Tips & Techniques: Building the Tamiya Ferrari Testarossa!!!!!!!

ok people, let me officially kick off my progress report on my tamiya testarossa build. I have decided to rebuild the model because I was not happy with the results of my last build so I have started over. this is not gonna be a blow-by-blow report like my 360 Spider, this is gonna be strictly tips and techniques only.. but rest assued I'll show you something GOOD!!:)

as for my 360 spider.. yesh Im still working on it. I should have something new to post (like the DASH?) soon and I'm painting the body which as usual takes a long time plus the cold weather which means I can only paint during weekends around noon when the weather is above freezing.

so for now.. just a picture of the partially completed engine.. I'll post some of the particulars when it is completed.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic1-med.jpg

phil

where's the little smiley whose head explodes?

oh, well, I'll try:
:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

The Testarossa is my next build. I wanna do a Miami Vice version.

Damn! Quit posting pics of the real thing and show us your model......:D

The Testarossa is my next build. I wanna do a Miami Vice version.

that's EXACTLY what I want this build to be!!! I was gonna paint it red but I was toying with the idea of building a white car

I went so far as to get the instruction for the monogram miami vice testarossa to make sure I get the painting scheme right..

the more I think about it the more I like the idea.. I'll have a silver 360 sipder, a white testarossa, a red F40.. and a yellow Enzo!!!! :ylsuper: :ylsuper:

I haven't built mine yet, but one thing I noticed is the panel line engravings are very shallow making it easy for them to be hidden if paint isn't carefully applied. I would run an Exacto blade through those lines before I primed.

another ferrari. WOW! looks good. will definetley look nice next to the spider.

I haven't built mine yet, but one thing I noticed is the panel line engravings are very shallow making it easy for them to be hidden if paint isn't carefully applied. I would run an Exacto blade through those lines before I primed.

well.. I have this habit of making panel lines wider and deeper even if they look deep enough to begin with.. especially the door and the trunk and the hood.. I want them to look like they can actually open!!!

so I use this: a panel scriber!! (available from http://www.micromark.com/)

personally I think it is a dental instrument but it sure works like a charm!

http://www.micromark.com/prodimgs/60728.jpg

Keep them running :smile: Good job.... :bigthumb:

http://www.smilies.okipages.com/s/contrib/lilly/eek1bluegreen.gifSimply amazing!
Looks like you Spent a year detailing it!

http://www.smilies.okipages.com/s/contrib/lilly/eek1bluegreen.gifSimply amazing!
Looks like you Spent a year detailing it!

well I wouldnt say a year..:)

but when I build something.. I really take my time to get it perfect. model makers hate me because I dont build a lot.. but hobby supply makers love me because I spend on all those paints and tools.

anyway.. the engine should be done in a couple days.. if you think I did a kick butt job on that 360 spider airbox, wait till you see what I did with the testarossa air boxes.. and I'll show you how to do it!!!!!! :lol2:

I gotta ask. What did you detail the cam covers with. Is that two thin strips of BareMetal Foil? Or did you get the silver stripes on another way. I just finished this engine for the Mythos I recently posted, and you can see mine came out more metallic grey. But all of the engine pics I've seen this part is shiny like yours.

Do you know what the interior colors for the Miami Vice Testarossa are? I've looked all over the web for a interior shot and can't find one. I'm guessing all black, or black and tan.

Since you're doing a white one I may choose a different color. I've seen one in a deep blue that looked very nice. Or maybe I'll do a pearl white instead of pure white.

yes they are bare metal foil!! actually the matt alumium variety. how I did it will be one of a few things I'll show in a couple days as I finish with the engine.

the testarossa in miami vice was actually black.. but they (two were given to the show by ferrari NA) were painted white to fit the color scheme of the show. and the interior as I get from the monogram instruction is the same colors as depicted in the tamiya instruction - brown leather dash + light tan seat + dark tan carpet.

the testarossa's i have seen at various shows have the same color dash, carpet and a majority of the interior .... only differences i would see is the seats ... but i am sure they could be ordered in other colors.

ok, people, just as I said I would.. here's the run down for the engine!!!! now Im not gonna post every little thing.. just the most interesting bits.

the first thing of course.. is what the hell are on those "testar rossa" .. as I said they are matt aluminum bare metal foils.. the way I applied it is to cut up a piece, stuck it on, rub it down with my finger tip and dress down the edge with my finger nails.

I then used a VERY sharp x-acto knife to carefully cut around.. I do this under a magnifying glass so to see CLEARLY what I am doing. after I cut around I just lift the extra foil away:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic2.jpg

after that I again use a tooth pick to press the middle of the foil in, and then use the knife to VERY CAREFULLY CUT ALONG THE MIDDLE.. breaking the foil into two halves. and then I cut a piece of paper, fold it in half, and glid the fold along the middle to separate the foils and push them down.

I then use a very tiny brush to dot the bolts along the top with model master aluminum metalizer.. again under a magnifying glass.

Thanks for that tip! Those 4 ridges are so small.

But they important to detailing of the Testarossa engine.

Can't wait to try it.

now on to the show piece.. the airbox. this is the blow-by-blow..

I first spray the parts with aluminum metalizer.. after that I spray a VERY LIGHT coat of model master clear gloss enamel - you dont want the thing to look really glossy. I used the enamel from a spray can, sprayed it into an airbrush, and "dry airbrushed" it on the parts. I like spray can paint if I will always spray it because the paint is always "fresh"

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic3.jpg

now I let the parts dry for a day.. and came back to apply the red. now the way I applied the red color is VERY important.. I used tamiya flat red. because tamiya paint can be easily removed with fantastik household cleaner. I really really thin the paint down.. probably 1 part paint to 3 parts water. and I "pool" the paint onto the center area. the key is that

if the paint doesnt spread out quickly from capillary action it is not wet enough

WHY you ask.. the key here is that you want to get as much paint as you can between the lines.. but as little as you can on the lines. and you would need to apply at least three coats when the paint is that thinned out. but once you apply the first coat and other coat will be easy because you just touch the paint brush on the paint and the capillary action would drew the paint over the entire area.

you can sorta see what's going on from this picture.. note that
the paint is SHINY even though it is supposed to be flat.. that tells you how watery the paint is.

another reason why the paint has to be watery is that this way the paint would dry flat and even between the lines.. if the paint doesn't dry flat.. it would look really ugly from an angle.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic4.jpg

now after the paint dried for a couple hours.. here's where the fun began. now I needed to remove the paints on the lines and the ferrari and testarossa scripts. dont wait too long because the paint would be too dry. so couple hours is good.

I use a piece of paper wet with fantastik and gently rub back and forth along the top.. along the direction of the ridges.. be patient and the color would gradually come off.. but be careful not to get the color on other areas because red can stain anything and is hard to remove completely

now here's the reason why I sprayed on a light coat of clear gloss earlier.. if I didnt the alumium metalizer would come off along with the paint. but because enamel is hard and is immune to fantastik.. it protects the alumium underneath.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic5.jpg

now for the scripts.. they are recessed and the paper would not get to them.. for them I used that micro brush introduced in my 360 spider buildup.. I do the same thing.. wet the brush with fantastik and rub off the paint from the scripts

when you wet the paper and the brush.. do not use so much that it runs all over and end up removing paint between the ridges that you dont wanna remove.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic6.jpg

after Im done.. I wait for a day and seal the whole thing with a thin coat of metalizer sealer.. and the result speaks for itself.. :iceslolan

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic7_med-med.jpg

now allow me introduce one of my most valuable tools.. my magnifying glass..

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic8_med-med.jpg

I got it from www.micromark.com but I only use the glass and I never use the arms.

http://www.micromark.com/prodimgs/60682.gif

I paint many things under this glass.. with a small clamp on desk lamp and a couple small brushes. that's how I did the alternator/starter/belts at the end of the engine. I sprayed the belts flat black and hand painted the alternator and the starter using aluminum metalizer. the reason is that hand painting flat black might cause the black paint to build up too much and the belts would end up looking bad.. but metalizer does not build up and is much easier to apply around the belts.

this is the finished engine..:)

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic7_med-med.jpg

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

the attention to detail...awesome. you are a detail god!

hi again. been busy so I haven't got around to building too much. just one quick thing I did that seems interesting to share.

I've been looking around to get some Gunze Sangyo Masking Sol Neo or Humbrol Maskol but couldn't find it anywhere. the reason I need that is for the wheels. see the wheels are not all chrome or aluminum.. its actually aluminum with a very bright chrome center cap, as you can clearly see in this photo:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437Testarossa.jpg

now how do I recreate that effect?? the instruction says to paint the center cap X-11 chrome silver.. but the problem with chrome silver is that 1) its never gonna be as shiny as chrome and 2) to get a shiny surface the paint would need to build up and the center cap would look out of scale.

so the best way to do it is not to paint the center cap.. which is already chrome plated, but to paint the rest of the wheel aluminum.. to create a contrasting effect.

to do such painting I need to mask out the center cap and spray the wheel aluminum.

since it's impossible to mask out the cap using tape.. I need a masking agent. I heard some good thing about Humbrol maskol and Gunze Masking Sol Neo but I couldnt find any in my local hobby shops.. so I gave this a try:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/904-106

it turned out to be pretty good.. just dont expect to be able to cut it with a knife.. once the paint is on and dry.. that's it.. you can not trim it.. you can only remove it... this is not bare metal foil.

so here I go masking out the center cap.. note that I use a lot of paint and make sure the paint covers the groove around the cap so the cap would appear 3D.. otherwise the cap would appear like a thin piece of paper because the edge is painted over.

also.. using a lot of paint prevents the paint from drying too soon while you're still painting.. absolutely a no-no cus you would end up pushing the mask around or even lifting it.

if you screw up.. STOP!!!. let the paint dry and remove the mask. if you dry to wash it off while its still wet you would make a big mess that you cannot get out of.

do not let the mask dry overnight or you would risk it sticking too well to the chrome and you might lift the chrome when you remove the mask.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic11.jpg

after the mask dry (when its turned from white to translucent) I spray on some TS-30 silver leaf.. I use that instead of say aluminum metalizer because metalizer dries way too fast so when I remove the mask I leave an edge that looks "ripped". the tamiya silver leaf is a little brighter than I want but it does have a smooth texture that doesn't look out of scale and looks matt next to the chrome.

after I spray silver leaf.. I let the wheel stand for about 4-5 minutes.. and I remove the mask with a pair of sharp tweezers.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic12.jpg

that's when using a lot of masking paint became vital because the thicker the mask the easier it is the tweezers can grab on to it. a thin mask and you risk the tweezers scratching the chrome and you would have a hard time removing the mask. you can always use a piece of masking tape to remove the mask but the tape might inadvertently remove bits of chrome.. and you're screwed when it does.

after Im through all that thats how they look:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3537/111437t_pic10-med.jpg

not bad huh????:)

one more thing.. the masking paint is a real pain to get off the brush.. use paint thinner followed by alcohol..

Nice!

Just add some valve stems and you'll be set.

:p

If that ain't detail I dont know what is!!!!!

WOW! I have never been so impressed and lucky at the same time. Last night I won this kit on ebay for 3 bucks. I have bookmarked this thread and will print it out if I have to. I need a few more builds under my belt before I would even attempt this car. Like every car you build, it's going to be perfect and I want mine to shine too! Thanks a million for all the time and effort you put into teaching me and the other guys.

J. Barry

wow you got it from ebay for 3 buck?!?!?!?!? I got mine from ebay for $13 total and I bought it because I thought I was missing a couple parts but I wasn't.. so I decided to rebuild it since I had the kit anyway and I wasnt happy with my last build..

Your wheels look great.

I think the wheels Ferrari chose for this car are kind of plain and boring. I've seen many TR's with different wheels while doing research on this car. I won't be using those when I finally complete my build too.

yeah but this is meant to be a miami vice testarossa so I want to stick with the factory spec..

except for the body color.. Ive decided to use dupli-color toyota super white II because that's the color of my real car..:)

Mine's gonna be Cranberry Red Metallic. I found a pic of a TR in this color and loved it. I'm gonna spray it tonight. Can't wait to see how yours turns out.
The BMF tip worked great too! Thanks!

This is exactly the way I painted the wheels on my Testarossa- but if you'd asked before, I probably could have saved you a bit of effort in scrounging for masking solution! :rolleyes:

A very similar masking solution can be made by mixing plain white glue with just a touch of dishwashing detergent, and then adding a drop or two of food coloring. Apply, let dry, paint. Again, don't expect to cut it with a knife, but when it's wet, it's easy to manipulate- if you slop a bit where you don't want it, wipe it away with the tip of a toothpick. The coloring makes it easy to see when dry.

Your painted rims look spot on. Ferrari wheels are nearly always brushed aluminum (or magnesium alloy!)- so all chrome wheels tend to look goofy and toylike. But the chromed center makes for a lovely contrast. A light wash of black on the wheel nut makes it stand out a bit more (and not look like a one piece casting on the wheel center), and helps emphasise the gap between the chrome/brushed aluminum parts.

Lookin good!

looks great!