Toyota Chaser - One Week Build Challenge

[Nataan92]

Hi All,

I set myself a challenge, to complete a quick build before i go back to work in a weeks time. Below is my progress so far...

The Kit in Question is the Aoshima Toyota Chaser. It is just a Curbside Kit, so shouldnt take that long to complete.

My vision for this build is to be a JDM VIP car, So slightly modified exterior, and big Chrome wheels. 

The Wheels i intend on using are the SSR MS3, by Aoshima.

 

First up, i prepped the body. removed any extra mould lines, and went to work on the bonnet. I decided i would make a custom vented bonnet using one from a R34 Ztune skyline that i stuffed up a few years back, but still had lying arround. I dremeld out the vents, and traced the outline onto the chaser. out came the 0.5mm drill to make a few pilot holes so i could get my saw in to cut the hole to match the vented piece. I used a few off-cuts of styrene sheets so i had something to glue it to underneath. Next i used some Tamiya White Putty and started to fill the gaps.

Then the sanding process started. First up was some 360 Grit, then 600, then 1000.

Next up was pimer. For this i used a Tamiya Grey surface primer can.  

I let the primer dry for an hour or so, and then sanded it back with some Tamiya sanding sponges up to 3000 grit, (probably not essential, but a few spots needed it. 

I wanted to paint this model in Tamiya TS45 Pearl White. Seeing as i used a grey primer, i decided to do a silver base coat, just so the white would show over it better. It turns out that the Pearl white, is a very thin colour, so it didnt really turn out white, but instead a light grey pearl. As it turns out i Love the colour  better than the straight pear white, It is a very unique colour. 

I decided that i wanted to make the bonnet carbon fibre to accentuate the JDM style i was going for. I used some scale production carbon fiber sheets for this, and a lot of Micro set to work the decal into the complex shape of the vents. I was able to use one whole sheet for the bonnet, which i wasnt sure i would be able to do. 

After letting this sit for an hour or two to fully set, i continued onto the clear coat. Again i used some tamiya spray (TS13)

I applied 2 light mist coats, followed by 2 heavier coats, then put it aside for around 24 hrs.

The clear coat finish straight out of the can is not too bad, but there was a bit of orange peel. so out came the 3000 grit sanding sponge and i got to work levelling out the orange peel (wet sanding of course) I then used some meguires car polish compound to remove the scratches from the sanding, working in small rotating motions, then buff it off. Next step was some Auto Glym car polish to make the colour shine, again working in small circular motions. The final step was some Mothers Carnuba Wax, which helps seal in the polish, and makes the model an ease to remove dust from in the future. 

This whole paint correction process may seem a bit unnecessary, but the end result is truly fantastic.

Tomorrow i will begin work on the chassis and post some progress shots.

 

Thanks

Nathan

[skid896]

Wow, great start to the build, I have just started experimenting with sanding back and need to get some of those tamiya sponge sheets.  Hiroboy who are on your first two photos are an excellent UK stockist and post worldwide, thoroughly recommend them.  Looking forward to watching this one, nice work on the bonnet.

[Nataan92]

1 hour ago, skid896 said:

Wow, great start to the build, I have just started experimenting with sanding back and need to get some of those tamiya sponge sheets.  Hiroboy who are on your first two photos are an excellent UK stockist and post worldwide, thoroughly recommend them.  Looking forward to watching this one, nice work on the bonnet.

Thanks, Yeah the sanding sponges seem to not be as harsh on the high spots of the paint as the force is more evenly distributed.  I found with regular sand paper, i was burning through the paint too quickly.

[Nataan92]

Hi All,

More progress shots now.

There Chassis was fairly quick to do, as there was not a huge amount of detail. The main chassis pieces were spared with Tamiya semigloss Black, silver, and flat aluminium colours.

After doing a test fit of the wheels, I decided that the brakes were too small for the look i was going for. I found some bigger brakes in my parts box, but had to drill out the centres to 6.5mm to allow the wheel hubs to go through them. Also in going with these new brakes, they wouldnt work with the mounting points of the kit, so i had to do a bit of modification with some styrene sheets. As a result of this, the wheels will no longer turn, but that's ok. I painted the centre piece of the wheels gun metal grey, to match the colour of the carbon bonnet, and to break up the chrome. Below are some pics of the test fitment with the body.

 

[Nataan92]

Hi All,

The interior is now complete too.

The kit came with some decals for the door cards and seats, which i wasn't much a fan of. Also, the colours determined by the instructions were a bit weird too ( dark blue with yellow/mustard inserts) I decided i would do a black leather with grey alcantara/suede inserts, as this would tie in better with my chosen aesthetic for the car. Firstly i did the undercoat of Tamiya German grey, then masked off the parts i wanted to stay that colour, then went over the rest in semi gloss black. I was really happy with the result. I wasnt a huge fan of the front seats that came with the kit, so i went back to my parts box, and found some bucket seats. these also bot the two tone colour scheme. The final touch for the interior was to add some carpet using some scale prodctions black flocking. This was my first attempt at using the stuff, and i am fairly happy with the result. In the future i will use some paint that doesnt dry as quickly, so that more of the flocking sticks (its a little patchy)

[Nataan92]

Now that the interior is complete, Final assembly can be started. First up is the windows. The kit came with some masking pieces for the windows, but they didnt stick very well. they are a sticky vinyl type material. I wasnt confident in their ability to properly mask the edges. so i got out some 40mm wide masking tape, and stuck the kits template onto that, to make my own masking sheets. It worked a treat. i then masked off the rest of the windows and sprayed the inside semi gloss black. Once this had fully dried, i again masked off every thing except the rear door windows, and rear window. I sprayed those with tamiya smoke, to give the windows a bit of a darker tint. 

Next, i glued the interior to the chassis, and added about 80 cents worth of 5c, and 10c coins to the engine, and boot to add a bit of weight to the kit, to give it a more solid feel. It feels more like a diecast model now

I then put the body, and windows onto the chassis and started on the exterior details. I added a small fabric tow strap to the front bumper using a bit of left over seatbelt from a previous kit. I'm really pleased with the outcome of this, i think it really suits the car. the head light, and tail light buckets were painted with chrome silver paint, and the tail light and fog light clear lenses were colours using some sharpie permanent markers (so much better than clear paints, as the drying time between coats is about  seconds, and it doesnt run like paints). 

Once these details were done, The kit was pretty much complete. The only thing left was the side mirrors.

And thats it. All up, This took me 5 Days. Im really pleased with how this kit came out. I will Post some photos in the under glass section soon.

Nathan

[Nataan92]

40 minutes ago, CurtAdkins330 said:

Great job!I love the carbon fiber...

Thanks, Im pretty pleased with the outcome

 

[dragstk]

Nice job. You nailed the stance

[skid896]

Very nice build, like the detail of the tow strap, what technique do you use for the black window edging?  I have been testing out using one of the Tamiya pointed cotton swabs.  I find it soaks in the paint and with the point it is accurate.  I am finding it easier to use than a brush. 

[Nataan92]

1 hour ago, skid896 said:

Very nice build, like the detail of the tow strap, what technique do you use for the black window edging?  I have been testing out using one of the Tamiya pointed cotton swabs.  I find it soaks in the paint and with the point it is accurate.  I am finding it easier to use than a brush. 

I use 10mm masking tape around the trim, then go over the trim line with a toothpick to define the shape, then use a very sharp blade to trim away the inside, then just use a brush with semi gloss black paint.