imster Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 Great work Imster, it is hard to believe that this 1:12 not 1:1 . Simon. I have just come across this build and read through from start to finish and it is totally amazing! The extra detailing has turned this into a show stopper!! Fantastic work indeed!! Thanks guys! I am finally able to get more bench time so updates should recommence shortly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 i don't have this kit and now I'm wondering why. Stop, stop your killing me with all this detail. But no seriously, great work. Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Finally I was able to get back on with this build! I decided to tackle the front forks next, lots of extra details were added and a little bit of scratch building too. I did notice that if you use the detail up parts for the front fork, then at the top of the trees the shock adjusters dont fit correctly, its possible I wasnt mocking it all up correctly so could be just me. As a result of the headaches with the detail up parts I decided to use the kit suspension struts and do a little modification to enable me to use some of the detail up parts for this kit. I sprayed the shock bodies a mix of Alclad Steel and Alclad Pale Burnt Metal (not sure of the ratios as I did this by judgement). The rest of the forks were painted with Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black. The tie wraps around the black covers were made with extra thin styrene sheet (0.13mm thick) cut into strips, in order to make them secure I drilled holes into the shock bodies to enable me to anchor the strips and put tension through them so they look more realistic. I used epoxy for the front fender as it tends to be pretty flimsy where it glues to the front forks. I also managed to install the chain, it was a bit of a challenge and I am glad that the chain was built strong otherwise it would have fallen apart after a few minutes of adjusting it to get it over the front and rear sprockets. I also weathered the chain slightly on the rollers. On with the pictures! Next up is to finish off the front forks, then move on to the handlebars and instrument panels, already I can see that there is lots of modifications required for the handlebars so the job is going to be a long one I think! I will also try to do a photo how to on the front end and how I modified parts etc. Thanks for looking and as always C&C always appreciated 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Great work Imster. I have to keep telling myself that this 1/12 not 1/1... Simon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazza68 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 This build just keeps getting better and better!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borez Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) This is looking superb. Can I ask how you formed the weld lines and which paint you've used on the frame and exhaust silencers? Edited February 2, 2016 by Borez 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 This is looking superb. Can I ask how you formed the weld lines and which paint you've used on the frame and exhaust silencers? Thanks Spookytooth, Dazza68 and Borez! Borez the weldlines were created with some Mr Hobby Mr Surfacer 500, I painted it relatively thick to make it look like a worm. Once it started drying I used a metal rod with a 45 degree angle on the tip to create the welds themselves. On other parts I used Archer Transfers (mainly for the simple straight sections). The frame was painted with Alclad Airframe Aluminum and the exhaust silencers were done with Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf decanted and sprayed through and airbrush, then I used Mr Hobby Top Coat Semi Gloss to dull the sheen off a bit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borez Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Thanks Spookytooth, Dazza68 and Borez! Borez the weldlines were created with some Mr Hobby Mr Surfacer 500, I painted it relatively thick to make it look like a worm. Once it started drying I used a metal rod with a 45 degree angle on the tip to create the welds themselves. On other parts I used Archer Transfers (mainly for the simple straight sections). The frame was painted with Alclad Airframe Aluminum and the exhaust silencers were done with Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf decanted and sprayed through and airbrush, then I used Mr Hobby Top Coat Semi Gloss to dull the sheen off a bit. Many thanks for this. This may seem like a daft question because I've never done it, but when people say they decant Tamiya spays ( or any sprays for that matter ) do you literally just spray them into a jar? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Imraan I have to say I haven't caught up on this in too long but my god I'm happy I did today those forks look ridiculously good and the little zip ties around the showa area they are just perfect Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Many thanks for this. This may seem like a daft question because I've never done it, but when people say they decant Tamiya spays ( or any sprays for that matter ) do you literally just spray them into a jar? No problem Borez I believe there are a few methods to decant paints, my method is pretty simple. Take an empty paint bottle (I usually use the Mr Hobby bottles), put some ceran wrap over the top where the lid would go then use a rubber band around the edges to secure it. For the rattle can I take a paint pipette and cut it so that it fits snugly around the nozzle of the spray head. Then I pierce the ceran wrap with the pipette nozzle and begin spraying. I usually warm up the can under some hot water to get the flow moving a little faster out of the can. Be sure to let the paint air out so that the propellant escapes out of the paint! Heres a youtube vid showing pretty much how I do it: Imraan I have to say I haven't caught up on this in too long but my god I'm happy I did today those forks look ridiculously good and the little zip ties around the showa area they are just perfect Shaun Thanks Shaun! You havent missed much mate, this build has been fairly slow due to lots of visitors escaping dreary cold UK to come to sunnny down under over the Christmas holidays 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Stunning no other word for it, love how clean you build, one thing I struggle with, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Thanks Tomtom! My moto is always less is best! Helps a lot when doing the builds Moving along and gaining pace! I need to get this build done soon, and still so much to do!!! I completed the front brake calipers, I added the brake bleeders, brake line cable links, bolts and the line that runs between the two sides of the calipers (with blue anodised bolts) I forgot to dust off the parts before the pics so apologies for all the dust! Edited February 4, 2016 by imster 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Great work on the calipers Imster. What blue did you use on the bolts? Simon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Great work on the calipers Imster. What blue did you use on the bolts? Simon. Thanks Simon, I used Alclad Transparent Blue (not to be mixed with Alclad Hot Metal Blue which has a lighter shade like powder blue), I brushed it on after putting on some metal primer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Not long left to do before I can call this build finished! So I have 99% completed the front end! The brake calipers were completed and the brake cables were made from braided metal wire wrapped with spiral tubing, this combination is great but it makes the whole thing very stiff and not great for curves etc, so I heated it slightly and bent it to keep the shape. As a result of this stiffness I changed the connector on the caliper to a 45 degree one rather than 90 degree to make the stress on the parts easier. The electronic box that sits underneath the speedo was pretty heavily modified and very fiddly to work with! in hindsight I should have cut off the front frame section from where the steering tube is so it would have allowed me to work on the speedo and electronics box much easier. Nevertheless I managed to complete it and I am quite happy with how it came out. As for reference pics, I couldnt find very much showing the wiring routing so some logical thinking was used to try to figure out the wiring paths. The speedo was completed with use of reference pics, the back end was modified a fair bit to what the reference pics showed, on the front end I used epoxy to mimic glass on top of the dials, it came out well but possibly next time I will use more epoxy to give it more of a deeper glass look. The grips and handle section were heavily modified. On the right hand side the way Tamiya have routed all the wiring is wrong in some parts and simplistic in other parts. I first cut off the throttle cable housing and turned it 90 degrees so that one side is on top of the brake lever and the other side is below the brake lever as shown in my reference pics. I then got rid of the Tamiya brake fluid resevoir connector and made the correct part out of 0.8mm solder wire. On the left hand side I got rid of the kit clutch adjuster and replaced it with turned metal parts, I also added the adjuster lock and changed the push button next to the grip, to a metal turned button. I gave a little varnish to the brake levers on both sides to add some shine as the reference shows that the brake levers are shinier than the rest of the handle controls. I also added lots of PE and bolts to add to the realism. To finish off the front end I will be painting the middle sections of the blue bolts on the front forks a bright silver rather than the black that they are in the pics. Really sorry about the dusty pics once again, sometimes I get carried away and only realise once the pics are on the computer that they are full of dust! Next up will be to attach the gas tank and then just the finishing touches! Thanks for watching! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Wow... Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borez Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 (edited) As someone who's worked on a fair few bikes in my time ( including NS125 and NS400R ) that is actually difficult to tell from the real thing. All that's missing are the scrapes on the handlebar ball ends, clutch and brakes levers where you inevitably drop the damn thing Just stunning work mate. Makes me miss having a bike. Some interesting reading on the power valve system the 2-strokes used ( Honda's was the ATAC system ) if you're interested. Edited February 13, 2016 by Borez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Wow... Colin Thanks Colin As someone who's worked on a fair few bikes in my time ( including NS125 and NS400R ) that is actually difficult to tell from the real thing. All that's missing are the scrapes on the handlebar ball ends, clutch and brakes levers where you inevitably drop the damn thing Just stunning work mate. Makes me miss having a bike. Some interesting reading on the power valve system the 2-strokes used ( Honda's was the ATAC system ) if you're interested. Thanks for the link, I did a little homework on them earlier when I was building the engine and working out what ATAC valves are! I miss having my motorbike too, its sitting in the garage here at home in pieces, maybe one day it will see some action again 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Looking good, very good, can you tell us where you got the twisty cable cover fron on the front forks? Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1C3 Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 As someone who's worked on a fair few bikes in my time ( including NS125 and NS400R ) that is actually difficult to tell from the real thing. All that's missing are the scrapes on the handlebar ball ends, clutch and brakes levers where you inevitably drop the damn thing Just stunning work mate. Makes me miss having a bike. Some interesting reading on the power valve system the 2-strokes used ( Honda's was the ATAC system ) if you're interested. Hi Borez, Recently got my 1989 NS125R on the road. Sadly it's the UK model without the ATAC and with a rev limiter, so there's no option but to have it screaming around at 7000-10,000 RPM. Still, it's great fun on the B roads and surprisingly quick. Fantastic work Imster, such a clean and well detailed build, top job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Superb Imster. Detailing, and finish makes this a standout build. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borez Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 (edited) Hi Borez, Recently got my 1989 NS125R on the road. Sadly it's the UK model without the ATAC and with a rev limiter, so there's no option but to have it screaming around at 7000-10,000 RPM. Still, it's great fun on the B roads and surprisingly quick. Fantastic work Imster, such a clean and well detailed build, top job. I sourced and fitted the ATAC to my 1986 NS125F back in the day, if you look just below the cylinder head there's a round plug about the size of a 10p, you unscrew it and that's where the valve goes. Also the bike is not rev limited ( or mine wasn't anyway ) there's a flow restrictor plate in the exhaust so basically change the standard pipe to an after-market race model and you're golden. Makes one hell of a difference too. I also raced my NS125 a few times at amateur level so it had an after-market fibreglass full fairing, single seat conversion, Rothmans HRC paintwork and was fully race tuned. I loved that bike. Sadly the pictures of it were lost when I moved to London back in the 90's Edited February 14, 2016 by Borez 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 I sourced and fitted the ATAC to my 1986 NS125F back in the day, if you look just below the cylinder head there's a round plug about the size of a 10p, you unscrew it and that's where the valve goes. Also the bike is not rev limited ( or mine wasn't anyway ) there's a flow restrictor plate in the exhaust so basically change the standard pipe to an after-market race model and you're golden. Makes one hell of a difference too. I also raced my NS125 a few times at amateur level so it had an after-market fibreglass full fairing, single seat conversion, Rothmans HRC paintwork and was fully race tuned. I loved that bike. Sadly the pictures of it were lost when I moved to London back in the 90's Thats what I love about old school mechanical bikes, you make a few adjustments and bang you have power gains or other benefits. These days its all electronic and sadly as a result you cant play about with it as much as you could in the past. I sound like a grumpy old man.. Maybe its a sign of my old age!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeye the Sailor Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 looks very nice Jim...........so very realistic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Well its finally finished!! It took a lot longer than expected because of a little holiday halfway through when a few of my family came to enjoy the great Australian summer I still need to finalise how I will display the cowlings, currently erring towards having it hanging above the bike like at the Honda Museum, once I do that I will update this with some more pics. I hope you all enjoyed this WIP, probably didnt go through a lot of the detail work and how I did some of the components, mainly due to limited time on the bench. I am very pleased with the outcome and I can really recommend this kit to modellers who enjoy a little challenge. Here is the link to the final pics: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997814-honda-nsr500-84/ Some things to keep in mind when building this kit: - Do not use the blue decals for the cowlings, they are difficult to work with and you will not achieve a good finish on it like if it were painted, the correct colour which is pretty much an exact match to the decals is Tamiya TS-15. - I found on my kit that the exhaust ends where they join with the cans were a little short, luckily I mocked it all up and was able to fix that problem. - I found also on my kit that there was a large gap on the right hand side of the bike on the lower section of the radiator where it connects to the pipe, if you look closely on my photos you will see I wedged a some black painted styrene to fill the gap as I didnt mock this part up and it was too late to fix it properly at that point - If you want to ensure that the main parts of the bike are true to the real bike then you need to adjust the throttle cables section on the right hand side grip, they need to be turned 90 degrees to mimick the 1:1 version - Do not use the Top Studio Shift Linkage for the Honda NSR500 (TD23037) it is incorrect for this NSR500 version and is probably designed for the later versions. - The Top Studio NSR500 Clutch Set (TD23147) is also incorrect but if you look at my build you can see that it can be modified to work . - The Top Studio Steering Damper (TD23148) is incorrect as well but once again if you look at my build you will see I used some parts on my build. I think that covers it all, I guess all thats left is for me to thank all of you for your comments, suggestions, and support 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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