Tamiya 1/24 FC3S RX-7: Akagi's White Comet

[winstona]

Hi all,

After building Revell's Shelby Cobra 427 last time and went through all the troubles, I am going to switch to something entirely different to see if I have better luck. The chosen model this time is the Tamiya FC3S RX-7 GT-Limited:



I acquired this model a while ago on eBay with a reasonable price. I think it is pretty rare nowadays. So what am I going to do with this rare kit?

I am going to attempt to build a version of FC that is "inspired" by the one in Initial D driven by Takahashi Ryosuke (They call him Akagi's White Comet in the anime). The reason why I say "inspired" is because I am not going to replicate everything. First off, Ryosuke's car is the Inifini III. Tamiya's is the GT-Limited that's a few years earlier. Also, I am not going to get rid the sunroof to replicate the anime one because I think the sunroof is pretty unique on this model. There are also some minor body differences.

I know some might say, why not build the Fujimi one? The reason is simple, this one has an engine! The Fujimi body shape is not as slick as the Tamiya (I have the Fujimi one as well and I am going to use the decals to finish this one). I know Aoshima has a late version FC3S with engine as well, however I already acquired this kit before that one was released...

OK, Enough with the talking. Here is the progress:

First picture shows the construction of the front bumper lip to make it look like Ryosuke's FC. This is by the way the first time I am doing any modification on a car body:



After some cutting, puttying and first stage of sanding:



The last one shows a test fit of the car and the wheels. The selected wheels are 17" RS Watanabes by Fujimi. This set as shown here comes from the Tofu AE86 borrowed for the test shot, the real ones are in transit from HLJ:



For those interested, this car is based on the Third stage movie where the FC was equipped with some RS Watabes wheels.

Thanks for looking.

Winston

[Jay!]

Sweet! I have this kit, and just had it out last week to check out the parts. For a mid-range Tamiya kit, it really has an amazing array of features.

Looks ike you've got a solid start. Will be watching for updates!

[willimo]

Nice work on the front lip, so far. This is going to be pretty cool, and the wheels are oddly suited. What makes the sunroof so unique, if I may ask?

[G-man422]

Great work so far. I cant wait to see it when finnished.

[winstona]

Originally Posted by willimo

Nice work on the front lip, so far. This is going to be pretty cool, and the wheels are oddly suited. What makes the sunroof so unique, if I may ask?

It has a slide open sunroof that I don't want to take away:



Winston

[nugundam93]

hmmm, interesting kit! can't wait to see it finished.

[WRC_413X]

That is a pretty nice kit, and good work on the front lip! I think this one is gonna be good, keep us posted.

[WRC_413X]

That is a pretty nice kit, and good work on the front lip! I think this one is gonna be good, keep us posted.

[bhop73]

I'm a big Initial D fan, so i'll definitely be looking forward to this.

Incidentally, I didn't even notice Ryosuke's wheels had changed when I watched Stage 3 until you mentioned it here. I guess I just thought it looked "updated" to the newer animation quality.

[winstona]

Hi all,

I have managed to get some more work done on this build last night. First of all, I have sanded the front bumper a bit more and applied a quick coat of grey primer to the front just to see how it is, it looks alright. Although there's still some more filling and sanding to do:





I started the work on the engine. The engine and engine room on this model are really impressive. There are a lot of parts to work with and it seems like it needs no modification to make a great looking engine room. The following shows some progress pics the engine:





I will be wiring this engine...

Winston

[teamanila]

Nice conversion! Good luck with the build.

[winstona]

Minor update. Today I finished the engine. As you can see, I have added plug wires to it. The wires are from an old USB cable. Hoepfully it looks OK this time and not too oversize.

I was having so much fun building this engine. It really is a shame that I have to put it in the engine room now and some of the details will be gone forever...



Notice I have added some major weathering on it to reflect the milage that Ryosuke has put into his car...

[quadzero]

Very interesting project and the way this is all laid out is nicely done also. Excellent job on the engine, the weathering is very convincing. Looking forward to more.

[winstona]

More updates in this weekend...I am on a row here!

I have managed to finish the engine bay today. It has received quite a bit of weathering to make it look dirty. I think I may have overdone it a bit but it still looks OK. This following picture shows the engine bay completed:



On the body, a minor gripe I have on this model is that the side blinkers and signaling lights are all molded on to the body and no clear parts are given. Colouring them orange will not be realistic at all. Therefore, I have decided to remove them. I first cut out the molded on part and sand it smooth. Then, I added a pair of clear Fujimi lights from my other kit. In the end I will add some silver tape at the back to finish it up. Here is a pic to show the steps (I have to use one pic to save space on my account):



Next up will be to detail the interior and prime the body. I am still waiting for my RS Watanabes from HLJ so my progress will be stuck for a while I am sure...

Thanks for looking.

Winston

[nugundam93]

personally, i like the engine bay weathering.