4, 3.4 and 3.8 liter dual overhead cam models, all equipped with dual carburetors. All models offered a choice of 4 speed manual, manual with overdrive, or Borg Warner automatic transmission. The 2.4 liter engine produced 120h.p. @ 5750 rpm, and the 3.4 liter put out 210h.p. @ 5500 rpm, while the 3.8 liter added an additional 10h.p.

The Kit: This is a full resin kit from the French company Provence Moulage, who is a leading producer of 1/43 scale resin automotive kits. It is judged to be a good quality kit that is pretty accurate. The main accuracy problem is that the kit supplied photo-etched window trim is too small. Also, the kit comes with both a right and left hand drive interior, however the right hand drive parts had casting problems, making them unusable. Another issue was the clear headlight lens parts which were too rough to use and were replaced with MV Lenses. Three color shades were used to provide some contrast.

There was also a problem with the instructions. There weren't any! Although assembly is pretty straight forward, some directions would be helpful. On the good side, the kit comes with some really nice wire wheels, and the resin body is very clean and beautifully smooth. The only additions or modifications made were to scribe the seat pleats a little deeper, and to add photo-etched speaker grills from Detail Masters.

Finishing: The kit was painted with Model Masters British Metallic Green, and Bare Metal foil was used to replicate the body and window trim. A black wash was also applied to the radiator grill and panel lines to add depth.

Although the finished kit has a nice overall appeal, some (or any) instructions with detail pictures, or even basic photos from different angles would be helpful, and better photo-etched parts that fit, would elevate this kit from mediocrity to a real gem.

References:
Found an actual Jaguar Mk II in Westland, MI
Box art from Tamiya's 1/25 scale Jaguar kit