Aston Martin DBS - Tamiya 1/24

Got the body painted in homebrew special "carbon" black. I mixed powdered graphite into the black base coat to get a more subtle "metallic" look. It's darned hard to photograph! I'm also obviously going to need another run at cleaning the polish out of the panel lines...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-WZqrDVK/0/L/i-WZqrDVK-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-snrnSDh/0/L/i-snrnSDh-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-5WgQPCN/0/L/i-5WgQPCN-L.jpg

The 2K clear coat is also slightly tinted with "smoke" to go for a deep black on black look...

Silver wheels and yellow or red callipers, I reckon, and I'm now having great fun on Aston's DBS configurator to find a colourful and interesting combination for the inside!

bestest,
M.

Paint looks superb!

A good way to remove polish from panel lines is to use an old toothbrush, and some soapy water, works a treat.



gpz900ra7.

Hi, all... it seems like a very long time since an update. I've achieved a major milestone today... but you'll have to wait for that until the end!

This build seems to be even more "fragmented" than usual. I'm spending ages preparing parts without ever seeming to actually get any of them together. Lots of complicated maskin and spraying, and also gathering together bits with the same kind of finish, even if from widely variable places in the build sequence.

This is where I was at lunchtime today:
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-27rsS7p/0/L/i-27rsS7p-L.jpg

Lots of parts in primer, the chassis starting to be painted, exhaust components in Titanium Gold, brake disks etc... it really did take this long to get to this pile o bits!
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-zhC3mXP/0/L/i-zhC3mXP-L.jpg

I'm building the Black Carbon Edition DBS, which means the fascia plate is carbon fibre. This is done using paint - black first, and then Zero "Graphite Grey" sprayed through a bit of decorative ribbon from the local haberdashery shop.

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-qB4XrWj/0/L/i-qB4XrWj-L.jpg

The diffuser is done the same way along with a bunch of other detail parts. Still missed a few, mind...
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-8vxbJ6v/0/L/i-8vxbJ6v-L.jpg

Chassis involves yet more masking and multiple colours. Nearly there, now... just the body colour undersills to do, which I'm going to cheat and use TS-40 Metallic Black for...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-6kVBFBV/0/L/i-6kVBFBV-L.jpg

Dreadful photo, which exaggerates the effect, but it looks fine in real life. The Carbon DBS has crackle-coated black exhausts, and this is my best shot, done with Plastikote Velvet overlaid with Halfords satin black.
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-wzRWfbQ/0/L/i-wzRWfbQ-L.jpg

I guess you can now tell which interior scheme I'm going for! This is the optional "Madagascar Tan" interior, which I think will liven up the black on black on black car no end!

And finally...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-DJt9WXL/0/L/i-DJt9WXL-L.jpg

Drum roll and fanfare please. This is the MAJOR MILESTONE I mentioned. What you see here is Stage 1 of the instructions completed! How has it taken me two weeks of building to get to the end of stage one, I hear you ask. Well, I have no idea, but it's all downhill from here, surely..? ;-)

bestest,
M.

The masking and painting and remasking and more painting on the chassis is finally done:
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-wTBjmkX/0/L/i-wTBjmkX-L.jpg

The exhaust is just dropped into place to add another metallic tone to the mix. Equally, the cabin is just test fitted:

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-Qd8XQCH/0/L/i-Qd8XQCH-L.jpg

But you get the idea.... quite striking, I think. I'm not sure about the demarcation between carpet and orange leather at the back (no clear pics), but it looks believable to me and I'm NOT repainting it! Lots of detail painting still to go, of course...

bestest,
M.

Another major milestone today - I have completed Stage 2!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-FV4qjh7/0/L/i-FV4qjh7-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-FbsBLZP/0/L/i-FbsBLZP-L.jpg
There have been lots of other activities as well -- decalling in the cabin, priming the FG wheels, which arrived from MediaMix Hobby today, six days after I ordered them from Singapore -- but the main focus of effort has been that engine.

And I have to say that Tamiya's metal transfers let me down. I've used aftermarket ones before with no issues, but these lifted the paint and came off with the carrier film. Fortunately, I only destroyed the 6.0 V12 transfer for the middle of the engine. The "Aston Martin" lettering I applied to some self adhesive matt clear film and then stuck it on in one go. Although you can see it in this close-up, it's really not at all obvious at a distance. The 6.0 V12 had to made as a decal on white decal paper, after some Photoshopping of a picture of the engine from the web. getting the engine top onto the suspension and then onto the chassis was also a pain -- it's darned hard to locate the shocks successfully in the lower wishbones, but finally...

bestest,
M.

Looking Fantastic!!!

Im looking at pics on wifes phone and must say everything looks really good. The interior colors are a noce choice.

PS Im soo envy your working space with windows n great lighting

Great progress. The new tamiya models seem like they're never ending!! :evillol: I like the interior color, good luck.

nice updates! looking forward to the rest of the build :)

@mattbacon

this one can help you:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/ilferraristarosso/13-aston-martin-dbs-carbon-frankfurt.jpg

I like very much your job on this DBS, please can you tell what colour you used for the interior?


Max :)

Thanks, Max.... I have that one on my workbench beside me! The interior colour is completely home-made. I gathered plenty of photos, and used the Aston Martin configurator. It's a mix of Vallejo Model Air Yellow and a couple of drops of Fire Red, toned down slightly with Vallejo Medium Skintone, which is a browny-tan. I don't think the real thing is _quite_ as bright as that photoset shows - maybe flash or ultrabright stand lights account for the "dayglo" effect! The configurator shows a much more muted tan, but I've tried to reconcile the two...

bestest,
M.

Looks awesome! You build a lot faster than I do!!

Positively galloping along, now... this is Stage 8!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-zR9WRV5/0/L/i-zR9WRV5-L.jpg

It may be all black and silver, but it's amazing how many different kinds of black and silver you can use if you put your mind to it! I'm very glad this is done now!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-zpb3GxN/0/L/i-zpb3GxN-L.jpg

The back end is beautifully crisp, fits well, and is brilliantly engineered -- typical Tamiya! I have to confess, I didn't paint some of the parts -- the plastic is _already_ a nice "semi-gloss black", so what's the point of priming it and painting it the same colour, and making it fit less well while I'm at it?
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-SWSdtgn/0/L/i-SWSdtgn-L.jpg

These are the FG DBS wheels in "diamond-turned" form, as featured on the "Black carbon" edition, fitted with Pegasus Models Pilots for the real low-profile look. They were sprayed gloss black with a Humbrol acrylic in a rattle can, and then "chromed" with my own witches' brew of Pentel silver pen ink mixed with "Rub n'Buff"... The centres, with nuts, form a separate piece including the pin that becomes the axle. My only worry is about the strength of the join between that pin and the wheel - I used gel super glue, and will give it plenty of time to set really hard before trying to plug them in to the poly caps in the wheel bearings, but I can easily see a wheel falling off if I'm not careful...

bestest,
M.

Wow Matt, nice & clean, specially the underside and the wheels...Can't wait to see it finished. I have one on my stash...This is a must-have model. I wish I would have one of those Aston Martin badges when I was doing my BD4.

Chassis is now complete... the wheels went on more easily than I'd feared they might. I have some silicone "plastic parts" grease from the bike shop, and I applied that to the polycaps before sliding them into place.

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z8mTG2Z/0/L/i-Z8mTG2Z-L.jpg

The "chroming was done using a Pentel Silver marker, with very liquid ink, which dissolves in white spirit. I also had some "rub n buff" silver leaf. By using a paintbrush to mix the ink, rub n buff and occasional brushfuls of white spirit to keep it all liquid, I got a controllable colour which could be carefully brushed onto the high edges. When it had set after several hours in a warm place, I could gently buff it with a soft cotton rag on my fingertip.

And finally.... couldn't resist trying it...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-N6m73JQ/0/L/i-N6m73JQ-L.jpg

Now hard at work on the interior...

bestest,
M.

Thanks!

Good progress on the cabin this afternoon:

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-jjsNZn6/0/L/i-jjsNZn6-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-8bSKZJg/0/L/i-8bSKZJg-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-kSXCCVX/0/L/i-kSXCCVX-L.jpg

Not quite finished yet -- there are a few details left to add in the doors and central tunnel, and the decals for badges and auto gearbox indicators. And the colour isn't really a good reflection of what it's like in daylight. But I think I'm getting there...

bestest,
M.

Killing time with the online plate maker at

http://www.licenseplates.tv/england-719.html

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-rMkds67/0/L/i-rMkds67-L.jpg
... I know which one I prefer! Any views from the assembled crowd?

bestest,
M.

Err... yes. Yes it does!

Keeping on keeping on over here...
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-zKVLk3z/0/L/i-zKVLk3z-L.jpg

Final version of the dash with as much detail painting as these old eyes can manage!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-rQnfS53/0/L/i-rQnfS53-L.jpg

And here it is in place. I made the window controls and whatever the little levers on the tunnel are by printing out bits of photos and sticking them in place, and added speakers under the dash... which you can't see at all!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-FtWhSbF/0/L/i-FtWhSbF-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-HQBdWz6/0/L/i-HQBdWz6-L.jpg

Now got it on the chassis, where it fits perfectly.

And, again, I couldn't resist (the mechanism for attaching the body to the chassis is simple and repeatable, so why not give it a try?) I suspect the Tamiya chassis doesn't have the full depth wheel arches that Fujimi kits do, which means that the fitting of the body to the chassis is not a "once-and-for-all" gamble with lots of bodyshell springing!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-W4wT7B9/0/L/i-W4wT7B9-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-MknWm8h/0/L/i-MknWm8h-L.jpg

Though I say it myself, I'm liking this colour scheme!

bestest,
M.

Movine along very nicely there. Very impressed by the dash details :smokin:

i love this car!, not a huge of a aston fan but this is drop dead sexy!

Looking AWESOME! Love the wheels!

Thanks, guys! Good progress today:
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-dZDfGnG/0/L/i-dZDfGnG-L.jpg
This is the back end, with "smoked" rear lights (special option for the Carbon Edition) tinted using Klear and a couple of drops of black ink in the airbrush. There really are no visible colours in the light lenses at all...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-qp5gpR7/0/L/i-qp5gpR7-L.jpg

... and the front end. The lights go together brilliantly, even though I've forgotten the zebra stripe decals for the silver surrounds. They are lost inside the mounting, anyway. I left the lighting bay surround in black plastic, since that's what it is in real life!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-jnSzXBP/0/L/i-jnSzXBP-L.jpg
Clear parts painted. I used the excellent precut masks, and started out with a "write on anything" pen for the first coat, to ensure that there was something for paint to "take" on, and finished off by spraying with Vallejo Model Air black to get a good density.

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-Wmt9t9N/0/L/i-Wmt9t9N-L.jpg
This is a "Because God can see" detail... The carbon edition has quilted leather headlining, which is replicated here using painted textured card from small daughters greeting card making kit... You can't see this at all when it's together, but I like it!

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-36cmZsd/0/L/i-36cmZsd-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-KvCmQtm/0/L/i-KvCmQtm-L.jpg

...and now, time to take a last look at that shiny interior...

http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-tzL6P7t/0/L/i-tzL6P7t-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-8xvFgg5/0/L/i-8xvFgg5-L.jpg
http://cmatthewbacon.smugmug.com/photos/i-jXfTHFG/0/L/i-jXfTHFG-L.jpg

And at last! It's together... Once again, the fit and ease of assembly is superb. There's still a fair bit of detailing to do, and the final decals, but I think I'm on the Home Straight now...

bestest,
M.

I'm loving the look of this build. You're making me want to build another one!

Very nice work Matt, I thought exactly like Eric. You reminded me all the funny bits of building this beauty. Black body with orange interior looks superb!

i love the contrast between the front/rear diffusers and the body color. looks really slick!

That dashboard is amazing! :eek2: