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FXX-K, Tamiya, 1/24


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I'm not sure what brought this to the top pf the build pile -- re-watching Chris Harris's excellent film online, maybe... Anyway, time to get on with a serious build of a serious kit:

it-begins.jpg

Being Tamiya, I know the fit and engineering will be amazing. To make life harder for myself, I've also got the Tamiya photo-etch and carbon decal sets. Gulp! I alos bought this:

wrapping%20wire.jpg

Perhaps overkill to get some orange wires, but this lot should last my entire car-modelling life! It's 30AWG, so pretty fine, and has a solid copper core, all the better for drilling tiny holes and gluing in place.

engine-first-step.jpg

The journey of a thousand miles, and all... it's quite the power plant. And don't worry, I'm not going to continue at this pace all the way along...

engine-wired.jpg

engine-from-above.jpg

Those wires are coming in handy now...

exhausts.jpg

A closer look at the exhausts... I'm quite pleased with the heat staining effect. They are sprayed with Molotow Chrome, and then AK True Metal wax in purple, brass and blue applied over the top. Subtle, but really easy to do...

top-frame-on.jpg

top-frame-on-2.jpg

Rear frame and the top pf the tub in place. Great fit, as you'd expect from Tamiya. It's not too obvious, but I've started applying the carbon decals. They are strong, thin and flexible-sh, but don't respond much to the setting solutions I have (Micro-sol and Daco Medium). I'm doing them a few at a time so as not to go mad, and hitting them with a hot damp cloth when thoroughly dry, which seems to work. I've also finally figured out that I really do need to cut the carrier film from around each one to get a good fit with the smaller pieces. It's a pain, but then so is the whole process, so it's not too much EXTRA pain...

I've got all the carbon on the main chassis now, but it's drying in the airing cupboard, so no pics yet.

best,

M.

 

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Ooh, nice start. I too have this kit, and the carbon decals and photo etch. 

It's hovering closer to the top of my build pile, but I keep putting it off. All the extras scare me. 

Watching with interest. 

 

Matt

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Thanks, all... today I have mostly been applying carbon fibre (and there's also some I'd done earlier!)

 

chassis-assembled-with-CF-1.jpg

 

chassis-assembled-with-CF-2.jpg

 

chassis-assembled-with-CF-3.jpg

 

chassis-assembled-with-CF-4.jpg

Boy, I'm glad I've broken the back of that task now!

The last is just press fitted together... there some more detail painting to do before it's all glued. But you get an idea of what'll be visible when it's finally all together...

best,

M.

 

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Thanks, guys... and thanks to Tim for the reference material.

A quick test fit with the roof, just to see how the engine bay frames work when complete:

test-fit-with-roof.jpg

 

test-fit-with-roof-2.jpg

Wiring and detailing the fenders begins:

wheelarch-spider-2.jpg

 

wheelarch-spider-1.jpg

This will all be tamed, honest, with the help of some heat shrink tubing...

wheelarch-tamed-1.jpg

 

wheelarch-tamed-2.jpg

...and end up looking like this.

Meanwhile...

crimpled-hose.jpg

There's a bigger hose running through the engine bay. After various experiments, I think solder, wrapped in wire, with heatshrink tubing overall, results in something that will go just where you tell it (unlike guitar string, which I tried) and will snug down underneath the body shell components, bending as needed.

Speaking of which, I had to try it out...

body-trial-2.jpg

 

body-trial-1.jpg

...brilliant engineering, as you'd expect from Tamiya... but not much room for paint!

best,

M.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks all... it's taken a while to make some real progress, but here we are:

dashboard-2.jpg

 

dashboard-3.jpg

 

chassis-done-1.jpg

 

These seat belts were a monstrous PITA, and only do-able with the help of my crafty daughter... I have no idea how you could make them with only one pair of hands!

 

cockpit-lid-on.jpg

 

chassis-with-lid-on.jpg

 

There's a lot of carbon fibre decal settling down in the airing cupboard, and still more to do after that!

best,

M.

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Thanks, all... I think i'm on the home stretch now. One thing that I have learned is that whilest on other kits, sometimes "the instructions ARE just someone else's opinion", in this case, you really have to follow them, all of them...

home-straight-2.jpg

home-straight-1.jpg

home-straight-4.jpg

home-straight-3.jpg

home-straight-5.jpg

With a bit of luck, we should see this done, tomorrow...

All the best,

M.

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