1/24 Tamiya BMW Z3

[eugene78]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here and my first car model. It's built out of box and finished with Tamiya enamel paint and acrylic clear (will never use it on a car model again ).

All comments are welcome.

[BVC500]

very nice, clean job! Don't you wish Tamiya wasn't so stupid and used those awful wheels!

[360spider]

Inka Red? Nice!
What was wrong with the clear? It looks good.

[eugene78]

Thanks guys!

BVC500, it just came to my mind that I could get a Bburago die-cast M Roadster and strip the wheels off it. I think they would fit the Tamiya model with a little modification, so maybe I'll give it a try.

360spider, it's not really Inka Red, it looks a bit more orange in the pictures than in real life, but still not as orange as Inka Red (at least on my screen). I think that Feuerrot would be the closest match among the BMW colors. The problem with the clear is that it does not cure hard enough - it's been like two months since I sprayed the final coat, and I still can leave a fingerprint on the surface if I press a finger against it for 30 seconds or more (it's time that matters, not pressure). Even the masking tape leaves marks on the clear if it is left on the surface for a few minutes. Because of this I had to be extremely careful when polishing and I'm not completely satisfied with the result.

[360spider]

I see, what did you used to thin it?
Sometimes wrong thinner would result in long drying time, and not drying at all.

Btw, I need to build another one of these one day. I want to modify it to represent my 2000 2.3 Impala Brown, or my 2002 Titanium Silver 2.5i....
I even have the engine from Revell 325i, should be pretty straightforward swap - but need to re-shape the body and front bumper. One day!

PS: Tol'ko seichas uvidel chto ty s Pitera. Dobro pozhalovat' na AF.

[quadzero]

It must have been very frustrating with the long drying time of the clear, but still you created a beautiful model. Great job.

[mrawl]

I think it's gorgeous, the black interior gives a very dramatic contrast.

[eugene78]

360spider, spasibo! I used the original Tamiya thinner (X-20A). This problem seems to be common to all Tamiya glossy acrylics - I sprayed their X-4 over a sheet of plastic (just one coat with no primer and no thinner) and observed the same results. Model Master acrylics are much better in that regard, but I don't like how they clog the airbrush.

That 2.5 liter Z3 must be real fun to drive. I was considering selling my 523i to get a Z3, but looks like this year it's not going to happen.


quadzero, thanks! I actually spent a couple of months painting this model because I was stupid enough to spray the red enamel over a gray primer - so I had to apply several layers of paint until the color got bright enough. The enamel didn't get hard enough for polishing in a month (or was it the polishing compound that dissolved it?), so I tried the acrylic clear. My next model will be painted with automotive paint.


mrawl, thanks! I chose to build the red/black combo as shown on the box mainly because I didn't want to spend much time on the interior of my first model - I was eager to see what it would look like when finished. I'm happy that it came out nice.

[exhaust smoke]

Originally Posted by eugene78

360spider, spasibo! I used the original Tamiya thinner (X-20A). This problem seems to be common to all Tamiya glossy acrylics - I sprayed their X-4 over a sheet of plastic (just one coat with no primer and no thinner) and observed the same results. Model Master acrylics are much better in that regard, but I don't like how they clog the airbrush.

Nice looking model, excellent for a first car model.

Question: you mentioned that you used Tamiya enamels. Was this for the red body colour? If you used the acrylic over the enamel, this may explain why the clear was still 'soft' after such a long drying time.

In my experience with Tamiya clear, they are 'soft' in the sense that if you are polishing the model, it takes very little effort to rub through, but in terms of drying time, they are usually touch dry after 30 minutes. I normally spray over other Tamiya acrylic colours though.

[eugene78]

Thanks exhaust smoke,

Yes, I used the enamel for the red color. I also thought that it might be the cause of the problem, but since I had a similar experience with the X-4 acrylic sprayed over a clean sheet of plastic, I suppose that it's an inherent property of the paint. It gets touch dry very fast like you said, and it can be polished on the next day, but it doesn't get as hard as I hoped it would.

[exhaust smoke]

Originally Posted by eugene78

Thanks exhaust smoke,

Yes, I used the enamel for the red color. I also thought that it might be the cause of the problem, but since I had a similar experience with the X-4 acrylic sprayed over a clean sheet of plastic, I suppose that it's an inherent property of the paint. It gets touch dry very fast like you said, and it can be polished on the next day, but it doesn't get as hard as I hoped it would.

No probs.

Tamiya clear is only good for a light polish. Automotive clears have a more robust property, but it is important that you do not mix paints and laquers from different manufacturer's as they may react with each other.

[Simas17]

This is your first model? it's look whery clean and built very good

[eugene78]

Thanks Simas17,

It's my first car model. I have had some experience with airplanes, but I still had a lot to learn about painting and polishing.

[blackf40]

Welcome to automotive modelling--your Bimmer is an incredibly clean build! The stock wheels are definitely a snooze--I await pics of your proposed wheel swap.

[tpliquid]

very clean build. I do prefer these AC schnitizer wheels on aZ3