Sauber Mercedes C9 ( Tamiya Silver Arrows )

[Borez]

First off let me explain that this is only my second ever build ( knocked a few Airfix kits up as a kid but nothing more ) and also my first time with an airbrush. It's basically a massive learning curve for me and now and again ( well most of the time really ) the voice reverberating around my head is that I've bitten off more than I can chew.

Not the easiest of model kits for a beginner either, but I love the C9, it's just a beautiful car.

So... I'm giving it a bloody good go. I'm two weeks in and this is where I'm at so far. So be gentle.

First off my disastrous first attempt at the bodywork. I basically scrapped this; it was crap. Mainly due to the fact I used Plasti-kote and it looked horrid.

So instead of de-motivating myself trying to sand it all back and start again I bought a new body from The Hobby company limited who happened to have one sitting on their shelves. Cost me £7, so a bargain really.

As you can see I'm cutting out the door so you can view the interior. I'll find a way of mounting the door later ( cross that bridge as it's falling down and all that )

So yeah, that one is scrapped.

My second attempt I'm a lot happier with.

I'll be clear coating this at a later date ( hopefully ) for now they sit in dust free bags.

OK, so my first real outing with the airbrush. I'm kinda picking up the philosophy of these things ( technique, cleaning, mixing, thinning, various paint types etc. etc. ) First attempts were not too bad ( you say that ) but I'm definitely picking it up now.

Masking. I mean, damn, masking!

Lots and lots of masking.

Worth it though:

Engine block is Alclad ( white aluminium, dark aluminium ) gearbox is Alclad Exhaust manifold ( I kinda like the colour )

FTR I'm not going for any historical accuracy here, I'm just having a go,

And various turbos and intercoolers

Turbo up close

Brake ducts etc.

And brake callipers

And rear suspension arms

So yeah, been spending a lot of time spraying tiny parts.

And then I decided it would a good idea to have a go with some of the photo etched parts I bought.

I mean, talk about tiny and fiddly.

I've never worked on this scale in my life.

In my day job ( live sound engineer ) I'm used to working on this scale

And now I'm having to work on this scale

It's like being a damn surgeon. Bending these parts can have you tearing your hair out. And then some.

Anyway, I digress...

So, my first attempt were the brake discs which consisted of like, 15 different disks for each brake; just lining them up was an epic challenge in itself.

I'm definitely working though a lot of challenges with this model.

Came out OK though, need to clean a bit of the glue from them though.

And then there were the wing struts and rear space frame. I gave in on trying to use the provided pins for these, I can't even see them never mind insert them ( maybe a little while down the road, but I don't have a technique and/or precision eyesight for this just yet ) I instead turned to the trusty superglue.

Probably not going to use that space frame though, It just doesn't fit properly ( no idea who measured these photo etched parts, they got it way wrong ) I'll instead use the Tamiya plastic part. I'll use the wing struts though.

So yeah, photo etched parts.

Can't wait to start on the racing harness

Onwards and upwards.

Also decided to replace the plastic springs and shocks and made my own.

I'm a vaper, so working with wire this small is not too bad as I coil my own e-cigs.

So parts are coming together nicely.

Also had a go at some carbon and kevlar decals.

Not too bad on the cockpit sidepods.

Started life like this:

And this thing I'm loving: the engine cover.

Started like this.

Ended up like this:

I'm quite proud of this tiny little fella too :

I've discovered it's a bit like wrapping a Christmas present with this stuff. Just cut it all first so you can fold it into the part, cover in microset and leave for 20 mins and it all shrinks in. bit more microset on a fine brush to flatten it all down and then just leave it to do its thing.

Rear body work ( for next time I understand the importance of sanding off every bit of injection mould imperfection. They really show here.

Wheels too. I'm going to recreate the locking pins using tiny fishing hooks that I've cut the barbs from and just kept the eyes.

It's definitely becoming about what I can use above and beyond the scope of the model kit:

Also pre-silvered some connectors as I will be attempting the plumbing on this thing

And that's pretty much where I'm at right now, two weeks of relentless joy.

I'll update as I go along.

Thanks for looking at my first feeble attempts.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Borez

[Hamden]

Good start looking forward to more of the same!

Roger

[shood23]

Very nice I have the c11 and 2 c9s in my stash so I will be watching closely as I am partial to cutting bits off cars in my current and previous builds.

Shaun

Ps does this hobby company have a website as it could help in the future

[Borez]

Very nice I have the c11 and 2 c9s in my stash so I will be watching closely as I am partial to cutting bits off cars in my current and previous builds.

Shaun

Ps does this hobby company have a website as it could help in the future

Yes they do.

They're the main UK Tamiya agents so they're good for spares. I screwed up my first model, a Repsol Porsche 962C ( the glass is built into the body and I got paint on it so it too was a right off ) they had a spare body for that too, although that was £12.

It's www.Hobbyco.net

Note to self: learn to strip back paint.

[keefr22]

Tremendous start, & top marks for airbrushing all those interior bits - I usually take the lazy option & brushpaint them!

Looking forward to progress!

Keith

[Borez]

Thanks Keith, I'm doing all I can to improve my airbrushing technique. It's all still brand new to me.

Cheers for the encouragement though. Much appreciated.

[stevepni]

Good thread!

Would be interested to know what airbrush you're using as I'm contemplating buying my first one.

[Stu_davros]

That's a great looking Sauber, the carbon decal really adds to the look.

Cheers,

Stuart

[Borez]

Good thread!

Would be interested to know what airbrush you're using as I'm contemplating buying my first one.

Hey Steve, I bought this kit from everything airbrush

It's working well for me, I decided to pay a little bit extra than the cheaper kits on ebay and it seems to have been a decent choice. Especially the airbrush itself which is pretty good quality for a starter kit. I work up in my loft studio so I've had to buy a little spray booth which extracts outside and a decent 3M spray mask.

All in all with airbrush, mask, spray booth, various paints, thinners, cleaning gear etc. it's probably been a £200 investment but I'm already finding the hobby very therapeutic though away from the stress of my job so I guess it'll get a lot of use.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Borez

[stevepni]

Hey Steve, I bought this kit from everything airbrush

It's working well for me, I decided to pay a little bit extra than the cheaper kits on ebay and it seems to have been a decent choice. Especially the airbrush itself which is pretty good quality for a starter kit. I work up in my loft studio so I've had to buy a little spray booth which extracts outside and a decent 3M spray mask.

All in all with airbrush, mask, spray booth, various paints, thinners, cleaning gear etc. it's probably been a £200 investment but I'm already finding the hobby very therapeutic though away from the stress of my job so I guess it'll get a lot of use.

Thanks very much, that's helpful. I'm thinking it's better to invest in something fairly decent from the start too. Its going to be a big learning curve I think but worth it.

[TGA]

You are pretty much like me. Bite off more than you can chew and keep biting after that. Looking great so far!

[Borez]

You are pretty much like me. Bite off more than you can chew and keep biting after that. Looking great so far!

Best way to learn new things to be honest

Edited December 31, 2015 by Borez

[Borez]

Update.

So, been doing bits and pieces over the last couple of day, it's chucking it down with rain and miserable outside so why not.

First Off window masks, bought these masks but not too happy with them as in a couple of places they've leaked slightly even though I made sure they were pressed down properly.

Anyway, what can you do?

Also some carbon details on the rear brake ducts.

And some work on the racing harness which is coming along nicely:

Built these tiny little photo etched parts to hold in the drivers leg straps

You can see them with the straps here:

And here in the cockpit ready to be joined to the back of the instrument panel once it goes in:

All good so far.

Anyway.... I had this thought last night looking at some pics of the C9 and the front roll cage which isn't included in the kit at all. I thought OK, let's have a go at building one myself.

What could possibly go wrong?

So I woke up this morning and started.

Here it is in the real car:

It's the same colour as the rear suspension struts which I already have mixed, you've got that wrapped foam protection and there's an inner hose that goes to the fire suppression system which is pretty much held on with tape and cable ties.

I thought OK, 2mm aluminium tube would work well so I kinda bent some around a rattle can, straightened out the ends and mocked it up in the model for fit:

BluTack is slowly becoming my best friend.

OK, so all good.

Then I sprayed it with the pre-mixed blue now christened "roll cage blue" which is 2:1 Tamiya light blue and Tamiya Clear thinned for the airbrush 1/3rd thinner, 2/3rds paint.

Took some 3mm shrink tube to emulate the foam padding and some 4mm shrink tube over the 3mm with some vaping wire tucked under to make the fire suppression hose, plus a piece of 3mm shrink tube with the wire tucked inside to round it off at the leg end.

I used to build e-cig box mods ( before I was vastly undercut by the Chinese ) so I have a ton of this stuff just lying around

Shrank it all down with a lighter and voila! One mocked up roll cage with fire suppression hosing ready to by plumbed into the footwell tank:

Pretty damn pleased with the results to be honest. My only issue is that I have no picture of the top outlet for the suppression system, so how the hell do I finish it off?

Guess I'll need to do a bit of research on this.

OK, time for a work station clean up as it's getting pretty messy:

And that's it for now, thanks for taking the time

Edited January 3, 2016 by Borez

[keefr22]

Nice progress! Have to admit I've not seen leg restraint straps like those before, learn something new everyday!

Keith

[imster]

Wow! Excellent work especially considering this is your 2nd ever build!

I have this one in my stash so I look forward to seeing your progress and also if you had any problems along the way (fit issues, things to look out for when building, etc)

Keep up the wonderful work mate!

[Borez]

Nice progress! Have to admit I've not seen leg restraint straps like those before, learn something new everyday!

Keith

Thanks Keith. I was sent a pretty amazing set of walkaround pics with the photo etched parts, first time I'd seen the straps too.

Wow! Excellent work especially considering this is your 2nd ever build!

I have this one in my stash so I look forward to seeing your progress and also if you had any problems along the way (fit issues, things to look out for when building, etc)

Keep up the wonderful work mate!

Thanks a bunch.

As I've just said I was sent a superb set of walk-around pics with the photo etch parts, I could send you them if and when you do decide to build one. I mean, you could go deep into the details on this thing. My issue is that I kinda lack the necessary skills for this yet, everything is one big learning curve. Some things I'm looking at and thinking: well I'd love to, but it ain't gonna happen. The engine plumbing is going to be the real test I'm thinking.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Borez

[Hamden]

Great progress, what a stunning roll cage!

Roger

[Spookytooth]

Nice work Borez, the detail painting a P.E. adds to it.

BTW what is the desk you were using live?

I do live work too, mainly monitors.

Simon.

[Borez]

Nice work Borez, the detail painting a P.E. adds to it.

BTW what is the desk you were using live?

I do live work too, mainly monitors.

Simon.

That's an Avid Venue Profile mate, one of two at FOH on the day.

Aside from Digico SD's it's probably one of my favourite desks.

[Spookytooth]

That's an Avid Venue Profile mate, one of two at FOH on the day.

Aside from Digico SD's it's probably one of my favourite desks.

My boss is thinking about getting one of the Digico`s later in the year.

Stuck with using a Soundcraft Compact Di 24, not bad but microscopic screen.

Simon.

[Borez]

My boss is thinking about getting one of the Digico`s later in the year.

Stuck with using a Soundcraft Compact Di 24, not bad but microscopic screen.

Simon.

The Si compact is not a bad desk at all, used one a few times. Very easy to get your head around.

[Borez]

Update:

First test fit with the rear end parts.

Some of my paintwork will need a touch up, but otherwise pretty happy with the fit.

Note to self: Stop messing with the painted parts so much!

I'll have to find a way of blending in the joins between pipes where the intercoolers join into the turbos etc.

And with the disc brakes and callipers

Also pre painted a couple of the pipe connectors

As I said though some of my paintwork is looking a little scrappy after fiddling with stuff, but I'm sure I can touch it up after the final assembly.

Time to pull it all apart and look at the plumbing.

Thanks for looking.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Borez

[Spookytooth]

Coming along nicely Borez.

The back end is looking sweet mate .

Simon.

[Borez]

Coming along nicely Borez.

The back end is looking sweet mate .

Simon.

Thanks Simon.

I mean, the quality of some of the guys work here is incredible. I can't even think about coming close to those standards, but for my own learning curve I'm pretty pleased with the results I'm getting so far.

Onwards and upwards eh

[keefr22]

Looks good! Liking those connectors too!

Keith