Aston Martin DBS - Tamiya 1/24

[mattbacon]

Got the body painted in homebrew special "carbon" black. I mixed powdered graphite into the black base coat to get a more subtle "metallic" look. It's darned hard to photograph! I'm also obviously going to need another run at cleaning the polish out of the panel lines...





The 2K clear coat is also slightly tinted with "smoke" to go for a deep black on black look...

Silver wheels and yellow or red callipers, I reckon, and I'm now having great fun on Aston's DBS configurator to find a colourful and interesting combination for the inside!

bestest,
M.

[kaho]

Paint looks superb!

[gpz900ra7]

A good way to remove polish from panel lines is to use an old toothbrush, and some soapy water, works a treat.



gpz900ra7.

[mattbacon]

Hi, all... it seems like a very long time since an update. I've achieved a major milestone today... but you'll have to wait for that until the end!

This build seems to be even more "fragmented" than usual. I'm spending ages preparing parts without ever seeming to actually get any of them together. Lots of complicated maskin and spraying, and also gathering together bits with the same kind of finish, even if from widely variable places in the build sequence.

This is where I was at lunchtime today:


Lots of parts in primer, the chassis starting to be painted, exhaust components in Titanium Gold, brake disks etc... it really did take this long to get to this pile o bits!


I'm building the Black Carbon Edition DBS, which means the fascia plate is carbon fibre. This is done using paint - black first, and then Zero "Graphite Grey" sprayed through a bit of decorative ribbon from the local haberdashery shop.



The diffuser is done the same way along with a bunch of other detail parts. Still missed a few, mind...


Chassis involves yet more masking and multiple colours. Nearly there, now... just the body colour undersills to do, which I'm going to cheat and use TS-40 Metallic Black for...



Dreadful photo, which exaggerates the effect, but it looks fine in real life. The Carbon DBS has crackle-coated black exhausts, and this is my best shot, done with Plastikote Velvet overlaid with Halfords satin black.


I guess you can now tell which interior scheme I'm going for! This is the optional "Madagascar Tan" interior, which I think will liven up the black on black on black car no end!

And finally...



Drum roll and fanfare please. This is the MAJOR MILESTONE I mentioned. What you see here is Stage 1 of the instructions completed! How has it taken me two weeks of building to get to the end of stage one, I hear you ask. Well, I have no idea, but it's all downhill from here, surely..? ;-)

bestest,
M.

[mattbacon]

The masking and painting and remasking and more painting on the chassis is finally done:


The exhaust is just dropped into place to add another metallic tone to the mix. Equally, the cabin is just test fitted:



But you get the idea.... quite striking, I think. I'm not sure about the demarcation between carpet and orange leather at the back (no clear pics), but it looks believable to me and I'm NOT repainting it! Lots of detail painting still to go, of course...

bestest,
M.

[mattbacon]

Another major milestone today - I have completed Stage 2!



There have been lots of other activities as well -- decalling in the cabin, priming the FG wheels, which arrived from MediaMix Hobby today, six days after I ordered them from Singapore -- but the main focus of effort has been that engine.

And I have to say that Tamiya's metal transfers let me down. I've used aftermarket ones before with no issues, but these lifted the paint and came off with the carrier film. Fortunately, I only destroyed the 6.0 V12 transfer for the middle of the engine. The "Aston Martin" lettering I applied to some self adhesive matt clear film and then stuck it on in one go. Although you can see it in this close-up, it's really not at all obvious at a distance. The 6.0 V12 had to made as a decal on white decal paper, after some Photoshopping of a picture of the engine from the web. getting the engine top onto the suspension and then onto the chassis was also a pain -- it's darned hard to locate the shocks successfully in the lower wishbones, but finally...

bestest,
M.

[da_ashman]

Looking Fantastic!!!

[cjsbosox]

Im looking at pics on wifes phone and must say everything looks really good. The interior colors are a noce choice.

PS Im soo envy your working space with windows n great lighting

[MidMazar]

Great progress. The new tamiya models seem like they're never ending!! I like the interior color, good luck.

[nugundam93]

nice updates! looking forward to the rest of the build

[ilferraristarosso]

@mattbacon

this one can help you:


I like very much your job on this DBS, please can you tell what colour you used for the interior?


Max

[mattbacon]

Thanks, Max.... I have that one on my workbench beside me! The interior colour is completely home-made. I gathered plenty of photos, and used the Aston Martin configurator. It's a mix of Vallejo Model Air Yellow and a couple of drops of Fire Red, toned down slightly with Vallejo Medium Skintone, which is a browny-tan. I don't think the real thing is _quite_ as bright as that photoset shows - maybe flash or ultrabright stand lights account for the "dayglo" effect! The configurator shows a much more muted tan, but I've tried to reconcile the two...

bestest,
M.

[kans0002]

Looks awesome! You build a lot faster than I do!!

[mattbacon]

Positively galloping along, now... this is Stage 8!



It may be all black and silver, but it's amazing how many different kinds of black and silver you can use if you put your mind to it! I'm very glad this is done now!



The back end is beautifully crisp, fits well, and is brilliantly engineered -- typical Tamiya! I have to confess, I didn't paint some of the parts -- the plastic is _already_ a nice "semi-gloss black", so what's the point of priming it and painting it the same colour, and making it fit less well while I'm at it?


These are the FG DBS wheels in "diamond-turned" form, as featured on the "Black carbon" edition, fitted with Pegasus Models Pilots for the real low-profile look. They were sprayed gloss black with a Humbrol acrylic in a rattle can, and then "chromed" with my own witches' brew of Pentel silver pen ink mixed with "Rub n'Buff"... The centres, with nuts, form a separate piece including the pin that becomes the axle. My only worry is about the strength of the join between that pin and the wheel - I used gel super glue, and will give it plenty of time to set really hard before trying to plug them in to the poly caps in the wheel bearings, but I can easily see a wheel falling off if I'm not careful...

bestest,
M.

[Porsnatic]

Wow Matt, nice & clean, specially the underside and the wheels...Can't wait to see it finished. I have one on my stash...This is a must-have model. I wish I would have one of those Aston Martin badges when I was doing my BD4.