harti20

Hi all Thank you very much Are you talking about the Mr. Color Levelling Thinner for the Alclads? That would be great, as this is my usual go-to thinner Thank you very much This week, I made some more progress on the FXX. The body parts have now been primed and painted black, at least on the inside. The finished model should be red, as befits a Ferrari 😉 . However, since some areas that are to be painted with body colour were moded with black plastic, I decided to first prime everything in black, then paint a coat of silver over it and work my way up to the final colour with pink and red. This week, you'll have to imagine the body parts again (only this time in black instead of red 😉 ), as they still don't look much more exciting than last week. But now to the things I can show you First, the fan unit was finished and painted. To make the grille stand out a little more, I simply rubbed over it with the tip of a soft pencil after painting it in semi gloss black. Then the splitter was carbonised... ...and the brake discs were finished and attached to the rear axle. The brake discs for the front axle are also finished, but I'll have to wait a bit before installing them until the monocoque is ready. I also worked a bit more on the aforementioned monocoque. To do this, I covered a corner on the left and right under and in front of the engine compartment (i.e. in a place that will probably never be seen later) with aluminium foil. The assembly instructions specified X-11 Chrome Silver for this area. However, as I didn't feel like laboriously masking the monocoque, I tried the aluminium foil technique again. To do this, I created a template with masking tape, then stuck the tape onto a piece of paper and cut it out to fit perfectly. After checking the fit, I placed the paper upside down on the back of the aluminium foil and traced the contours with a thick marker pen. Then I cut out the foil along the contours with a sharp knife, coated the monocoque thinly with adhesive milk in the desired areas, applied the foil and smoothed it out. Considering that I haven't tried this for a long time, I am absolutely satisfied with the result (What looks like an air bubble is not one, by the way, but an unevenness in the plastic underneath). And here, for a better understanding of where this corner is located: The eagle-eyed will probably have already spotted something else in the last picture: the small shiny silver corner next to where the firewall will be later. This brings us straight to the next and last point for this week. The fire wall was first painted with (take a deep breath...) ‘Mr. Colour Super Metallic 2 Super Fine Silver 2’ to better conceal any gaps in the final step. I then painted over the blue section with transparent blue from Mr. Colour and the black section with semi gloss black from Tamiya. After everything had had enough time to cure, I made another template with masking tape, which I then transferred onto a piece of MFH heat shield foil. Apart from the slight damage to the foil, I am more than happy with the result 😄 It's just a shame that in the end, you won't be able to see any of it... That's it for this week Next week, provided I can successfully fend off the flu that's creeping up on me, I'll continue working on the bodywork. After priming, I noticed two areas at the rear that could use a little putty. However, they are in a rather awkward place, where there is a risk that it will end up looking even worse... 🤔 At the same time, I will probably be busy with carbon work on the seats and the interior in general. Urs

Hi all I'm back after a long break which was primarily due to a rather pronounced lack of motivation, which has been with me for quite some time now, even during the last few projects. In the meantime, I had even considered giving up the hobby and devoting myself entirely to photography again. However, after participating as an exhibitor at a model exhibition held in Switzerland a few weeks ago, I got hooked again. I was able to purchase the kit presented here a few years ago at a bargain price in a model shop that was about to close down. The photo-etched parts included by Tamiya are rather rudimentary, so I wanted the HobbyDesign PE set from the very beginning. Unfortunately, this is no longer even available from the manufacturer itself, so I was afraid that I would never be able to call it my own. Shortly before the model exhibition, I received a notification on Scalemates that someone was offering something on my wish list for sale. Usually I don't pay much attention to these notifications, but this time I was curious and saw that someone in Germany was offering exactly the set I was looking for for the FXX at a very reasonable price. A few PMs and days later, the set was actually in my mailbox 👍 Actually, my goal would have been to build a motorcycle again. But after finally holding the PE parts in my hands after years of waiting, it was clear that this would be the kit I would start next. First, all the body parts were deburred, checked for accuracy of fit (yes, I know, with Tamiya it's actually a waste of time), assembled as far as possible and reasonable, and sanded with 400 grit sponge to achieve an evenly flat surface everywhere. Now I will sand all the parts againwith 800 grit and then with 2000- or 3000-grit sanding sponge, and then prime and paint everything. I haven't taken any pictures of these steps yet. I don't think a pile of body parts with sanding dust marks is particularly exciting Then, as specified in the assembly instructions, I started with the engine. Somehow, I seem to have had this kit in my hands before, because the engine block itself was already assembled. In original pictures, I saw that the cylinder head cover had a heat protection shield on the area specified in the instructions as XF-16 aluminum matt, so I tried to reproduce this in the model. To do this, I sanded down the molded rivet heads, drilled holes for etched rivets, covered the part with heat protection foil from MFH, and then inserted the rivets. I am quite satisfied with the result, even though the rivet heads are now quite a bit larger than the molded ones. Once this was done, I was soon able to finish the engine, as far as this is currently possible. I tried my hand at adding heat stains and almost despaired because the transparent Alclad paints (red, blue, and sepia) hardly wanted to go through the nozzle of my Evolution. Or rather, when paint did come out, it was always much more than I actually intended. Does anyone have any experience with whether and how these paints can be thinned? In order for the engine to be installed afterwards, the mount had to be painted. These two parts are now just waiting to be assembled. Then I jumped ahead in the construction plan again and started on the seats. I had to drill holes in the sides so that I could then thread the 5- or 6-point seat belts through. Once this was done, I applied a coat of primer and satin black. I have also already started covering the backrest of one seat with carbon decals. I'll have to touch up the upper area a little and cut the arch more generously from the start on the next seat. Otherwise, I'm quite happy with it Once the carbon work on the seats is complete, they will be coated with gloss clear, the carbon surfaces will be masked, and the rest of the seat will be painted over with Charcoal Textured Paint from Zero Paints. That's it for today. As usual I hope to have piqued your interest and am looking forward to your comments, critiques and plaudits Urs

Thank you all for your kind comments

Hi all As I've been on vacation last week there's hardly any progress I could show you from my two current builds. So I decided to display gallery pics from one of the models I took to the studio about two weeks ago: alpha model's Ferrari Roma. The WIP thread can be found here: But now let's move on to the pictures of this beautiful car (Note to myself: next time in the studio, don't only take the antistatic brush with me, but also use it before taking the pictures... ) I hope you like the pics althoug being a bit dusty. Urs

Thank you very much for all your kind comments

Hi all The thread in the Under Glass section can be found here: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/202146-mclaren-senna Thank you all for your comments during this build. I hope to see you again on my next project Urs

Hi all Sooner than expected I was able to go to the studio to take some Under Glass pictures of my recently finished McLaren Senna First of all the pics I took at home, using my photobox (some of them have been visible already in my WIP thread: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/174179-tamiya-mclaren-senna/ And now the pics taken in the studio. Unfortunately I didn't see all the dust on the reflecting surface until I was back home That's it from me in regard of the McLaren Senna. I'll soon be back with a new project (and of course with my already started Sauber C9). Urs

Hi all Thank you very much Sonny Meanwhile the McLaren has been finished und was parked around the corner where it was spotted by a fellow photographer A thread in the Under Glass section will follow as soon as I've been to the studio for the next time (hopefully soon). That's it from this build. From now on work on the Sauber C9 will continue and at the same time I started another project (better said, I took it over from my son as he has lost interest in it). Urs

Hi all After having finished the door panels and the dashboard in my last post, it was time to finally finish and install the seats. After completing all the seat belt parts I could install them in the interior Once installed I could also attach the door panels and the dashboard With this being done, it was time for the engagement photo (with the door on the driver's side only mocked up) Then everything went quite fast: marriage took place In another WIP I once read that quite a few body parts fell off during marriage, that's why I waited with installing the doors and the rear (the part with the green crossbar) until after inserting the interior. Especially the door section had to be pulled apart quite a bit. With the doors already installed it would been necessary to bend it even more, as the doors go underneath the interior tub to attach some undercarriage parts. Now everything that's left to do is installing the undercarriage and assemble and install the spoiler. But that will be done in the final post of this build Urs

Hi all Thank you very much I almost gave up long ago But I just loved the design of this car too much to really give up, so I just paused its build several times. Exactly three years ago today, I started building the McLaren Senna. At the time, I thought it would be a challenge with a kit, a set of PE parts, and two decal sets to be applied on top of each other. But I never would have dreamed back then that I would still be working on it three years later. A lot of things turned out the way I had hoped, but I had to make quite a few compromises and couldn't stick to the original model completely. Overall, however, I'm still happy with how it's turned out so far. Today, there is only small progress to show you, but one that brings me a step closer to completing this build. Now I just need to finish the seats (and seat belts), and then the wedding can take place soon. After that, all that's left to do is sand, polish, and assemble the spoiler. But now to the pictures. First, the two door panels were completed. There were actually etched parts for the speakers (as a replacement for the decals), but I like them better with decals. Then the dashboard was also completed. Once again, I realized that parts I thought I had already painted were still on the sprue. I also had to deviate from the original again with the steering wheel, as the parts that I have now simply painted black would have been made of green carbon fiber. That's it for the birthday post Now I'm going to continue sweating and maybe finish the seat belts Urs

Hi all Thank you very much Thank you. You won't have to cover everyting in carbon fiber. There are lots of designs without Thank you. I guess that's the reason I'm working on it for almost 3 years now... I lost motivation more than once because of all the decal work. Quite some progress could be made in the last two weeks. First of all I worked on the interior, added floormats, accelerator and brake-pedals Then the brake discs have been completed. That's something that was lying around for months now, ready to assemble, but nobody ever took the time to really do it... After that, everything went rather fast, so that it will soon be time for marriage. Only some minoer work has to be done to complete the interior (cover one more piece with transparent CF decal for the dashboard, paint and assemble one small console for the driver's seat and finally install all the seatbelts. The McLaren Senna I'm building has quite a lot of them, as he has a 3-point seatbelt installed as well as a 6-poiint... So much for today. I guess, that I'll soon enter the home stretch with this build Urs

Hi all Quite some time has passed since my last post... But progress on the McLaren is continuing steadily, albeit in small steps The doors have already been completed, as far as is possible at this stage. The windows will only be added once the doors are attached to the body. Contrary to the assembly instructions, I will only do this once the body has been placed over the interior. I hope that this will mean the body does not have to be stretched so much during marriage. Some progress has also been made on the bodywork That's it for today I'll have more to show soon, as the interior is slowly taking shape Urs

Hi all Thank you very much Small steps on the McLaren. I had actually planned to make more progress on the bodywork last week than was actually the case. The problem, however, was that the air deflectors in the area of the splitter on one side could not be installed. After a long search, I found the root of the problem: the splitter was slightly warped and had to be persuaded to stay in its intended position with a little force. As I wanted to avoid having to make 10 attempts because of removing the clamp too early and thus tear the glue joint open again (as is often the case with me), I let the glue harden for a little more than 24 hours this time. As the other construction steps are also in the area of the splitter, I could not continue here. Here is the current status, with the splitter installed and forced into shape. You can also see the air deflectors on the side where I was able to install them earlier Beforehand I finished the two headlights. Well.... at least that's what I thought. Them problem if you are working on a project for almost three years now it that you don't always remember exactly what had been done already three years ago... I was wondering because there was no painting instruction for the area behind the big transparent part. Neither could I find anything in the instructions of the PE set used. Today I studied Tamiya's building instructions once again and noticed that there are still two parts missing on each headlight which go behind the big transparent part... That's it for this week. I hope that I will be able to make more progress this week Urs

Hi all Fortunately fixing the scratches on the body has been quite easy. Therefore I reprimed the areas affected and layed down some more layers of paint on both the body shell and the engine hood and thought it was fine now. But after looking at it again a few days later I noticed that the front still didn't look as smooth as I would want it. And just now, when looking at the picture, I noticed that stain on the body shell right behind the wheel. I also noticed some sanding marks right behind the openings on the roof. Initially I thought that I'd let them as they are, but now there's a good reason to touch them up as I'll have to repaint the body shell anyway in some spots. This afternoon I also got reminded that I might have a PE part for the circular openings behind the doors. If that is the case, I'll also have to sand that area flat to be able to attach the PE parts. But first I'll have to check if there's really a replacement in the PE set I'm using... The engine has been cut in two halfs to make painting easier. After painting the two halves will be re-attached I don't know yet how detailed I'll build the engine. This build was actually intended to decrease the size of my stash on one had, as I don't have any space left for new model kits anymore. On the other hand it was supposed to get my mojo back, as I was thinking to sell all my model building related stuff some months ago and concentrate on photography again... So much for today from the pit lane Urs

Hi all I just decided to give it a go and try it again. That's what I tried to show you last time: Only very few progress today, but more will be coming soon. I know I've already made this announcement several times in this WIP, but this time it really will be the case. A lot has been going on in the background recently, but not too much that could be shown in pictures yet. On Friday, however, I clear coated all the body parts that had not yet been clear coated befrore with Ammo's 2K paint. Unfortunately, I only realized afterwards that I applied it too thin on some parts, which resulted in a very uneven surface. I will paint these parts again in about 2 weeks so that I have a thick enough layer for the final sanding and polishing. But now to the only progress that can be seen at the moment: a body part that had already been clear coated months ago has been sanded smooth with a Tamiya 3000 sanding sponge and can now be polished. I was actually thinking that the parts should be dust-free, but the photo once again brutally proves the opposite... the dust will (hopefully) be wiped off by the final gallery pictures at the latest... And now let's move on the the current standing As I mentioned in my last post, some of the body parts had to be clear coated for a second time. That was done last friday, so I had to leave these parts to dry for some days. But the parts that came out well the first time have been sanded smooth and polished, so I could continue assembling the body. Now it finally starts looking like a car To continue work on the interior I had to mask the already finished carbon fibre work and paint it with some Charcoal Textured paint. When I removed the masking afterwards everything turned out well on the passenger's side. But when I started removing the masking on the drivers side I soon noticed that the masking ripped off a part of the cf decals 😴 Once all the masking had been removed, I tried to cut some clean edges to make it easier to apply a patch to fix it. That's how it looked afterwards While letting the clear coat cure I also had some time to fix this last weekend. It's not really perfect, but I definitely can live with the way how it looks now. And with.a bit of luck this area won't be too visible through the small windows in the lower part of the door anyway... That's all for today. As I'll mainly have to sand and polish a lot of body parts it may now take a while to my next post in here. But now I'm constantly working on this kit to have it (hopefully) finished soon Urs