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Tamiya Porsche 959


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Completed this one end of last year, so it's my most recent completed build (I build slowly, even though I build as the kits come). The kits goes together pretty well, apart from a few minor bits which I'll  mention as I go through the pics. Hard to believe the kit is over 30 years old - it's much better than the Corvette I did before it.

 

I'll start with the engine bay. Sadly, this is the only time it will be seen as there were 'negative clearance' issues with the lid so I had to superglue it down to stop it popping up half a millimetre or so. I'm not sure whether that is down to an issue with the kit or with my building skills. Certainly it was also a tight fit getting the body over those exhaust pipes too.

 

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A couple of pics of the interior, because this is where a lot of the careful painting is needed with those seats. The seats and that red in the engine bay were my first attempts at mixing paint so I'm quite pleased with how that came out. Unfortunately, in getting the body on, I managed to dislodge the right-hand-side glass, so had to stick it back on using a paintbrush handle through the windscreen hole as that goes on later. All things considered, I can live with that small gap near the A-pillar (it only shows up on the camera anyway).

 

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This pic below also shows the line around the rear spoiler where it joins the boot (bonnet?) lid. I was in two minds as to whether to join the spoiler and fill the join before painting and risk having poor paint coverage in the gap, or to fit the spoiler after painting and have that line between the two which doesn't exist on the original. If it had been silver as most of these seem to be then I would probably have gone for the first option, but as I'd chosen a dark colour I figured the join wouldn't show as much. But if anyone has any tips for this sort of thing, I'd be glad to hear from you.

 

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Finally, a set of pics from around the car. The original plan was to use Revell's matt anthracite, but I ended up with a can with almost no internal pressure so it just spattered on the side. I had to sand back the paint on the side of the car and on the (front!) bonnet, then reprime. With the colder weather approaching, I decided to change to Halfords paint for the colour coat for time reasons which has given me the effect I was after.

 

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The view from the front. The Tamiya instructions call for a silver surround to the headlights, and show that on the box so I followed the instructions. But, they should really be body colour so that is a little bit annoying. Not the end of the world though, just wish I'd checked first.:banghead:

 

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And the view from the back with the engine cover fitted. So now, the engine is only visible from underneath or through the grille.

 

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And finally, this is it when the sun gets on it.

 

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I bought the kit because it was a car I like, and as an added bonus it's also cheap so it wouldn't matter if I messed it up. Looking inside, I was expecting a quick build as there didn't seem to be too many parts, but the interior painting slowed me up a bit. However, in the end, I'm happy as it represents another step forward for my modelling skills. Hope you all like it too.

Edited by Spiny
Wrong pic
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Great build even with the issues,excellent  paint work,a shame about the engine cover,always nice to see the motor,loved the pics with the mirror images,and the Porsche is my favorite to,did have the cheap verision VW:D,Cheers.

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1 hour ago, Plastheniker said:

Beautifully smooth paintwork (particularly difficult with black paint)!

Very kind of you to say so, but I do have a confession - it's not black paint:smile:. It's actually Halfords Volvo dark grey with a Revell top coat and a load of polishing to improve the shine. I have no idea what the German equivalent would be, but from the projects I've seen of yours you're pretty much a master when it comes to both painting and building.

Edited by Spiny
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Looks lovely, especially the pic in natural sunlight.

 

I usually glue and fill things like the rear spoiler to avoid the join lines. Paint coverage is not a problem (think about how overspray seems to find any weakness in your masking!)

Try to get paint in the undercuts first. Look over the bodywork and apply paint to the difficult areas first, think about undercuts, arches, sills, etc.

I'm not sure how experienced you are but, if you got this finish from a rattle can and polishing, you are not going far wrong :thumbsup:

 

Atb, Steve.

 

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Looks very tidy. :)

Have to agree on that sunlight photo, really brings it to life.

 

Kind of irrelevant suggestion for this one cos you've had to fix the engine cover, but if you haven't got any already I'd get some micro-mesh pads or sticks for smoothing those moulding seams on those engine parts (the bits you've painted aluminium) for the next model you build.

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23 hours ago, triumphfan said:

Looks lovely, especially the pic in natural sunlight.

 

I usually glue and fill things like the rear spoiler to avoid the join lines. Paint coverage is not a problem (think about how overspray seems to find any weakness in your masking!)

Try to get paint in the undercuts first. Look over the bodywork and apply paint to the difficult areas first, think about undercuts, arches, sills, etc.

I'm not sure how experienced you are but, if you got this finish from a rattle can and polishing, you are not going far wrong :thumbsup:

 

Atb, Steve.

 

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely remember that in future. Looks as though I second guessed myself, so will do more in the way of assembly on future projects.. I must admit that I am still very much on the learning curve when it comes to model building having only recently got back into the hobby, and taking much more time and care than I did when I was a kid. This model is my third spray paint job, and first one where I added polishing compound into the mix (between the 12,000 Micromesh and the Dodo Juice:smile:), so your comments are both kind and encouraging.

20 hours ago, nikkita katana said:

Looks very tidy. :)

Have to agree on that sunlight photo, really brings it to life.

 

Kind of irrelevant suggestion for this one cos you've had to fix the engine cover, but if you haven't got any already I'd get some micro-mesh pads or sticks for smoothing those moulding seams on those engine parts (the bits you've painted aluminium) for the next model you build.

Glad you like it. I have to admit that sunlight really seems to make paintwork 'pop', hence why I took the self-indulgent pic. I must admit that until you mentioned them, I hadn't even noticed those seams - good job they're hidden away now as otherwise they'd sit there bugging me. On the bright side, they're not so obvious in real life so I guess this really is a case of the camera reveals all. :headbang:

 

I think I will need to take up your advice about the sanding sticks as at the moment I'm going through a stash of old emery nail files and they're not really precise enough for the small bits. I did get the Ultimate Thinny buffing sticks which seem pretty good apart from not being suitable for wet sanding, so I think the next tools to purchase will be some of their sanding sticks. Certainly, if your XJ220 is anything to go by, the case for sanding sticks is very strong...:smile:

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Not sure the xj220 is much in the way of useful reference yet cos I've not got far with it and now a friend wants to hi-jack my spare time with a Porsche 993 build (I'll use that as practice for making suspension parts and shock absorbers since he said the back of engine only needs to look like a tumble dryer. :D ).

I know what you mean on the learning curve as I've only done 3 cars and 1 bike now since the 80's. The close-up photography and internet sharing shows all the flaws I wouldn't have noticed years ago either.

You're doing well and I'm looking forward to your next one. :)

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I'll try to live up to expectations then:worry:. Sounds as though we're on a similar part of the pathway to returning to modelling as my last one was in 1991, and have done 4 cars on my return, and a 2-Spitfire plus one Lancaster which was picked up going to the Hornby Museum with some friends' kids - those are not quite so good. I think you have me beat on building at the very least, so I hope you put the 993 up as well as the Jag - will look forward to seeing it.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 10 months later...

Thanks both of you, although I think/hope my skills have improved a little since this one.

 

A year down the line, and this is the only car I've built so far where I'm not completely satisfied with my choice of colour - some days I think it suits the car and others I wish I'd gone with the more traditional silver or red.

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