Nissan 300ZX

[Scale-Master]

Studio 27 kit of a ’94 IMSA car that ran at Le Mans. The hood is being modified with a different styled hood louver set from what was cast into the body. When I got it, it had been started and for some reason the body was painted even though the hood louvers were not finished. So this is where this project starts for me…


I soaked the body in oven cleaner, but it had very little effect on the paint. Being resin with filler (certainly on the hood, not sure about elsewhere) I decided sanding is a better option than stronger solvents or strippers to prep the majority of the body for repainting.

The hood is first thing that needs to be addressed. Using chisels, files, an X-Acto knife and sanding sticks I carved the main ducts through the hood. A little polyester two part filler was used to smooth out the low spots and sharpen the edges.

[MidMazar]

Looking forward to more, i got the same kit. Please share all progress as any will be inspirational.

[Scale-Master]

Strips of styrene stock were utilized to build up the lips around the ducts. (I masked off the areas outside the center of the hood to protect them from primer build up and the possibility of sanding the edges of the other louvers since they were already a little “soft” from the previous layers of paint.)


Once the shape of the basic ducts and lips were done I took off the tape and feather edged the primer build up with 1000 grit sand paper.

The headlight covers are body/scheme colored and provided as vac-u-formed parts. They were trimmed to fit and installed.
Primed with Tamiya, it is time to make the four louver panels…


The louver panels were made with sheet styrene… Now onto prepping the body for color.

[MidMazar]

The vents look great. Do you plan on using the kit clear parts (lights)? The ones in my kit are yellowish, thinking of resin casting them.

[icon_modeler]

Looks great!! Looking forward to seeing this one progress

[Scale-Master]

Originally Posted by MidMazar

The vents look great. Do you plan on using the kit clear parts (lights)? The ones in my kit are yellowish, thinking of resin casting them.

I am using the taillight panel, kind of have to... (Maybe a Tamiya street car kit could be used as a replacement?) But I have already started painting the kit part and it looks OK.

As for the head lights, it doesn't really matter. Yes, they are that translucent cream colored material, but as you can see I already installed the vac-u-formed covers and have begun to paint them. This version does not use them so I guess I got lucky...

[icon_modeler]

Originally Posted by Scale-Master

As for the head lights, it doesn't really matter. Yes, they are that translucent cream colored material, but as you can see I already installed the vac-u-formed covers and have begun to paint them. This version does not use them so I guess I got lucky...

Not that it doesn't use the head lights just that you don't really find any pictures with the head lights exposed. The car at Lemans would have had a large array of head lights for the night time running but they also had two different noses that they used during the race. One like we see in most all the pictures with no visible head lights and then they would have had a nose set up specificly for the night time running. They would only have installed the nose at dusk or at the last possible pit stop before lights were required. This would have been so that there was no chance to damage the lights during day time racing. The nose then was probably left on threw to the finish of the race.

I always thought the 300ZX with lights on it looked like an after thought. I like the way you are building it with the lights covered

[da_ashman]

Very Cool, will definetly be watching this one!

[Scale-Master]

Interesting... The kit does come with a lot of lights to put under the clear covers if anyone is wanting to build that version. The car looks a lot cleaner and attractive to me with them covered.
I wonder if the hood (different louvers) was changed with that nose piece?

[Scale-Master]

Originally I planned to shoot the white first, but after assessing the best way to apply the overall scheme I decided painting the red first would be easier. I masked on the center of the white side/nose stripe instead of painting white and then masking the thin stripe off. (It looks like the latter was the plan of the person that started this kit as you can see in the first photos I posted.)
I used some old stock Testors 1103 Red enamel.

[Scale-Master]

The areas that are to be red and white were masked off and the Testors 1111 Blue was shot. Once it is dry I will add the white to the hood (what is gray now) and the dividing strip between the red and blue.

[MidMazar]

Looking good, eager to see more.

[lovegt40]

very nice

[Veyron]

I have this kit also. I like your vents and it's looking good.

[Brat_R]

Good work on this one. Never saw this kit before! Love IMSA cars!