Tamiya Ford Focus RS WRC 02

[davesans]

Love the update looks great the steering wheel,the back of the seat very clean work. Can't wait to see more

[ScanmanDan]

Thanks for the great words of encouragement, they really keep me motivated to finish. After my little break I was looking over what I have done and I've noticed quite a few mistakes, not the least the fact that I forgot to fill in the vents in the front clip 'So that's why those Pirelli decals wouldn't fit '. I still need to press on and finish this one as I have far to many half finished kits to my name.

Steve - Decaling the seats was a bit of a chore. I do use really hot water to drip the decal into to remove the backing paper. The idea is to get the decal as soft as I can before it gets put on. Then it's a matter of using a firm clean paint brush to get the decal into position. I then apply heat from a hairdryer to soften the decal some more and a damp cotton swab (Q-tip) in a rolling motion to force out any airbubbles from under the decal and to get it to start to conform to the seat shape. I work slowly and evenly around the decal so as to avoid forming any wrinkles. Once the decal is close to right I add some Micro Sol to the decal and let it do it's work but I do find that the Tamiya decals are pretty tough and impervious to setting solvtions and so I do a bit more Q-tip rolling while they are still soft from the Micro Sol. (On other brands of decals that would be a disaster but I have so far gotten good results with the thicker Tamiya ones.) I hope that is some kind of help. Just don't do what I did and blow the darn decal straight off the seat back with the force of the hairdryer. You think it's hard to find a tiny part that you drop on the floor? Try looking for a sticky, wet decal you've blow 10 feet away with a hairdryer .

OrangeR, davesans - Thanks for your comments and support.

Quick question, I'm thinking of decanting Tamiya spray can paint so that I can shoot it through my airbrush. (I forgot to shoot some bits like the mirrors and grills while I was doing the body ) I've read up and I'm pretty sure I know how to proceed but one thing escapes me. What solvent do I use to clean up my airbrush with? The last thing I want to do is gunk up my paasche with dried paint. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Dan

[bvia]

Originally Posted by ScanmanDan

Quick question, I'm thinking of decanting Tamiya spray can paint so that I can shoot it through my airbrush. (I forgot to shoot some bits like the mirrors and grills while I was doing the body ) I've read up and I'm pretty sure I know how to proceed but one thing escapes me. What solvent do I use to clean up my airbrush with? The last thing I want to do is gunk up my paasche with dried paint. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Dan

Dan,
any type of lacquer thinner will work as will 91%+ IPA. I personally use Berryman's Carb cleaner to clean my airbrush/bottles when I've shot some decanted TS synthetic lacquer or MM lacquer/enamels.

Also might I suggest that next time instead of trying to flock the steering wheel you use a product like SMS' Faux Frabix or Krylon's Make-It-Suede? It is a much simpler process and the stippling effect is much less than that of the flocking. I've gone to using Make-It-Suede for my seats, steering wheels and carpet and love the effect it provides. I'll be posting pics of my F430 Challenge and FXX seats done this way soon so you can look to them as examples...

hth, keep up the great job you've done so far, thanks for tips on using oil paints (esp. the part about adding medium to the mix)!

Bill

[ScanmanDan]

Thanks Bill, for the intel re: Lacquer thinners. I just returned from my shopping expedition with a litre of the stuff. Looked about for the Krylon Make-it-Suede but couldn't find it at any of my usual haunts here in Oz. It will be something to keep my eye out for while I'm out and about. No doubt somebody imports it here to Austalia. I'll have to experiment with it on my next build. Thanks again for the quick reply. You guys are great.

Dan