Comp Entry - Retro Ratzenberger

The theme “Retro” can be linked to Tamiya in so many ways, but for me it’s something I’ve mentioned before many times - the way the models were presented in the catalogues and guide books of the 80s and 90s.

This Auto Tech M3 is a prime candidate as being a body set only, the only official photos of it are the in-motion on the track and the body only black & white shot. It never got the “hero” image like the kits.

Taking cues from the thematic props of the Mountaineer and Bullhead shots, my helmet and racing gloves were employed. I don’t own a Ratzenberger replica helmet, just a plain white Sparco one, so I created the stripes and logos in Photoshop.

Finally, I added all the effects to create the retro look - film grain, dust, scratches, light leaks, colour warming, blurring and contrast adjustments.

The result is something that although a fabrication of my imagination, hopefully invokes the nostalgia of the period and could assume a place between the pages of those square booklets of magic.