Tamiya Honda RA272 1/20

[45DegreesModelling]

Hello everyone, I wanted to share my Tamiya Honda RA272 1/20 WIP. 

 

There are three main sprue‘s with a clear parts sprue not pictured. The tyres already have the Goodyear logo on them and are highly detailed. All in all I‘m looking forward to this.

 

 

Here is an image of a few of the products I’ll be using in the build. Since the image was taken I have purchased some Tamiya polishing compounds and micro mesh 4K and 8K grit to help with the finish.

 

As you can see I‘ll be using spray cans for the main body. I was considering mixing my own ‘Racing White’ with some white and a drop of yellow or going with the Zero Paints Racing White, but in the end I decided on the cans. 
 

 

The instructions are really clear and easy to follow along. I always start by washing my kits in warmly soapy water and leaving them to dry.
 

As to not get ahead of myself I constructed the engine assembly in two phases; I went through each part, cleaned them up and prepared them on lollipop sticks with the paint labelled on them ready for priming. The second phase consisted of the exhaust and other small engine parts.
 

 

I used Vallejo black gloss primer to bring out the metallic paints. It took a bit of trial and error to get right, either a little too thin and runny or thick where it would splutter from my brush, but I always practise on plastic spoons until I’m content. 

With that done it was time for the colours. I’d already began gluing the engine block when I remembered to take a photo of them before construction.
 

 

To glue the painted parts I have used AK Magnet CA general purpose glue. This was something I was a bit unsure of but there hasn’t been any issues. 
 

I’ve been conscious not to touch any painted parts and only use gloves to handle anything as usually I always mess it up if I don’t!
 

 

With everything constructed I painted all the small details which brought it to life even more. 

 

 

One final step, was to sparingly apply some Panel Line Accent Colour to make it pop that little bit more. 
 

 

 

I think there’s some scope for extra details such as wires on the engine but I’ll have to study some reference photos before I commit. Next up is the chassis and front suspension components.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Tom

[Toftdale]

It's a fantastic kit and you've made a great start, this is the best photo I have of the engine bay, hope it helps - Andy 

[45DegreesModelling]

27 minutes ago, Toftdale said:

It's a fantastic kit and you've made a great start, this is the best photo I have of the engine bay, hope it helps - Andy 

Thank you! That’s very much appreciated, I’ll certainly add wires now I know where they go.

[Mumbly]

If you can track this down, there is an excellent book that will give you loads of info, Hiroboy list it, but it is out of stock, this is the URL: https://www.hiroboy.com/Ultra_Detail_Guides_Honda_RA272--product--6042.html 

 

Good luck, I have this started somewhere...

 

Tony

 

 

[45DegreesModelling]

1 hour ago, Mumbly said:

If you can track this down, there is an excellent book that will give you loads of info, Hiroboy list it, but it is out of stock, this is the URL: https://www.hiroboy.com/Ultra_Detail_Guides_Honda_RA272--product--6042.html 

 

Good luck, I have this started somewhere...

 

Tony

 

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll have a look around.

[45DegreesModelling]

So I’ve made some good progress on the Honda RA272.

 

First of all, I applied a couple of wires thanks to the reference images above. I’m not too sure on adding more, when I dry fitted more it looked quite cluttered.

 

 

I had a nightmare with the chassis under the monocoque. When I was spraying the TS7, I didn’t feel like I had the control I usually do with my air brush. Coupled with some ‘meh’ hand painting I decided to add some panel line wash and rub it away to hide any errors and the terrible pooled TS7. It looks better in real life rather than through the lens of the camera, it has a grimey racing car feel to it, plus it won’t be visible when it’s on four wheels. I’ve since decanted the TS7, and it’s something I should have done from the start.
 

 

With everything primed with either Vallejo black or black gloss it was time to start putting it all together. The seat and inner side panels sit very snuggly. (The engine and back panel arn’t stuck on just yet, I was just seeing how it all looked.)

 

 

I was pretty chuffed how my masking on the seat came out.

 

 

Here’s some details in the monocoque. I gave the gold radiator/air filter a very small going over with panel line accent colour which made it pop. It’s just waiting for the main body work after I’ve applied the TS7 and polished it up.

 

 

 

Finally, next up is the priming of all the remaining parts. The nose and remaining body work is all primed ready for the TS7. 
 

 

So far, everything has gone well. This is a great kit and really simple to put together. 
 

Thanks for reading;

 

Tom

[45DegreesModelling]

Another update on the Honda RA272:

 

So I managed to find a cool photo of Richie Ginther from the start of the 1965 Dutch GP at Zandvoort where he led for the first couple of laps before Jim Clark took the chequered flag. Ginther came in 6th after qualifying 3rd. I noticed he was displaying the 22 while at the Mexico GP which this model is a representation of, he had the number 11 🤔

 

 

Anyway, back to the build. I gave the body some preparation by sanding it with 400 grit sand paper, then applied the Tamiya light gray primer. Once it had dried I identified a seam line that I had missed so I sanded it down and re applied the primer with no problems.

 

 As I mentioned previously, I decanted the TS7 and shot it through my air brush which definitely helped me give a better coverage. Here it is after two light coats (I gave it four coats in total):

 

 

Despite my best efforts to protect it while it dried or when I’m ever away from the bench with a plastic tub, there was one small spec of dust that had managed to settle on the body while the paint was drying. It wasn’t too much of a problem as it was small and has subsequently been covered by a decal.

 

All the parts from my previous update were painted and in the case of the suspension, given a small amount of panel line wash. They’re all now ready for construction once the body work is complete.

 

 

After two coats of TS-13 I applied the decals with Microset which presented no problems. 

 

 

I have now sealed them in with two coats of TS-13 and I’m going to leave it till next weekend to allow the clear to properly cure and harden. 
 

There’s some orange peel which can’t really be seen to the naked eye but I’m still planning to wet sand with 2k/4k and 8k before polishing with the Tamiya compounds… as I’ve been going along I’ve sprayed up some spoons to the same standard to practise on as this is the most apprehensive part of the build for me! Fingers crossed it goes well.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Tom

[desert falcon]

Hi Tom, thanks for the detailed updates, you are doing wonders to that lovely little Honda 👍

 

Cheers,

Johnny b 

[45DegreesModelling]

On 01/05/2022 at 17:54, desert falcon said:

Hi Tom, thanks for the detailed updates, you are doing wonders to that lovely little Honda 👍

 

Cheers,

Johnny b 

Thank you, I appreciate your comment!

[Mpfiend]

Really nice, this will be a little stunner when complete. 

 

[45DegreesModelling]

13 hours ago, Mpfiend said:

Really nice, this will be a little stunner when complete. 

 

Thank you mate. I finished it this afternoon (update tomorrow after the photo shoot ) and I’m absolutely in love with it! 

[45DegreesModelling]

So a final update on the Honda RA272 from Tamiya:

 

With everything painted and the body work sanded and polished (I had no trouble despite my apprehension) it was time to finally put it all together!

 

 

Here’s an image of the final model:

 

 

 

Im going to post a ready for inspection shortly where they’ll be more images. All in all, Ive really enjoyed this (as I do with most of my builds). This is a great kit and I thoroughly recommend it.

 

For anyone interested, I also made a build video. Thanks for following along if you got this far, I hope you enjoyed my updates!

 

Tom

Edited May 11, 2022 by 45DegreesModelling