This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
The kit car industry is a bloody hard industry to work in and has an extremely high failure rate. As a sole trader Mike has got a heavy load to carry as it is and this negativity isn't doing him any favours at all.
He simply cannot satisfy everyone all the time.
Its fairly obvious that he has been up to his armpits in straightening out and painting the Sammio from Holland in recent weeks. A car that looks stunning in the pictures by the way. Somewhere in and amongst that he has had kit production and associated work to carry out as well as trying to make sure he has a life as well.
Give the guy a break.
I wasn't going to comment on this as it just brings it back up again but as the last few postings have been supportive , I thought I would add my contribution.
Hopefully this thread can just fade away and we can get back to the harmonious and not just plain ''moany us'' forum I remember
OK, I'll have one last go at this, then, like Marc F I will bow out too.
PJ GRABOWSKI wrote:
... Paul L. Thankyou for the pictures. I am not sure of how the external shot of a building and an artistic internal shot of the same building that were taken several years ago when the building was occupied by someone else can add any gas to your argument?...
The photos were (in my mind anyway) simply supporting this statement.
Paul L wrote:
... This is clearly not car building on an industrial, Ford type, scale ...
In addition, they were also providing you a partial answer to this request you made back on the 1st of February.
PJ GRABOWSKI wrote:
Picking up on another thread here , Mike would you be able to put up pictures of your workshop for me ?
If my project is heading your way it would be kind of neat to see where shes going to be residing before she heads my way?
Obviously the building is now occupied by someone else and will have Milglias in it, not Sammios.
But the place hasn't grown in size since the handover and the photos show the scale of the operation Mike is running.
I got the impression this was something you wanted to see and was trying to be helpful.
Which leads me to my final point, taken from your post of the 31st January.
PJ GRABOWSKI wrote:
... I have been on a few automotive forums in the past and always been a bit wary of the ''inbiting'' that can occur. This forum is fairly new to me but I think I have gotten the feel of the place. Its just a nice , friendly atmosphere....
Unfortunately, you now come across as someone "inbiting" on this forum.
Still, I wish you luck with whatever project you choose, Paul.
Sad if this is your first visit to the forum to trawl through one mans crusade to rubbish another..
Those of us who have met and dealt direct with Mike all seem to be of the same opinion, a talented and genuine guy, happy to help and offer support when he can.
Well said, hope we can all draw a line under this and move on!
Mike, looking forward to meeting you at Stoneleigh mate, if you're still hoping to get there. I should be there Sunday and would be great to see the miglia (herald version) up close!
Can some body point me in the direction for either the Moderators or Administrators for this site as i am going to request this thread be removed, don't know if this is possible but i will give it a try, pm me if you wish with the details.
When i started the thread it was simply to see images of a spitfire based Miglia, i was in the market to buy and like to do my home work thoroughly before i commit to handing over a deposit because we all know how rocky the kit car scene can be.
Mike i am sure your a good guy and i wish you all the best in the future and if you get to know me you will know that i am not a shit stirrer or bitch just a guy with high standards who wants to build a great spec/looking 50's based sports car.
Can some body point me in the direction for either the Moderators or Administrators for this site as i am going to request this thread be removed, don't know if this is possible but i will give it a try, pm me if you wish with the details.
When i started the thread it was simple to see images of a spitfire based Miglia, i was in the market to buy and like to do my home work thoroughly before i commit to handing over a deposit because we all know how rocky the kit car scene can be.
Mike i am sure your a good guy and i wish you all the best in the future and if you get to know me you will know that i am not a shit stirrer or bitch just a guy with high standards who wants to build a great spec/looking 50's based sports car.
Hi mate , i didn't aim this at you , there are a couple of plonkers on the site that are obviously trying to play the stirring game behind a keyboard.
I am sure and you don't need to explain this your a good guy mate.
I don't really to be honest like forums, and i don't come across always very professional sometimes. Maybe i will hold back and let it run it self.
Hi mate , i didn't aim this at you , there are a couple of plonkers on the site that are obviously trying to play the stirring game behind a keyboard.
I am sure and you don't need to explain this your a good guy mate.
I don't really to be honest like forums, and i don't come across always very professional sometimes. Maybe i will hold back and let it run it self.
Mike This is my first dabble in a forum as i don't do this social media thing but i am a believer in you live and learn. If your at Stoneleigh with the red Herald Miglia i will introduce myself and take a better look at the car.
I am hoping to get to Stoneleigh as well, so will be good to catch up. But I will see Mike shortly I hope so I will update via a new thread when I can.
Would like to say that I am over the moon with my Miglia, just wished I had, had the time to fit it to the chassis this time I was in the UK (unfortunately family issues git in the way this time.)
My chassis has been completely welded, strengthened, blasted and not has a hold primer coat on it ready for paint and build when I get back in the UK in a few weeks times.
I am not sure a picture at this stage would help Mike's marketing, as my car is the pre-production version (ie this is the cut and shut version - so not entirely photogenic). One of my discussion points with Mike is around getting it painted, as I reckon it will be a far better advert to show off the painted shell on the chassis, rather than a dusty and sanded raw shell as currently. Don't worry - we'll get there in time.
And related to this, my new "rear end" hasn't been completed yet, but when it comes this will make my Miglia a very tastry little car indeed I reckon.
Don't forget that Mike has a business other than Miglia's to make. And the Spit version needs a new subframe - unlike the Herald chassis. So more head scratching involved.
FYI Barry - Mike does other glasswork including fabricating and repairs of various vehicles , not just kits he makes panels and items that are not kit related particularly , he produces a body for another kit supplier and does repair work , including body and paint on a local firm's Camper hire fleet as well.That is very nearly a full time job in itself.
He and his little team are kept very busy and the Miglia stuff is only a small part of the bigger picture.
FYI Barry - Mike does other glasswork including fabricating and repairs of various vehicles , not just kits he makes panels and items that are not kit related particularly , he produces a body for another kit supplier and does repair work , including body and paint on a local firm's Camper hire fleet as well.That is very nearly a full time job in itself.
He and his little team are kept very busy and the Miglia stuff is only a small part of the bigger picture.
Thankyou El primer for the info. That would explian a lot. Honesty, I find, is the best policy for most. It sounds like you know mike quite well. I take it that they are classic VW campers?
All sorts Barry , he has done classic camper work and regularly fixes a fleet of new campers that seem to return from every outing with a scar or two.
He has currently got a couple of classic fibreglass cars in there on the go as well as the Miglia builds.
FYI . when I spoke to Mike a few weeks back he told me has 2 Spit based bodies in the shop at present , so progress has clearly happened and when I saw him last week he told me it was all hands on deck to get the Spit build sorted. ( MarcF's )
I believe from your earlier mumblings on here that you are not too far away from Miglia. With fear of repetition , why don't you just go and have a look ?
And yes, Mike has been keeping me updated on latest developments, so it will be good to see at the end of the day. But I am very conscious of Mike's "Proper" commitments so I have been happy to let him set the pace. I know that may frustrate others, but I have enough stress in my day job not to need to get excited about a fun project like this. When I entered into it with Mike we both agreed up front that it would be an experiment, and so I always knew Mike would have to "play around" to sort the many problems that would arise. And as part of that, I knew that his day job would need to take precedence, along with other paying work. The (rather small) cheque I gave him back in December was never going to keep him fed for long, so that was the "contract" I entered into with Mike. He has played fair with me all along, so I will once again stress patience for everyone else. I know people expect instant gratification in this day and age, but the last thing Mike needs to do is show a half arsed mock up, which could damage his reputation.
But Barry, if you are local, then that would be a good idea for you - go and have a chat with Mike - he is a great guy to deal with, and you would feel reasured.
Cheers all. It is great to see the interest this project has generated, and it is good to see the "full size" Miglias that others are building - very inspirational for me. I have bought myself a space heater as I know I will be in the garage through winter getting mine ready, but it will be worth it next year when I trek down to Le Mans in it :-)
