Continuing work on the RX-7 in half scale. One of the imperfections of the C-West kit is the mold line on the hood. It’s not meant to be decorative from what I can tell from the kit box photo, and no part is meant to sit in the depression inside the mold line.
Here is the underside of the hood.
I used Micro-Mesh Sanding Sheets, starting with 2400 grit to remove the mold line and then 4000 grit to prepare the finish for priming (as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).
The mold lines are now gone, but the halo might end up showing in the end. I don’t want to risk filling in such a low depression with putty and making a bigger mess, so I will forge ahead to see if paint layers will soften the look. Also, the kit comes molded with light covers, but it has the clear covers for situated headlights as well. You have to cut away the light covers from the body if you want to use the clear covers. Yeah…. Holding my breath the whole time and using a very sharp X-Acto, it worked. Oy!
Here it is after the first primer coat. I think the halo of the mold lines will still show in the end, but it should be minimal.
I removed the molded side lights. There are extra clear parts between the three kits, so I will add these more like the real deal. Besides, these are always so hard to paint when they are molded in place. I used masking tape to protect the area around the parts I planned to remove.
I then scraped away the lights with an X-Acto blade and then sanded.
I did a final wet sanding with a high grit to smooth it out. Any halo will just help with placement of the final parts later, but it is pretty smooth.
The side skirts were a bit taller than I wanted, so I cut them down. Here is the original skirt (shown on the other kit body) as a reminder.
After cutting away the parts I didn’t need, I glued them to the body. There were gaps since they are not solid pieces, so I filled in with Squadron Products White Putty. It’s a good product that bonds well and sands smooth. Right now it’s rough since I’m letting it cure before final sanding and touch-ups.
The next thing was adding the rear wing from the Fujimi kit to the C-West body. There will be minimal gaps, and since I plan to paint the car black, it should look mostly seamless. There’s a top piece that goes to the wing, but you can’t spray inside of a tight space like that, so it will be finished separately and added at the end.
Once the putty has set and I’ve touched up where needed, it will be time to prime again. I have the undercarriage parts primed and ready for finishing and assembly.
