Pete75 Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 (edited) I already have two other projects in progress but I’m starting this because I want to get another body shell sprayed while the weather is still warm. (I use rattle cans outdoors and things can get a bit tricky here in the U.K. in the winter months). I’ve wanted to do this one for a while now but waited to develop my skills a bit in order to do it some kind of justice & reduce the risk of mishaps. The moment has arrived! It barely all fitted in the box! Twice as many parts as I’ve been used to but looks amazing. The goal is to turn it into something resembling this: Controversial colour choice but I thought long and hard about it: the car is so exotic & spaceship-like that something a bit outrageous seems to fit. I’ve chosen Tamiya candy lime green which has got more flake in it than the above, but it’s pretty close. I’ve watched a number of forum and YouTube builds in preparation, which is just as well because the thing is relatively complex for me and it would take me forever if I just had the instruction sheet. I started with identifying, detaching and tidying every piece that is going to be body coloured. This task would normally be fairly quick but, with all the bits and treading carefully, it took me an evening. How much of it should be assembled before paint and how much after? When researching, I couldn’t find two builds the same here, so I elected to keep the tradition going! A major fork in the road was whether to attempt the opening doors. It would be great to have an interior easily accessible to show off all the hard work that normally gets entombed, but, having observed the experiences of highly proficient modellers, the risk of getting towards the end of the build and discovering the doors don’t fit properly is too high for my liking. Essentially, I have gone for maximum pre-assembly. This even includes the wing mirrors: a copied idea which appealed to me because putting glue on to a finished body brings me out in a cold sweat! The gluing took me another evening, followed by another sanding-out mould lines/surface prep and scribing panel lines. Then, just as it was ready for paint, I noticed small-but-unwelcome gaps on either flank above the big side vents. I was able to close one with just some pressure and quick-drying cement, but the other side needed a dab of filler and leaving to dry. Delayed another da, but pleased to catch the oversight in time. Wet sanded everything with 1200 grit. All went quite well but I discovered that, owing to the fact that panels surrounding the lifting engine cover have some play in their positioning, the cover is going to be a touch more snug than I would've liked by the time it's fully painted & cleared. I did a bit of (very minor) sanding & touching up to try & mitigate this, but I didn't want to risk messing with size/shape to any real extent. Anyhow, she's ready to go green... Thanks for looking ? Edited September 20, 2020 by Pete75 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZanglia Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 I have this same kit. Now Following Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 Made some progress on this one, although not straight forwardly! First thing was a case of spot the glaring error: I hadn't noticed the gaps on the door sills (above) that shouldn't be there, so I had to pry the doors back out & reset them. One side still wanted to leave a (smaller) gap so I got busy with the cement & some filler. Did the same in a couple of other spots on the side vents then sanded it back & touched up the primer. After flatting with 800 grit all over it was ready for colour, finally! With all the angles on this thing, it takes more paint than most body shells! I wasn't happy with the first attempt (I put it on too "dry" & it came out a bit dull & rough) so I spent a night wet sanding it smooth with 1200/2000 grit. Today I put a proper wet coat on and voila! A lot of work but I'm happy. Probably going to clear coat it tomorrow, then shelve it to cure properly ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majel Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 The body is coming along nicely, looks really good. I'm working on the same model, but trying it with the opening doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted September 27, 2020 Author Share Posted September 27, 2020 2 hours ago, majel said: The body is coming along nicely, looks really good. I'm working on the same model, but trying it with the opening doors. Excellent - you're much braver than me!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 BEAUTIFUL!!!!!....i love this car, as well as the kit, cant wait to see more!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted October 1, 2020 Author Share Posted October 1, 2020 11 hours ago, Dann Tier said: BEAUTIFUL!!!!!....i love this car, as well as the kit, cant wait to see more!!! Too kind, as ever, sir! ? Got it cleared safely now - always makes me feel relieved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 gorgeous car , and excellent color choice BOLD is perfect for such an exotic car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted October 1, 2020 Author Share Posted October 1, 2020 7 hours ago, gotnitro? said: gorgeous car , and excellent color choice BOLD is perfect for such an exotic car Hey, thanks. Appreciate the support ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanyb505 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 Yeah color is perfect. A generic black/red/blue would have been more controversial! Also have this kit, but way too doubtful of my own skills. Just take it nice and slow, and make it look easy for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 6 hours ago, seanyb505 said: Yeah color is perfect. A generic black/red/blue would have been more controversial! Also have this kit, but way too doubtful of my own skills. Just take it nice and slow, and make it look easy for me! Thanks Sean. It'll certainly be slow; fingers crossed for nice! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Hows this Beast coming along, Bud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 22 hours ago, Dann Tier said: Hows this Beast coming along, Bud? All good, thanks Dann. Got the body cleared & cured ready for a sand & polish. Not sure of the timeframe though as I'm wrestling with 2 other builds that have to take precedence. I did strip the MASSIVE wheels the other day - might do them next ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 Back on this one again. My enthusiasm instantly took a hit when I came to sand the bodywork & encountered totally unexpected trouble in three separate places. Extensive repairs were required (no photos); mercifully, the huge number of panels on the Aventador meant that I could mask off individual sections to respray rather than having to take a trip to the bath. I'm pretty much back to where I was, but it's been testing! Progress has been smoother with the interior: Because of the loud exterior colour, I decided the interior colours should be muted & went with grey/black. This is my first experience with flocking & I found it pretty straightforward & am happy with the effect. I have to take my hat off to Aoshima so far: 10/10 for the interior design & detail. I added the extra CF on the dash binnacle, which is something I saw on a 1:1 car. Got the wheels & door cards done too. The wheels are hilariously big & fat, expecially compared to the 70s Wolfrace alloys I've recently done on a Lotus build. Onwards to the engine bay next... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Tempted to get one of these kits, but have resisted. Will live vicariously through you, looking great so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 (edited) On 11/29/2020 at 6:05 PM, 89AKurt said: Tempted to get one of these kits, but have resisted. Will live vicariously through you, looking great so far! Cheers Kurt. You should give in to the styrene sirens & get one! ?? Edited November 30, 2020 by Pete75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 A bit more progress. First got the engine bay done. It's nicely detailed, like everything else on this kit, but the Aventador only really has the top section visible, so I skipped detailing the bottom end. (Also note that more of what's visible here will be obscured later on). The kit wins points for the cool decals on the intake manifold, although the CF strip needs a lot of setting solution to get it to sit properly on the irregular surface. Points too for the rear shocks which have exact space for 1mm masking tape to be wound between the spring coils! Next I got the brakes painted & added a bit of dark grey wash. The full detail-up PE kit has nice looking discs but I couldn't get hold of it so paint must suffice. Purists may note that the Aventador actually has rather dull looking ceramic discs but I prefer silver. (Got to love any kit that provides caliper decals - awesome!). Then it was surprisingly simple to assemble everything. The suspension is ultra straightforward compared to Tamiya & allows for full wheel movement/steering, although because the front assembly isn't supposed to be glued (just held in the arms by locator pins) it's quite loose & I found the wheels came off easily. I think I've fixed it with tiny bits of Blue-tack. (Not sure what it's called in the USA - it's the putty you stick posters up with!) I'm pleased I decided against painting the calipers black: they're much cooler in green!?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maltsr Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 That's coming along nicely Pete! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italianhorses Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Looks real good! Like that shade of green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkychiken Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 The body paint looks excellent & the interior is very sharp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 On 12/4/2020 at 11:18 PM, maltsr said: That's coming along nicely Pete! SURE IS!!!! -Nice job painting those springs too!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 On 12/5/2020 at 4:18 AM, maltsr said: That's coming along nicely Pete! On 12/5/2020 at 4:57 AM, Italianhorses said: Looks real good! Like that shade of green. On 12/5/2020 at 11:15 PM, Funkychiken said: The body paint looks excellent & the interior is very sharp! On 12/6/2020 at 5:47 PM, Dann Tier said: SURE IS!!!! -Nice job painting those springs too!!!! Thanks Paul, Alex, Atin & Dann - appreciate the support! ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schultz84 Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Great ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 On 12/5/2020 at 6:15 PM, Funkychiken said: The body paint looks excellent & the interior is very sharp! X2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete75 Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 Well, a small gap in proceedings! The shortish version is that I hit trouble soon after my last update: I burned through the clear coat with the micro mesh & it turns out that metallic/pearlescent colours are highly unforgiving in this scenario. I ended up doing a partial respray (over the top of the clear coat) utilising the fact that the Aventador has so many separate body panels to help mask off and blend the repair. Surprisingly, it kind-of came out ok (although I shudder to think how thick parts of the paintwork became), but soon after I got fed-up thinking about how far away I still was after so much work, so I and shelved the build. Since then, I've returned to it very occasionally, although I didn't have the spare optimism/energy to document anything - particularly when I had to learn to manufacture a replacement indicator glass! Anyway, unlikely as it has long seemed, I've finished the confounded thing and it is now under glass - link below: Finished gallery here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.