Stalled Project: Tamiya Honda NSX

Sorry, guys. I just need to vent.

I explained before about how I screwed up the paint job on the body of my NSX, and how I subsequently stripped all the paint to start over.

So far I put one thin coat of primer on, and have stalled out completely. :( It's so hard to motivate myself to continue right now. I want to work on it, but I just have a block against it.

I changed my screen saver tonight. Instead of scrolling thru all the pics of cars on my computer, I set it to just show me NSXs. Maybe that'll help.

Maybe I need some words of encouragement, but I really think I need a good kick in the ass. How 'bout it, guys? :devil:


EDIT: NSX is now finished. See pics here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=117072&t=3540#post117072).

aww.. don't worry.. we all get those days...

this one time i had to take off crapy paint jobs, and the chemical ended up talking part of my hand made putty modifications off as well.. now that's a big kick in the A** :mad: I was so pissed off...

but after repainting hmm.. 2-3 times.. it turned out PERFECT :D

BUT (the key word is)... i made a terrible mistake of giving that model to my (then was) girl friend.. and she ended up crashing the dam thing... :devil: now that's a BIGGER kick in the A**

here are some pictures of what its' left of my poor Civic...

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/038/qI/h9/J3/xb48267.jpg
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/029/qv/c5/Hn/oB59112.jpg
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/030/4K/ss/VV/xc19350.jpg http://wsphotofews.excite.com/036/Je/WJ/Fq/oB98633.jpg

the worst part is... it's got some missing parts.. so i have to go buy another Civic kit later on if I ever get the patients to restore this poor baby. :(

Wow. :eek: At least the NSX hasn't exploded! Sorry. :(

I take it that's the Fujimi SiR kit? Looks remotely salvageable...

Where do you get your kits up there? Our poor snowboarder friend can't get an R34 for the life of him. :hehe: and he's in the U.S...

luckly we have a hobby shop opened by a Hong Kong family that imports all sorts of Japanese model kits.. I get a lot of it from there.. it's that or I order my kits from Hobby Japan.

yup.. that "was" the SiR kit.. it took me SOO long to make that body kit for it and i even found some Mugen wheels(from a Prelude Si-VTEC kit by Aioshima) to dress it up...

Jay....we all have those days where we want to throw the model on the floor and jump on it a few hundred times.

If i'm getting really pissed at a model its best just to have a break and do something on the kit you know is easy and you can do well.

Or......just have a complete break and leave it for a few days.

Go down to your model store and have a look at all the kits that are done by other people. Our model shop here has heaps on display. After looking at them i cant wait to get home and get my kit back out.

I have personally gotte alot better at painting. A ferrari testarossa I just finsihed is perfect, except for a few pieses of dust that got covered, and are no about3 or 4 little bumps in the roof. Too bad.

Do any of you have tips for installing the plastic glass???

Originally posted by Silver S2000
Our poor snowboarder friend can't get an R34 for the life of him. :hehe: and he's in the U.S... Jay, i finally got one, but its in hong kong so it will be here when i graduate from college. now that i got it i want and R32 & R33 to complete the set. i'm hard to please...:biggrin2:

Jay, i finally got one, but its in hong kong so it will be here when i graduate from college. now that i got it i want and R32 & R33 to complete the set. i'm hard to please...

Damn want-it-all winers:D

Originally posted by Chris


Damn want-it-all winers:D :D jk

Originally posted by snowboarder927
:D jk

HEY...THATS THE PROPERTY OF PRIMERA MAN/DVS AND CAN NOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION
:finger: :finger: :finger: ...j/k

Originally posted by primera man


HEY...THATS THE PROPERTY OF PRIMERA MAN/DVS AND CAN NOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION
:finger: :finger: :finger: ...j/k As the simpsons say, YOINK!:D

Originally posted by snowboarder927
Jay, i finally got one, but its in hong kong so it will be here when i graduate from college. now that i got it i want and R32 & R33 to complete the set. i'm hard to please...:biggrin2:

Oh blimey! If he don't want 1 hard to find kit, he now wants 3!!

I have the R33 finished! Just need a 32 now!
And if you want to get picky, hey also do the Skyline2000GT!

:right: If you two really wanted a Skyline, you'd get one of the new 1/12 scale kits Fujimi just released! :eek: That's about as much Skyline as anyone could need!!! :hehe:

Originally posted by Guiddy


Oh blimey! If he don't want 1 hard to find kit, he now wants 3!!

I have the R33 finished! Just need a 32 now!
And if you want to get picky, hey also do the Skyline2000GT! I can get them very easy, i found a hobby shop where i can order anything tamiya. its so cool. i'm going there tomorrow to get some black paint and polish.

Originally posted by snowboarder927
I can get them very easy, i found a hobby shop where i can order anything tamiya. its so cool. i'm going there tomorrow to get some black paint and polish. Say goodbye to ALL your money. ;)

Lol, that's what I was thinking :D:D

Ah, who needs money:D

I NEED MONEY TO BUY MORE KITS :p :p

Progress has finally resumed on the NSX. *yay!!* :D

First, let me acquaint any newcomers to the single most important tool in the hobby... The super-high-tech hanger thingy:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/502898hanger.jpg

Absolutly essential!!! Send $5 to jay@af c/o AutomotiveForums.com today for your step-by-step instructions to build your own! :lol2:

Well, here's a blurry NSX in its primer on the rig:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/983731NSXprimeronrig.jpg

And, a few days later, the red NSX on the rig:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/932165NSXredonrig.jpg

None of this would be possible without the rig! :cool:

Here's a mock up (no interior) in front of a familiar automotive peer:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/700505NSXmockup.jpg
Damn blurry camera!!! :mad:


:D

There are absolutely no metal hangers in this house. It sucks. I'm using finished toilet paper rolls, they work quite well, actually.

Jay....Your cheque is in the mail :p :p

Originally posted by primera man
Jay....Your cheque is in the mail :p :p Money well spent on the most important tool, ever. :D

I use a 4-pot flower holder, it works ok. I will use the hanger, though, so I can spray the botton of the car better:)

As I post, my NSX is all masked up, this time with Tamiya 18mm tape. :D I've already sprayed a light coat of clear over the top to seal the edges of the mask, so that no paint will sneak underneath... The black paint is already thinned out and waiting in the airbrush jar to go on next...

:)

Keep us posted dude

SUCCESS!!!!

The roof of my RED NSX is now BLACK. :D :D :D :D :D It' turned out so good!!!! Tamiya tape only for me now!!! :eek: :)

I'm waiting for it to cure, and later tonight I'll start the clear coats. :) I took some pics. It'll be a while before they're developed, though. ;)

In the meantime, I cleaned up the tires and sprayed them and the wheels with clear coat. That'll help seal-on the "H" emblems and keep the chrome from rubbing off. I actually painted over the wheels with my gloss aluminum spray a while back to dull them a bit. At the same time today, I'm touching up the wheels from my MR2.

Originally posted by jay@af
[

In the meantime, I cleaned up the tires and sprayed them and the wheels with clear coat.

How do they turn out...never heard of that before

Actually, it was something that pkw1 suggested.

I was going to clear coat the wheels anyway, to knock down the shine of the chrome a bit, and to seal the logo decals to the center caps.

It actually turned out really good. Nice and shiney. I only did the outer sidewalls, though.

Ah! Good for you! You know we are always right!:D

Originally posted by Guiddy
Ah! Good for you! You know we are always right!:D Yes. This is true. :D

I have got to get some Tamiya stuff. Just right now I have very little time for a modelling. Good to hear it worked out, though:licker:

Thanks. Clear coating has been delayed while I paint some trim detail, and foil the backs of the lights.

Painting this back grill thing is proving troublesome. Probably as hard as drawing it, eh Twist? ;)
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/455599NSXrear.jpg
I'm glad I had this pic of it, though.

I don't remember where I mentioned it before, but the left A-pillar snaped on the NSX when I was taking off the paint the first time around.

Last night, while I was polishing the roof, the pillar snapped again. :( :mad: :( :mad: :( :mad: :( :mad:

So, needless to say, that put the polishing on hold again, while the break is mended. I'm not sure I'll polish the roof much more than it already is...

I had a question about the Tamiya wax, though. It seems that my polishing is only going so far. Is that where the wax comes in? I haven't found any yet, but if it's the missing link, I'll be sure to acquire some. :devil:

The wax gives that nice clean/shine after the polish.
I just use the rubbing compound 2-3 times over the whole model then the wax.
It does not leave the white powder that polishers do and is very easy to put on and polish off.

Excellent on decals to get rid of the water makes and on windows also.

I checked for the wax today, but my store was out. :( They said they normally carry it, so I'll have to wait for them to get more.

I bought other supplies today, including Tamiya putty and Gunze Mr. Surfacer 500 to begin my adventures in sculpting. :D I'll be closely reviewing pkw1's threads soon. ;)

Okay, I think I've polished as far as I can. Color is coming off on the cloth, and I don't want to take too much. The finish isn't perfect, but it's way better than I've done before. I'll just have to put more paint (or clear coat) on in the future. I've got one other kind of polish to try, but I think that's it...

Then I just gotta slap all the rest of the details on and take some pics. :flash: Almost there... :D :D :D

Looking forward to some pics. Our model shop has that model and the silver one in stock at the moment and i'm wondering if i should buy one or wait to the Opel comes out.

Originally posted by primera man
Our model shop has that model and the silver one in stock at the moment and i'm wondering if i should buy one or wait to the Opel comes out. I know your anxious to get your hands on the Opel DTM car, but I have to say this kit is great, especially for the mold being nearly 10 years old. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I love the subject. :D

By the silver one, do you mean the NSX Type R?
http://www.hlj.com/images/tam/tam24126box.gif
I have this kit, too. I picked it up from HLJ when it got re-released. It's even better. Better wheels, cool interior details, and the engine cover has a mesh screen instead of solid like the base kit. :D Very nice!

Originally posted by jay@af

By the silver one, do you mean the NSX Type R?


Yep, thats the one....looks very nice

hehehe :D


i also have a RC kit from TAMIYA and guess what is an acura NSX too, but my car is the Castrol-Mugen NSX is black/orange


just like this one....

the only problem, is not nitro thats why i got an hpi supernitro RS4 kit, and i have a yellow lambo w. it :D and this shit flies

Originally posted by DavidG
hehehe :D

i also have a RC kit from TAMIYA and guess what is an acura NSX too, but my car is the Castrol-Mugen NSX is black/orangeCool, man. I've got a plastic kit of the same car. :D Don't forget to check out our Remote Control Cars (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/f698/) forum, too. :)

Here's my home-stretch almost-there to-do list for the NSX... :flash:

Paint engine cover flat black
Paint coolant tank white
Paint taillights. :rolleyes: Stupid clear red looks pink! :mad: :hehe:
Paint side markers orange
Paint lettering on valve cover silver (Honda logo and "DOHC VTEC")
Attach windows, side mirrors, head and taillights, spoiler and side scoop intakes
One Honda logo decal on the back *
Make license plates. :angryfire
Attach body to chassis

Take pictures. :D

I borrowed my dad's real SRL camera with manual settings, so I can force it into focus. :) Better than my dumb auto-focus-on-the-background camera. :rolleyes:

Should be all done by Thursday. Don't know when I'll get the pics, though... ;)

* I'm holding off as far as putting the front Honda emblem on the car to see if I'll be able to pirate one of the slick metal emblems from the S2000 kit. :D We'll see...

An odd note: The front edge of the windshield/beck edge of hood has a huge gap, but with a huge overlap. I guess that's accurate for the fitment so the wipers can hide under the cowl, but I think I can peek through... :( It'll be okay. The rest is lookin' good...

What's still left:

Paint engine cover flat black
One Honda logo decal on the back
Make license plates. :angryfire
Attach body to chassis

Take pictures. :D

:D The NSX is complete. :D

Taking pictures tomorrow, along with some better pics of my Skyline and newly repaired MR2. :)

Don't know when I'll get them online, though... :rolleyes:

Cool!

Get a move on with those pictures!!!:D

We shall be waiting....lol

It even has license plates, the bane of my existence! :right: And the MR2 got it's rear plate, too.

Oh, I'm so proud. :flash: It's not perfect, but it's better than the last by leaps and bounds. :)

The polishing had to stop too soon. More clear coat next time!

Another bug is the larger of the wiper blades doesn't lie flat, but I may work that out later...

Wish me sucessful photography! :coolguy: :wave:

You and me both buddy!
I have sunshine here! Gotta charge the batteries though!

I love modeling, but I'm beginning to hate photography!

I took a full roll of film on this car, and I have 4 useful pics. :( The rest are all messed up bacause I don't understand what to do with the aperature and shutter speed. :confused: They all have one part of the car in focus, and the other end blurry! D'oh!

Oh, well, here are the good ones:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/191983NSX001.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/387261NSX002.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/224442NSX003.jpg
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/679104NSX004.jpg

I decided (too late) that I don't like the blue windshield shade thing. Oh, well. I also included a shot of the somewhat spartan engine bay. I want to dress up the NSX-R's engine a bit more with the wiring and whatnot.

Looks like Honda messed up with their measurements and made the bonnet prop rod way too long :D:D

Congrots on finishing it, looks good!

Originally posted by Heep
Looks like Honda messed up with their measurements and made the bonnet prop rod way too long :D:D

Congrots on finishing it, looks good! Thanks.

I don't really think you're supposed to chuck the engine cover on the ground beside the car, either. :hehe:

hey, looks good man.... I dont' even know when I'm going to start on my NSX kit.. :D

Originally posted by pkw1
hey, looks good man.... I dont' even know when I'm going to start on my NSX kit.. :D Which kit is it?

BTW guys, like my new avatar? ;) Somewhat like yours, pkw1! :p

Hey, hey. Looking good. Too bad the pics didn't turn out too great. :( I'd like to seem the detail better. :D

BTW check out how to put your camera into a macro mode. That's how you take the really close detail shots.

Originally posted by G-Forces
Hey, hey. Looking good. Too bad the pics didn't turn out too great. :( I'd like to seem the detail better. :D

BTW check out how to put your camera into a macro mode. That's how you take the really close detail shots. No luck. It's a standard film SLR camera. I'll try again and do half the roll with the auto-focus, and the other half trying out all the different aperature/shutter speed combinations. I really just need a digital camera. :rolleyes: That way, when the pics is bad, I know so, delete it, and take it again.

I used 200 speed film. Does that matter? What settings do you guys use? :( :confused:

The film speed wont matter for still pics. Still, looking good.

Jay, if you have SLR you have better gear than most budget digital cameras
For macro-shots try big zoom (telephoto) lens. Use not less than
400 film for indoor shots and poor light conditions.
p.s.I use Nikon N65 with standard 20-80mm zoom lens.
Sorry for offtopic

Thanks. That's what this thread is about:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t7682.html

Nice work Jay....shame about the pics though.

Nice looking kit to add to the collection

Another general tip I discovered while working on this... My wife has a set of "gel pens" she uses to write on black paper and for invitations and thank-you notes and stuff. I stole the silver one to do the door and trunk locks, and it worked great. They're ball-point, so I just put the tip in the keyhole and twisted it until it was full of ink, then let it dry. Works good! :D

Nice tip Jay.