Progress - Modena 360 Build

This is my Modena 360 build. Been working on this now for nearly three weeks, and is my first build in 15 years, so please be gentle..!!

http://img138.exs.cx/img138/9568/modena59dg.jpg

The body will be sprayed Tamiya TS-8 Red, but due to it being sooo cold here at the moment, and no heater for my garage (it broke) I will not progress much further, as I need to re-spray the dashboard and finishing airbrushing a few small parts. Again due to the cold conditions it's now on hold until I get heat again in the garage.

Thank you for looking, and please give feedback, even if you see a mistake. I need to learn.

looks good, more close up pics would give it justice, nice start!

Why being gentle ? Everything look good to me. ! :D

could we have closeup ?

Looks like you've made good progress. Keep it up!

Close up of engine -

http://img128.exs.cx/img128/9117/modenaengine9lt.jpg

Did try and get a close up of the interior - but camera battery flash has just gone, so no picture just yet..!!

Looks great considering you've been out of action for so long !!!

Mike :sunglasse

looks great so far, no need to worry about being gentle, just hope my 360 comes out that well :D

Looks great! If this is your first in 15 years, it looks like you stepped right back into it.

Your detail painting looks very good. One thing that would the engine and brakes look spectacular would be to apply a dark colored wash over them. Many people use thinned Tamiya Smoke, I personally like artisit's oils (black and burnt umber) thinned with synthetic turpentine (I think they're easier to adjust, as they don't dry quite as fast). You mix the paint and thinner until you have a dark, watery mix that will flow eaily. Apply this to the engine and brakes with a pointed brush, and allow it to flow into corners and crevices. Then, wipe up any excess with a bit of paper towel, leaving it collected in low areas and corners. This simulates shadows that your eye expects to see in full size components. For instance, any bolt heads or fins molded on the engine block will stand out, and the drill holes on the brake rotors will be little dark spots, instead of little light ones. Many mechanical components on car models benefit very well from washes, but it's particularly impresive on anything painted silver.

Looks great! If this is your first in 15 years, it looks like you stepped right back into it.

Your detail painting looks very good. One thing that would the engine and brakes look spectacular would be to apply a dark colored wash over them. Many people use thinned Tamiya Smoke, I personally like artisit's oils (black and burnt umber) thinned with synthetic turpentine (I think they're easier to adjust, as they don't dry quite as fast). You mix the paint and thinner until you have a dark, watery mix that will flow eaily. Apply this to the engine and brakes with a pointed brush, and allow it to flow into corners and crevices. Then, wipe up any excess with a bit of paper towel, leaving it collected in low areas and corners. This simulates shadows that your eye expects to see in full size components. For instance, any bolt heads or fins molded on the engine block will stand out, and the drill holes on the brake rotors will be little dark spots, instead of little light ones. Many mechanical components on car models benefit very well from washes, but it's particularly impresive on anything painted silver.

I read how to do wash details, and I wanted to do this with the seats and engine block, but being new (well out of action for so long) my first attempts on some scrap went a little wrong. But now you have explained some more I think I get the idea. I just place the tip of the brush at the start of the recess and the paint flows from the brush and around the detail giving a shadow look?

It would take the TOY look away, as I placed the engine onto the underbody (Dry fit) and it looked new, too new. Even new cars do not have bright silver engine blocks, and the shadow effect would make it look super cool..

I'll give it another go, but I feel this build might be a little late now.. But I'm learning.

Thanks all for the comments, inspires me to continue. I get a new heater tomorrow so will be spraying the body with TS-8. OK, boring colour but I'm playing safe here.. I want to finish my first car, not bin it..!!

looks like a promising build, everything looks clean

Sprayed the body TS-8 and even though this picture doesn't show it, it' does look a little better viewed by eye, and not by the picture.

Still have a look, it's my first spray using TS can -

http://img136.exs.cx/img136/9339/modenabody1dd.jpg

Awesome Engine, Wish I could paint this good.

Good progress so far.

JeFF

OK, being a newbie I've finished the spray work and now need to wait 5 days for the TS spray to dry and then I can polish the paint.

Do I appy a clear coat after polish or before polish? sorry confused..

This is my car body and hood now, the rear hood is only half painted, as the other half will be semi gloss black. I just hope I get the window trim masked and painted OK, as it would be a shame to ruin it due to stuffing the window trim up.. :rolleyes:

http://img110.exs.cx/img110/391/modenabody1xe.jpg

Definately apply your clear coat before polishing the body (if you want to clear coat it - it looks pretty shiny as is).

You might like to check out these tutes Here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=89313), Here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?postid=657722#post657722) and Here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t14192.html)

I got all of these from the How-To depository and FAQs in the Car Modelling section.

Good luck with your masking (you'll find heaps of tips in the How-To section as well) :thumbsup:

Did some more tonight.. Getting lots of parts in the box now. Need to leave the body for another 10 - 14 days and then I can polish it, if my tamiya compound gets here from HLJ..

Also sprayed the rear window, but the mask supplied by Tamiya leaked.. Grrrr...!! I applied that really well and pushed down hard, almost bending the plastic and it still leaked.. Must be my airbrush pushing to much paint out and forcing the paint underneath the tape.. Thankfully not done the other windows yet, so not all lost yet.!!

Happy with the underbody, as it has a slight orange peel that makes it look like smooth underseal.. Camera doesn't do it any justice really. I need to learn how to take decent pictures..!!

http://img89.exs.cx/img89/9980/modena10bg.jpg

Not going to apply a clear coat to the body.. It's really shinny already, and very little orange peel. There is some, but not a lot.

http://img89.exs.cx/img89/3308/modena20wm.jpg

I'm getting there, but I've made a few mistakes, but I'm learning..!! And most of what I'm doing here is thanks to the help on thiis forum..

Look fine to me ! Only engine hatch look to need more paint.

No clear coat needed. In Fact, Pman (one of the great modeller here) never use clear coat with Tamiya TS paint, and always have great result..

Do you mean the enginer hood, as the top half will be semi gloss black, and the engine bay wheel arches will be black, and then the inside engine surround will cover the rest up.

I agree with you about the clear coat. I won't bother.

Here is the progress so far. Fitted the engine, done the underbody, fitted the cockpit onto the underbody, started the dashboard and done nearly all the small parts, plus the dreaded clear windows.

OK - I hated the Window masking off job. It was not a nice job, and I've messed them a little, but they will do. It's my fist time EVER masking windows off. I used to skip them before, but not this time. I overcome the fear and had a go..!!

Here are some pics. Many thanks for looking.

http://img164.exs.cx/img164/305/modena17rl.jpg

http://img164.exs.cx/img164/8785/modena27go.jpg

http://img164.exs.cx/img164/4972/modena39eb.jpg

For someone who's been out of business for 15 years: I say.
Thumbs up! You've really done some excellent work!

Looks great - I'm currently building a 360 spider as my second model in 15 years.

I'm assuming yours is the tamiya version?

Did you mix the paint for the interior according to the instructions? I did and painted mine two days ago but really don't like the colour.

Also, the spider has backs to the seats but yours does not appear to - strange.

Lovely build though - engine looks better than mine!
I also liked those tips about colour washes and will try that in future!

Thanks for the comments.

Lurchio, I mixed 6 parts flat flesh, 1 x orange, and TBH, it is a little bright. It looks semi gloss due to the gloss orange, but I'm sure it will look OK when I get the body on..!! I hope.

TBH the car is full of mistakes. I broke the clear plastic undercarriage, I messed up the masking for the side windows, the body has a small dark area where there wasn't enough primer, I lost a wheel decal, and I got a massive glue build up for the engine mount at the rear.

I also didn't spray the seats or the cockpit, as I wasn't able to use an airbrush until 2 weeks ago. Now I've managed to spray nearly every thing else, and paint the small details. That's why the dashboard isn't done, as I had to strip that and start again.

Thankfully, I've managed to hide, fix or patch up these faults. Apart from the decal, but I hope to get a new decal soon.

As for the seats, I should have added backs, but I didn't and they do look pretty toy like.

But I've learnt so much from building this model.

looks great, haven't lost your touch, i want to see this one done!

Thanks for the comments.

Lurchio, I mixed 6 parts flat flesh, 1 x orange, and TBH, it is a little bright. It looks semi gloss due to the gloss orange, but I'm sure it will look OK when I get the body on..!! I hope.

.

That's the tamiya mix that I did - I wasn't to keen so I'm going to try and soften it with a lighter mix but hopefully retaining some of the oorangey colour as a basecoat.

Also - considering you think you've made mistakes it still looks pretty good in the photos to me!

It's comming together nicely, and the red is real shiny!

Thanks everyone. Some great comments coming from you all, and I really am grateful for all these wonderful remarks.

I've done the dashboard, apart from the radio controls, might do them if I can learn to use a toothpick to put paint on. I even managed to put the dash decals on without messing any of them up. I'm happy with that..!!

I just wish my utlra fine compound and tamiya wax from HLJ.com would arrive, mind you I've got another 5 days to let the body harden yet, so perhaps a good thing, but once I get the body polished I can then fit this car together.. Getting closer and closer..!!

Here is the latest picture.. Thanks all..!!

http://img140.exs.cx/img140/4383/modena40zd.jpg