Studio 27 - CART Champion 98 - Gil de Ferran/Team Walker

[rprzybylo]

Hello everyone,

I decided to take a break from rally cars and thought this would be a nice candidate. I used to be a huge Indycar fan. It was my favourite series, and Gil de Ferran my favourite driver. I loved the mix of ovals & road courses. And everyone was so evenly matched. I was reminded of how good the racing was when looking up references. Out of a field of about 20-25 drivers, any one of 15 could probably win the race. And at least 10 would have a realistic chance for the title by the end of the year.

But along with many fans I pretty much gave up after the IRL split. Eventually all my favourite teams and drivers moved along. I lost interest after that. I realize they're back together but I have a hard time appreciating the way the cars look. And I can't believe some of the same drivers are still going almost 15 years later.

As for the kit itself, there are not a lot of pieces and it looked like a fairly quick build. It is my first complete multimedia kit. It also meant nothing fit well. I would say every single part needs some adjusting and nothing sits straight. Fortunately the white metal bends easily and the resin is quite forgivable.

As with many of these types of kits, accuracy can be poor. I finally settled on 2 really good photos and tried to build a "best-of" based on what I had. A few extra added details along the way helped make up for its shortcomings. I think the key to a kit like this is to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

It also gave me an opportunity to try out the DecalPro system. It's a way to make your own dry-transfer decals using a laser printer & a laminator. Aside from an ALPs printer it's the only way to make white, gold, foil, and even holographic decals. There's a big learning curve but I was very impressed with the results and would recommend it. Mixing and matching with traditional waterslides you can accomplish just about anything. Original decals include the Craftsman logos on the front wing, the white Cummins C's on the side, the #5's, the Honda & Cummins logos on the rear pods, and a few on the nose & a hand full of others.

[OWhite3]

That is freaking sweet!

[michel1973]

This car looks very realistic, isn't it the original one?

[Shunter]

Sensational work and I agree it was a great series.....shame it isn't any longer. Great work, love it.

[Veyron]

Great to see this unique subject in 1/20, grats!

[generationx]

Excellent work!

[rentisp]

What a clean and realistic work on it!

[Snailart]

Beautiful model! Congrats. What blue did you used for the body paint? And can you tell us a bit more about the DecalPro system? Results look fantastic! Thank you.

[KC27]

Wonderful clean finish! Well done.

[rprzybylo]

>> What blue did you used for the body paint? And can you tell us a bit more about the DecalPro system?


Blue is Ultramarine Blue (RAL5002) from Zero Paint. Originally I had some Revell colour leftover from a Valvoline Ford Escort WRC and it matched perfectly. But there was no way I had enough so I opted for the Zero Paint.

The DecalPro system is essentially a way to transfer graphics from a coated transfer paper using a laser printer and a laminator to a series of carrier films and adhesives. As far as I know it's the only way to make white (metallics, holographic, etc) with a cheap printer today. I spent about $100 US on the kit and another $100 for a laminator. Although not perfect, it really opens up all those fantasy projects you thought were impossible. You're only limited by the quality of your printer.

It's a little complicated to explain but the manufacturer demos it very well:
http://www.pulsarprofx.com/decalpro/..._It_Works.html

[gasdriverca]

Excellent build, I'm in the same boat as you about The Indy(Cart) goes.
I was a Franchitti fan & followed him when he started out in DTM to Cart series.
I noticed that you have silvering on the white decals, is that from the Decalpro? I also looked into that Decalpro but they were in the process of moving their location so I put it off for a while & never bothered to order anything plus I was waiting for a "how to video" to do the white decals.

[rprzybylo]

There can be some glue residue left behind but this can be cleaned up with a cotton swab & rubbing alcohol (not too much though - it will attack the paint). Even if there is some left over this will be hidden by a gloss coat. Flat colours could show more. It can be minimized by how close you cut the film to the graphic.

The silvering (on the #5's on the rear wing) is actually because I laid 2 extra layers of printed clear decal paper over top for the red outline. It's the same process I used for the nose-cone 5 but it's invisible there. I guess the backing colour makes all the difference.

If I were to do it again I would cut the red border differently to mask this. I believe there is a way to print multiple foils on the decalpro toner paper but I prefer this method since it allows for better placement. There are definitely situations that call for thinking outside the box.

Making white is very easy. You simply print your decal as pure black and use the white foil for the first transfer. There's a step where you use blue tape to pick up the excess. The white foil is the thickest so you need to repeat this step a couple times. As mentioned, it's not perfect, but once you "get it" you can fine-tune your process and start thinking about layering and how to achieve certain effects.

Btw - gasdriver, I notice you're in Brantford. I ordered my kit from Aircraft Spruce. It might be worth giving them a visit, they may be able to answer your questions in person.

[indy1977tx]

Very nice job. You did a great job on it. Studio 27 seems to have captured a lot of details from the Reynard and it makes for an impressive build. Can't say I have seen another one finished before - a few in WIPs but not finished.

I loved the Reynard from this era. I remember seeing these on HLJ and was sad they were gone before I had enough money to get one. Always looking for one of these on forum sales and such - missed one by a few hours several months back (dang!)... maybe someday....

Jordan