I wasn’t going to start a progress thread for this, as I’m a little embarrassed about the Corvette C5R thread I started – another story but what a mess. But I’m making decent progress on this kit, a kit I’ve not admitted to actually obtaining. I’ve got a soft spot for certain US muscle cars, and I managed to get this one off ebay on a buy it now from the UK.

There are many more Revell muscle car kits I want, but this is the only one I’ve so far managed to obtain. I received the kit late last week, and I’ve been working on it ever since. The cobra to me is a true British Classic and the A/C cobra in the UK is so replicated that sometimes telling a real A/C from a kit car is sometimes pretty hard. But the Shelby Cobra is a British design with that US muscle.. All the power, and the looks and handle of a UK car. Best of both, how could it fail..!!

I’ve very sneakily posted about using black for a base over mica blue. I was sure someone had done this, and it was VRIC, and on a Cobra 427 S/C. So I am sorry for pinching the idea, and also using it on the same model, but I saw the colour from BMOM and it’s just so perfect for the car.

I’m building a street version, but will add the decals, so I’ve posted this in the street section.

I also posted complaining about the parts clean up. I’ve since been educated that Revell Monogram kits are not all bad, and so I’ve cleaned it up, tested fitted and just got on with it.

I will say though, that the chrome is truly awful. The whole tree was dunked in oven cleaner, as the chrome was just rubbish. And the parts had flash and pretty noticeable lines. Sorry chaps, it’s no Tamiya, but overall this is WELL worth the money and thus far I’ve had fun with it.

So far I’ve done the body. Black Satin base, Mica Blue only a few mists as the black does most of the work. I did scribe the panel lines out some more, as they were no way near deep enough. Still needs a clear coat yet, but overall this is a splendid colour, well suited to the shape of the car.. The inside of the body was sprayed black as well, and I masked it off to prevent blue over spray on the inside, as part of the body forms the door panels for the inside.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40049

I’ve also done the wheels, and one tire in my kit has a mold error, but thankfully I’ll get away with. The rims are Alclad II aluminum with Alclad II chrome knock offs. The chassis is Automotive Satin black, and the rain cover is also Automotive Flat black sprayed from a distant to give a more textured look. Cockpit is also Automotive Flat black on both sides, as the underside the cockpit forms the underpanels for the car.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40050

Assembled parts of the engine, test fitted to the chassis, chassis dry brushed with silvers to bring out details and slight weathering. I’ve drilled holes for engine wires, will install them once the engine is fully built.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40051

Exhausts were chrome on the kit, and didn’t fit for shit..!! A lot of work needed to make them look one piece, and then sprayed Alclad II aluminum.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40052

Test fitted on the body, and also sprayed one end burnt metal. i've just noticed that the part fitted is on the wrong side, but you get the idea of the look I'm going for..!!

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40054

Another shot of some of the parts, bit of detail painting etc..

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40055

Flocked the cockpit floors with black flocking.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40056

All of the engine parts that were chrome have been stripped and sprayed with Alclad II highly polished aluminum. Looks whole lot better to me.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40057

Detailed the dash with dry brushing, needs decals for the instrument and speedo readings. Shame the picture didn’t come out any better. Hard to get decent pictures on the UK at the times I work. Need to get something for the seatbelts. Not sure what though.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40059

And last picture is where I’m pretty much at. Weeks worth of work, but I feel confident I’ll finish this one, and so I’ve decided to share with you all.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40060

Comments good or bad, and VRIC I am sorry for pinching your mica blue idea.. It’s one of those colours that just suits this car.. Once I get it cleared the colour will look even better.

great looking build. love that color!!!

Looks to be coming along nicely!! Keep us posted on the progress!!!

Damn you work quick. Looking awesome. Let me know if your drive shaft ends up being to long too.

Mmmmmm.... one of my all time favorite cars and you are doing a fantastic job of building it.

I'm glad you decided to show it to us... thanks!!

so this is the secret car!
love the progress already started!

when i built mine i had to shorten the drivetrain, and had to cut some thing from the chassis to head the exhasut headers to fit right on the pipes. otherwise its a good kit, i did one in mica blue with white stripes, and one in black with black rims

Looks Absolutely perfect! Love the color, and the detailing is awesome so far. Keep it up.

I too had to shorten the drive shaft. Doesn’t fit correctly, still little too long I think now I’ve shorted it by a few mm.

So far though appears to be a good kit, wasn’t keen on the firewall attaching to the interior as I’ll struggle to get the pedals in now. I didn’t risk painting the two apart and then attaching, as when I test fitted, the fit was not snug. I had to do some filling etc..

And as for the exhausts, well I’m surprised on one has mentioned them already as the fit was not good.. I had gaps that I had to fill in, and it took hours of sanding and shaping to make good.

But the detail for such as cheap kit, I mean £5 off ebay even with postage this was only £7.50.. I’ll forgive the high postage for such a bargain. The engine is great, after some work I was able to get an engine block that TBH could put Tamiya to shame.. Even the pedals have little cobra markings, and the engine headers have clear “Cobra 427” written on them.. Can’t fault the detail, some fit is a little iffy though..

Ok, it’s very late in the UK I’m off to bed. I’ll clear the body tomorrow with X22 clear to get a gloss coat on for decals, and then clear the decals with X22 again… Not using TS-13, X22 is much safer.. I got a great shine on my last build with X22..

And thanks for the great comments guys.. Cobras always bring out the crowds..!! He..

Glad to know that I wasn't the only one with a driveshaft problem.

Mine is painted Bright Red of Silver Leaf and has a very nice color to it, I still have a bit to finish on it, but I shall complete it...eventually.

Looks great! Very nice work.

Murray

looks good so far as for the seatbelts I use medical tape for bandages just cut to width and length then color with a marker. and there self adhesive so there easier to put together. hope this helps

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/271513countach_seats-med.JPG

looks awesome. I too have one of these in the box still. Now you have me wantin to pull it out and start in on it. Yors is lookin great with all the little details that your adding............*Ryan*

Wow looking nice... Love the cover I had an old Lotus 7 that had that...

Glad you revealed your secret kit Mick - looking good, great eye for detail as always!

I´m glad as well that you decided to open a progress thread. The color looks great, decent paint job.

Very nice! That's a great interior. Flocking scares me, it's all fluffy... :uhoh:

I have this kit too...It's #4,789 on the to-build list :lol2:

I
I’ve very sneakily posted about using black for a base over mica blue. I was sure someone had done this, and it was VRIC, and on a Cobra 427 S/C. So I am sorry for pinching the idea, and also using it on the same model, but I saw the colour from BMOM and it’s just so perfect for the car.


I have no copyright on my ideas :D This is a real nice color.

You make a great work, better than mine ! and I also had problem with the fitting of the drive shaft. (and the windshield is terrible fit !)

Hey Mick.. you call this decent progress? Looks GREAT to me.. :D givin´up your C5-R huh? ;) anyway.. your waiting for the resin kit... Good Luck with both of them.. :D

Ok. Some more progress on the Shelby cobra. Also, good news I’ve managed to get my camera working 100% better inside the house and so the pictures are little clearer, only taken me a year of owning the camera to work out how to use it without a flash in the house..!!

I’ve mostly assembled the engine. Washed with black, dry brushed with silver, picked out small details, drilled holes for engine wires and installed the wires to make wire looms.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40146

I’ve also now assembled the main chassis arms. I spent hours last night, CA gluing, messing about, tweaking and drilling etc to get the holes all lined up and level. I’ve fitted the wheels as a test (not in this shot) and the chassis sits level, all four wheels on the ground but I’m sure if I hadn’t tweaked around with it this would have been a three wheels on the ground and one in the air job..!!

I painted the springs silver, but I wasn’t able to detail well. They are a bad mold, and really needed rebuilding. Rebuilding springs is a skill I’ve got to learn.. For now this will do, but the springs could have been better..

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40147

The rocker /cam covers were chrome, and was the thickest and most toy like chrome I’ve yet seen. The breathers were also chrome. I’ve stripped the lot off and applied Alclad II polished aluminum to the covers, and Chrome to the breathers and then slightly washed and IMO this looks 2000 times better then the kit chrome.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40148

The wheels were also chrome. Again, stripped and I applied Alclad II aluminum and detailed with chrome knock offs with a slight black wash to the knock offs. Again much much better then the kit chrome.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40149

And finally I’ve cleared the body with X22 clear. 2 mists followed by a slightly heavier mist and a final wet coat to get a gloss up to allow me to apply the decals. Oddly I’ve not done the panel lines, but I did deepen then a lot, and yet it looks like I’ve done my black wash already..

I also got the dreaded orange peel on the rear trunk.. Always get orange peel in the worst places, although it isn’t that bad. I’ve polished much worse out before.. Decal will cover much of it, and anyhow it needs another 2 or 3 coats of clear once the decals are applied. And then I’ll just polish it up. Should be ok.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40150

And that’s it for today. Much more to do.. I’ll keep you all posted on progress.

And VRIC, my cobra is not as good as yours… I saw your build on BMOM and had to build my own.

And the C5R is not forgotten, I just need to wait for replacement parts.

Mick, it's looking wonderfull! I'm still amazed how you guys are able to use acrylic and enamel clear coats and get such a great shine out of it!
How do you thin it to use on the airbrush?

Nice work!!!

When I apply X22 from my airbrush I thin to around the consistency of milk. I tend to measure by eye and if it looks thin and milky I then shoot a test to see if it runs or doesn’t shoot out of the airbrush at a low PSI I thin some more..

X22 is superb. 10 ml goes much further then a 150ml TS can. Just takes little longer to go hard. And it normally doesn't orange peel too bad as well. Normally..!! Well it hasn't for me, I got orange peel this time around, but not bad..!!

OK. I’ve wired the engine and I made wire clips out of painted masking tape. I’ve had a devil of a time getting them to stick. The shot below still has masking tape on them holding them down. CA glue sets fast, but not fast enough for this.. This is the second time I’ve struggled with wires and fuel lines. It really is like sticking the tail on the donkey but the picture is moving in a gale force wind..!!

Hope they are OK, the breathers are higher then the wires so should be OK and the hood will fit.. Wait and see..!! Not the cleanest of work as I did struggle but at least I’ve attached wires, and added to the realism..

Anyhow, thanks for the comments guys. I’ll keep you all posted as I’m going to start the decals tomorrow. Should be fun.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40215

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40216

Looks awesome. Very nice work. Your wheels turned out great!!!

Murray

wow i love it....i always loved shelby's.

i love the detail on the seatbelts!

Another update on the Shelby Cobra, done a fair amount today, and it’s starting to take shape.

I’ve applied nearly all of the body decals. Not done the hood yet, as it’s still being painted. The decals in the kit are by far the best I’ve worked with. They are really thin, do not tear easily and register very well to setting solutions. They also slide off the backing paper very well.

Oddly though as good as they were, I had a hell of time with the rear decal stripes. It simply refused to line up correctly. I get on side right, the other side was off.. In the end, micro sol and messing around get it as best I could and I then applied Micro Set. Sadly though, a crease did appear. I’ve applied a VERY hot towel to the crease, but it’s still there. I’m hoping the next round of clear will remove the step up, but I’m pretty sure the crease will be forevermore visible.

I also took a massive chance with the rear decal, and cut the panel lines. Before it looked all wrong.. No matter how much set you apply it never conforms down the panel line. A cut with my knife and then set allowed the decal to form around and into the line, and it looks more realistic. But it was a risk as if I had slipped or the set didn’t work it would have looked a mess.

Also the body still needs a lot more clear. I only applied enough to allow me to work with the decals, as without it the base coat did not have enough gloss to allow easy movement of decals. I’ll let it now dry, apply the hood decal as well and then re-clear over the lot.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40265

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40266

I also finally got those bloody engine wires in. The masking tape with silver paint worked a treat to hold them together, along with a drop of CA glue on the tape to stop it coming apart. And I’ve also managed to bend them down some more. So not as high now, so hopefully the hood with close unhindered.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40267

I’ve attached the dash, detailed and decaled. The decals were good, very good, not a lot of decal film, but enough to create a few small problems. But all in all, the dash looks very realistic now, and I just need to make some belts. I want simple two point waist belts, as this is a road going race replica, hence the carpet and being posted in the street section. This isn’t a race car, just a replica of a race car that would be used on the street.

There are some door catches to install yet, but I’ve no idea how to attach them cleanly. There isn’t a lot of plastic to glue them with..

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40268

And I’ve applied the tire sidewall decals. I wasn’t sure about them but due to the tires having no wall marking, they looked a little bland. So I applied the decals in the end to try and take away the blandness.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40269

And that is it for now.. I’ll keep you all posted.

Damn you build quick! You must have cross-hired the team of chinese that Manu uses over on F1M.com ...!

Coming along very nicely, looking forward to the final pics of the finished model!

Damn you build quick! You must have cross-hired the team of chinese that Manu uses over on F1M.com ...!

Coming along very nicely, looking forward to the final pics of the finished model!

I've been on holiday for the past few weeks, so had plenty of time to build this. Plus I've done nothing other then build it box in most places.

Thanks for the comments..

It's a pleasure to follow this thread, keep it commin'!! :bigthumb:

That is lookin great mich. You are doing a great job with this. Now your inspiring me to go dig mine out and have a go at it. great job really............*Ryan*

looking good

great job so far: can't wai to see finished

Whoah Mick!

Almost missed this! Great job so far (as usual).

This thread of yours brings back fond memories :)
FYI things I remeber about this kit are:
1. the radiator posiioning was pretty hard at the time for me to get right so that the body could easily be fixed to the chasis - I recommend continuous test fitting !! ;)
2. I replaced the plastic radiator hose with some insulation as it was "easier" to thread through the engine bay at final assembly and I used thin silver wire for hose clamps.
3. You're right that the damper springs are pretty poor. What I did was to optically "cheat" a bit. I painted the whole spring flat black and then wound some metal wire down the moulded spring. The final result really looked as if there was in fact a metal spring there. Try it out on a spare damper even, I think you'll be surprised at the result.
4. For some reason I never figured out (apart form the fact that it was my second model :) ), I couldnt get all the darn wheels to fix well to the axles and eneded up having to CA them in place

Maybe the above will be useful to you but for sure yours is going to be HUGE and I'm glad I caught the thread. :bigthumb:

Klutz many thanks, and yes I remember your Cobra Build, was very impressive at the time - heck still is an impressive build. I've looked at the radiator already, and it looks a total PITA to fit. The hose does appear to go up and under the front (fixed) steering rod. Odd, if I have no luck I'll make one out of tape like you did.

I've test fitted my wheels, and all along I was going to CA glue them on. They are a loose fit on the axel hubs. I see no other option, anyhow it's not a toy so will be static.

The springs were a joke. I tried to paint them, but it looked all wrong. I can normally paint most things, dry brushing, washes etc always yeld a good result if done correctly but this time around it failed..!!

I've done some work last night, mainly cleared the hood and test fitted, apppears a little springy at the moment but fits just fine, painted nearly all the parts now, engine is done, chassis just needs the wheels attaching, just got the last bit of re-chrome to do now and Just need to make some seatbelts, and then interior is done so I'll post some more pictures later on.

Then I'll re-clear the body and pack away for three weeks, as I'll have to allow time for the clear to dry. Not planned this model totally correct, as I should have had the body cleared a few weeks back, but never mind I'll just find another project to start as the cobra body is drying in the boiler room in the house - Lovely and warm in there..!!

Oh - and the rear decal stripe was a total arse - I see why you applied lots of micro set /sol as I had little choice but to do the same, and created a crease in one area, that also made in end a small crack. I've had to paint the crack with white paint. Great, hope the clear levels it off a little.

Mick - 3 weeks for clear coat to dry!!!! Do you leave it in the fridge?
Surely 1 week max is all you need, especially as you say you leave it in the bolier room.
All my paint jobs are dried in my airing cupboard and are all very hard within 3-4 days but I leave for a week max! Seems excessive.

Also - hood? - have you developed an American accent?

Sorry, lovely build though - from strength to strength!

Argh... Too many posts on here mention hood and not bonnet. Just like we all dial 911 and not 999 in the Uk due to too many US TV shows..!! Ha ha..!!

I'll leave it to dry for 3 weeks as I'm going to be using X22 Acrylic clear. I thought this was how long I had to leave it to harden. I did the same for my honda build, but TBH I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm a "wing" it and see type of builder.. My engine wires were more "guess" then "correct" type of work.

He he,

Glad you didn't take it too seriously! Just remember the bit at the back is called a boot not a trunk and the hood is the roof!
Yee ha y'all!

New update to the Shelby Cobra, and this is now progressing nicely and it’s not a bad kit just has a few faults that can be fixed or largely worked around.

I’ve now finished adding all the decals. The “bonnet” decals were a bitch to lay down. Not only was the main stripe decal in one piece the bonnet scoop was another small decal that was not big enough to cover the area. After countless applications of micro set to get the decals to conform I cut the decal on the body using a very sharp knife and added more micro set to bend the decal around the edges. Unfortunately this wasn’t the end of this, as the bonnet scoop decal being 1mm all round to small left a noticeable blue /black line. Also the cut of the decal at the top of the bonnet didn’t go as well as I’d hoped for, and resulted in a jagged cut.

White paint has therefore been used to hide the problem areas. I’m hoping the clear coat will level most of this off.

The body doesn’t have a super shine yet, as I only applied enough clear to allow easy movement of decals, I’ll clear tomorrow with enough coats to get a good shine and allow me to polish it all up.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40499

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40500

Picture of more parts, and you can see I’ve carefully picked out the radiator grill with black and silver. Exhausts have burnt metal towards the manifold areas and some small detailing work has been done.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40495

The next picture isn’t so good. I just couldn’t get a decent picture of the dashboard. The steering wheel is spray X11 chrome, and then painted X10 brown to give a wood finish. The bolts on the steering wheel were picked out with silver but the picture is not good, and looks blurry.

I’ll try and get a better picture as in life this looks 1000% better.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40496

And that is it for tonight.

I’ve now clear coated the main body, think I’ve gone a little overkill…!! Ooops..!! I applied three coats of clear 2 of which were mists before I applied the decals, and then after the decals I applied three mists to seal the decals, and then a heavy coat. It looked good, but I thought, one more for good luck and applied a really heavy coat of thinned down X22 clear.

It’s like a mirror, but now it looks – well a bit wet and this is now dry. It’s been baking in the airing room for about an hour… What do you all think? Too much clear this time?

Anyhow it’s done now.. I scribed the panel lines down a lot, and then washed before the clear, so that’s a job done and the lines look very clean. With the amount of paint I’d applied if I hadn’t scribed them out, they would have been buried by now in paint. So anyone looking to copy my build please scribe the panel lines out.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40522

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40523

I’ll leave it now to dry and work on the rest of the model, although there isn’t a lot left to do now, so will have to leave it for a few weeks and start another project as this one is hardening off.

Rather than looking too wet, you might find once it all dries properly you're left with a perfect or near perfect finish. It's looking great from the pics so far!

Looks Awesome!!!

Looking good! that x22 went on nicely. I'm considering using that on my opel astra too.

X22 is a slightly weird paint to apply. Normally I'd use TS-13 but when decals are being cleared I stay with paints that aren't as hot, X22 is not hot and does go on well but I think there are a few guidelines you need to follow. As follows -

Thin the paint well. Rule of thumb is get it to be almost like milk. And only use Tamiya thinner, do not use water.

The first few coats need to be a low pressure mist so as to give the wet coats something to bite into. As X22 will not fuse like TS-13 does into the base coat, you apply a wet coat without mists it's likely to run very badly. So mists help give it something to get a hold off and prevent runs. Apply the mists at around 10 - 15 minutes apart as the paint layer is so thin it will dry a little faster then normal.

Now, after three mists, the coverage and X22 clear will be building up and this is when you can start your wet coats, however this is when it all starts to go a little odd. Your mists will have been applied with a lot less pressure from your airbrush. But to get the gloss up you need a little more pressure and lot of paint coming out the airbrush, with more pressure and more paint being appplied work slowly but steady over the entire body.

It will look REALLY wet, and if you get a run don't panic just move the body around and try and form the run into the layer of clear you just laid down, as this paint dries slower, you have time to move the paint around. It does work, and runs can be formed into the wet coat and will dry down almost flat.

Now after you are happy you need to leave it to dry. But this will take around 30 minutes, and it will go a little cloudly. Again do not panic it looks weird but dries down perfectly clear.

Now after three mists and a wet coat and waiting an hour for the last wet coat to dry we are ready for the final wet coat. This coat needs to have as little orange peel as possible. Paint does dry with a small texture, but to combat the orange peel thin the clear down some more and use a little less pressure then before (only slightly). Now this time move slower but steady, and start away from the model. Nice single easy passes, all over. From one end to the other keep a steady pace and cover the body. You will see easily where you have been, it's hard not to see it, just go over the lot. Front and rear and underneath the sills first, sides /doors second, trunk /hood and then the roof (if there is one). Job done.

That's it. Stand back and watch it dry.. And afterwards in around an hour think "is it still wet?".

Hope this helps.

I checked my model this morning after drying all night, and it still looks wet, and has a finish like a mirror. Impressive stuff X22 if applied correctly.

Mick, are you still using spray cans or do you have a compressor now?

Mick, are you still using spray cans or do you have a compressor now?

No, I'm still using a mix of rattle cans and canned air with my airbrush. I've worked out that if I jam masking tape around the can connector on my airbrush I can control the pressure somewhat, but it's not great. But it does mean I can mist with my airbrush by not increasing the distance, and hence I can reduce orange peel a little.

I'm saving up for a quiet hobby compressor. I need something almost noiseless as my dog will goe nuts with the normal compressors. I've got £200 already saved. End of this month and I get my final overtime payment I'll get a IAWATA compressor.

someone did recommend a trye and water trap etc, was thinking of giving it a go, but I'll just get the IAWATA. I'm not quiting this hobby so may as well invest and save longterm.

The body looks good to me, hard to tell from the pictures about what you were talking about, but alot of people like that "wet" look.

Superb progress!

More progress on the Shelby Cobra. I’ve now completed the entire engine, chassis and driveshaft assemblies.

I’ve taken some shots outside, and I wasn’t sure if I should post anymore pictures as when I took them outside and then viewed them I myself was shocked at the results. I promise you all now I’ve not manipulated these pictures. I took them like 30 mins ago. I’m a complete novice at building model cars, but I’ve got to say I’ve managed to pull off a very realistic looking engine. No mistake, I’ve seen MUCH better work in here, but for the first time I’ve managed to at least match some of you..!! -:)

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40639

I also took a shot with the interior dry mounted, to see if the engine wires interfere. Thankfully the “wing” it and see has paid off. It could have all ended in tears, but it hasn’t.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40635

And, the best till last… The main body, I said it looked wet after the clear, well it still looks wet and it’s had a few nights of drying now. Test mounted the front lights. And I’m not going to micromesh the clear, I just don’t see the point. I’ll just compound with tamiya compound to remove the small specks of dust and level off any areas (not that its bad or any orange peel) and then wax..

This is my BEST paint finish EVER..!! I am really proud of that.

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40636

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40637

http://www.blurryimage.com/pic.php?mode=O&pid=40638

Still got some more work to do yet, but it’s getting there.

BTW - For those who haven't read the entire thread, the clear was X22 Arcylic Clear and not TS-13...

Wow, Mick! You should be really proud of that. It looks magnificent. Really, really nice. Have you done any weathering on the exhaust? It seems like you have heat stained it. Looks terrific!

Cheers,
Pedro.

stunner! :bigthumbs:

That looks awesome, sooo cool... Such a brilliant shine, without even having polished it. Great! :smokin:

Question: is getting such a shine a matter of spraying much clear? I find that I get a much better finish when I use more clear, thin coats seem to be dull...

The engine's a beauty also, so is the interior!

Wow many thanks for comments.

Pedro – Yes, I’ve weathered the entire engine using various black washes, sliver dry brushing and the exhausts were heat stained by using my airbrush set to a fine spray. Worked out pretty well, the Alclad II ranges of paints really do work if applied correctly. I use Halfords Satin Black as my base unless I’m using one of the polished metal looks and I use TS-14 and enamel black for chrome.

And I’m enjoying using my airbrush more and more, as I’m starting to learn how to use it more efficiently. Takes a while to get used to using an airbrush, but once you use one the finishes it can give are awesome. Rattle cans be good for large surface area etc, but an airbrush is where it really comes alive. I use a single action, siphon feed and it’s a cheap badger but TBH it’s all you need.

As for getting such a shine without polish is all about getting the final wet coat nice and even. In this thread is a quick guide on how to use X22 clear and getting such a shine. It’s basically the same technique as P MAN posted but for using clear instead of the base paint. Although I’ve no idea if what I did is correct but it worked out fine for me.

Update - I've attached the wheels now, but I'll take another outside shot tomorrow if I can. The wheels do not fit too wheel. I've been froced to CA glue them on..!!

That looks great!! I can`t wait to see it completed.

beatiful car body. nice work so far!

Thanks for all the great comments guys.

Build is now on hold until the clear coat is fully dried and hardened off. Being acrylic I’m going to exercise caution, and leave for around 21 days. I’ve done all I can now, I need to attach the interior to the body next, and I can’t do that untul the clear is hard.

So, project is around 85% done. In the meantime I was going to re-start the Corvette C5R, but resin body hasn’t arrived, so I’m going to start my Nissan Z-Tune, as the P/E parts arrived a few days ago..

Thanks to all that commented, and for those watching, check back in around three weeks.. :-)


PS - didn't get a chance to get an outside picture of her now on her wheels.. she's now sitting up, and on all four wheels..!! Woohoo..

That look very good.

This color with clear coat is so shiny. This combo is also one of my best paint job :D

Damn', you can be verry proud of that wet-looking clear coat!! Topjob! :bigthumb:

Excellent as usual!