"WIP" Nismo R34 GT-R (Z-Tune)

Well Peoples!

I am Michael, a 29 year old who has been ordered to find a hobby before my stress kills me!

This is my first attempt at a real Model, i have played with them 15-20 years ago but nothing like what i have been seeing on these boards! With the help of the forums thus far i have gone out and purchased what i think to be a good starter kit, and most if not too much of the supplies i need :D.

I have setup my workspace as shown below as well as my supplies. If anyone can think of anything i am missing please let me know, i hope to with in the next day or so have some sort of an update of the model.:grinyes:

Please check out pictures.



http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/product.jpg
http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/table.jpg

And the model,

Was kind of surprised when there really are not alot of parts for assmebly.

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/model.jpg

do you have clippers?

Welcome to a lifelong hobby that's hard to quit. I reccomend you go to a Hardware Store and get some 320,400 and 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper they work better than those Testor's sanding films sold at Hobby Shops. I f you are in the USA go to Wal-Mart or K-mart's Automotive section and buy some 1000,1500 and 200 grit sandpaper. If using Tamiya's Sprays buy some of their Polishes for polishing the final coat of paint when dry. You can clean brushes in Nail Polish remover or better yet keep a jar with Laquer Thinner handy for brush cleaning. Tamiya's Acrylics in the jar can be cleaned up with Ammonia. Get some toothpicks for applying glue and small dots of paint. Get some Q-Tips for clean up of small areas. Use A good liquid glue for Joining body parts, they dry faster and sometimes thicker glue can actually keep plastic soft and cause problems long after a model is finished. Thicker glue is good for things like joining engine halves together. I would avoid the glue in the orange tubes the Testor's in th black bottle is good stuff, it's thicker thsn liquid but thinner than tube glues. Test fit parts before painting anything(even more important on kits by other than Tamiya).DO NOT USE MODEL GLUES OR SUPER GLUE ON CLEAR PARTS! Always use White PVA(clear drying)type glues on clear parts, excess can be cleaned with a damp Q-Tip or tissue without harming paint or clear part.White glues can also be used for under decals that do not stick well.

No clippers yet could not find any.

I did pick up many different types of glues including the testors "Clear parts cement" and the Humbrol "Precision Poly" for body parts.

I did pick up the Surface primer, and the Yamiya clear coat for the finished product.

And don't forget the sanding sticks. You can find these at your local hobby shop or beauty shop. They are sand papers with a flexible foam and plastic core. They are quite handy.

I noticed the MasterMask on your desk. I use this stuff and its great for masking oddly shaped objects that can't be masked with traditional tape. You can thin it with water. I use a wet toothpick and dip it into the stuff. The toothpick is then used to apply the mask onto the parts. It can also be used to make simple molds of raised badgework on the car.

Good Luck!

Not sure about the raised badge work or any other specialty stuff lol, I am going to be happy if i can get this done and have it still resemble a automobile :D

I really don't want people to have high expectations i have no idea what to expect myself.

Is that the Excel knife handle I spot on your desk? This is the same knife I use and love. I use it to chuck up drill bits, too, so that I have two pin vises.

Don't worry. I have destroyed my early models because I have advanced so much that they seem like a joke...however they weren't even painted, so you have a head start on me there! You WILL get better and better. It just takes practice, like any other hobby or talent, patience as has been emphasized, and the support and knowledge of others, which you will find here! Good luck and hope to see lots more of you as you continue this hobby. By the way congratulations on your upcoming child!

Alex

Alright,

Something going on :D

Well over the last hour, i have washed the kit - sanded down some imperfections and created this little paint jig for now to keep the paint contained.

Here is the shot of the jig using the good old wire hanger and a single coat of primer so far, in a few mins i will check it out and see if it needs more.

**** Question*****

This kit, Should i glue the bumper and front end onto the frame before the final coat? or just contiune painting all 3 peices seperate and then glue together?
http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/bodyprime.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/paintroom.jpg

I would have glued the front and rear body pieces to the main body before any priming was done. You could still do that by scraping of the paint where the pieces join and carefully apply glue. If it gets on painted areas just ley it dry overnight than sand the area and reprime. The modelwill be sturdier and there will be less chance of getting glue on a nicely painted body.

Haha. Your paint booth looks like mine! a Small Cardboard box in the basement. Good work so far!

nice job so far, but shouldn't this be in the Street section

Well i hit the "Canadian Tire" here in town for more goodies, got the sandpapers people suggested found they had some wet/dry 800 / 1000 and 2000 grit papers made by 3M. Grabbed a package of Tweezers then on the way out they had this Hobby knife set on sale for $3.99 regular price $19.99 so i grabbed it 3 different sized handles and 14 different types of blades so that should come in handy :D

Today the wife has asked that i move my spray painting to the garage due to the fumes she fears for the child to be. So i get to spend most of the day down there cleaning nad organizing to move my spray booth down.

Well,
Its very hard to be paient :( And well i think i might have screwed up the body as for some reason my second coat of paint when i looked at it this morning was all full of fluff not sure where it came from but it upset me i took the wet sanding to it and cleaned it up as much as i could and then put a new coat on it. I also tried the painting of the body lines as in one of the tutorials but i guess we will see how that turned out.

Anyway's the body is drying and i got some of the front end assembled and painted and have that to share for now.

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frontend2.jpg






http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frontend1.jpg

Some times i guess things should be left alone :( I decided instead of just paiting the interior black like i was going to i decided to try and do alittle extra detail. So i used the liquid mask and taped off the middle of the seats and then spray painted. This is the turn out, not great but i guess it could have been worse for my first time.

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/seats.jpg

Is the gray the kit plastic? If so, you can use your sandpaper (start rough and go finer and finer) to remove the paint that leaked onto the gray. I think it looks great for your first time! Better than some of my 30th and 40th tries at stuff!

Alex

Its actually the primer Gray, I liked the color and the flat texture of the primer. I guess i could sand it or brush over it with more primer.

*** Well I am going to strip the body***

Turns out i did not read enough of the FAQ's soon enough :D Painted my body and though i was doing it great, did two light coats of primer did a nice little sand job on it then 3 coats of pimary body paint managed to get my fingers into a couple of spots so when it dried i tried to sand it down and repaint and did not work so well, put a coat of clearcoat on hoping it would fix it and sure enough it looks like crapolia! So tomorrow i will go out nad pick up some soultion and let her soak for couple of days and restart, NOticed alot of crap set into the paint from leaving it air dry where i sprayed it.. So now i got a container to put it in while it drys keep it from the floating crap in the air.

Pictures below.

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/body3.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/body2.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/body1.jpg

The best thing to strip with, IN MY OPINION anyways, is oven cleaner. Yes it's nasty fumey stuff but take it outdoors, put it in a plastic tub, hose it down with oven cleaner, and wait A WEEK...at least for enamels; I don't know about Tam. lacquers. It will wipe off with water and a toothbrush. This will also remove putty and superglue but not liquid cement, so your parts remain glued.

Putting it in a container is a good plan, just make sure it has some airflow so that the paint can out-gas.

Alex

The best thing to strip with, IN MY OPINION anyways, is oven cleaner. Yes it's nasty fumey stuff but take it outdoors, put it in a plastic tub, hose it down with oven cleaner, and wait A WEEK...at least for enamels; I don't know about Tam. lacquers. It will wipe off with water and a toothbrush. This will also remove putty and superglue but not liquid cement, so your parts remain glued.

Putting it in a container is a good plan, just make sure it has some airflow so that the paint can out-gas.

Alex

It was suggested that the Tamiya paints can be just placed in rubbing alcohol over night and then just wipe it clean

Micheal.

I've ruined many a paint job, so don't stress it. It's all part of the learning process. For stripping I find Castrol Super Clean (CSC) is great. I've left a model soaking in CSC for almost 4 months ( I forgot it was there). It stripped the paint off, removed many of the glued components and brought the model back to the bare plastic. There was no damage to any of the parts the only thing it did do, was turn the original red to a slightly pinkish colour. Which since it was getting painted did matter.

I have never tried the 91% alcohol suggested by others but may in the future, but CSC is great. Just buy a plasitc container with a lid and let soak for a few days. Wash it off in the sink with dish soap and scrub with a tooth brush to clean away any of the flakes.

And try again. This is your first model, but it wont be your first screw up. I think I screw up atleast twice on every model I make. Good luck and hope to see the new paint job soon.

David

I guess the next question is, What do people think of the color, i am thinking maybe a cleaner color?

Well,

I got the under cariage done and assembled, I guess thus far i have put about 18 hours into the model and i am surprised how it makes me feel so relaxed :D

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frame5.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frame4.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frame3.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frame2.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/frame1.jpg

Nice chassis. I'm glad it's soothing for you to build models, sometimes I have a headache after building!

Hi Michael,

I think you have done an excellent job on the chassis,it really looks good and is very nicely painted.For the body the oven cleaner recommended earlier will not touch the Tamiya TS sprays,I have tried it before and it has no effect on them.What does work though and very well is the Isopropyl Alcohol that some one already suggested.Leave the body to soak in a container with an airtight lid and the next morning the paint will easily come off.You may also use an old toothbrush to agitate the paint and facilitate it's removal.
The liquid mask is maybe not the best thing for using on the seats.I think regular Tamiya (or other) masking tape will give you a much neater result and sharper edges than the liquid mask.
I actually think the colour you are using looks good on this model (just my opinion) When you paint the body again you could try hanging it upside down whilst it dries.This way no dust can land onto the painted side.I think the reaction you had on the boot lid is the result of using Tamiya TS clear.It is notorious for eating into decals and previously applied paint layers, especially on metallic finishes where it burns through the flakes if applied to heavily or too quickly.Using a gentler clear coat will alleviate this problem.

Micheal,

The chassis looks really good. One minor thing though, you have your front tires going in different directions. The tires have a set of small squares on one side of the tread pattern and larger ones on the other side. If you check your directions it shows that the small squares go to the inside of the rim.

But, your paint job looks very good thus far.

David

. . .I guess thus far i have put about 18 hours into the model and i am surprised how it makes me feel so relaxed :D


Wait till you start building revell kits!!
OH SNAP!:iceslolan

The skyline is comming along quite nicely!

Looking good so far. Your paint isn't bad for a first try, but if you want to try again, go for it! It's nice to see you not getting discouraged and if it's relaxing you, you're doing great! I think a lot of people here wish they got the same from the hobby! Can't wait to see more.

Michael - I build models also for relaxation - my work is extremely stressful, so I find that tinkering with small parts make me more relaxed.

As for ruining paintjobs - for every 1 good paint job I get I ruin 2-3 and I have been building off and on for about 15 years ;)

You're doing fine! :sunglasse

Wow, its really starting to take form :) Im following this thread as I plan to start my first model in a few years over the next few days. Hopefully we can learn a few things from each other.

I cant wait to see the final product :)

Well,

Stripped the paint job and replied it, I also decided to try and get a little wild by adding the strip and painting the bumper skirts, however i think it will need to be touched up!

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/R34paint2.jpg

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/R34paint.jpg

So does this paint scheme not work? do people not like it? Should i go with a wider strip?

Hmmm. when I first saw it, I think what is wrong with this guy :-).

But now I think It wooks great. I would add a thinner strip just beside this. On the inner side, I think it would be cooler.

I was just trying to add something to it.. lol, Maybe the bumper and skirts should have been left alone.. but i thought something to break up the soild color.

looks good to me

I think it looks good!

i like the stripe, i agree, a second thinner stripe next to it would look great, but it looks good as is.