RMP2

Hello again. Im back home for the weekend so thought Id give the CRX one more rub down with T-Cut and then polish the blazes out of it. Warning: Dont sit in front of a documentary and nonchalantly rub away at paintwork... I smoothed it down lovely, and cut through on high points - bonnet bump corners, bonnet front edge and a spot on each wheel arch. For crying out loud, this is supposed to be fun! I dont want to spray it again from the aerosol as it comes out too heavy and Ill lose too much detail now after the previous coats. So, airbrush the decanted Halfords car paint on nice and thin is the plan. The only thing stopping me getting started is not being too sure what to use to clean the airbrush out afterwards? It has PTFE seals so should be fine in that regard, it just how to be sure it will clean out ok. I have white spirit here, and some Vallejo AB thinner for "Model Air and Liquid Acrylic"... can I use those? Im sure Im being dumb, but want to be safe too. What should I use?

Smashing, thank you very much. Aye, the seats do sound painful. I was considering a toothpick, so along the right lines. They wont be particularly visible anyway, so Ill give it a shot with a sharp pokey thing. Windows - sounds like a sensible solution to me. Ill use a fine brush rather than the airbrush though, its just easier. Smoke coloured paint will be needed for the lower rear window anyway, I just didnt put 2 and 2 together for the lights there. Doh. I doubt much will happen on the kit for a month or so now though, Im away on an ultrasonics course for work for 3 weeks from tomorrow and will have nasty maths homework to do on an evening too. Thanks again for your help, Steve, its very much appreciated. Ive ordered a rare 1/24 Honda CRV tonight to complete our current fleet of cars at home and still got a load of 1/48 RAF jets, a MiG-21 and a Starfighter to mix in with them... Im going to be busy when I get back. Rob.

Right. Tamiya masking tape ordered. Ive gone for the thinner stuff, 5 or 6mm I forget now, figuring it might do corners better than the wider stuff. Ive a few more queries for you helpful souls, if I may - Question 1 - The seats. In my car they are the same style as the kit, but have a red CRX logo and the decals for the seats are white. Is there a simplish way to get red logos? Also the seat fabric has these narrow, dotted red strips. Any idea how to replicate this well? Heres a pic - Question 2 - Masking the inside of the glass piece - theres the usual frosted areas showing where should be painted black which is fine, but how to go about masking it with no edge to guide a blade? Ive searched the net but not found any tutorials at all. Question 3 - The rear lights on my car are the later spec ones that have a very dark red, almost black, border around the glass. I have clear red and orange paint to use on the backs of the parts, but the red doesnt darken sufficiently to replicate the border. Any ideas how to approach this? Pic - Whereas the kit supplied ones are meant to be like this - Doing them black is the easy answer, but it looks wrong. Ideally I need to create the border from the back side to keep the shine even across the "glass". Any thoughts?

I was afraid that would be the best way. So, lay the tape over the trim then cut it using the trim edge as a guide being careful not to mark the paint as I go?

Getting there. Still undecided on marker pen or virgin airbrush for bumpstrips etc. Its the masking that puts me off using the airbrush.

Well the seats came out just ace... what am I going to do with those to replicate late spec 16 seats? Ok, I have matt black brush on paint stuff and the seat CRX logo is all sorted on the decal sheet. In white. Aaaaaahhh. Redstuff innit. Poor dash to doorcard fit. " target="_blank">https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- What you actually might see if you put your nose on the completed kit. How Mark 1 does that look? Well the seats came out just ace... what am I going to do with those to replicate late spec 16 seats? Ok, I have matt black brush on paint stuff and the seat CRX logo is all sorted on the decal sheet. In white. Aaaaaahhh. Redstuff innit. Poor dash to doorcard fit. What you actually might see if you put your nose on the completed kit. How Mark 1 does that look? Im done.

Yes, the trim/bumpstrips/seals. In the past Ive used a marker pen with a bullet tip. When its done well, its great, quick and easyish. I did try my first masking for a window seal the other night on the spare hardtop from the Mazda build and it worked out pretty good, but with a thick edge to it. Unfortunately the hardtop suffered from rather over zealous "warmed drying" from a halogen lamp and isnt with us anymore. However, the masking worked, so I can do it. Marker pen for the CRX trim/seals/etc or break out the virgin airbrush?

I couldnt wait either... it "felt" dry enough and Im bored - house sitting a puppy with stitches where his balls used to be... its boring. I had this brilliant idea that if the paint was still a little soft then the T-Cut would do a swift and good job of a quick rub down. Then, onto the wax, see whats what. Stupid idea, but I got this - The bonnet isnt ideal still, but I might just leave it at that. Its pretty close to the Mazda which I find acceptable, so yea, Ill give it a few more goings over with the polish wax stuff over the next few days I think. See how it looks then, meantime Ill do whack the undercarriage etc together.

Brilliant, thank you Steve. I was aiming for something along those lines of paint & polish it worked pretty well with the MX5 that I also posted up on here. Its far from perfect, but Im learning. The paint does seem to come out a lot heavier than the red did for the Mazda. More pigment in the white? Generally a heavier paint being white? Anyway - heres what Ive ended up with and I think I can work with it to get it good enough for my needs - Less than ideal, but Ill see how it goes. Its touch dry now, Ill leave it to cure off properly and then start rubbing back again along the lines of Steve's post. Thanks again for taking the time to write it all out for me.

Right, its wet n dried back with some 1200 under the tap. Ice cut through the top coat on the bonnet corners though... needs new top coat. Doh. Cheers re brake fluid, I think I have some dot 5 but its posh stuff for trackdays, dont want to use it if possible. I am using the paint straight from the can, yes. I got away with it on the red MX5 I did recently, even with the lacquer, dont know what Ive done different this time. I got my first proper airbrush for christmas, not used it yet and Im a bit reluctant to as Im not sure the cleaner that came with it will get this paint out properly, I was saving it for my RAF jet collection and enamel paints as I know where I am with that stuff. Still, it might be the way forward, we will see. Im just hoping I can get a decent finish with the top coat alone this time, thatd sort it right out.

Cheers, I will wait and see what people say on here. Shame that chemical weapons regs are tighter on this side of the pond. So far all I have found is suggestions of general oven cleaner or dot 4 brake fluid. Neither of which I have to hand right now. Seeing as Im house bound for the day Im going against all advice and my gut feeling and am rubbing it back as well as can be, going for T-Cut after that, then a damn good wash & dry and a re-lacquer. Bad plan huh? Ah well, worth a punt, keeps me busy and so what if it goes wrong again as its coming off anyway it seems.

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately Honda did bring the Del Sol to the UK, but it didnt sell very well. Yea, CRXs are fun. Ive had this one for 8 or so years and had a red one for 6 years before that. Mine has the 1.6 non-vtec engine because I like the feisty little thing, really have to drive it to get it going - the 2 litre engines from CR-Vs dont tend to last unless a good chunk of cash is spent on them building them up to deal with a higher red line, not my thing anymore and to my mind is cheating with a CRX anyway. Right, oven cleaner then. Sounds frightening. Is there a right or wrong way to do this? Certain (UK) brands to use or avoid? I will have a search, but the internet sometimes lies and I dont want to kill another shell, so any further help is much appreciated. And for the CRX fans - heres mine in action at the local track - who says FWD cant "drift"?

The D.... De..... Del WHAT??!! That contraption is most definitely not a CRX. Right. I have paint finish issues. Or rather lacquer finish issues. I used Halfords plastic primer from a pre warmed can, gave that a rub with some fine micro mesh, washed it, dried it and gave it a pre warmed coat of Halfords Honda Frost White which looked very good when wet. Then it dried and came out rather satin which was a bummer. Not to be deterred I meshed it lightly again, washed, dried and hit it with the (yep, pre warmed) lacquer, again when wet it looked even better. But now its dry... Sprayed on too thick? Wrong drying conditions? Whats up with it? I tried the same with her MX5 and it was fine. I have a spare sunroof panel that I sprayed the same way at the same time so I gave that a rub with some T-Cut and some Turtle Wax Original Hard Shell Shine Polish - the thick stuff in a tub, and that produced this - Which is ok-ish-sort-of in the centre of the panel, but around the edges - Im thinking I put it on too thick trying to get that glassy finish and perhaps it dried to quick, creating shrinkage issues? I work with metal, not paint, so excuse my ignorance. Thoughts on rectifying this? Weapons at my disposal now are a 3000 grade micro mesh cloth T-Cut Original Turtle Wax Polish 600 & 1200 grit Wet & dry Paper My only concern with rubbing back is not being able to get into nooks and crannies (like around the bonnet bump edges) and ending up with an uneven finish. What to do?

Well hers is done, time for mine. Its the Fujimi 1/24 CR-X Si kit, the one with the sunroof. Its based on the early spec Si/16v and the 1:1 is the later spec, but not to worry, I doubt many would notice. Heres the 1:1 part way through post paint shop reassembly - The only hurdle would be matching the Buddy Club P1 wheels, but I found that a few years ago Aoshima produced a set. Tracking some down took a while, but I got some in the end. So, onto the build. A previous kit had been stored under something heavy and the shell and glass got killed. A good source of spares for the inevitable "awwwww mannnnn!"s - The new shell has seen brief use on top of the old chassis that was modified for more fun - All primered up - I only got a shot of the body after some top coat went on - I used the rattle can touch up tin from the 1:1 and despite warmer the tin and a nice warm drying time it came out rather satin in finish. So Ive lightly flatted it back and hit it with some lacquer and is now drying off again. Thats all for now.

Its yellow and red, Roy..... and youve forced my hand - Donuts... yes... I fitted some good tyres to hers to keep her safe etc, but found myself a little disgusted at the lack of slidey fun afterwards. A rather over exuberant U turn however proved that it is indeed RWD and there is most definitely a limited slip diff fitted. It just has to be done, its law. Fingers crossed for the CRX.

Ha, honestly Roy, its not a proper Lotus badge, its as per the picture I put up. I wouldnt stand for a real one on there either, whether its my car or not. Do I need to go out to the garage and get a photo to put this matter to rest?

The badge came with the car, its not actually a Lotus badge, apparently its a "homage to Lotus badge", one of these - Thanks for the kind words, Ive re-learnt a lot doing this, mostly to have patience after rushing stuff. A copy of my CRX has begun, if it turns out like hers then Ill be happy enough.

Thanks guys. Yes, I built it for SWMBO. Last year she got the 1:1 for her birthday, this year she got a 1/24... Heres the 1:1 Trying to replicate the gear knob was a bit tricky!

The first thing Ive done for 20 or so years, I know there are issues, but from a few paces it looks ok I think. Ive just spotted the CA white staining by the roll hoops... typical. Anyway, there you have it. Thoughts, comments and hints are more than welcome.

Well, its 99% done and Ive been messing about with the camera -

Thanks, guys. Your help is very much appreciated. I'll get bits ordered and post up how I get along.

Ok, after a little googling and reading on micromesh, I found http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Emery-Cloth-Polishing-Kit-Micro-Mesh-Sanding-Sheet-MicroMesh-Abrasive-Finishing-/221078302349?pt=UK_Crafts_Other_Crafts_EH&hash=item33794b2e8d on the bay. Im thinking that would be a good addition to the tool box and be good to sort the repair and shine and smooth the whole thing up in general?

Thanks guys. Mr Monk - would that approach be enough to blend in the raised edges of the repair on the door top? Roy - I used 1:1 car paints. Yea, T-Cut is severe stuff, perhaps the red colour restoring polish stuff would be more gentle?

Hi people. I thought my first build thread would be an 80s RAF jet, but here we are with Tamiyas 1:24 MX5 in an attempt to replicate my womans coveted little rag top in an attempt to have it done for christmas for her. Its been a battle with the painting of the shell, all my fault - first time using aerosols and a lack of patience, silly boy. Anyway, pics tell the story. The 1:1: The kit: All primered up with Halfords plastic primer: And onto the colour (Halfords Mazda Classic Red & Clear Lacquer): Doh. Not leaving the lacquer long enough to cure and holding the car by the boot while doing the window seals with a marker pen led to this thumb print. Not amused: A rub back and another full re-spray with just the lacquer got me back to this: Which reacted badly with the window seals... double doh. Out of stubbornness and lack of enthusiasm for the shell, I knocked on with the interior. Humbrol matt varnish over the glossy red seat centres proved to be a pig, hate the stuff: Also picked up some 5 spoke wheels that are as close to hers as I can find. Theyre a little big, but they fit and are passable. I hope. Eventually got around to a re-spray in red to start again after a full rub down with a finishing pad, as can be seen under the car below, but paint thickness is getting a bit silly now. And I made a mess of the window seals in the belief that a different, chisel point, pen would be better. The removal of the excess marker pen was done with a cotton bud and white spirit which took the gloss finish off and some paint along the top of the drivers door. This was touched in with the touch up kit for the 1:1 and matches great, but needs blending in regards to paint height and finish: Not looking too bad except for the top of the drivers door, hopefully you can see here - its difficult to photograph: So. Thats where Im at. I know it needs tidying, finishing etc and am on with that, but I have a question: How best to blend the repair and polish the matted off areas? I was thinking T-Cut then car polish of some sort using either a slow running dremel and a polish bit, or finger tip and a rag? Its just in colour as it is, no lacquer yet, unsure wheter to bother now as I think it will come up pretty well with a good polish. What do you guys recommend? Thanks for looking and any help is much appreciated.

Thanks Hendie, but nothing there to suit unfortunately. Steve - yes it is and although they are MX5 wheels (for a special edition version of the Mk2 that never made it into true production... long story) theyre not available with a kit - unless Im missing something somewhere, Ive searched high and low. Rallychef - they could be good, thank you very much. As you say, they need a little work to be closer, but they aint bad. I have found some closish ones and ordered them. Theyre scale 17" though, might be a bit big to represent the 15" that are on the 1:1, but I will try those first and get back to you if they look pants. Meanwhile Ive had a disaster with a lacquer repair meeting black marker pen window seals... doh!!! Thanks again guys, much appreciated.