jaymcminn

Great job getting this to fit together as well as you did. These old Heller kits aren't for the faint of heart!

Last week, after nearly three years of dodging that particular bullet, the Virus That Shall Not Be Named finally got me. After two days of praying for death followed by a day of just sleeping, I started looking for something to kill the time while I was still quarantined. About three years ago as well, I put a very nearly finished Tamiya Jaguar XJ220 back in the box because my 1/12 Italeri Alfa Romeo 8c showed up and I wanted to get stuck in. The Jag has been patiently waiting all this time... When I opened the box I realized that a lot of good work had gone into this kit. It was basically ready for final assembly when I packed it in. The paint is Tamiya Metallic Red with a cream interior. I basically built it box-stock with the exception of embossing-powder carpet and assembly stuff like pinning the mirrors. When I test-fitted the chassis and body shell together I remembered another reason it went back into the box: a big warp in the chassis that made it nearly impossible to seat properly. THis issue was exacerbated by Tamiya not including any sort of positive attachment point for the chassis. This led me to my favorite modeling challenge... trying to re-engineer finished components without disturbing a really good paint job. I added tabs at the nose that allowed me to glue the front end down and extensions at the side of the chassis plate that allowed it to snap into the body shell, which also drew the warp out of the chassis. Problem solved. This is a good kit, but comparing it to modern Tamiya releases isn't quite fair. The engineering isn't nearly as good. Many components, like the side windows, are designed with little thought as to how they're supposed to be attached. I was able to use Krystal Klear to get everything into place cleanly. I did glue the headlight covers into place because the kit headlights are fairly terrible and i preferred to make sure the covers were flush. Wheels were finished with Testors Aluminum Plate Metalizer (R.I.P). The Jaguar lettering is a kit transfer and went down perfectly. I just wish they'd done the mirror faces as well! Overall, this is an excellent kit that builds up nicely out of the box. As long as you're not expecting 2023 levels of Tamiya engineering perfection, you won't be disappointed. Anyway, on to the pix!

I've seen the parts breakdown and it might be worse than the Merc.

I've been using Vallejo Metal Colors a lot lately. They take masking really well to duplicate shading differences between different panels. Aluminum and Duraluminium will be the two colors you'll use most. Keep in mind that Mustang wings were actually painted in aluminized lacquer from the factory, as panel gaps were filled and the whole wing coated with a heavy primer to create the smoothest possible surface. The best way to replicate this would probably be a matte aluminum paint like Tamiya XF16.

If you have intact chrome plating on the parts you can airbrush Tamiya clear yellow with a tiny amount of Tamiya smoke mixed in to approximate gold over the chrome. When kit manufacturers did "gold plating" back in the day it was a clear lacquer over the kit chrome plating.

Painting after application? Sure, I do it all the time. But I don't see any way paint will survive the application and burnishing process. It'll flake off.

Just about anything by Tamiya released in the last 30 or so years has the same level of foresight and detail in the engineering. Their earlier kits, especially the 1/12 scale car kits released in the 70's, are impressive but once they got into the late 90's the engineering just took off. I just finished their new Nissan Z kit and it was an absolute joy to build from start to finish.

Camel yellow is an awesome color, especially with black trim. This is looking fantastic!

Amazon or EBay. Just search for 2mm or 3mm neodymium magnets. They're pretty much all the same, brand doesn't matter. There are specialist sites where you can get them smaller, but 2mm is pretty tiny and will still hold well. I use these things a lot for opening panels, especially doors on my 1/12 scale builds. I have both 3mm and 2mm size handy, obviously the larger magnet will have more strength. Just make sure to get the poles aligned properly or you'll have permanently open doors!

Looks fantastic! Whenever I just want to build something without it turning into a wrestling match I go for Tamiya. When you don't have to stress out over the basics you can have fun adding some detail.

Great to see this all together. It sits beautifully!

I dunno, clear coats seem to completely flatten out the finish based off of the results in the original post. I'm betting anything applied over it would kill the reflectivity. Something like Vallejo Metal Color Chrome would probably work better... it doesn't quite have the shine of these products but it can be coated and not lose its shine.

Good to know. A proper dead-flat finish isn't easy to get.

Unfortunately, there just isn't an unequivocally good 928 kit out there. The Fujimi is a very basic curbside with an interior tub and metal axles. It also has fitment challenges on the front and rear fascias. Gunze Sangyo released a 928s kit in the 80s that was available in a Testors box as well. It could be built as a full detail(ish) model with opening everything and engine detail. The fit of those opening panels was exactly what you'd expect from a third-tier Japanese manufacturer in the 80's. The wheels are terrible as well. The Italeri is the one I don't have experience with, but it looks to have a properly-detailed interior, basic engine detail and good proportions. Those 80's Italeri kits are simple and a bit clunky, but can be built into nice replicas. That's the one I'd probably go with.

Absolutely worth it. The Fujimi EM 356 Porsches (this is a rebox of the Fujimi EM) are a high-water mark in model kit design. They're not exactly an easy build, but they are very rewarding. Gratuitous pic of my 356 Speedster build below...

Absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way. I love it!

Good start on this one. I built this kit back when it came out and have been thinking about revisiting it for a while. I'll probably go with red, but I'm leaning toward Mica Red. I think the shape needs a metallic or pearl to accentuate those lines.

I was pretty tempted to go with the Rosewood... it's a great color that's similar to the "Merlot Mica Pearl" on my 1:1 '95 Miata. Agreed that even the more subtle colors on the new Z need the black roof to look right. That black roof helps hide the "heaviness" that comes with just about any modern car.

That's a sharp color combination on that 86. Glad to be able to help!

Next up will be my new GR Supra in the traditional Toyota Gold Leaf livery!?

I've got to ask... how did you do the Kevlar front floor panels? I tried bending the PE kit parts into shape but it didn't go well. If Italeri was going to make them in PE metal, I don't see why they couldn't do them in brass which would be more easily formed to the complex curve of the floor pan. At this point on mine I'm thinking about using styrene sheet and filler to replicate them directly on the floor pan using the shape of the Kevlar decal as a template.

I'd glue thin styrene strip around the edges of the hole, inset by the thickness of the part, to create a shelf for the part to attach to.

Well, it is the Sunshine State...

My first build for 2023 is a kit I didn't quite get across the line for 2022, the new-tool Tamiya Nissan Z. I really like the new Z, and was pretty interested to try out the Tamiya kit because the reviews have been so positive. It wound up on the back burner, however, until I saw one at my LHS and it became an instant impulse buy. As an 80's kid, I have had the tendency to view curbside kits as being simple toylike shelf models for amateur builders. It's a prejudice that a lot of modelers have that often stops us from exploring many of the excellent offerings from the Japanese manufacturers over the last few years especially. The truth about this kit is that it is not simple, not in the least toylike, and probably not the best option for an amateur builder. It is beautifully engineered, meticulously designed to replicate its subject matter, and rewards a skilled builder with an amazing replica that will proudly sit on any contest table. As always, my first priority was to sort out the color combination. I like most of the stock colors but I wanted to create something a bit more personalized. I actually pulled from one of my own favorite builds, the 1/12 scale 240zg I did several years back. I did that one in Racing Green over saddle with gold Panasports... The question was: How to update this look for 2023? I decided to go with a more muted green pearl with terracotta accents for the interior. I decided to keep the gold wheels but tone down the color and paint the new Z's distinctive window molding in the same gold. THe result would be modern and stock-looking. Almost like a factory special edition. Below are some assembly highlights. First the lighting elements, that are complicated combinations of clear and opaque elements and fiddly decals that do a great job of replicating the complex lighting of modern cars. Next, the window and lighting glass assemblies. These feature pre-cut masks for both interior and exterior. The interior is designed with separate elements to eliminate as much masking as possible on the two-tone seats and door panels. I used embossing powder for the interior carpet...otherwise the entire model is 100% box-stock. The terracotta color is a matte brown from Revell's new line of acrylics. These paints thin beautifully for airbrushing with Vallejo acrylic thinner medium. The body was painted in Tamiya AS-21 IJN Dark Green 2. This green has a very slight blue undertone to it. I followed that up with three coats of Tamiya Pearl Clear and three coats of TS13 clear. Base coat... After pearl, clear and polishing. Phone pic makes the pearl look a lot heavier than it actually is. Tamiya molds the roof separate from the rest of the body to make it easier to replicate the two-tone color scheme of most Z's. The roof was painted in TS14, cleared, polished and installed. Exterior glass sandwiches in between the interior and exterior roof pieces with big mounting tabs. The chassis was painted in a mix of Tamiya lacquers and Vallejo Metal Color acrylics and weathered with Vallejo washes and Tamiya Weathering Master pastels. Wheels were painted in a mix of Vallejo Metal Color paints to create a sort of "champagne gold" color. I painted the trim above the side windows (another separate piece) the same color. I picked out the lug nuts in Molotow chrome and added a light wash to the hub area to make them pop. Ordinarily I'd add valve stems but I really wanted to stick to box stock. I'm a little surprised that Tamiya didn't mold valve stems in! Body with grilles and lighting elements installed. The grille elements were dry brushed on with Vallejo Metal Color Chrome. Almost there... And the finished model! Overall, this was a really impressive kit and a great way to break out of a slump. I had a lot of fun with this build. As always, questions and comments are welcome!

Looks pretty impressive, but it seems to have the same limitations as current products... doesn't take clear coat, doesn't like to be handled, etc. It looks like it might be less finicky to use than Molotow or (especially) Alclad as well as being useful for modelers who want to "rechrome" parts and don't have access to an airbrush for applying the other chrome finishes. Thanks for posting this up!