my first build - WRC Impreza

[mattsmith]

well, this is my first tamiya kit, the 2001 Rally of Great Britain impreza. had started an AMT S-10 a while back, but got fed up of messin with it. tamiya kit almost fell together in comparison! am real pleased with how it turned out, for a first attempt at least! interior and chassis nicely detailed (painting is not as bad as the pics look!) and my first attempt at spraying worked out nicely on the shell. can't wait to do another!






only problem i have now is, the tamiya window maskings bled while i was painting (i did follow all the tutorials i could find). has anyone got any fool proof tips on how to remove the excess paint? also, painting the frames and rain gutters on the shell; can it be done neatly without masking? theres no decent hobby stores near me, and i can't get any decent stuff (they don't even stock spray cans of any sort!?) so i'll have to wait 2 weeks til i get back home to continue with the shell

anyways, thanx for lookin. constructive comments (and any nice ones) very welcome. will get some better pics done when the build is complete, just to show my work ain't as bad as it looks
just gotta decide on my next build now........

smithy

[blubaja]

Hey Matt,

Welcome to AF! This looks very nice for your 1st model. You need a steady hand if you want to do the window trim, or paint that you can scrape off. What paint/color did you use? Looks a tad darkish. Keep up the awsome work!!

Frank X.

[mattsmith]

cheers fella!

paint is mica blue (TS-50) but looks real dark coz i had to shut the curtains, coz of too much glare off the paint. once i have the thing finished, i hope to get some good pics outside, and show it off properly. the pics make all the paint work look a little scrappy really. i'm very pleased that i managed to hold my patience, and take time to do everythin as correctly as possible. oh, steady hand paid off, managed to do the window frames freehand

lookin forward to next build now! will look at an airbrush, as i found it really hard to avoid brush strokes with tamiyas acrylics. either that, or stock up on spray cans! any tips for brushin largish areas?

smithy

[mickbench]

Nice attempt with your first build. Not an easy kit to build. I built the 1998 WRC version for my second build, and I had all sorts of problems. Wish you the best of luck with your build.. But you're of to a cracking start.

A for model supplies - most in the UK tend to use modelsinmotion.co.uk as UK model shops are getting less and less, but Internet model shops are plenty.

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by mattsmith

cheers fella!

paint is mica blue (TS-50) but looks real dark coz i had to shut the curtains, coz of too much glare off the paint. once i have the thing finished, i hope to get some good pics outside, and show it off properly. the pics make all the paint work look a little scrappy really. i'm very pleased that i managed to hold my patience, and take time to do everythin as correctly as possible. oh, steady hand paid off, managed to do the window frames freehand

lookin forward to next build now! will look at an airbrush, as i found it really hard to avoid brush strokes with tamiyas acrylics. either that, or stock up on spray cans! any tips for brushin largish areas?

smithy

Yeah - Get an airbrush. Well worth it, and well worth learning to use. I am now airbrushing more and more. This is my forth build -

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=418550

and I've done it all with airbrush. Tamiya acrylics work great through an airbrush. A single action would be best to start with, as I found single action to be a great starter brush. And I would get an internal mix, but, if you want to have a go for cheap, just buy a cheap external mix. But internal mix is a lot better.

As for brush painting - enamals are best brush painted, but if must brush paint arcylics, then ensure the paint is thin, and work fast. Do not pull old paint across, as it will make it look lumpy and heavy with brush marks.

[mattsmith]

ok, so its all together now...

fog lights r only mocked up, as there is a decal to go below them

this angle gives a better isdea of the actual colour. still need some outdoor shots with a decent camera tho! i'm really pleased with the build. but now i have a problem....

went for the first big exterior detail, and it wouldn't contour to the shape, or lay properly. so i called it quits til i asked u guys. are decal setting solutions the answer? could some one direct me to a good tutorial. i read one about cf decals, will the method be the same? and can this first decal b saved? on of the interior decals didn't adhere at all, n i don't wanna totally ruin this model now i've put so much effort into it.

smithy

[rx7king]

i was amazed to read that this is your first actual attempt at a model, it looks so good, keep it up

[mickbench]

Great attempt at a first model. The decals can be a bit tricky at first. You need some micro sol and micro set. They are in red and blue bottles. www.modelsinmotion.co.uk sell this stuff.

To apply decals you need to -

Cut the decal out, and place in warm water for around 10 seconds. Take out and leave on a towel - decal side upwards.

in the remaining few seconds as the decal soaks on the towel, using the BLUE bottle, brush some decal solution on the model.

Then, using a flat brush, and some twezzers, place the decal on the model, using the flat brush to brush out the air bubbles, and also help postion the decal. It will move around at first, as you push the bubbles out, just be slow and if it moves, postion back into place.

If the decal starts to dry in the wrong postion, brush more BLUE solution into the decal. And re-postion. BE CAREFUL not to rip the decal with the brush. Take it slowly and easy.. Not not press hard or the decal could tear.

when happy ALL trapped air is gone, and you are happy with the postion, using a paper towel press on the decal. Do not move the decal, just a good firm press down, to soak up any remaining water, solution.

Now, get the RED solution, and lightly brush all over the dried decal. This is where you MUST not touch the decal, or it will be ruined. Only brush the decal with RED solution ONCE. The decal will wrinkle, do not panic, this is correct. As it dries out, it will contour to the model suface, and look totally flat.

Also, some decals do not work well with solutions. I've used these products on Tamiya decals before, and this was my results -



Now, as for the decal already applied, not sure if you could apply some solution to it, and use a needle to pop the air bubbles. You could just use BLUE solution to loosen the decal, remove and just call tamiya spares UK and get a new set of decals. Perhaps someone esle can advise, as I myself have only built a few models, but have used decal solutions before.

Hope this helps.