1/24 Fujimi Estima Exclusive Zeus VIP - Laquer & Future

Hello - haven't posted in awhile, but I thought this might be worth a look since I don't see too many VIP builds and even fewer VIP van builds.

So far all I've accomplished is the body paint. So check it out.

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab57/aa240sx/IMG_0743_zps60840326.jpg (http://s849.photobucket.com/user/aa240sx/media/IMG_0743_zps60840326.jpg.html)

I'm not a pro builder, so what you're looking at is an unprimered body (most imperfections sanded away and filler near the fenders and wing), 3 coats of Testors One Coat Spray Laquer Star Spangled Blue and Pledge Future Polish.

I didn't sand between coats, but before I put the future on I did let the paint dry 3 days.

For the Future finish, I dipped the body.

My experience with Future is that it seems to work best on dark metallic based paints. I find that when I dip primary colors that are light in color like white you see some slight pitting from the curing and drying that takes place with the future. Even after polishing the clear, I can't seem to get rid of it. However, with a dark/metallic finish you can't see the imperfections in the clear/future at all and I think because the paint is dark, the reflection really pops.

Anyway, will update thread as I progress on this build. Not planning to do anything crazy here, but basically will build it OOB.

Wow that paint job looks gorgeous! Thanks for the Future tip... I recently brought a bottle but since it haven't painted anything yet this is some good advice. Great job! Can't wait to see more.

Thanks - I'm no expert by any means even though I've been doing this for way more years than I care to share. The funny thing is I'm finding it harder and harder to find Future. I usually buy it at Wal-Mart, but now I can't find it there anymore, so I have three bottles which should hopefully be enough.

Advice I have received from these forums seems to be that dipping is the best method for using Future. I've tried brushing and I've even tried airbrushing it thinning the stuff with windex to prevent the pitting, but none of it worked for me.

When dipping, just be sure to put the body away in a dust free enclosure on a paper towel to absorb the excess clear. It's water based and self levelling so it sometimes helps to even move the body around so the clear doesn't build up too heavy in any one area.

The one question I have is, how does everyone put their bodies onto the chassis without messing up the clear? Everytime I do it, I inevitably leave a small fingerprint or two on the body and it bugs the **** out of me...

The one question I have is, how does everyone put their bodies onto the chassis without messing up the clear? Everytime I do it, I inevitably leave a small fingerprint or two on the body and it bugs the **** out of me...

This is one of several reasons I don't use Future as a clearcoat for car bodies. :dunno: It has some uses in modeling, but as far as I'm concerned this is not one of them. If it becomes unobtainable, I can't say I'll miss it- there are other products that does as well or better.