In progress Merc - SLK

Very early stages of my new build. Still got a lot to complete, but this is a preview of what I'm currently working on.

Tamiya Merc SLK. Nice easy build, got the kit of ebay very cheap.. £3.20 in fact..!! TS-17 with TS-13 clear. Underside still needs another coat. All parts are only test fitted, nothing fixed down yet.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5070055-med.JPG

Body needs a polish

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5090062f_1_-med.JPG

First stages of small parts work. I'm aiming to airbrush or spray can the whole model, nothing other then small details will be brush painted. The way I want to build all my models, so this is my first attempt. Hence why I'm using a cheap kit.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5090065f-med.JPG

First test fit. All a bit silver really, but I have washed the exhaust with black painted that was thinned down, and then dry brushed. Still got to paint the back box in with a mix of silver and orange.

Pleased with the front badge. Painted by hand, and very slow going it was as well.

Overall, simple build and I'm enjoying it.. Totally OOB..!! Nothing compilcated. Give me another three or more weeks it will be done. I work VERY slow..!!

Nice work so far! TS-17 is nice color for this model! Maybe you should try bronze paint for back box, because silver - orange mix did not turn out nice on my models. But thats just my 2 cents...

[QUOTE=KTem]Nice work so far! TS-17 is nice color for this model!..QUOTE]

I agree, color suites this car perfectly. Nice job on finding a good deal on this kit. Im looking foward to to seeing the front badge. Keep up the good work :)

Looks good so far! Hope to see more progress :)

rock and roll! you are not only fast but very precise.
Great start. BTW what happened to the Nismo Skyline?

rock and roll! you are not only fast but very precise.
Great start. BTW what happened to the Nismo Skyline?

Thanks, and thanks to all for the replies. I too thought silver was a superb choice of colour for this car. The silver was my first silver paint job, but as I mentioned, this is a - "see what I can do" build, more then anything.. Just hope I can complete it..!!

As for the skyline - erm..!! It's on hold. I got some resin NISMO Parts, and I wasn't too sure on how to prepare the resin parts.. I also messed up the body pretty bad, but not just once - twice. I've got two skyline kits, and both have botched up bodies..!! So it's on hold.. It was going to be my forth build, but the merc is now the forth..!!

I've got a resin kit in "slow mode" at the moment ;)
I prepared it by block sanding, scrubbing it in soapy water and then grey primer to check for more fixes. and then repeat etc etc

What hapened to the bodies??!! did you melt them like my dash so that they are beyond salvage?

I've got a resin kit in "slow mode" at the moment ;)
I prepared it by block sanding, scrubbing it in soapy water and then grey primer to check for more fixes. and then repeat etc etc

What hapened to the bodies??!! did you melt them like my dash so that they are beyond salvage?

I cut the hood off one, ready to put a new resin hood on, but messed up the resin hood... no problem, get the new body out, but then the glue melted the bumper joins and put holes in the body. Put some putty in the holes, filled the holes - as well as the panel lines.. So, that was it, on hold until I get a bit better to fix the mistakes..!! It was a valid effort, sadly my skills were lacking.. And I've just seen that Tamiya are releasing a NISMO R TUNE, so might just buy this instead..

.. And I've just seen that Tamiya are releasing a NISMO R TUNE, so might just buy this instead..

Addicted already, huh?!?!?! :) ;) ;) me too :grinno:

Im looking foward to to seeing the front badge. Keep up the good work :)

I've now polished the body, course compound took the dust out of the clear I managed to somehow get into the final coats.. It left a few dark marks in a few places - you can't see them at all, unless you REALLY look for them, and the left door panel that I thought might need a touchup isn't bad, and polished up REALLY nice.

Done the panel lines, need to paint the window trim and the bottom of the car semi gloss black. Will do that tomorrow..

And, just for you SidewaysS15, the front badge -

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5120063-med.JPG

Now - bad news. My dog, bless her thought my workbench needed some attention, and she decided to jump up and grab a plastic bag.. Problem was this bag was all the clear parts. She has, and I didn't see he do it, eaten the front of the bag, and also eaten, and smashed to pieces the front lights.. She is only a 4 month old puppy - but she's big enough now to jump upto tables and grab stuff.. so my fault, but I will need to replace them to complete this build.. Oh well..

Some updates - not really some of my best work. Not really that happy with some aspects. Rear lights are not that good. I need to clean them up a bit, underside details look a bit amateurish. I’ve washed the brake disc’s to make them look a bit more realistic, and they now just look dirty, and my masking work really is bad. I'll get better.

Still have a look, and if anyone has comments, let me know as I'm still learning.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5140074-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5140076-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5140079-med.JPG

Thanks for looking..

i don't know what you're griping about! :) looks good from here - the discs look as if you really went to town on detail painting them also the floorpan looks nicey detailed too (a bit too much silver for me, but I guess that's the way Merc made 'em). i've found that the cruellest critic of a model (after me) is a macro CU on my digicam - I mean, that takes something the size of matchstick and blows it up to fill your PC screen!!! - if it looks OK there, then it 4 sure is OK in rael life :)

[edit] PS bad news about the clear parts, I hope the puppy is OK!!!! ;) didn't you buy 2 of these or did she eat 'em all??

[edit] PS bad news about the clear parts, I hope the puppy is OK!!!! ;) didn't you buy 2 of these or did she eat 'em all??

Puppy is fine. I'm bidding on another kit at the moment that's on ebay. I didn't get two of this kit, as it was meant to be another "test" paint job. My porsche boxster was a "test" paint job, and I ended up completing it, but I brought two - I tend to buy two kits sometime. My first kit was a 360 Modena, I've got another one in the cupboard.. Not even been touched.. I've got a lot of spare skyine parts now..!! :shakehead

This was meant to be another cheap purchase to practice silver and clear painting.. I "might" actually complete this one as well.. I'm now having a "real" good go at panel lines and blackwashing parts..

I like the "weathering you are doing"
I'm into my 6th kit now and just started looking at washes (and dry brushing now after your help today!).
The exhaust looks really good, basically the whole floorpan looks great!
I'm struggling with the enthusiasm to really detail parts that you can't see on the shelf!
Poor attitude I know!

Very realistic!

I like the "weathering you are doing"
I'm into my 6th kit now and just started looking at washes (and dry brushing now after your help today!).
The exhaust looks really good, basically the whole floorpan looks great!
I'm struggling with the enthusiasm to really detail parts that you can't see on the shelf!
Poor attitude I know!


I know what you mean.. The above is already two weeks work. After this is done, if I keep going, and nothng goes wrong - I hope.. This makes it a three - four week build. I cleared the body 15 minutes after the final coat of silver to cut down on time, and the under surface has taken ages..

It's not that I'm upset with my work, it's just that when I compare to others on this site, their washes look more convincing then mine. I'll get better, and I've got to start getting panel lines and washes right, or I'll never build models to the same standard as some of the guys on this forum..

As I say, not the best, but I'm learning..!!

I know what you mean.. when I compare to others on this site, their washes look more convincing then mine.

I'm with you guys on the wash issue! :) goddam it's frustrating - either you can't see it or it mucks up the otherwise good paint job ...gasp!!!!!!

Panel lines also scare me - I just can't figure out how to get the damn stuff to travel ALL the way down without putting blotches along the line and still look dark after it dries :mad:

uff - glad to get that off my chest ;)

Some more progress. Making good progress with this one, been off work all week as I'm currently on holiday.

Done all the black trim work, bloody sod to mask off, but it's done. Also done the windscreen, just how hard is this to mask off without the tamiya mask templates. Added some details to the body. Need to now apply metal transfers and decals, place the wheels on, need to find a single headlight - found the other one the dog had in the garden - how lucky was that..!! and finish the interior.

Progress pics -

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5160114-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5160117-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5160122-med.JPG

Again, thanks for looking, comments welcome.

comin' along nicley there!
did you paint black around the front headlight trim?
If you've got some BMF, use that to mask off on the window trims - I did on the boxster and it worked a dream! I won't use your thread to say more, but if your'e interested in my experience PM me and i'll tell you more.
thumbsup

Another update. The interior is all mocked up at the moment, need to complete the dash, and floor pan. Might try and flock the floor pan, not sure yet. Seats and door insides done, as is the body, and the underside.

Just need one more light, on it's way from Tamiya spares in the end, didn't win the ebay auction

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5170137-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5170140-med.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/283591P5170141-med.JPG

comin' along nicley there!
did you paint black around the front headlight trim?
If you've got some BMF, use that to mask off on the window trims - I did on the boxster and it worked a dream! I won't use your thread to say more, but if your'e interested in my experience PM me and i'll tell you more.
thumbsup

Yeah, I painted black ink around the edge.. Thought it might look good, but it took a long time.. I also ran some thinned ink down the middle of the light to split the indicator and front main beem apart.. Not a bad line actaully..

really clean! nice one, cyril!
looks kind of funny with the one "glass eye" :) hope Tamiya don't keep you waiting too long...

really clean! nice one, cyril!
looks kind of funny with the one "glass eye" :) hope Tamiya don't keep you waiting too long...

The model is now completed, and posted in the completed section of this forum. I've not got the new replacement parts from tamiya yet, but I should get them in the next week or two.

Next project - Honda S2000 in camel yellow, black interior and I'm going to attempt a pearl clear coat paint job..