Harley Davidson Fat Boy 1990 (Tamiya 1/6 )

[Delayar]

Hi Folks,

 

I recently finished the Tamiya Harley Davidson Fat Boy in the silver-gray paint, which was available in the first production year 1990.

It is the older Tamiya kit from 1996. I didn't build it new, but rather tore apart a kit I built about 20 years ago.

 

The parts were stripped from their old paint, chrome parts were cleaned. Covers of the gearboxes and brake disks were cut from acrylic sheet with a laser cutter. Rims, exhaust and speedometer were stripped of their plating and rechromed with Alclad.

For the body and frame colour I used Tamiya Mica Silver from the rattle can, coated with a very thin layer of clear yellow to give it a warmer sheen.

 

The WIP can be found here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Markus

 

 

 

 

[krow113]

Very well re-done!

[Delayar]

thank you!

 

Cheers,

Markus

[Andy J]

Wow that is superb. May I ask how do you achieve such a great chrome finish and what products do you use ?

[Delayar]

8 minutes ago, Andy J said:

Wow that is superb. May I ask how do you achieve such a great chrome finish and what products do you use ?

Thank you for your praise.

 

To get a nice chrome surface, the plastic part should be really smooth. Then there should be a very glossy black coat. I used Tamiya spray paint. I let it cure for a few days. If it is not absolutely glossy, you should polish it, because the glossyness of the black is the basis for the reflectiveness of the following chrome paint.

The final step is the Alclad Chrome paint. Apply it with low pressure in multiple light passe.

However, the chrome coat is very delicate. Fingerprints can remove the chrome, and masking tape will peel it off as well. Furthermore, if you clearcote it, it will loose its shine. So I handled the rims and the exhaust with cotton gloves to prevent them from damage 😉

For the speedometer, I ended up clearcoating it and using Bare Metal Foil for the sides.

 

Cheers,

Markus

[Andy J]

12 minutes ago, Delayar said:

Thank you for your praise.

 

To get a nice chrome surface, the plastic part should be really smooth. Then there should be a very glossy black coat. I used Tamiya spray paint. I let it cure for a few days. If it is not absolutely glossy, you should polish it, because the glossyness of the black is the basis for the reflectiveness of the following chrome paint.

The final step is the Alclad Chrome paint. Apply it with low pressure in multiple light passe.

However, the chrome coat is very delicate. Fingerprints can remove the chrome, and masking tape will peel it off as well. Furthermore, if you clearcote it, it will loose its shine. So I handled the rims and the exhaust with cotton gloves to prevent them from damage 😉

For the speedometer, I ended up clearcoating it and using Bare Metal Foil for the sides.

 

Cheers,

Markus

Thank you for the tips much appreciated I will try your method on my next build. Once again congratulations on an excellent build infact I would go as far as to say the most realistic bike build I've seen.

[Delayar]

 

29 minutes ago, Andy J said:

Once again congratulations on an excellent build infact I would go as far as to say the most realistic bike build I've seen.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheers,

Markus

[Harley John]

Very nice.

[Natter]

Just want to get on, fire it up and cruise.

[activexp]

Superb!

[Delayar]

Thanks!

 

Cheers,

Markus

[Roberto]

A real beauty!