Fujimi Lexus IS200 progress

One of the newest kits in my pile is the next on the table. It's a kit I acquired in a trade with a fellow AF member (VTEC-DA9-Thanks again!) and will be built box stock with the execption of a slight lowering job. This kit sits like a 4x4 in stock trim!

This is my second Fujimi and it seems to be an acceptable one. One note: some of the plastic seems very soft. In fact the interior pieces seem to be more like styrofoam than plastic!

The body will be in TS-8 (Italian Red) and the interior two tone black/gray. Pics will be up by Friday or Saturday at the latest. Not much to see until then!

-Rick

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/693033is200box.jpg

if you need any reference pics from the real thing just ask, i will pop out and take a photo of stuff on my car if you want, but its black not red and has the beige leather and alacantara. but i will help as much as possible:devil:

Originally posted by chrismcgee
if you need any reference pics from the real thing just ask, i will pop out and take a photo of stuff on my car if you want, but its black not red and has the beige leather and alacantara. but i will help as much as possible:devil:

Thanks for the offer! I've loved the looks of these cars for a long time, now I get one of my own. It'll be smaller than yours, but it'll still be mine!;)

Thanks again,

-Rick

i gotta order one of them myself, do a mini replica!!! :devil:

but good luck, cant wait to see it, does it have an opening boot? would love to do an install in a model one

I got this exact kit on hold ! primer problem and the body is in bad shape.. will make this when I will have some decent primer

Also, take some pick of your lowering job.. could be usefull !:D

good luck !:D

I'm on that one as well.....Still at the "primer/putty waiting to dry phase" ....hehehe...mines going to be finished in TS-53...

This kit was way too high, so I lowered it about 2mm in the front and 3mm in the rear. It seems pretty level and I'm rather pleased with its new stance. Wheels will stay stock :( because I'm too impatient to order any. With that issue is out of the way I can move on with the rest of the build!

Vric- The lowering job was fairly quick and easy, I'll post some detailed pics of what I did later.


Comments are allways welcome!

-Rick

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Nice stance she got. Good ride height. :)
Do your wheels still turn and steer?

Just lowered mine as well. A few hours ago actually.
About the same drop, but rolling on 18's :smoker2:

Keep us posted!

Originally posted by MaxSE
Good ride height. :)
Do your wheels still turn and steer?

Thanks! Yep, wheels still roll and steer. Any lower in the front and I would have some serious issues to keep the steering working!

This is what I did, I'll try to get graphics/pics up later if requested:

Front: I cut a 2mm section out of the upper portion of the strut and glued then glued them back together. I thought it was easier that way, rather than just cutting 2mm off the end and trying to reshape the tip to fit into the chassis (strut tower).

With the strut 2mm shorter than it was, it would no longer reach the lower balljoint. I'm refering to the hole in part A7, where the bottom of the strut sits. I took a piece of sprue and my new pinvise and made spacers to make up this 2mm difference. Just cut the end of the sprue straight, then drill a hole dead center and about 5mm deep. Once the hole was drilled I cut the two spacers I needed (2x2mm) and glued the to the top of the mounting area on A7. Making sure the holes lined up for appearence sake.

Rear: First attack parts B19/20 with a file. Remove the mounting tabs located at the top/bottom of each. This will allow the parts to be mounted "higher" on the part (A4) allowing the car to sit lower.

While checking for the proper mounting hieght for parts B19/20 I realized the metal axle was restricted by peices of the part (A4), so out came the knife/cutters and files. Once the peices were removed the axle can now sit firmly against the bottom of the chassis. This was good for an overall drop of around 2.5-3mm.

I'll try to get pics up soon, because reading this confuses me and I just did it! :rolleyes:

Legal dissclaimer: "I am not liable for any damage caused by following the steps outlined above. Perform these mods at your own risk." :D

-Rick

This kit is becoming a PITA very fast.

While giving it a final sanding the roofline cracked. I was in complete shock, the plastic of this kit just seems very weak. It has been repaired, but I'm out of primer, so painting is onhold. :(


-Rick

Sorry to hear that!
Luckily you repaired it , and probably will look as nice as your Civic!

Olivier

i don't really like the rims..... too "bling"....slap some Model 5 on it!! hahaha but who am i to tell you what to do...its your model

Looking good so far...the ride height is spot on.

Good write up on the lowering which will be very helpfull to others

love the ride height, just think it needs some bigger wheels, and that write up is awsome
great job:D

This thing has seemed doomed since day one...

Being my normal impatient self, I devised a plan to cure my lack of primer. The body had two coats of white Tamiya primer on it after I had resanded several areas after my first primer coats. Needless to say some spots were a little thin and showing the sanded areas. Knowing that red is a very translucent color, I needed to make sure the body had a uniform shade before painting.

Here comes the idiot part. I decided to give it two mist coats of black and then proceed with the Italian red. BAD IDEA!!:rolleyes: I wound up with a color that is some form of a Burgandy/Cherry Black. It is reflective as hell and the paint is so translucent I won't have to worry about doing the panel lines! The crack in the roof shows through also. So this kit is very close to becoming the first DNF of my adult modeling life.

I have placed an order for paint supplies, including three large cans of Tamiya Primer. I vowe to never run out of Primer again!

Rather than hide my stupidity I decided to show it here, so others my learn from my mistakes!

-Rick

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/543605lexus05.jpg

Yikes! You will see this model through, that's what makes a good modeler, and the more you build the less of these problems you will have. Remember, many of Tamiya's TS sprays are semi transparent. :)

It looks fine to me. It looks like mica-red. :)

it really doesnt look tha bad, but i can understand it when you were looking for a completley differnt shade of red, well hope it still comes out lookin good when 100% complete:cool:

Stop that ! the color is perfect ! this is a classy car and this color fit perfectly with the car ! In fact, it's praticly the same color I want to make mine :D

So stop crying, it look awersome and the paintjob is flawless !

Don't be so hard on yourself dude. I'm sure you'll find a way to fix whatever you dislike. From the picture the paint looks fine to me, if it was the shade you were going after, then don't worry about it try again on another kit.:)

Goodluck.

Veyron and the others speak wise words! Finish that model and learn what not to do next time! I like that color!:cool:

I quite like the colour - IMO it suits the car quite well. Besides, no need to worry about panel lines!! ;) :D

I think that the color still looks very good...But is your model through..

One question that I didn't wanted to open a new thread asking about it...
What is the colour of the Tamyia Primer?and from where you purchased it online???

I think it still looks great, I can't wait to get my hands on one of those. Good luck on your finish.

I like the color alot! I NEED THIS KIT!

Thanks for al lthe positive words! The shade of the color wasn't the big concern for me, it was the coverage of the paint. You can't tell from the pic, but the paint did an aweful job of covering the black basecoat I put on. I put two more coats on it today and it looks much better, it may make it after all!

For those of you interested in this kit I have another. It's the TRD Street version. Same kit with extra skirting and a carbon (looks black to me) decal for the hood. If you want to make an offer (PM ONLY) let me know, it could be yours!!


http://www.1999hobbysearch.com/dbimages/user/hobby/itbig/10014962.jpg


-Rick

Hey Rick

Could you post a pic of the rims that come with that TRD Altezza?

Thanks.

Originally posted by MaxSE
Hey Rick

Could you post a pic of the rims that come with that TRD Altezza?

Thanks.

I can if you like, but they are exactly the same as the ones on the "Lexus". The only differences in the two kits that I see are the following:

Side skirts for the TRD
Rear spoiler for the TRD
Grill is "molded mesh" for the TRD
TRD Decals (including "blacked out" hood)
NO left hand dash for the TRD

-Rick

If you didn't post what happened to the paint most wouldn't have known.

Finish the model off ;)

Originally posted by primera man
If you didn't post what happened to the paint most wouldn't have known.

Finish the model off ;)

Thanks for the positive response! The paint truely looked like crap before the last two coats..it's a little better now. I think it'll finish off to be a pretty good kit. Should wrap it up this weekend.

What's up with the "next project ????" in your sig? I've been waiting on you to start another for about 3 days now! Weren't you planning on building a Rally car? And what happened to the Evo you started a while back? Your skills have me hooked, I (like everyone else) keep a sharp eye out for your posts!

-Rick

Last update before it gets finished off.
Just a few details left such as the mirrors, grill and light covers.
Overall it's a good kit that provides a few challenges along the way.

-Rick

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/265835lexus07.JPG
The paint looks bright in direct light /\ and very dark in shadows \/
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Wow Looks nice! I am glad you decided to keep that paint on. I really NEED this kit.

Good Job Rick!
Although it seems as though it doesn't sit flat? :confused:
nice to see you kept the paint!

Originally posted by MaxSE
Although it seems as though it doesn't sit flat? :confused:
nice to see you kept the paint!

Damn...I can't slip anything by you guys! ;)

Good eye! The interior tub sat very high, causing the nose of the car to sit about 1mm higher on one side when it was on the chassis. Being my genius self :rolleyes: I cut the mounting spacers (on the tub) down in an attempt to correct the issue. I didn't realize that the transmission tunnel was also high...needless to say the interior tub now sits on the tranny tunnel and rocks from side to side. Making one side higher than the other. So instead of solving the problem I created a new one! I'll fabricate a spacer to correct it before it gets finalized.

Bane- Check my sig. I have one of these listed in the classified thread!

-Rick

Great looking paint job!