TheBanker

Just finished and photographed! Was a really fun build and went together smoothly with very little drama. Only extras include Scale motorsport carbon decals for the front wheel cover. The metallic front forks are home-made. Painted with tamiya TS8 italian red lacquer. Proud of this one, hope you like it

Seeing this has left me speechless. Just. Wow.

The link below shows the difference between various Tamiya releases of the YZR M1 : https://www.scalemates.com/kits/129826-tamiya-14114-yamaha-yzr-m1 Seems like its the same kit with new decals.

P.S. I just noticed that you didnt mention which Ducati you were working on. I just assumed you were talking about the 1199 panigale - if its another one then sorry for that!

Hi Dave, I just built this kit and 'carbonized' the front wheel cover only - the other bits were too complicated so I left them black! Carbon hugger is optional on the real bike, so I think I can get away with the black OEM bare plastic finish! Anyway, if you do decide to go ahead with it, i would suggest using long, thin strips that run lengthwise along the hugger. The reason is that if you use thin pieces, the only curve that the decal will have to confirm to is the curve that runs along the length of the hugger, not downwards toward the sides. I hope that makes sense. Never use one whole piece, especially for this piece as one decal alone cannot confirm to the compound curves. Second thing- start at the centre. Use making tape to make a template of the centre bit which is wider at the front with the two holes and thinner at the back.This way you can get an even finish on the top part, and it matters most as it will be the most visible area on the finished part. Use lots of decal softener and make sure the decal has dried before covering more area. The worst is when you've got a perfectly placed decal and then you just ruin it by rubbing it off or tearing it with your fingers when it is still wet. Then use long strips for the angled and curved side bits, making sure your strips run lengthwise along the hugger. Bonus points for lining up the carbon fibre weave with the centre area that you covered earlier, but never mind if it doesn't because the compound nature of the curve pulls and stretches the decal and makes it very hard to match the weave along the entire length of the piece. Do the sharp pointy triangular bit last, as it curves both to the side and downwards, so you may want to use more than once piece of decal to cover this area without wrinkles. Let me know if this makes sense. If it doesn't, PM me and I'll try to illustrate with drawings. Hope it helps. Happy carbon fibering!

I have the same issue - need a replacement set of headlight covers and can clearly see the order form at the back of the instruction manual, unfortunately it is in Kanji which I cannot read. I have just sent them an email explaining my problem, so I hope they reply soon. Fingers crossed!

The chrome rims looks fantastic. What's the Klear treatment?

Hi Shaun - looks like you're off to a good start the second time around. Thanks for the superglue tip- I'm going to try it on my next build! I'm building a DBS myself and have just managed to get the body painted and clear coated. Hopefully we can share construction notes as the build progresses! Am hoping to convert mine to right hand drive but don't know how or where to start- will have to turn to the forum for advice - Good luck with the priming/ painting !

Hi everyone! I'm building the Yamaha YZR m1 (Rossi's '09 bike) and having some trouble with the color scheme. According to the instructions, the cowling parts are supposed to be base coated pure white and then over coated with pearl clear. The base coat went on perfectly, but when I sprayed the pearl coat, the white became, well, 'pearly' and yellowish. From the pictures that I have found online so far it seems that the white is a very bright and pure shade of white and not yellowish / pearly at all. Can anyone please point me to a website showing close ups of the bikes colors or show me what your finished model looks like? Is it supposed to be pearly or am I doing it wrong? Is it possible I used too much clear and yellowed the white instead of lightly misting on the pearl effect? Please see pics of pure white cowling part followed by pics of yellowy pearly white pieces that I ended up with. Should i strip and repaint? Pic of original Before pearl clear coat After pearl coat...

That engine is a piece of art. Where did you get the Senna figure?

What a finish! Those tail lights, the Lexus badge, the brakes, the spectacular paint job.. I could go on and on..

Another update: interior is complete! I tried adding "extras" in the form of electrical boxes, wiring and seatbelts but don't think I succeeded - seatbelts look ok but I made a mess of the wiring and spilled CA glue all over the cockpit. However, as most of it will be hidden anyway I think I can still live with it and try again on another model. I'm happy with the fuel pipe though- added and shiny aluminum tape to make I took more realistic z

Next I added all the sponsor decals (Over 60 of them! ) This was quite a lengthy task which again took me 3 days to complete. On the fourth day I sprayed the body with 2 coats of gloss clear (mist + wet coat) to seal the decals and "level out" the many layers of decals now stacked on top of each other. I then polished the body with Mequiars scratch X- the equivalent of Tamiya coarse/medium rubbing compound. Here's the result: Looking like a real Z4 now!! I also added the fuel filler cap, bonnet pins and bonnet louvres (replaced the kit parts with PE)

Some more progress from my side- got the windshield/ windows painted. Unlike the McLaren I built earlier, this time Fujimi did not supply window masks so I had to create my own. I simply masked the entire piece on the inside with Tamiya tape, then, using a new blade, I held it up to my lamp and used the raised edge to guide the blade around the window frame. After some careful trimming it looked like this Then I sprayed it semi-gloss black and attached it to the body. Amazing fit, happy to report no problems there whatsoever!

Thanks Steve - Do let me know if you plan to build one as I'm a huge fan of this car and would love to follow your progress! I highly recommend the Marc VDS racing scheme. It makes the Z4 look ultra aggressive!