OutcastJoel Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Hello all, I have never made a car kit before so here goes! 20200424_135519_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr I did actually open this kit once as a kid, and whilst it doesn't look like I started anything else, I did clip the roof off and loose it! fortunately, my brother had a broken model which I was able to salvage the roof from: 20200424_145601_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr I am finding stopping to spray lots of bits in different colours a little disjointed but the kit is lovely, it goes together so well. 20200504_193346_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share Posted May 6, 2020 Now most of the spraying for small bits is done and I am at the point where brush painting can be used, the build is flowing much better and I am loving it. 20200506_125718_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr I have started to play with the body shell trying to get a nice shiny finish. I sprayed the colour coat in enamel and covered with car clear coat from a rattle can. The colour went down fairly well but the clear coat left orange peal and a few big blobs where it looks to have pulled in dust. sanding with 1000 grit followed by an aggressive polish left a reasonable finish but (see the terrible photo below; left is polished, right is as sprayed) however getting a shine on some parts stripped paint off the raised details. I am intending to strip the body back to plastic and start again, this time applying clear coat via the airbrush but are there any products/techniques I should know about to help get a good finish? 20200506_125833_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 I don't know what you use for polishing, but for me (as someone who usually ends up with a bit of orange peel) I've found the micromesh pads are pretty good for getting it down to a smooth finish (6000 -> 8000 -> 12,000, then Tmaiya polishing paste). Make sure you have enough clear coat on to polish it off, and as you've found, be wary of the raised details - I don't think I've had a build yet which I haven't had to touch up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) I carried on experimenting and found that Humbrol enamel thinned with Windsor and Newton sansodor gave a brilliant shine without any post spray work, it did take three days to dry though... 20200508_222004_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr I will do one more colour coat then start experimenting with clears whilst I wait for it to dry. Edited May 10, 2020 by OutcastJoel fixing typo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyChiken Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Body finishing is the main painful part of this hobby... There are a few good guess in the hints and tips section. But I've always suffered! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 I built the road version as a teenager far too many years ago (long since consigned to the bin) and I've got this same kit in my loft. At some point I'll dig it out and see what still needs doing. You're doing a good job with this one, nice finish on the body and a nicely detailed engine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Hello, great job with the mini, I know it's a bit late now, but for 1/24 kits myself and quite a few others on here favour halfords car aerosols, they are really quick drying, usually go on really well and are available in many colours! Used with their plastic primer and clear coats, not a lot can go wrong, might be worth trying next time I do like the colour you have picked for this and that engine looks great! Andy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Thank you Gents, I think I will try proper car paints on the next car. I had a bit of a failure after the last post, I tried to use a rattle can clear coat over humbrol... It worked fine on my test piece but the moment I hit the bonnet with it the paint all just shrivelled. I then made things even worse by leaving it in white spirit which did nothing for the paint but started to dissolve the plastic! It then sat on the shelf for a few weeks whilst I sulked and made a ship instead. Last week I finally stopped whingeing and hit it with many layers of filler and sanding until the shape was ok, I then repainted and then played the clearcoat safe with Humbrol gloss. The shine is quite nice but it still has a random gritty texture. It is not something I have ever noticed on matte or satin paints but it is really obvious here. 20200619_212622_Film2 (2020-06-19T20_39_31.147) by OutcastJoel, on Flickr My plan is to polish the gritty bits away and then wax it. How long do people tend to leave models before polishing (I assume they take a few days to fully cure)? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klubman01 Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 I usually wait a week before tackling any polishing. Have you tried Detail Master polishing cloths. They start at 2400 grit, with 12000 grit as the finest. I have found them to be very good but, again, you have to beware of raised details. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Definitely leave it a while to cure before polishing, personally I wait at least two weeks but a week may be ok. One good thing to bear in mind, however long you've left it, is that if it still smells when you put it right under your nose then it hasn't finished curing and should be left for longer before polishing. In terms of polishing, I use the Micromesh pads as I find them easier to control than cloths, but I'd expect the Detail Master will do the same thing. Depending on the shine you want, it can be worth following up with a polishing paste (I use Tamiya Fine and/or Finish) before waxing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 I've latterly been using Halfords Rubbing Compound but you probably shouldn't take any paintwork lessons from me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 @klubman01 and @Spiny cheers guys. I will look into those polishing pads and park the car for a few weeks while I wait for whichever ones I go for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Thanks @Anteater, tbh that was pretty much my plan, I have loads of car polish because I went through a phase of being dead into detailing just after I learned to drive. (I also lived near the Meguires UK office and used proximity as an excuse to buy way too much car detailing kit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 So after being grumpy with my repeated failures with glossy paint I shoved it back in the box and built some other stuff. I finally got around to really wanting to finish the thing, so I now have decals on and glazing in: 20201115_111003_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr 20201115_111013_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr I made a fair few more mistakes, but hey, that is modelling! I put decals on before remembering that I hadn't painted the chrome window surrounds damaging the decals and I had paint bleed when spraying chrome so ended up using aluminium which is a little too dull, but I am fairly happy with the end result. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 Apparently on a Mini Cooper S the door window surrounds should be finished in metal as well, although Tamiya's instructions omit this detail. That said, I've seen racing Minis today that have painted surrounds to the driver's and front passenger's windows. Someone pointed it out as a mistake on the last Cooper I built. Anyway, it looks good the way you've done it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 A Mini converted to a racer never looks like a original. There are so many things to be changed tuned left away or just added with Black&Decker tuning just for the performance... Marco F 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 16, 2020 Author Share Posted November 16, 2020 Thank you gents! I will admit I was working from photos of multiple minis, most of which were not Cooper S examples... The one thing I have noticed over the years is that no two Minis ever seem to be quite alike. I really like how it turned out but I got a Moletow chrome pen today so I might be tempted to give it a crack anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 16, 2020 Author Share Posted November 16, 2020 I love this Molotow pen, I swear it uses magic! I haven't been brave enough to use it on the window surrounds yet, the difference between them and the fuel filler is massive. 20201116_180627_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr 20201116_181422_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr The yellow number plate will go at some point but I havent thought of what I want there yet. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 And it is done! Well, other than the number plate which is still waiting for inspiration to strike. 20201119_194759_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr 20201119_194813_Film2 by OutcastJoel, on Flickr It has been an interesting process and I have made a tonne of mistakes (including loosing the roof all those years ago). I have really enjoyed it though and have picked up two more car kits in the form of the Belkits 6R4 and the Aoshima Beetle Cabriolet. I have also been reading up on 2k clear coats and ordered a cheap spot gun for blasting the gloss on! I am back off to do some floaty and flying things but intend to be back soon! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 I'm very fond of the Tamiya Mini Cooper S kit, having made two, helped a friend with a third and with three more waiting to be built. It looks like you've done a good job with that one. Number plates will be a nice finishing touch. Just make sure you remember the mistakes you made this time so you can make new mistakes with your next kit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutcastJoel Posted November 20, 2020 Author Share Posted November 20, 2020 @johnlambertThankyou! The next car will be painted with fancy lacquers etc so I will have plenty of new mistakes to make! My brother let me know that Tamiya did a 1/12 mini so I will now have to keep any eye out for that too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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