Rob Henderson Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Hi all 😎 This kit is the 1991 re-box of the 1966 vintage Airfix tooling. My third build after 23 years away from the hobby. Being built out the box with some scratch built extras to liven the engine up as the engine block is very basic. This is my first attempt at gloss paint and gloss clearcoat with an airbrush, for which I'm using Tamiya acrylics. There's a lot of photos to come, so will be added over the course of several posts here. Comments and suggestions always welcome! 😊👍 Cheers! 1991 re-release box artwork and build instructions. Construction isn't overly complicated, however it pays to test-fit multiple parts (even build sections) to avoid surprises. Care is needed on fettling, and there are a few sinks, ejector pin marks, part numbers and heavy split lines that need addressing, with some in fairly awkward/annoying places; however nothing that I would call a show-stopper. The plastic is red, but is almost radioactive in it's glow. I found it needed primer very quickly as it started to hurt the eyes, and is awkward to keep track of fettling as not everything shows up well on the surface! Note that the left hand of the driver figure in the photo isn't a bad casting - this is how it was designed. This is going to be amputated and a replacement hand sourced from the spares box. More to follow! Edited March 9, 2021 by Rob Henderson 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 This will be fun to watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 This was one of the first kits I built on returning to the hobby. It's still one of the most impressive looking models on my shelf. It's not hard to get a really good result with it. Look forward to seeing this progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) OK, onto the primer work and the first touches of colour: More to follow! Edited March 9, 2021 by Rob Henderson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 So the colour starts as per the build instructions....... however the niggles continue to grow and I'm not truly happy with the paint finish, and my attention goes into deeper research on the actual vehicles which shows very different paint details. First I go for a bit of re-painting, but again just not happy with the results so I bite the bullet and everything in colour so far on the chassis, bodywork, engine block and all the scratch-built extra engine details gets stripped back to bare plastic and the process begins again (everything in the photos below)! More to follow! 17 minutes ago, dnl42 said: This will be fun to watch. There's plenty of photos coming, so stay tuned! 😎 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 15 minutes ago, Chimpion said: This was one of the first kits I built on returning to the hobby. It's still one of the most impressive looking models on my shelf. It's not hard to get a really good result with it. Look forward to seeing this progress. It's been a great kit to work on despite it's vintage - I've enjoyed it enough to invest in the civil and military bus kits they released at the same time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 I got my fire engine in the dual boxing with the bus. They're both nice kits, even if they're showing their age. They go together without any major issues and the figures provided really add to the models, even if they are a bit proportionally challenged in places. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Re-thinking on the chassis, and I want this to look like a working vehicle. A full repaint underway and now weathering to go with with the extra engine details. Much happier with the results this time! More to follow! 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Wow that's rapid progress, already putting mine to shame. Great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Progress on the bodywork, chassis and water pump unit, and testing the front cab bulkhead/dash. More to follow! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 3 minutes ago, Chimpion said: Wow that's rapid progress, already putting mine to shame. Great work! Thanks mate! The build was completed just before Christmas 2020 (took about 2 months on and off between work), but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and as I'm fresh to BritModeller I thought I'd share the whole project with you all here 😎👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 A break from red was needed, so the crew became next on the menu. The base dark blue was airbrushed, the rest hand painted by brush with Tamiya acrylics. Flesh tones are Citadel Miniatures. I tried hard to capture the look of worldly-wise gentlemen in the early 20th century! And their first test seating on the main bodywork 😊 More to follow! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Now the crew are finished, the ladder had to be next on the list - wasn't sure about how to do the wood grain, but ended up getting a decent enough result with a wide flat sable brush and three different Citadel Miniature shades over a base of Tamiya wood deck tan. The cables proved a bit of a head-scratcher for fixing neatly; so I ended up drilling through the rollers and threading the cable through, gluing in place, then trimming the excess off flush. Lastly, a bit of wear and texture on the leather seats of the cab. More to follow! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Another blast from the past! Nice work so far and very inspiring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 31 minutes ago, Sabrejet said: Another blast from the past! Nice work so far and very inspiring. Thanks mate, much appreciated! 😎👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Looks a damn sight better than mine. I gave up and tossed it on the shelf of doom. The chassis rails were warped and I snapped a number of bits trying to unwarp it! I still have it, I may revisit it, seeing how good a job you have done! (After I have finished my current work load...) Cheers, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 7 hours ago, Alan R said: Looks a damn sight better than mine. I gave up and tossed it on the shelf of doom. The chassis rails were warped and I snapped a number of bits trying to unwarp it! I still have it, I may revisit it, seeing how good a job you have done! (After I have finished my current work load...) Cheers, Alan. Very kind of you to say Alan - I'm sure your build is far better than you're suggesting; we're all our own worst critics in this hobby! Hope my build here does help give yours a new lease of life.... just don't be shy in sharing some progress shots when it hits the workbench again! 😎👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Now we're starting to get the larger subassemblies together, but still plenty of detail work to go. One stumbling block - with the added detail on the engine, the bonnet won't fit! So, a fair bit of whittling down the inner surfaces of the panels required to get around that. Decals went on a dream over a gloss clearcoat and with a dab of Microset, and even though the finish of the decals themselves is very matt, the dullness of the clear film is taken care of beautifully with a couple of coats of Tamiya gloss clear. With the constant handling I found the red bodywork easily showed up fingerprints....lots of polishing helped take care of that. I used 3M Finesse It car polish applied and buffed up with a soft cotton rag, and it worked a treat! Weathering (oil stains, dirt etc) added sparingly with Citadel Miniatures shades (Nuln Oil and Agrax), with dirt on the tyres using a light mix of Tamiya weathering powders (light sand and gray, if I remember the colour names correctly!). The inner faces of the lights were painted silver, then a slight shadow to help create some depth around the outer edge applied using Citadel Miniatures 'Nuln Oil'. A layer of Microscale Klear was added to create a transparent layer, and when set was covered with a coat of Humbrol gloss clear. All the gold coloured parts were given a good coat of Tamiya gold, then a coat of gold mixed 50:50 with Tamiya gloss clear, finally a finishing coat of Tamiya gloss clear on it's own to help create a bit of depth and lustre to the sheen. The extent of shaving down the inner surfaces of the bonnet so it will fit over the engine again! The 'bolt' heads on the fenders were drilled out, and are getting replaced with the flat heads of dressmakers pins to make the detail more uniform and defined. Nearly there - just the hose pipes and bonnet to paint up and the fenders/running boars to fix....then final touches of weathering to go! Final photos to be added in the 'Ready for Inspection' forum! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Finished?! Stunning work, done at warp speed! Very nice-looking model you have there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Very good looking result and done quickly. Quite impressive How did you do the pinstripes? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 7 hours ago, Sabrejet said: Finished?! Stunning work, done at warp speed! Very nice-looking model you have there. The project was done over 2 months to be fair - as I've only recently returned to the hobby after 23 yrs off, and I'm quite pleased with the end result combined with the fact I'm new to BritModeller, I thought it would be a fun one to share with you all 😎👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Henderson Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 2 hours ago, dnl42 said: Very good looking result and done quickly. Quite impressive How did you do the pinstripes? Thanks very much! As I mentioned to Sabrejet in another post here, the build was over 2 months, as I've only recently returned to the hobby after 23 yrs off, and I'm quite pleased with the end result combined with the fact I'm new to BritModeller, I thought it would be a fun one to share with you all 😎 The pinstripes over the tops of the fenders/mudguards was hand painted with a fine point brush, as was the outline of the doors of the storage cupboards on the outer panels of the main bodywork box. This was probably the most stressful part of the build! The gold pinstripes around the edges of the bonnet/engine cover were masked with Tamiya fine line in 2 stages. I masked off all the long horizontals first and airbrushed them in. Then later that day I masked off the uprights (the front and rear-most edges) and airbrushed them. The wider gold stripe details on the vertical surfaces of the running bars/sidesteps are decals from the kit. Hope that helps? If you need more info just shout and I'll do what I can to answer any questions you may have 😊👍 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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