JeroenS Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 9 hours ago, Spiny said: having a go at the seatbelts which I've been dreading. Nah, you'll be fine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper645 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 @Spiny I did exactly the same with the Tamiya extra thin cement when I built the Churchill recently. Obviously I didn’t have paper down and it was the night I decided to move my modelling into the kitchen rather than stay in the shed. Luckily the wife was out and I managed to clean up with no real issues. this build is coming along nicely too. Looking forward to some more updates. The molotow chrome pens are pretty good, I use them but am considering getting some bare metal foil for those larger areas like window surrounds. Good luck with the rest and I’ll be sure to drop by for some more updates. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 I know I shouldn't laugh, but that is just typical of how things go. At least you got cleared up before being caught! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 Well, what with it being nice weather this weekend, there's been lots of other stuff calling me so not a huge amount of progress the last couple of days. First up was completing the centre console and pedals - more a case of fiddly painting for the "wood" than anything particularly difficult. I also painted the top of the clutch/brake pedal piece white so it blends in with the engine bay - not sure if that will be necessary but my gut feeling is that it will show if I don't do it,.But I'm still not completely sure of the necessity of photoetched treads to the pedals given that the plastic pedals had treads moulded in. But I can't deny that it does give some very nice crisp detail there... in a place where it won't be seen once complete: No pictures of these, but the next step is onto the seatbelts. Lots of very small pieces of photoetch which will need to be threaded by stickers cut from the backing. Very fiddly, and I don't have enough tweezers to do all in one go, so the plan is to do one seat and then the other. At the moment, I've just got some paint onto the parts which need it, but no further progress yet. And I'll want a driver first to strap in before I put the seatbelts together now I've noticed that they're stickers and not just paper. Needless to say a couple of the buckles made a bid for freedom while sanding them smooth, with one taking a trip to the carpet monster. Fortunately, this was pre-painting, so I was able to locate it using the old trick of shining a torch across the carpet and noticing the glint from the metal. Speaking of the driver, it's not been a particularly pleasant weekend for Fred. So far, his head has been put on a pike in addition to various other indignities (and looking at the pic I forgot to give him eyebrows ). Other than that, his head is finished, but the body still needs another coat on the larger items of clothing not to mention paint on the other bits. I think Fred will be glad when he gets to sit in the driver's seat. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper645 Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Excellent work here, i feel freds pain and also yours. I have lost a piece to the laminate floor/desk monster. I heard it land but no joy. Glad you were more succesful. Coops 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Looking good on Fred, those white sneakers 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Hi Spiny, I wasn't sure whether to put Fred (or Jim or whoever) in the driver's seat. I have made up his helmet and will be putting that, along with the gloves on the passenger seat. I don't do faces very well. They always look like someone has stuck a red-hot poker up their nether regions... Cheers, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 23 hours ago, Cooper645 said: Excellent work here, i feel freds pain and also yours. I have lost a piece to the laminate floor/desk monster. I heard it land but no joy. Glad you were more succesful. Coops Saw that in your BMW thread, and fully sympathise. It's amazing how much hungrier the floor/desk monster is than the carpet monster when I would have expected the other way around. The piece which landed on the carpet took all of about two minutes to find, while its second bid for freedom put it on the desk where it hid amongst the tools - finding a 2mmx2mm piece of metal amongst the scalpels probably owed more to luck than anything else. Good luck with the part recreation on yours - at least it looks like you're well on the way already. 23 hours ago, JeroenS said: Looking good on Fred, those white sneakers 😉 Hmmm... now I'm almost tempted to go down this route 7 hours ago, Alan R said: Hi Spiny, I wasn't sure whether to put Fred (or Jim or whoever) in the driver's seat. I have made up his helmet and will be putting that, along with the gloves on the passenger seat. I don't do faces very well. They always look like someone has stuck a red-hot poker up their nether regions... Cheers, Alan. Had to laugh at the idea of someone going Edward II on him - particularly since I have no artistic ability and fully expected to end up with something like that myself. This one is the first figure I've tried painting, and I was fully ready to leave Fred out if he didn't work out. But I'm pretty pleased with how he's turned out now I've made his irises bigger (originally they were too small and he looked like a drug driver!). I can't really offer much advice other than to use the smallest amount of paint you can coupled with a 10/0 (or Tamiya Ultra Fine) brush. But this is a good example of why I need the magnifying headset... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 I think it's fair to say that this weekend really hasn't been the weather for modelling, so again only a little progress as I spent most of it outside. But that's not to say there has been no progress... First up, I'm pleased to say that I've got all the seatbelt buckles painted which need painting. Quite a few of them, and all quite fiddly, but I got there in the end. This is just one of them (for the seatbelt in the closed position) - not the clearest of photos but you'll have to forgive that as they're pretty small (the red bit is approx 1mm long) and it was touching the camera lens when I took this so couldn't get much light on it. But the next step will be to get the seatbelts made up and Fred fastened in. Speaking of Fred, he's had quite a good weekend. Not only has the skewer been removed from his body but he's all painted up and has had his head fixed in place. I was going to give him some trainers as Jeroen had suggested, but closer inspection showed that his feet are definitely modelled with shoes so I stuck with those. I've also got the drivers seat painted and ready for him too - the head rest will go on after the seatbelt as it should be easier to build that way. Fred is the first model I've painted so I'm reasonably happy for a beginner. Not sure I would want to do figures as a main line of modelling, but he did give a nice change of scene for a change. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Fred doesn't look so bad at all, he looks neat and squared away. Also, he looks a bit wide-eyed doesn't he? Like maybe he's just realized he should have braked a little harder going into that corner 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Just a little wide-eyed, but nothing I can't live with. What I find more irritating is that the paint which came out so matt for the carpet on the interior of the Trabant has come out with a bit more sheen on Fred's trousers so it looks as though he's got leather trousers. Still, I suppose it is a car from the '70s... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper645 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Have you tried maybe shaving an artist pastel to dust and rubbing it on (matching colour) and then brushing off most and finishing with a Matt varnish maybe? Obviously try on a test piece rather than Fred. He’s not a test dummy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 Thanks for the suggestion, but my experience with matt varnish has not been good, mainly because when I applied it I ended up with white patches in places. Bad enough on a Spitfire, much worse on Fred's trousers!!! I think given that his legs are going to be lodged well into the car, and that the sheen is somewhere between matt and satin I'm probably best off leaving it for now. No artist's pastels here either, but it's definitely a tip I'll be bearing in mind in future if I have to de-shine something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper645 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Maybe try mixing in with the paint when brush painting? Pretty sure that’s why there’s as much spare sprue in the kits as there are parts 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Don't know why it hasn't occurred to me to get some matt clear in acrylic (the stuff I have is enamel so non-Fred compatible) but I will have to add some on my next order. No idea why it hasn't occurred to me before that I could mix it in with other paint to get a matt finish Had another look at Fred tonight, and it seems the sheen is definitely highest on his shins, certainly compared to the tops of his thighs, so considering what is going to be visible on him when in the car I will live with him for now and learn for the next driver I have to do. Don't think your suggestions aren't appreciated though - I will definitely remember for future models so thankyou. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 For matt varnish over acrylic's I use Windsor & Newtons artist acrylics matt varnish which can be thinned with water if required and is suitable for brush painting leaving no brush marks. A little goes along way I think i bought mine about four years ago and the bottle is still over half full. Hope this helps Your Skyline is coming together well looking forward to seeing it finished Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 The Fred saga may finally have come to an end But he didn't give up easily... Yes, it was finally time to fit those seatbelts I'd been fearing, and for everyone who is looking at this kit I can honestly say they are truly horrible (sorry to breakt that to you Alan ). For some reason Tamiya have decided that it's a great idea to make the belts as stickers - a good idea in theory but coupled with the photoetch pieces the stickiness just made the whole setabelt thing finicky, frustrated and just downright annoying as the seatbelts stuck to themselves, the wrong bit of photoetch and indeed just about anything they weren't meant to. As part of the process, one of those time-consuming buckles went flying making yet another bit for freedom. By some miracle, I was able to locate that tiny piece of satin black metal on the seat of the black chair before I needed it - I believe the usual modus operadi of this sort of thing is to discover the part you lost just after you've spent ages making its replacement. Of course, by the time I finally had all the buckles fitted on Fred's seatbelt the stickiness had pretty much gone so they didn't stick to the seats - the one piece I wanted them to stick to. Still, a sparing amount of superglue later and this was how he ended up: I think it's fair to say that I'm not looking forward to doing the passenger seat, but fingers crossed that as it is Fredless it will be a little bit easier. A fun thing to look forward to next time I get on the bench... Fred and his seat were all that got fitted to the car this weekend, although even then the seatbelts tried to stop the seat sitting right. Got there in the end though. Hopefully, I'll get all the seats on next time I'm on the bench. Everything has been painted now (just drying off) apart from the helmet which still needs painting inside and a couple of details adding. But this is all the extra bits to go on. I've also gone over the chrome trim on the steering wheel and doors - they will be coming up soon and from my experince with the chrome pen it's always a good idea to give it at least a week to dry and harden before handling so I figured I'd get in early on that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper645 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Great progress, Fred looks right at home there. An excellent result on the seatbelts considering the grief that they gave you. i see you also had time to do the pathfinder Puzzle as well. 😂👍🏼 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 9 hours ago, Spiny said: Everything has been painted now (just drying off) apart from the helmet which still needs painting inside and a couple of details adding. The helmet? Does Fred need one in The Boxy One? It will ruin his hair! Good job on the seatbelts, sounds like you had a good time with those 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 20 hours ago, Cooper645 said: i see you also had time to do the pathfinder Puzzle as well. 😂👍🏼 Just a little bit of time earlier in the build Now I'm further in I've covered the remaining puzzles with modelling detritus which should stop me getting distracted. 14 hours ago, JeroenS said: The helmet? Does Fred need one in The Boxy One? It will ruin his hair! Only to take up room on the back seat and keep passengers away. I could be wrong but the helmet would probably ruin Fred's skull as well as his hair - unless I'm mistaken I think his head is wider than the helmet! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 Almost nothing done on the bench today due to too much (very good) sport on TV, but the little bit I did get done has made a lot of visible progress. First up was getting the seatbelts onto the passenger seat. All went very smoothly and I was struggling to work out what all of the fuss was about in strapping Fred in. Then, when everything was fitted and looking good it struck me - I hadn't added the seatbelt adjusters in. So, I had to unpick each strap, slide over the adjuster buckle, and put back again. They're not very straight on the seat, and the adjusters not level with each other, but I don't feel they'd sit loose on the real car when the seat is empty so no harm done. Once that was sorted, Fred's gloves and bright red helmet were added onto the rear seats before they were fitted to the car. What I should have done with the driver's seat was trim the seatbelts under the seat so the seat sat better in the chassis - lesson learned. I trimmed them on the passenger seat so they didn't wrap around the bottom of the seat and it went on much easier. That's as far as I got with building this weekend, but I did move forward a bit with the next few parts. The steering wheel is finished now, while the steering column is almost complete apart from needing a dab of paint on the ends of the indicator and wiper stalks. Similarly, the dashboard is all painted up, but still needs four more dials adding on. But the door cards are still going to need some more painting to be ready for fitting. That's all for this week, thanks for reading. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Looking good! I am wondering though... will Fred be able to reach the steering wheel? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 14 hours ago, JeroenS said: Looking good! I am wondering though... will Fred be able to reach the steering wheel? Don't worry, the kit comes with three arms so I could always chop his hand off and create one very long arm if needs be More seriously, the dashboard sits quite a way forward of the bulkhead so I think it will all fit fine. I'll find out next week when hopefully I'll have everything painted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 This was meant to be the week when all that work getting the interior bits painted and decalled came good... and for the most part it's gone ok. First up was completing the dashboard. Apart from managing to ruin one of the dial decals (fortunately hidden away in a deep recess and not really visible even now, let alone when the body is on) it ended up looking alright, but was a bit fiddly to assemble, in large part due to me trying to fit the steering wheel into Fred's hand. In the end, I settled for just having the wheel in the general vicinity of his hand which went much better, although there was still one fitment issue. I had to shorten the steering column as it was fouling on the accelerator pedal arm - not my much but enough to prevent the dash fitting right. It won't be visible on the completed model anyway as it will be behind the dash. It also seems that the bit I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about the seatbelt on Fred's seat making fitment harder has also come back to haunt me - his arm is now pressing against the door card due to a slight lean on the seat. I guess I'll just have to say he's resting his arm on the door like all good 1970's drivers Still, in the end I got everything installed - the pic shows the car when it was just glued together so still rubber banded to make sure the dash set in the correct position: After that, it was onto the wheels. As usual, I files a chamfer on the end of the wheel rod to make install easier, but even then with the (spray) paint on the rod it was a tight fit to get them fitted. I loosened the hub on one of the rear wheels trying to get the wheel on, but fortunately have been able to reattach it in what appears to be a straight manner. The tyres themselves had a large amount of 'rubber' remaining on the seam around the centre - I did a lot a filing/sanding to get them where they are now even though the seam remains visible. So there we are - the chassis is all but complete. The only thing left to fit to it (apart from the body obviously!) is the hub caps on each wheel. They've had their paint on the sprue, so just need removing and the attachment part painting prior to adding. Thanks for reading. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 9:12 PM, Spiny said: (sorry to breakt that to you Alan ) Hi Spiny, I'll use my usual painted paper and PVA glue then. It worked on my Fujimi Dino well enough. Cheers, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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