1/24 Revell Corvette C6R

[CifeNet]

Originally Posted by das_auto

May I suggest the Mr. Hobby Topcoat 501 clear...

I know you like acrylic clears and know your way with them. The Mr. Hobby clear is sort of a "hybrid" in that it´s acrylic but when thoroughly dry it is almost as hard as a lacquer and can take quite a bit of polishing if needed, but since it´s very self-leveling, with some practice you can get 2K like results straight from spraying. Since you own a dehydrator I don´t think drying times will be a problem for you, as the clear sometimes can be a bear to get fully dry.

Emil,

Thanks for the suggestion. Cool, I do have Mr. Gunze Sanyo's Mr. Hobby Super Clear in can.

You are right, it is acrylic based and mild enough that it does not kill decals like other lacquer clear.

And it can be polished very hard! I will definitely consider it.

[das_auto]

I do have Mr. Gunze Sanyo's Mr. Hobby Super Clear in can.

Just be careful if it´s the can with the gray label. That one is similar to Tamiya TS-13 and can eat decals and paint. The one i´m talking about has an aqua-blue colored can with TOPCOAT written on it.

The top row on this image...



Just to prevent any unpleasant surprises...


//Emil

[klutz_100]

Looking great, boss

I am not generally a big fan of modern US cars but this 'vette looks really good IMO. Yellow suits it very well.

I am also a big fan of Mr Top Coat and also recommend it left and right

[CifeNet]

Originally Posted by das_auto

Just be careful if it´s the can with the gray label. That one is similar to Tamiya TS-13 and can eat decals and paint. The one i´m talking about has an aqua-blue colored can with TOPCOAT written on it.

Ah, excellent!! Thanks for the pic, the picture has other interesting information on it as well.

Unfortunately, I don't have Mr. Tpo Caot. I do have Mr. Super Clear, but never get to use it yet.

On a side note, this is a problem for me; I stock things when I see them being useful, but at the end I don't know what I have. Sadly, sometimes I end up buying a same item not knowing I already have!

Originally Posted by klutz_100

Looking great, boss
I am also a big fan of Mr Top Coat and also recommend it left and right

So we have two people voting for Mr. Top Coat! I will try to obtain and give it a try!

Thanks for the suggestion!

[F1Tommy]

Originally Posted by CifeNet

Ah, excellent!! Thanks for the pic, the picture has other interesting information on it as well.

Unfortunately, I don't have Mr. Tpo Caot. I do have Mr. Super Clear, but never get to use it yet.

On a side note, this is a problem for me; I stock things when I see them being useful, but at the end I don't know what I have. Sadly, sometimes I end up buying a same item not knowing I already have!



So we have two people voting for Mr. Top Coat! I will try to obtain and give it a try!

Thanks for the suggestion!

I am pretty sure Al's hobby Shop in Elmhurst has Mr. Top Coat in stock.

Can't wait to see this one finished at the Ferrari Expo 2010!!

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2010 model/photo contest-Chicago April 21st 2010

[idgeek]

ah....

So this is where you are.... I was wondering when U were going to update your site. To let you know, I was a frequent visitor to your site since day one...

U probably don't remeber, but I bought a couple of kits off ya, WAY~~ back when I was Michigan.. R U still in Chicago?

Anyways, nice to see u again.

[CifeNet]

Originally Posted by idgeek

ah....
U probably don't remeber, but I bought a couple of kits off ya, WAY~~ back when I was Michigan.. R U still in Chicago?
Anyways, nice to see u again.

Hi! Unfortunately, I cannot remember and it doesn't help your login id is so new to AF... Send me PM and we should chat more!

More update on the build...

Sad to say, I did not explore to option of obtaining Mr. Top Coat. I decided to use something I have used before and this is probably because I did not want to create a problem at this time.

Ironically, something bad did happen in spite of my attempt to minimize any chance of that.


This is what I used. Very simple to use and gives good shine too. I usually wait a day or so and start polishing away.

I bought these from Mr. Kraft while visiting Tokyo two years ago. Sadly, they are now out of business...



After a couple of medium clear coats, I started the polishing process.

This is what I normally use. From right to left starting with 1800 grid polishing cloth to 6000 or so.



Sanding away the clear coat top layer is a critical process. It is important not to have shiny spots before polishing. Evenly flat out the surface should give a good start. But if not careful, the sanding work can eat into the base coat or chip the sharp edges!



This is after my first pass. I normally do two additional passes without the sanding part. Three or more is possible if I really want the model to look really glossy and wet, but my fingers will hurt...



My polishing cloth...



Now the disaster happens! While I was applying clear coat, the body fell off to the ground! It was an accident, but I was feeling extremely disgusted because it happened so late in the stage of the build...



More damage on the roof area- the decals were damaged!

I won't be able to fix this 100%. I started to sand away to see if I can repair them, but looks like I am screwed.

[klutz_100]

Ouch!!
My sympathies - I'd be mega-pissed.

Maybe some race weathering to cover it.....?

[CifeNet]

I went out and ran for 15 minutes or so to calm myself down.

Began the repairing work; I was hoping I can replace the SMS decals with Revell's factory ones.


This is a minor problem, just have to patch up and should be able to fix.



I took an easy way out and I believe sometimes it is not a bad way to fix things. I simply sanded the existing surface and applied primer. You can still see through!!!



Painted two coats.

After applying Revell's decals, I noticed that Revell's car is for 2005 whereas SMS kit builds 2006.

Another blow and now I am bleeding hard...



I removed Revell's decals and we are back to square one.

I also noticed that the small XM decal now reads XN.



This is when I contacted Matthew Wells at SMS and he was so helpful of sending me replacement decals the same day.

What a service!

I showed him the picture of the damaged roof and that probably made him feel bad about what I was going through.

At any rate, the game is not over yet, I think I can fully repair the damage!

[CifeNet]

Originally Posted by klutz_100

Ouch!!
My sympathies - I'd be mega-pissed.

Maybe some race weathering to cover it.....?

Oh my god, this is a live response! You are good! Thanks for sharing my pain.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by CifeNet

Oh my god, this is a live response! You are good! Thanks for sharing my pain.

HeHe - sorry, I'll wait a little longer next time before posting
I just happened to be on-line and your post made me feel your frustration

[CifeNet]

Now that I have extra decals, I began repairing other additional areas where I did not like.

The position of this decal was incorrect and I decided to treat the spot and redo.


Gave a light clear coat to amend the repaired areas.


After wasting several days to repair the damaged body, I was able to bring the car back to where I was two days ago...


Also started to work on the rear wing, gave several coat of smoke and now it needs some polishing before finally getting it assembled!

[jaykay640]

I'm definitely feeling with ya, too! That's why i don't like the painting process during a build. Too many chances for things to go wrong and very difficult to fix.
On the other hand i'm almost reliefed it can happen to you as well :-) So it's not just me being too stupid to do it...

[das_auto]

Ouch mate....you have my sympathies...
But you know what people say, the true testament to someones skill is how they rise from defeat.
And you my friend have risen tall! A super recovery!

Good luck with the rest!

//Emil

[flhansen]

Hi

Very nice work. Great too see you back in action!

Flemming