Those of us that like to display our automotive models with the hood open generally face two problems. The first is, of course, having an accurate-looking hinge mechanism, and the second is keeping the hood open. It’s just about impossible to build accurate-looking hood hinges that are also strong enough to do the job they are supposed to do: they’re fairly complicated mechanisms with springs and multiple pivot points that just can’t be accurately reproduced in plastic. Well, J3 Models has a solution to this problem in their fixed open hood hinges.

Each hinge consists of a piece of photo-etched (I assume) metal representing the hinge itself, and a spring which attaches to the hinge to produce a fairly good replica of a hood hinge in the open position. There is a large horizontal surface available to attach the hood to, and another large surface that can be glued into the engine compartment to hold the hood in the open position.

Produced to fit the Tamiya Porsche 962 kit, this set contains four turned and polished aluminum wheels, cast white metal inserts, and a fret of photo-etched trim rings. Assembly is a very straightforward affair that involves installing the centers into the rims, and attaching the trim ring to the center. I recommend painting the center insert gold before installing them on the rims. After the photo etched trim ring is added, a dark wash was used to give a little added depth. The tires pressed on, and they were complete. The center lug nut could be polished, or painted depending on the car you’re modeling. Check your references when deciding what to do with the nut.