In-progress: Fujimi Lancer Evolution IX GSR

hi all,
I been hanging around this forum for quite a while already. This time round, i wish to share my project on the forum. It is a Fujimi lancer evo IX. This should keep me busy for the upcoming school hoilday. oh yea, this will be my second time attempting on a model kit, pretty much a freshman. The First kit i started was an AE86. i have finished the priming job on the evo. o well, heres the pics. I hope i can hear some views and opinions. Any advices are much appreciated too. thanks

My first project
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/4033/dsc02278medium7ob.th.jpg (http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02278medium7ob.jpg)

This is the box art for the kit: http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ03647
Before priming
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8337/dsc02317medium0gh.th.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02317medium0gh.jpg)
After priming
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2486/primingjobsmall7qh.th.jpg (http://img107.imageshack.us/my.php?image=primingjobsmall7qh.jpg)

i have just finished painting the disc brakes, here they r, hope u all like it. Any comments?

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g49/joel4559/DSC02334Medium.jpg

doin okay :D

hope to see the finished kit soon.

looks good man! keep it up! :)
one thing though, about the AE86, if you use some masking tape around the trim pieces, you will get a much cleaner line. :)

oh ok, i did use masking tape on the 86. But is there a better way to trim the masking tape? Do u stick the tape on the body, then u cut it with a pen knife, cause tats wat i did, but the painting came out not too neat. Thanks for the comments

today, I have just done the paint job. Painted in Gunmetal (TS-38). haha, i didn't know it will turn out so metallic. It takes about a week for everything to dry up rite? o well, here r the pics. Any comments are appreciated.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g49/joel4559/Afterpainting2Medium.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g49/joel4559/afterpaintingMedium.jpg
I was thinking matt black rims will look nice with tis body. oh yea, wat colour would come close to carbon fibre materials?

i had also finished the base. Heres the pic
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g49/joel4559/BaseMedium.jpg
any idea how to weather them?

PS: Thanks for all the replies. Really keeps my momentum going

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t56889.html

It is most important that you use a sharp blade to cut the masking with. The blades are cheap, and I have one knife handle with a brand new blade just for cutting masking tape and decals. When the blade is too dull for that, it's still sharp enough for other work, so I transfer it to another knife handle. If you can find them, buy a box of 100 blades, it is much cheaper that way.

The right tape is important too, Tamiya's tape is excellent.

oic, thanks for the advice. i will take note of that. I just bought an art knife. would tat do the job? (till now i feel the knife had helped me a lot as compared to when i attempted the first kit)

nice job and welcome.... im also a newbie learning from the senior modellers and they're all great! read and learn a lot from them!

What do you mean by 'art knife'?

The most common types of blades we use are called #11 blades, like these:
http://image.misterart.com/grouppix/528x352/1000/g1581.jpg

http://www.etchworld.com/media/images/product_detail/85-2108_l.jpg

There are many types of handles, I have one like that and also a chunkier plastic one from Olfa which I like a lot. Most art stores should carry these knives and blades. I have also found a good selection in craft stores.

gunmetal looks great on this car. i think black (or dark) wheels would look awesome.
keep it up! :)

The knife i am talking about is something like that. I am glad that there are positive remarks on the paint job.:)

nice paintjob on the body. clearcoat oughtta make it deep :D

The knife i am talking about is something like that. I am glad that there are positive remarks on the paint job.:)

Then it should be fine. The most important thing when trimming masking or decals is to use sharp blades. For a relatively low cost (under 20 cents a blade if you get the big pack) it makes a huge difference in how many headaches you get later on.