shood23 Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I'm always amazed that people can get carbon and kevlar decals into and onto these complex shapes and curves. I always fail miserably lol. Keep up the good work Ashley A hair dryer and damp cotton bud works most shapes well, or failing that I have sometimes used my own tongue. Looks great by the way homer, I will have to get some of these Mr metal paints as you have made them look very good Shaun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 I'm always amazed that people can get carbon and kevlar decals into and onto these complex shapes and curves. I always fail miserably lol. Keep up the good work Ashley Thanks mate A little bit more done today. More prep on the tub and other parts getting them ready to apply the carbon fiber. I'm happy with the way the seat came out with the grey front and the custom mix metallic steel/gloss black back which will be covered in a carbon fiber decal. I make the paint that colour so that if I perhaps miss a spot it is a lot harder to see as the metallic steel/black paint will help it blend in. I also painted the door trims and the roll cage (didn't take pics). Parts to be covered in carbon fiber that have been prepped; 1. extinguisher bottle 2. steering wheel boss 3. the whole tub 4. the seat back 5. the door trims 6. large switch panel beside the driver The two little switch panels in the console beside the air vents have finally been given the carbon treatment. They were the most incredibly frustrating things to cover and took me 3 goes to get it right. In the end the best solution was to apply to micro set and then flood them with micro sol. You could watch them melt before your eyes when they are so small! Various parts ready for the carbon treatment The metallic steel/black painted tub. Lots of heartache applying carbon to come 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Good god man and I thought I was crazy haha. I wish you the best of luck with all that carbon work to come. Ashley 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Good god man and I thought I was crazy haha. I wish you the best of luck with all that carbon work to come. Ashley Honestly you wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of carbon that goes into this model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Honestly you wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of carbon that goes into this model I would lol with the tub it's easiest to make up a load of paper templates as there is a few very tricky bits in there that really tested my patience. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This has been a fun build to follow. The carbon work on the dashboard is incredible (especially the vents). I noticed there a several versions of the Aoshima kit. Does anyone know if there are differences between them (besides decals)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imster Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Really good job with the CF so far mate, keep up the great work Homer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) Hours and hours and hours of making paper templates, tracing onto the carbon fiber decal sheet, cutting out, applying, heating, micro Set/sol multiple coats and I've now finished half of the tub and the back of the seat (in gold weave like the real one). It looks good but I wonder if it's worth all the effort! Sorry about the pics, the weave is very hard to photograph. Edited March 11, 2016 by Homerlovesbeer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Great Gugamugoo! That looks good. Ashley 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Well I've been plodding along with the carbon decal work. Sheesh, what a time consuming pain in the "you who" this is! I've only got the passenger side foot well and firewall (well the right hand side as there are 3 seats and the driver is in the middle lol) to go. The boxes on the seat backs were a nightmare to cover in carbon but I had a win! I thought I'd show you guys the process I go through for every panel 1. Do your best to make a paper template. This can require multiple attempts to get the correct shape as the panels are small and tight to work in. 2. Trace the template onto the back of the carbo decal. Remember to flip the template over otherwise you'll cut a mirror image of what you have with the carbon on the wrong side. I've made this mistake a couple of times due tiredness and inattention. Once cut you'll do plenty of trial fitting and trimming until it fits. Sometimes you'll take too much off or cut the angles wrong so you'll waste a decal and need to start from step one again! Yes I've done this! 3. Apply Micro Set to the plastic while the decal soaks in water for approx 20-30 secs. Take the decal out of the water with tweezers, gently move the decal off the sheet a bit with your thumb and then pick up a cocktail stick to keep the decal in position while you remove the backing paper. Apply decal as well as you can and work FAST to position in the correct place. Apply more Micro Set to help moving. Try not to have the decal curl under itself. If it does it's a horror to correct and usually results in the decal being ruined and repeating step 2 again (step one if you lost the paper template grrr). Once in place use a paint brush soaked in Micro Set to smooth out the decal. Use a hair dryer to speed up the process. Once the decal has dried use a damp cotton bud to further smooth out air bubbles and help the decal conform. Apply Micro Sol generously and use the brush you're applying it with to further assist in conforming. More hair dryer goodness. Then more Micro Sol etc etc until the decal has fully conformed. This can take many many repeats to get the required result. Then move on to the next area! As you can imagine this takes HOURS! Well I'm on the home straight now. Once the tub is fully completed I'll allow to dry for 48 hours before applying a gloss clear coat. Progress shot.... Before.... After...... TO BE CONTINUED............. Edited March 14, 2016 by Homerlovesbeer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Looking great homer, I did what you put in your second point a couple of times (not flipping that is) it was a real pain in the butt considering it's the easiest part of the process. Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Wow! Now that's dedication lol. And a mighty fine result I must say. One thing though. Wouldn't it have been easier to go around the electronic boxes on the rear bulkhead where the passenger seats would usually be? As I assume they will be painted black or possibly an aluminium metal colour as most ECU's are? Ashley 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) Wow! Now that's dedication lol. And a mighty fine result I must say. One thing though. Wouldn't it have been easier to go around the electronic boxes on the rear bulkhead where the passenger seats would usually be? As I assume they will be painted black or possibly an aluminium metal colour as most ECU's are? Ashley You would think so but they're in Carbon as well! These pics better show it. Pretty much EVERYTHING inside is carbon Fiber Edited March 14, 2016 by Homerlovesbeer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Some of them do look just black but the thing that drew my attention was the lack of padding in the seat. I bet that wasn't a comfortable ride lol Ashley 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Thanks for posting that step by step guide to carbon fiber decals. I was curious how you did it. Super helpful to see it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injidup Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Some of them do look just black but the thing that drew my attention was the lack of padding in the seat. I bet that wasn't a comfortable ride lol Ashley Not necessarily. I have almost no padding in my Lotus and don't find it uncomfortable. Most racing cars have no padding in the seats, it helps the driver feel how the car is moving. Edited March 15, 2016 by injidup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Some of them do look just black but the thing that drew my attention was the lack of padding in the seat. I bet that wasn't a comfortable ride lol Ashley My kart seat has no padding, alot of seats for this kind of thing are custom made to fit the driver. They make you sit in a slightly bigger than you seat and use some kind of expandable foam to make a perfect mould of you body then make up from there, no padding is needed and trust me they are so comfortable if it were a more angle position like f1 (almost laying down) you would fall asleep in it. Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Well my Gravity paints FINALLY arrived yesterday after the fist shipment went MIA. A special thanks goes to Matt at Gravity Colors, who heard on the grape vine that my paints were well over due to arrive, so reached out to me to chase things up. He reasoned that the parcel he sent had gone missing and elected to resend my order again, free of charge, via registered post to ensure the order arrived this time. FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE GRAVITY COLORS! So this is what colour the F1 GTR will be. I did a test run on a spoon and am blown away by the results, truly amazing. First base coat applied After three coats of base colour Next is the clear coat system which is very easy to use and apply. Three parts of gloss clear mixed in with 1 part activator and 1 part thinner. Wait 5 minutes after each coat, applying a light misting coat first then 2 wet coats. RESULT! Simply an amazingly gorgeous shine, zero orange peel that is astonishingly beautiful. If I can manage to apply the paint and achieve a finish like this on the actual model I'll be in heaven! The only thing that's a problem is some dust in the paint which I hope will not be on my F1 GTR. This is ONLY the clear coat finish, No sanding, no buffing, no polishing has been done to achieve the shine. Extreme close up 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Stop! You're making me wish I used airbrushes haha. That shine out of the bottle is what many strive to achieve with polishes lol. Ashley 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 The body is now painted. Next step is the clear coat which I'll probably do tomorrow. Again, These paints are BEAUTIFUL to spray. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroRacing Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Look at that. A paint stand too. I really am a cheap skate with my empty cans, blu-tak and newspaper haha. Can't wait to see it with clear on. Maybe you'll have to take some wet shots when it's done to show the water beading haha. Ashley 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Look at that. A paint stand too. I really am a cheap skate with my empty cans, blu-tak and newspaper haha. Can't wait to see it with clear on. Maybe you'll have to take some wet shots when it's done to show the water beading haha. Ashley LOL hahaha Yea I'll do that as a joke after polishing The Tamiya stand was pretty cheap from Japan and worth every cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 That is a great finish on the paint! Will you color sand the black paint layer prior to the clear coat? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 That is a great finish on the paint! Will you color sand the black paint layer prior to the clear coat? I'm not sure what you mean? I'll just decal and then clear coat I think. No sanding required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 That's what I meant, were you sanding prior to clear coat. Thanks for clarifying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now