RX-7 in half scale – miscellaneous detailing

Continuing work on the RX-7 in half scale. When trying out new techniques, it’s nice to have spare parts to use so you don’t risk ruining the final parts. It doesn’t guarantee that you won’t mess up the final parts, unfortunately. But, it gives you practice that is invaluable.

Many cars have black edge detailing around the windows, and to paint those, you need to make a mask of the area. I use the process detailed in this video (starting at 1:10). I’m using Frog tape and painted with flat black spray paint instead of hand painting with bottled paint. Bottled paint goes on heavier and can wick under the tape whereas spray paint can be put on in light coats that stay put.

You have to get a good mask on the outside to prevent overspray on the “good” side.

The small exposed area is where I sprayed the paint.

The trial worked well. Let’s hope I can replicate the results on the final piece.

I wanted to try tinting the windows as well. I used Tamiya Smoke.

This paint needs to put on sparingly and from a distance on the underside of the window (again you mask the outside to protect the surface). You build up the layers to get the level of tint you want while the outside stays glossy like glass. While the effect is nice, I think it will block too much of the interior detailing. You can’t easily discern the tweezers through the tint in the photo below.

This will be a great resource for dirty windows on other projects, though. :] I usually just use overspray, but this was easier to control.

The side mirrors are molded separately from the body, which makes it easier to get a good finish, but there are mold lines and sprue connections that need to be cleaned before painting.

That also makes it difficult to paint since you have to hold the parts somehow while painting. Here is one mirror after removing the lines and nubs.

I put tape on the end of a bamboo skewer to hold each mirror. Since there will be a simulated mirror in each one, it’s okay to not paint the interiors.

The spoiler top was also problematic in finishing since there is no way to hold it while painting. Well, you can hold it, but putting it down while it dries is the main issue. I masked a clamp and held the part by the ends where it will be glued to the spoiler base already on the car. It was the easiest way to hold the part without ruining the clamp in the process.

Bits and pieces get the job done….

Categories: Model Cars, Vehicles
October 14, 2018 | 0 comments

RX-7 in half scale – body paint

Continuing work on the RX-7 in half scale. For the base coat, I’ve used Model Master Gray Sandable Lacquer Primer Spray (yeah, that’s a mouthful). :D

I then wet-sanded using the Micro-Mesh Sanding Sheets in 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12,000 to get as smooth a surface as possible (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

The better the primed surface, the better the top coat. You can see the sheen in the reflection.

My makeshift holder is made from scraps of builders foam.

My new tattoo.  Looks like I need a longer glove when spray painting. :D

The paint is 95% perfect, which is about the best you can hope for most of the time. Woot! Once it has set, I’ll see if I want to attempt to buff out the few dust particles that invariably get caught in the finish. Sometimes messing with it makes it worse. So far, so good, though. :] The side skirts and new wing look pretty seamless now, which is what I had hoped.

Categories: Model Cars, Vehicles
October 4, 2018 | 0 comments

Half Clocked – insert wall, part 2

Here is how the insert wall looked when I left it last. I’m planning to modify the trim one more time, which I’ll get to later….

With the side and porch walls glued in place, I could continue on the insert wall. First, I traced the outer portion onto drawing paper to have a good wallpaper template.

No dollhouse is square no matter how hard you try (regular houses aren’t either, for that matter) and my hand cut wall is not precise by any means. To that end, the outer portion of the insert wall is snug in one place and loose in another. It’s also not tall enough on one side, but that’s the beauty of wallpaper covering! To make gluing the outer portion more stable, I added strip wood guides on the side that will not be seen.

The planned trim around the inner portion will keep it from falling into the open space in front, but I still added some wood stops for good measure.

I primed both parts and tested the fit with the door, which will serve as the handle to remove the inner portion. So far, so good.  :]

A major/minor setback: I didn’t leave myself enough room behind the removable wall.  :\  So, I chiseled out the wall frame. Yeah, it’s as scary as it sounds.

I didn’t have the wallpaper glued in, which was why I opted for demolition. The other solution would have been to make the front wall removable, which I thought was much harder to do with the brick bottom and planned landscaping. It came out relatively easily without damage. I had to cut away the flooring as well…also scary.

I put the wall back in and stabilized it. I didn’t bother removing the first stabilizing columns; I just glued in additional ones.

Like it never happened. Whew. The lesson here is don’t panic! Go ahead and swear, but don’t panic. :D

The insert fits a little tighter than it did before, but I’ll take it. Just need to shave a bit off the top.  :]

Categories: Half Clocked
October 3, 2018 | 0 comments

RX-7 in half scale – interior

Continuing work on the RX-7 in half scale. The interior is fairly straightforward, just tedious and time-consuming. The C-West kit comes with both left- and right-hand driver dashboards, which is fun. However, the seats are lacking. The Tamiya kit has seats that are molded as one piece – much cleaner than trying to get fronts and backs to match seamlessly. So, I swapped out the seats.

Decal placement takes a steady hand and some patience, though there is one thing the instructions don’t mention. Each one has a halo around the actual image that should be removed as close as possible. This is especially important for fitting into depressions made for the decals, such as the dashboard.

If you don’t remove the halos, the decals will simply not fit the spaces. Those three on the left are super tiny.

I glued the various interior pieces…

…and glued the bucket to the chassis.  :D

Categories: Model Cars, Vehicles
September 28, 2018 | 0 comments

RX-7 in half scale – wheels and warping

Continuing work on the RX-7 in half scale. The Tamiya kit has wider wheels and tires, which look sportier, so I tested to see if I could put them on the C-West kit. Nope. They stick out past the fenders.

The C-West kit comes with both gold and silver wheels. I planned to use the silver ones, but the tires are loose on the wheels – they just fall right off. Oy. The gold ones fit perfectly, of course. This is what I mean when I say getting one kit to fit properly is hard, let alone mixing more than one. Even the parts provided in a single kit don’t fit at times. =shakes head=

I tried wrapping one of the silver wheels with electrical tape, and if I was set on this design, it could work in a pinch. It’s not the cleanest solution from the back, but up front it’s not too noticeable to the naked eye.

So, on to painting the gold wheels using Model Master Metalizer Lacquer in Aluminum Plate. The initial finish is light matte silver. Once you buff it with a paper towel, it gets all shiny. :D

I then sealed with Model Master Metalizer Sealer.

Much better. All four wheels roll well, and the front ones turn from side to side.

Of course, once I got the wheels on, I could see that the main body piece was warped leaving one tire roughly 1/8″ up in the air. Oy. I heated the plastic along the warp line using the hot setting on my hair dryer, stretched the plastic past the point of being level, and taped it to an mdf board to cool. I’ll give it a looksee tomorrow and see if it needs more. If the heat doesn’t fix the issue, or gets it at least close to level, there are small weights I can add to the empty spaces inside – one good thing about not having an open engine compartment.

Categories: Model Cars, Vehicles
September 26, 2018 | 0 comments