Stef Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 12 hours ago, CabDriver said: I agree totally Stef! That Rustoleum clear I used really made those lines look shallow. I gave them a good scribin' this morning... NOOICE. This is going to look better than any of the actual cars ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 On 5/24/2019 at 5:36 PM, CabDriver said: Those are super helpful, thanks buddy! What a great looking project! Those BBS wheels look great on a Miata, whatever the scale! And I LOVE the photo etch parts that you've made! I wish I had the skill to make those too! VERY cool! J Thanks Jim! Yours is coming along great (even with some setbacks). I'll get back to mine . . . one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 14, 2019 Author Share Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) On 5/25/2019 at 10:16 PM, Eric Macleod said: The car obviously has a ton of underhood plumbing which could complicate a full detail job. I like the middle of the road path you are taking. I'd like to do a REALLY detailed build of one of these, and incorporate more of that stuff definitely (without it looking like a rat's-nest of out-of-scale wires in there) but you're right, I'm going pretty middle-of-the-road here to try and keep it FAIRLY simple...this build is almost an exercise in getting to know this kit and it's quirks thinking of future builds down the line. Thanks for the nice comments everybody! Edited June 14, 2019 by CabDriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 14, 2019 Author Share Posted June 14, 2019 Had family in town for the last couple of weeks so I didn't have much time to work on this, which was frustrating because I don't like sitting looking at something that I can't redo right away after I've screwed it up Got the body and related parts back in red, and clear-coated them this morning. I'm using Rustoleum clear, which can sometimes lay down a little orange-peely but seems to level out nicely after a few hours...these bits should polish up nicely hopefully anyway: I wasn't totally happy with the decal that Revell provides for the gauges, so I found a photo of one and reduced it down to print a little version that I can insert into the opening...and whilst I was doing that I did some licence plates and different instruments and some other stuff for future builds: 35 cents and one trip to the local Walgreens later...tada! This will be mostly hidden anyway, but I'm pretty pleased with the effect - I'll be trying this trick again on future builds: I need to dust this thing too, it's been sitting on my bench for 3 weeks More soon, thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) Great thread! I’ve never owned a Miata but always have been a fan. I remember when they were introduced. The first time I saw one in person was at our friends child’s christening. One of the guests had one there and was happy to show it off and give us all rides around the block. It doesn’t seem that long ago, but we attended that child’s wedding last summer! Edited June 14, 2019 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 (edited) What would be called a rear parcel shelf in a normal car has carpet on an NA Jim, get the powder back out! It covers the petrol tank's inspection flap to get to the fuel pump. Edited June 14, 2019 by dublin boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 15, 2019 Author Share Posted June 15, 2019 You're absolutely right Shay, it IS carpetted... ...but with the soft top roof piece that comes in the kit that area's covered so I left it. Not sure how accurate that soft roof is though, that said... Tiny update as I'm replying anyway...these wheels are nicely molded but that chrome finish has gotta go! Much better! Any of our Miata fans out there know what color the Mazda lettering is on these daisy wheels? I can't recall if its dark grey or a gunmetal color... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 Just tried the Tamiya hard top on the Revell kit, it's very close to a perfect fit.... You got the wheels covered Jim, but what will you do with the rear light lenses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 15, 2019 Author Share Posted June 15, 2019 1 hour ago, dublin boy said: Just tried the Tamiya hard top on the Revell kit, it's very close to a perfect fit.... You got the wheels covered Jim, but what will you do with the rear light lenses? Interesting! I'm DEFINITELY going to end up doing a hybrid build with the two kits somewhere down the line. You're right, the lights aren't exactly a great representation of the 1:1's: They give you decals to represent the orange and white sections, but I don't image that would look too good. I'd MUCH prefer some clear ones like the Tamiya kit comes with so I can paint them how I'd like: I think what I'll end up doing here is polishing off the (incorrect) raised detail and painting these as best I can and detail paint them on the inside to get as close as possible. Guess we'll see how successfully that works out! It occurred to me, that soft roof in the previous post isn't meant to be the roof, its the tonneau cover...I had one for my 1:1 but never once put it on there I don't think! Looking at some pics of them online it seems like it's pretty accurate, so I shot it with some Createx flat black along with a few other bits and pieces ready for installation once it dries: More soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 (edited) I'm sure someone has Tamiya tail lights, ask! You can't have mine though lol. My original Revell doesn't have decals for the rear lights (red car on the box art) for what it's worth. Edited June 15, 2019 by dublin boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 You are making a good progress. And yes, those taillights are another reason I prefer the Tamiya kit (but it is a curbside, so it would need an engine transplant from the Revell kit). Spraying the shiny "chrome" wheels with some Dullcote would have produced nice satin aluminum finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 You'd have to cut out the bonnet out on the Tamiya kit, and I'd imagine you'd have to do a lot more mods to get the running gear in. Should be a nice kit bash, the Tamiya bodyshell is much nicer when you can eyeball the two of them at the same time. I was surprised when I saw Revell re-release this a while ago, never seen one built up, so keep going Jim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Macleod Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 I think the Mazda lettering in the wheels had paint in there, and it would have been black. I sold my last Miata 12 years ago and my memory is foggy! A quick online check matches my hunch though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 23 hours ago, Eric Macleod said: I think the Mazda lettering in the wheels had paint in there, and it would have been black. I sold my last Miata 12 years ago and my memory is foggy! A quick online check matches my hunch though. That's what I suspected buddy, thanks! The molding on the kit wheels is a little shallow, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to pick that detail out cleanly but I'll give it a shot... On 6/17/2019 at 2:28 AM, peteski said: Spraying the shiny "chrome" wheels with some Dullcote would have produced nice satin aluminum finish. I did try that in fact, but it was still a little shiny for my tastes...more like this: ...than this... I stripped the chrome and hit them with some Tamiya flat aluminum, which looks pretty close to me (a little darker in this photo than they really are, but looks good in real life...): Just a little update as I'm posting anyway - I used some mini o-rings and some Detail Master wire to wire the head on this thing - getting closer to getting the engine ready to assemble properly! More soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Great looking decals for a nice build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 On 6/19/2019 at 12:32 PM, Rider said: Great looking decals for a nice build. Thanks buddy! Got the body of this repainted and polished out today - I'm still struggling to learn a new painting routine since I lost my outdoor place to spray (unless I go in the street and paint in NYC traffic anyway), but I'm starting to get there anyway: And got some more work done on the engine - installed a dipstick and made a couple of bits that were missing from the kit (actually, short shots on the sprue: It's starting to look like a real engine bay! More soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I finally found pics of two built up kits, the ride height was like a Range Rover on both of them. I hope it's easy to fix, just giving you a small heads up Jim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 50 minutes ago, dublin boy said: I finally found pics of two built up kits, the ride height was like a Range Rover on both of them. I hope it's easy to fix, just giving you a small heads up Jim. Yeah, they're a bit high with the stock suspension I notice A couple of reviewers for this kit noted that it won't fit together properly without modifying the windshield, which is good to know about before I've got it in place for good - I'm going to have a careful look at the suspension pieces too, thanks buddy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) I seem to have a use for my Tamiya shell now. lol I have a broken Bronco somewhere. So what's the story with the windscreen fit? Edited June 24, 2019 by dublin boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 On 6/24/2019 at 5:33 PM, dublin boy said: I seem to have a use for my Tamiya shell now. lol I have a broken Bronco somewhere. So what's the story with the windscreen fit? Haha, do it! There's a whole sub-culture of people making off-road Miatas! Apparently you need to remove 1/8th of an inch from the bottom of the windshield to make it fit right, but I haven't tried it yet...I'm gonna have to soon tho In the meantime, got the black bits masked on the body ready for paint... ...painted it ... ...and it turned out ok! Had to do it in two parts because the masking was tricky, and it needs a little touch up (including a couple of bits I could only see when I saw these pics), but got it done... I still need to give it a coat of Novus number 1 to bring the shine back, but I didn't want to try painting over so that'll be later in the process. Whilst the paint's drying I foiled those little emblems on the back bumper, added the custom license plate (to commemorate the NA Miata's 30th birthday) and used a little Molotow on the recesses for the side lights: More soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 I've been working on the chassis of this thing for a past week or so - it's not particularly interesting, lots of semigloss black as per the 1:1 car, but I completed a few more interesting bits whilst I was waiting for paint to dry... Got the side markers painted with first Molotow and then Tamiya clear red (and clear orange for the front ones) - worked better than the kit decals I think: Painted the three components of the radiator, added a little photo etch cap... ...and got it assembled ready to install: And once I'd got the chassis to the point where there was nothing to add (except the exhaust, which I'm going to add towards the end of the build so I don't damage it through repeated handling) I got the interior tub glued in place and got the body on there: Got a little touch up to do on the black paint in a couple of spots, but it's starting to look like a Miata! Next jobs are Molotowing the inside of those front turn signals, doing something with the rear lights (which aren't brilliant, on this kit) and assembling the mirrors and gluing the last few bits in place! More soon (soon as some of this paint dries) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Some pics missing, at least over here Jim. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 54 minutes ago, dublin boy said: Some pics missing, at least over here Jim. lol Well, you’re a long way away, they probably didn’t get all the way over the Atlantic yet ? Might be Fotki being slow, they’re not loading very fast for me either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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