Steve Noble

It has been known for Tamiya to mimic what they do in R/C in 1/24th. It would be nice to have a Tamiya Escort Mk2, but I'm not confident...

Get one with a tank and auto stop/start. It's the best money you'll spend 🙂

Looking good Gary, i bought the Rothmans version, looking like I'll have to have this one as well!! Can't understand why they did the tyres like that, looks a bit odd. I've bought some tarmac rims from aftermarket to replace the kit rims. I'll have to check what they're like and see if they are thicker at the rear...

You can use any hardener if you're in a pinch, I've used other brands in the past. I believe Zero paints are Lechler auto paint rebranded. Lately I've switched to using Mr Colour GX100 clear in the little glass jars and also Gunze Premium aqueous clear, again in the glass jars. The safety concerns of using 2k finally made me switch.

Probably too thick a layer. Also the enamel primer is a bad idea. The Zero paint is quite hot paint and will probably react with the enamel primer. Tamiya primer is usually good though.

I sometimes cut them out and then brush another coat of the Microscale product, just to be sure they are well sealed at the edges, before I dip them in the water. It's a bit belt and braces, but...

I'm going to have to try this in the future, thanks for that!! 🙂

Does it still go through the printer with no issues? Being two times the thickness and what tape do you use? I've never thought to do that, but it's genius and would save a lot of wasted decal paper when I'm only printing a few decals and not a full sheet..

Looks great Gary!! Really enjoyed watching it come together. I think it's given you a few problems along the way for sure, but the end result will be worth it 🙂

I assume you're using an inkjet printer to print the decals? If you are using a laser printer no sealing/varnish coat is required. You can use them straight off of the printer. With inkjet though it is essential to seal them. I always use the aforementioned Microscale liquid decal film, brushed on with a large flat brush. It dries very quickly and works very well. Remember when you cut the decals out not to go too close, because if you break the seal, the inks will bleed out when placed in the water.

Cracking job, looks very nice!!

Yes, you could get the exact colour then as well..

Zero 2k won't yellow. It can be very shiny, but if you sand it back and polish it, it's less glossy.

Vallejo wouldn't be my first choice for airbrushing a largish model in 1/16 scale. Personally I'd go for a lacquer paint through the airbrush, or Tamiya TS aerosol paints. Just think a much nicer finish would be had than using Vallejo on a body..

Gravity hands down..

Just noticed those myself. Would fancy doing the Autoglass version as Malcolm Wilson's 1992 Rac Rally ride...

I always mix Tamiya XF-4 yellow/green and XF-12 Gold in equal parts for that kevlar colour for the front splitter. It seems to match pretty well. I've seen it look more yellow on some restored cars and a lot lighter, almost beige on some period photo's...

Looks great!!! I always like to see the decals going on, really brings the kit to life 🙂

All of the Tamiya airbrushes will fit any compressor with the correct adaptor.

The TS clear will dry very quickly. But if you use it over decals take care and don't apply heavy coats as it can damage decals..

I'm building the '98 model but converting it to the '98 Rac rally.

The Tamiya decals were poor to be honest, especially the yellow florescent ones which were very brittle and cracked in a few places..

Just been having a play around with the Super Clear GX100. Been building a Tamiya Subaru over the last few weeks and finally got all the decals on and dry (4 days total) Mixed up a batch of the GX100 and applied it sparingly with 5-10 mins between coats, about 4 coats in total. Came back to it this morning all good. So I mixed up another batch and proceeded to lay some wetter coats, not hosing it on, just wetter coats. I noticed straight away some small bubbles appearing in some of the decals where they appeared to be lifting. It reminded me of Tamiya TS-13 when I've tried the same technique and had a similar result. Luckily the bubbles levelled off as it dried, so no harm done. I switched to Mr Top Coat from an aerosol to finish the clear coating and this was okay, but not as shiny as the GX100. Anyone else had any issues over decals with the GX100?

All looking fantastic!! Very well detailed engine bay. Could that white bar be cut off? Or is it needed for strength or to support the body shell or something else?

Looking great!!