In Progress - Tamiya Nissan Z-Tune

[mickbench]

As I’m waiting on curing times for the Cobra Project I’ve decided to start on my Nissan Z-Tune. The project got off to a bad start actually, and put me in a pretty childish mood for the last few days.. I’m sure many of you have read how my dog managed to destroy nearly all of this kit before I had even managed to lay a single coat of primer down. If not, I posted about the bad news, and went into a mood.

Anyhow, even though the Skyline has been built to death, and the Z Tune has been discussed and posted so many times I’m sure many of you that have ventured into this progress thread are thinking, well another Skyline, or another Z Tune. Sorry to say, you’re right. It is just another skyline. But the Skyline model is a bit of an albatross for me now, in terms of me actually getting one even 50% completed, so for this reason the model isn’t boring but more like a “I will get one on the shelf”..!!

Anyhow, kit first came from www.HLJ.com along with P/E upgrades. Dog soon put paid to the fact I saved a few quid on the model, and thus I have now repurchased the model from my LHS.



The kit is basically a R34 V-Spec but without the V-Spec upgrades, with a black sprue with additional wheels, minus the V-Spec upgrades. I’ve got all upgrade sets, as can be seen below due to another failed skyline build, and I can’t see much difference TBH. It’s a very small change in some places, rear diffuser, bigger bore exhaust, and newer discs and ever so slightly different wheels. It’s the body that shows the most changes.



The Tamiya P/E upgrades are sparse in comparison to say SMS or S27, but they look fantastic, and the metal turned exhaust is nice, and it even has carpet mats with little NISMO logos for the mats… It’s more of a dress up kit, and not a kit to replace much from the box contents. P/E meshes and pedals, but the rest is all pretty much dress up, and will add to the model. Nice set, worth getting but VERY pricey.



However what is going on with the newer front NISMO style bumper is beyond me. The instructions call out to carefully remove some molding tabs.



Takes some careful trimming, and you have to be careful as if you don’t remove the plastic the bumper doesn’t sit correctly.



This looks better now.



All the parts ready for washing. There are virtually no real visible pin holes, mold lines are minimal, and the body has a few lines around the front and rear bumpers. The front bonnet openings have a VERY small amount of flash, you have to look REAL hard for it. Makes cleaning this kit up easy.. Nothing much to do really, ithe model does have mold lines, but not many at all.. It's such a shame Tamiya don't release any decent newer models, as they really do konw what they are doing..



I deepened the panel lines, sanded and washed and then primed. My preparation work is getting better. This is almost perfect for me, no runs panel lines look nice and neat, primer is smooth, all in all some pretty decent work for me. So I’m certainly learning.





And that’s all for now. I’ll keep you posted, but this model will not have an engine, will be painted in NISMO Z Tune colours and therefore will be pretty boring for most of you.

[NissanSkylineGTR98]

Looks good so far, looking forward to seeing how this turns out, Good luck!

[D_LaMz]

looking good!

[MidMazar]

Looking good, that tab on the front bumper got myself a little confused too.

[scamp]

I just got that kit today. I will follow your build to help mine. Looks great so far

Charlie

[evo8owner]

It's Really Looking Good So Far,Just Keep This One Away From The Dog!(LOL)

[circuitR]

Nice start to a great kit.
The Front bar bemused me a little too, apart from that it is one cool kit.
I'll be keeping my eye out for this when it's done, hopefully not before mine I hope.

[bkvj]

just readed the other trhead and your dog....

i think this will be an awesome model. do you think i can buy this one as a starter model? along with a ferrari?

[mickbench]

Some progress on my Z Tune skyline. I’ve made a start on the body. Nothing heroic, just good old Tamiya TS sprays. Applied TS-17 Gloss Aluminum, tricky paint to lay down even, as the silver if applied too wet can change colour and leave dark spots. It is therefore preferable to apply TS-17 in mists, rather then try and make the colour coat gloss up. I applied a really light mist, followed by three heavier mists to just bring the silver out, and get an even coverage.

Like so –



Once you have an even coverage, the paint will be dull. Even though it’s meant to be a self glossing metallic, I’ve never been able to get a decent shine from it without the help of clear coat. Tamiya TS-13 is perhaps the best choice for TS-17, the two go together so well, little point in using Acrylic, or risking a hotter automotive lacquer.

Starting with a few mists, I gradually built the clear up over six coats until the shine is almost like a mirror. I always clear coat with TS-13 within 30 – 45 mins of the last colour coat. I think the jury is still out on whether this is the best method or not to apply TS-13, but it worked last time I used TS-17 and TS-13 so did the same again… And good news, I’ve built a small photo booth in my house using, oddly the on suite bathroom. It has really powerful lights in my bedroom shower room, and it’s made a superb photo booth by adding a few additional desk lamps and white paper. And as the shower is in an enclosed separate area, perfectly safe from any water.. Enjoy the pictures…









That’s it. Four mists of TS-17, followed by three mist of TS-13 and then three coats of gradual heavy Ts-13, the final coat being the gloss up coat to reduce orange peel. Doesn't look too shinny, as silver is a bad colour to get a nice reflection from. It's even and free from orange peel and so should wax up nicely.. You can see your face in it, but the pictures do not show the smooth paint. One of my less stressful paintjobs, but my cobra is still the best I've ever done.

Will start the wheels next, and make a start on the chassis. I’ll put the body into my airing cupboard to harden off, but TS-13 goes hard within 7 – 14 days.. I’ve polished it out after 10 days no problems, so this should be a progressively faster build then most of my past builds.

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by bkvj

just readed the other trhead and your dog....

i think this will be an awesome model. do you think i can buy this one as a starter model? along with a ferrari?

This is a good kit, and looks to be a great introduction to model car building. It has a few issues though, mainly the engine is molded to the chassis, so carefully you have to detail the engine after top colour coating the chassis, the front bumper needs some clean up, and if you want to build a true Z Tune, the interior is two tone. Could be tricky for a beginner.

It does however have perfect fitment, superb instructions and does have metal transfers and a small amount of CF decal.

The Ferrari 360 is a great kit to get into model building, or even the Skyline R34 V Spec is a good start, but I think many will agree the Tamiya Honda S2000 is also a great starter..

In summary, yes I think a beginner could make a start with the Z Tune but it does have a few areas where you might get frustrated with.

[D_LaMz]

wait you didn't let the Ts-17 gas out before the Ts-13?
watch out for cracks!

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by D_LaMz

wait you didn't let the Ts-17 gas out before the Ts-13?
watch out for cracks!

As I said, it's hard to find out what actually works... As this thread says,

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=ts13

clear within 15 mins. I waited around 25 - 30 mins, as this is what I did last time I used TS17 and TS13.

I've searched and searched in regards to TS13, and I've never got a decent answer, so just did what I did last time. My Merc SLK was cleared around 30 mins after final coat of TS17, this was months ago and it hasn't cracked..!!

What and see I guess.

[Feint Motion]

I like watching your build mick. This one is turning out great. Paint is soooo smoooooth.

[eph2]

Nice Start

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by D_LaMz

wait you didn't let the Ts-17 gas out before the Ts-13?
watch out for cracks!

Tamiya recommends applying clear within one hour, or after a long drying period (up to a month). He did it right. I always apply Tamiya clear over color w/in minutes of the last color coat. I sneak up on it, starting slowly w/mist coats and finishing w/wet coats. Never had any cracking problems whatsoever this way and I've shot a lot of models w/Tamiya sprays. If you let the color sit overnight w/o using a dehydrator and apply clear the next day or after a few days or a week is precisely the timeframe that may likely cause cracking later, and later can mean months. It's happened to at least one person I know.