mbdesignart Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Here's my WIP for the 1/24 Heller Renault Estafette. As you may notice it's more or less together and painted as I'm juggling several projects and time is precious and so I post when I have a spare minute. After a slightly heavy handed coat of rattle can lacquer [note to self don't used that again] I rubbed it down then went through the colour coat in a couple of places and so today it has been resprayed, a mix of Gravity Olde English White and Tamiya LP Flat Earth. I'm also convertimg it to a high roof using an aftermarket resin product from... oh I'm not allowed to say! This along with the wheels and bumpers have been sprayed Halford's Italian Racing Red, about the fastest thing on a 45PS powered van 😃. However, the real thing has white bumpers but they looked a bit anaemic and so I've used artistic licence.  This will be finished in another alcohol themed livery to add to my collection. I'm not sure how quickly this will progress from here as it's back onto something else this afternoon.    10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Looking foward to see the progress of you high roof Estafette Marco F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Nice to see another Estafette! It's a good bonus Heller included the top rear door for the high roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 Thanks Marco, it's another excellent kit from Heller, full of Gallic build charm. Â 19 hours ago, Bengalensis said: Nice to see another Estafette! It's a good bonus Heller included the top rear door for the high roof. Thanks. I did produce my own rear door to go with the high roof but decided to go with the Heller kit item on this build. Hopefully I can get a clear coat on today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 Nice one, great choice of livery too. Â Andy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 Following Bengalensis note in his Estafette build about the driver door sliding mechanism I have added a strip to the lower edge, this just needs painting. I have also cut a strip for the side door sliding runner but I am holding off fitting this as I want the door in its open postion and need to see what, if any, issues this may have for fit. Â Â I have applied a clear coat of Tamiya LP-9, one whole bottle, and, being my first use of this, I think some more practice may be required. It is good enough to apply the decals to and then I just may go back to Alclad Gloss Kote.??? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 Big progress on this build today in spite of the damn heat, when will it ever end? Â 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 You are on to a good start! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted June 16, 2022 Share Posted June 16, 2022 Makes me want to crack open a cold one and sit in the garden, nice stuff.  Andy   1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Looking good, don't complain about the heat... Â Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 (edited) i decided to ad a bit of light weathering, stage one done. A bit of dry brushing and pastel 'dust' to apply and then finish the detail painting prior to assembly. Â Â Â Edited June 25, 2022 by mbdesignart typo 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted June 26, 2022 Author Share Posted June 26, 2022 The engine and chassis weathering is done and is now ready to mate with the body, don't tell David Attenborough! It's a pity the engine won't see the light of day again but it's been a good practice exercise. Thanks for looking in. Â Â Â Â 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Looking good... Â Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted July 3, 2022 Author Share Posted July 3, 2022 Yesterday I managed to drop back onto this during the last meeting of my local club The Yorkshire Black Sheep Modellers, although progress wasn't as much as I had hoped for due to laughing too much. Anyway the chassis and body are together along with adding the interior controls. The wheels have been fitted but need a bit of dust applying. Having decided the seats were too shiny I wanted to add some fading but thought the flat plastic wouldn't take any weathering effects well so I tried some Micropore tape as an experiment to mimic fabric. I think it's turned out not too shabbily, but the photos don't reflect the subtleties.   Engine well and truly hidded, never to be seen again.    L/H image, Micropore applied to painted seats.             R/H images - Seat on the left is with a grey dry brushing, seat on the right is flat black onto the Micropore. as you can see creases can be added so this may be ideal for tonneau covers and more. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Good idea with this Micropore, I'll keep it in mind Thanks Marco F 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 20 minutes ago, Marco F. said: Good idea with this Micropore, I'll keep it in mind Me too. Thanks. BTW, Black Sheep, we deliver a lot of that! Here's one of our newly painted wagons, a nice challenge for you  4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Like the others I'd never have thought of using Microporous tape, but it certainly works well here and is another one to add to the memory bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxyg Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Cool looking build and nice tip with the Micropore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 23 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Me too. Thanks. BTW, Black Sheep, we deliver a lot of that! Here's one of our newly painted wagons, a nice challenge for you Nice livery, now if I could only get hold of the artwork?😉  Marco, Spiny, galaxyg Happy to help with the hints & tips, it's what make the hobby. Micropore always comes in handy when you slice your fingers too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old John Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Looking good, the weathering is great, & another trick (Micropore). to add to skill set.Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 The Micropore seat cover looks great. Another one I used a good while back, is lint bandage to represent car floor carpeting. Glue the bandage to the plastic and then tear it off once the solvent has set. It leaves a flock type deposit behind which can be tinted. Â Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 Another small update... the cab interior is in and the roof on. In Heller's inimitable fashion the radiator is a nicely detailed separate item as part of the engine assembly which, as I may have mentioned, gets hidden one the body goes onto the chassis. Now wouldn't it have been easy to cut a hole in the front panel and make the grille see through so that the rad can be seen? Obviously not, but I've done the best to replicate the rad by masking and painting a solid grille centre section and dry brushing the surrounding mesh. I know there is an aftermarket PE grille available, before an angry mob descends on this post. Whilst on the subject of detail, the wipers are the usual sad excuse of two flat bars so a those have been upgraded too. Better to my eye than using PE parts which always seem a bit 2D, not withstanding all the metalwork involved. It may not be too long before this finally gets finished.🤔 Thanks for dropping by.    7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbdesignart Posted August 8, 2022 Author Share Posted August 8, 2022 I think this will be the final post in this section. A final mod to the rear door stay to lengthen it and a nice stretch of Belgian Pave, to make the beer nice and fizzy, which just needs painting. Most of the small detail bits were added at the last local model club meeting at our local library, where one of the front sidelights pinged off the tweezers and ended up in the fiction section. I know you couldn't make it up could you? Anyway a scrap section of clear sprue was utilised for a replacement. Oh and the decals have been applied too. Â Â 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Groovy work. The high roof really sets the model off to the extent that it'd now look odd without it.  1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Your Estafette is getting nicer and nicer. These grey bricks (?) ....can we hope for a nice and interesting small diorama at the end? Can't await to see what you're creating for us Marco F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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