Tromance

That's really cool. I was lucky enough to have advanced driving lessons from Robb Gravett a few years ago, he's still using his skills!

Hi guys, Very sorry to hijack my own thread, but I don't have enough posts to put this in the buy/sell forum. Mods, if I'm contravening forum rules then apologies and feel free to delete this. UAE MODELLERS! I'm leaving Dubai next month and due to shipping rules I'm not allowed to take any of my flammable paint with me. Hence, I'm offloading it all - if anyone in Dubai wants the following and can come collect it from either Downtown or Media City, drop me a line. - Two full cans of grey Tamiya Surface Primer - One nearly empty can of grey Fine Surface Primer - One almost full can of white Tamiya Fine Surface Primer - One full can of Krylon Fusion for Plastic Satin Black - One almost full can of Ace Premium Enamel White Gloss - One half can of Ace Premium Enamel White Primer - One half can of Speed Aerosol Paint in black - One full can of Krylon Acrylic Clear Gloss - One nearly empty can of Ace Premium Primer in gray - One almost full can of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane clear satin The two full Tamiya Surface Primer cans cost more than 120AED on their own and as far as I'm away aren't available here at all. I'm offering everything listed for 150AED. Shukran!

This is the tutorial I've been waiting for. Awesome stuff, many thanks.

That looks brilliant. When you look back on kits made this long ago, how do you view them, bearing in mind all you've learned in the subsequent years?

Agreed - could you outline your preparation/paint process for us please?

Awesome! Love the helmet too, where's that from?

Very nice! I just finished the same kit myself, I think you managed to get a better chrome/silver finish than I did. Fine work.

Wow, that's is a work of art. *throws own models away* Any work in progress shots? Could you expand a bit on what you did to get such stunning results?

Yeah, nose cone doesn't look too bad in these pics but there are some serious folds in it! It was that one that prompted me to whip out the hairdryer for the sidepods, which worked really well. Still some small creases around the edges, but the advice I read here to be really, really patient and then slather it in Microsol was extremely useful.

That's where I got it! I used Krylon spray paint for the silver - I'd actually bought some Zero Paints from the UK, but I'm still a rookie with the airbrush so decided to play it safe for now. It's not too bad, but not as shiny as I'd hoped. Looks OK in these pictures but a little flat under lights. All the other paint was Vallejo Model Air or Revel Aqua Color (thinned with water) through the airbrush, over Tamiya Fine Surface primer. Both of those were bought when I was abroad, I haven't been able to find it here.

Hello all, This is my first completed model. I did start a WIP on Jaguar a few months, but got sidetracked by this one. I'm pretty pleased with it, for a first go, and have learned a hell of a lot from getting stuck in. The major lessons I'll be taking forward are thus: 1) Test fitting stuff is a very good idea. To start with, I ploughed through the instructions as I would with Lego, but realised quickly that some things would need to be done in different order - some bits would need to be painted before assembly, some bits would need decals, some would be best to wait. 2) I need to figure out some better glue methods. Some of the bits on this were extremely fiddly for a novice like me, and required the thinnest application of glue, to the point where a blob on the end of a cocktail stick was too much. There's clearly a knack - any suggestions? Any better glue to use that's thinner? I'm currently using Revell Contact Professional. 3) Wash my damn hands. On several occasions, having just painted something, I picked something else up and promptly got a smudge of paint on it. Thankfully nothing too serious. On two occasions, I must have had glue on my fingers, as I picked up a part and smudged the paint. Luckily the smudges were covered by the Vodafone logos on the side. 4) Don't trust the paint instructions. The red used on several parts was supposed to match the Vodafone red, and on the paint box (Revell Aqua Color), they looked very similar. But as soon as it was thinned and applied, it turned out pink. Most annoying. 5) Be really patient with the decals. Some of the decals, particularly the large Vodafone ones on the sidepods, were a pain and took several passes before they were flush. This forum and its advice on hairdryers was very useful, as was copious amounts of Microsol, and the second one's better than the first. And both are better than the early attempts putting carbon on the floorpan, which are full of wrinkles. My next job is to clear coat it. I was planning to use Klear, as I have some already. Anything in particular I should know about how much/little to put on? I presume a brush will be fine, as it seems thick enough to self-level. After that, the next project is to finish my Jaguar, and then pick something new. Feedback really very welcome!

Lovely. I think Phil will be in Dubai for the 24 Hour race next month - you'll have to take it down and get him to sign it or something.

Very nice! Good to see someone else from Dubai here too. Maybe I'll have to give Ace's paints a go, I assumed they were too hardcore for models.

Awesome. And by complete coincidence, I saw that very car yesterday.

Hello hello. Not a huge amount of progress due to work travel and the arrival of GTA V. But I have been ruminating on what to do with the paint debacle detailed above, and eventually decided to start again. So, into a tub of Mr Muscle goes the body. The result after some scrubbing with a toothbrush - actually a pretty good weathered look. Might remember that one... Only slight issue was getting the paint out of the bonnet vent. Don't tell anyone, but it's not perfect as I got fed up with scrubbing. Washed thoroughly, re-primered and given a few coats of Vallejo MA white. Now I'm leaving it for a week or so to ensure it's cured properly before I try more masking and put the gunmetal colour on. So that's it for now. Have started a Revell McLaren car in the meantime, so will start a thread about that shortly.

Thanks Rishi. Yes, in DXB. Thanks for the tips! Scotch Brite is a great idea, will get some of that. The cans I'd been using were from Ace but I found the paint really thick compared to car paints I'd used (on real cars) back in the UK. There's also a lack of colour choice compared to somewhere like Halfords. I've actually been to the Toy Store at MoE, picked up a McLaren MP4-20 for when I'm a bit more proficient. Also found kits at Silver Lake at Jumeirah Beach Plaza and at Toys & Us at the Defence Roundabout. Cheers for the nice words! Yes, been here for five years now, moved over for work in '08. It's changed a lot since then, so yeah, probably more so since your time! Lots more in Downtown and the Marina than a few years ago.

Funny you should post this - I have the exact same kit and the exact same problem. Haven't tackled it yet but have bought a variety of putties in preparation.

Thanks once again chaps. I'm not going to have time to do any more to it for a few days, so will ruminate on the best course of action. I work in the automotive industry and as far as I can tell, after five years here, there's nowhere that sells car paints in a can like they do at Halfords - it's just not done here. I have indeed heard of HiroBoy and intend to grab a few paints next time I'm in Europe - got a WRC Impreza in the stash that needs the correct colour, and a couple of McLaren F1 cars too. The only possible issue is ventilation for non-acrylics, as I live in a tower - am investigating a cheap spray booth. I do seem to have picked the least practical hobby for the region, but ho-hum, I'm enjoying it.

That's awesome work! However, surely the load bay should be scratched to hell and covered with bits of dried concrete? And it's missing a copy of the Daily Sport from the dashboard...

Thanks very much chaps, useful advice much appreciated. Fastcat - you may be right about the fibres, perhaps I underestimated how much cleaning would be needed. I used an air blower to try and clean it, and a tack cloth, bit didn't wash it. I suspect I'll persevere and try and rescue this paint job rather than start afresh (this is already the second attempt), but for future models I'll give them a good wash and lessen the sticky on the masking tape. Nope, the decals are just little details, need to paint the stripe. I had planned to use rattle cans to start with, but they're impossible to get here and it's illegal to bring them in on planes. I've found a place that does a few Tamiya for Polycarbonate, aimed at RC planes, but my understanding is that they're not ideal. I used a hardware store own-brand can for the floor pan, but the paint is really quite thick, even after leaving the can to heat up. I'm already getting better results with the airbrush, so I guess I just need to practice more with it. Can't get Halfords Lacquer or any kind of matt varnish here either - I do have Klear, or rather the local Pledge equivalent. Will try and grab a few cheap kits on eBay for next time I'm back in the UK, thanks for the suggestion. Cheers again - lots of useful tips, but sadly due to location many of them are difficult to follow! Injidup and John - also useful, thanks.

Hello all. I've recently got back into modelling after dabbling briefly as a teenager, but never with any results worth talking about. However, I was visiting the UK from my home in the Middle East and went into ModelZone. The branch I visited had a massive closing down sale and I thought I might be able to add to my 1:43 F1 car collection. But while there I saw the range of model-making stuff they had, at dirt cheap prices, and on the spur of the moment bought a cutting board, basic tool set and this Airfix 1:32 kit for next to nothing. It's Apex Motorsport's 2008 Jaguar XKR GT3 car that competed in the European GT3 Championship. I was particularly drawn to this car as the owner of Apex was killed in a plane crash early in 2008, along with former racing driver David Leslie, a man whose autograph I'd got as a kid. Additionally, one of the drivers of the Jaguar (who was not on the plane) is someone I've subsequently come to know. So I bought it for a song, deciding that I'd do a better job now, as a patient adult, than I did as a 14 year old slapping on thick layers of paint and crinkling decals. I've been building this over the last couple of months, stopping as I realise that I need more kit - something hard to get here. I've been buying supplies as I travel with work, so started with just a brush and the paints that came with the starter kit, but now have a moderate collection of Vallejo paints and a cheap airbrush. Here's my progress so far. I started with the wheels and brake discs, cutting them off the sprues, filing them down with a jeweller's file and primed them all as best as I could, using two light dustings to the pieces mounted variously on alligator clips and skewers, or with Blu-Tac. Then I left them to dry overnight. I read that it's better to start with the lighter paint and then do any dark sections, so I painted the wheel spokes in silver, trying to go with multiple thin coats rather than fewer thick globs. After four coats, it looked ok. However, I didn't prime the back of the wheels well enough and the paint didn't stick so well. I don't really think it'll show on the final model, but still, lesson learned. I also painted the brake discs in silver too, making sure not to paint the back so the glue would work when it comes to sticking. The following day I painted the callipers red using a cocktail stick, which was somewhat fiddly, but I think has come out well. I was worried about how to paint the black of the tyres onto the wheels, as I don't have a particularly steady hand (yet). But I managed to find some Tamiya masking tape, so decided to see if I could cut away the excess with a knife to completely mask the silver bits. Worked OK. For the remaining three wheels I was umming and aahing about how best to mask the rim. For the first one I'd masked everything and then cut around the rim freehand using a knife, but in a craft shop I found a knife-compass affair and used that instead. I measured the diameter of the rim, set the compass accordingly, and cut out masks from the tape before fixing them on. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Then I got on with some other assembly and priming. The roll cage was a bit fiddly but has turned out OK. Using the needle-nosed Revell Contacta glue was a big help in not dolloping on far too much. Here it is halfway through construction. I had a bit of a nightmare when cutting the gear shifter and linkage off the sprue - the linkage broke. I glued it back together and I think I probably rescued it as much as possible under the circumstances. Next up was the seat, which had two really annoying moulding marks on it. I sanding away the top one, but I think getting rid of the centre one is going to be more bother than my current skill level will allow. Bit annoying that it wipes out half the seatbelts though. I also primed the base of the car. I masked off the central area, where another piece will be glued, and also masked the areas where the wheels will fit on, so to avoid sanding later for glue purposes. Other than that, I reorganised my desk and found some polystyrene to keep drying items in the place. That'll save on the copious amounts of Blu-Tac I've been using. A couple of days later I primed the seat. I wanted to paint it red, but primed it white. In retrospect, grey would probably have been a better option. But anyway. To paint it, I'd watched a few How To vids on YouTube and decided that thinning the paint was in order. I bought pipettes and everything. But it didn't go well. The paint was too runny, and the pigment clumped together in a maddening fashion. It looked, frankly, dreadful. While ruminating on what to do about the seat, I painted the now-repaired gear stick and linkage. Which promptly broke again. I was not having a good day, so I went away and did something else before I hurled the model across the room. A couple of days later I returned, and painted the centre console, which was immensely fiddly and required my holding my breath for each little dab. But it's actually turned out really well. Probably the bit I'm most proud of so far. I sanded down the seat, re-primered it and had another go without thinning the paint. It's better, but still streaky. I clearly have to refine my technique - any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Having since bought an airbrush, I'd probably use that in the future, but still - hairy stick technique would be a useful skill to have. I seem to be better at darker paints. Here's the base, done with a new large brush I bought. Not perfect, but I think it looks OK. Boldened by my success with the centre console, I decided to have a crack at some of the detail on the interior base, which I 'dsprayed with white enamel from a can. I sort of wish I'd thought it through earlier though, as the paint doesn't stick too well and it's too fiddly to sand. After that I assembled the base and put some decals on the seat, which went surprisingly well. I can't find the pics of it, annoyingly - will show them in the next update. Having bought an airbrush, I then started attacking the body. My airbrushing technique is seriously unrefined, but I figured I had to start somewhere, so got stuck in. Here's the body with Vallejo grey primer. I then applied a misted coat and two wet(ish) coats of Vallejo Model Air white, waited a day for it to dry, and masked off the centre stripe using Tamiya masking tape. Three coats of a Vallejo Gunmetal and Black mix later, I let it dry overnight and whipped off the masking with mixed results. It's largely OK - at least for a first attempt - but some of the paint has got underneath the masking tape, which is annoying as I thought I'd pushed it down pretty well. Removing the tape has also removed a chunk of both paint and primer at the back of the car. I'm presuming that there was some grease there that meant the primer didn't stick properly. My plan now is to try and recoat that small area at the back, and then lightly sand away the overspill that's gone onto the white area. Does that sound like a plan? Any other suggestion on how to tidy things up would be appreciated. Sorry, this post was far longer than I intended... Cheers.

Thanks Thomas. You pleased with it then? I'll investigate!

Thanks guys... I think... I live in a one bedroom apartment on the 34th floor, and the only ventilation source is a sliding door onto the balcony, so whatever I get needs to be foldable and portable, which is why the Paasche appealed. If I had the space I'd build something permanent, but putting a cooker hood in the front room might not go down well with the wife...

Thanks chaps. Tamiya seems to get universal acclaim but you can't get the cans here in the Middle East, and it's illegal to fly with them. I model in a room without windows and don't (yet) have a spray booth, so might have to hold off on Alclad for now. Seems Vallejo might be my best bet for now!

Thanks to the assembled masses - the mist technique seems to have sorted it. While I'm at it, I'd be curious to hear what other people favour for primers - I'm still at the phase of trying all sorts of things. So far I've discovered that Vallejo is considerably better than Ace Hardware's own brand...