Tommy124

Hi folks, at the time I'm starting this WIP thread now, I am actually more or less done with this kit. At times I wasn't sure if I would have the nerves to finish it, so while I was taking photos through all the steps, I did not have the confidence to start the WIP before now. The reason why I'm doing the WIP is that these Maserati kits are pretty rare and hardly ever seen built. The kit itself is really horrible. Poor detailing and, what's worse, the worst molding quality I have ever seen on a regular plastic kit. The box says Airfix but after some research I found out that there have been 2 different Merak kits sold under the Airfix brand. The first and undoubtingly better one is the old Gunze kit re-boxed by Airfix: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-05412-maserati-merak--182940 The second one and unfortunately the one I have, is this one - a re-box of an old Tsukuda Hobby kit: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-07401-0-maserati-merak--183538 Let's take a look at what I mean by "poor molding quality". Believe me, I have never done so much preparation work on a model body like on this one. Sanding, filling, sanding, repairing... The chrome-plated parts were a total mess aswell, so they got to take a bath in oven-cleaner. Unlike the Gunze re-box, this kit doesn't come with clear parts for the tail lights. Instead, it has some chrome-plated part that is supposed to be painted. I opted to make my own tail lights using clear styrene, a scriber and paint. Turned out okay to me:

Many thanks guys! Thanks Nigel. Yes, I really think so. The same ad was published in English aswell...

Hi folks, in 1982, GM actively tried to sell the then new 3rd gen Camaro to overseas markets, especially Europe and Asia. To that purpose, they created a modified export ("E") version of the Z28. It was designed to better meet the taste of the overseas clientel, leaving the rear spoiler and the vents on the hood. Only 2541 Z28-E's were built from 1982 to 1985, yet those were not included in the official Camaro production figures (according to information on www.ThirdGen.Org). This was the ad used in Germany back then... (translation: "Camaro Z 28-E. It's another world.") The Arii 1/24 scale kit (initially released by the LS brand) is far from being perfect or well-detailed, but it correctly depicts important aspects like the body proportions and the specific Camaro wheels. Anyway, i tried to make the best of it. This is my result.

Hi Ludwig, well done again! Nice choice of colors, great job on paint and detailing!

Hi Ludwig, you gave this kit of a "daily driver" type of car the right treatment. Looks nice, well done!

Very nice subject, great work as always.

Many thanks Gareth!

THANKS!

Cool lookin‘ Mopar sedan. Well done, Ludwig!

Many thanks guys, I appreciate your feedback.

I'm afraid I have this kit ("10th Anniversary Trans Am") by MPC still in my stash somewhere. I like the look of the '79 Bird over the '77/'78, so I'll probably build it one day. You did well on this one. TS-53 is always a great choice, plus you did a good job on the interior and I really like the wheels and tyres!

Thanks Tom and Jesse!

Thanks a lot guys!

Hi folks, this is another VERY nice snap-kit from Revell. At least here in Europe it's very rare, I was lucky enought to get hold of one some years ago. Several examples of built kits on the internet have shown already that this 20-something parts kit can be turned into something really nice. However, none of the ones I found have added the chrome trim on the side of car, which is missing in the kit. I did so in using Evergreen strips and treated it with BMF. Speaking of which, there is a LOT of BMF to be used on this car. All paints I used were Tamiya sprays, except for the Landau top which was brush-painted with Tamiya tan color and and the cleared with Tamiya semi-gloss clear. The gauges on the dashboard have been used from Best Model Car Parts (excellent stuff from Mike as usual!) As regards the wheels, the kit contained Rallye wheels and rather boring-looking tyres with no white walls on them (no offence, it's a simple snapper after all), so I decided to use aftermarket wheels and tyres from Pegasus. One funny but very useful detail on the kit is that the ride height on the front and back can be adjusted separately from "donk" to almost "lowrider" level. I resisted the temptation to do anything funny here and went for the look that fits best IMHO... Last, not least, rubber strips on the bumpers have been made by using black stripe decals. "Golden" days of Chevy:

Many thanks Ludwig!

I finished my 64 some weeks ago...

Great build, nice images! Well done! De-chroming the wheelhouse trims certainly was worth the effort, as IMHO that is one big downside of this kit. I also like the fact that you give detailed information on your painting process. In fact, I might be tempted to use your "mixing recipe" for the body color one day...

Thanks guys, appreciated!

I have never used TS-45 Pearl White before, but I am wondering if there might be a mix-up with TS-65 Pearl CLEAR.

Thanks a lot Mark!

Thanks everyone. I got the same response as Geoff did. Michael sent me a list of the items available, so this will work out!

Many thanks guys!

Thanks Bill, but your ebay link actually brings „0 items“ aswell. I have a hunch that this is because of my German location. Maybe shipping abroad is deactivated in his shop and therefore abroad clients cannot see any items, who knows? Now that I know he is still doing business, I will find a way to contact him. Thanks again!

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Don't know if it's great, but it's been brushwork. What helped in achieving this result is the crisp details on the kit's dashboard - and the use of Tamiya acrylic colors, which are great for painting such details (just have to dilute them to the right degree).

Hi there, does anyone know if Michael is still active in selling those nice gauge decals? The bestmodelcarparts shop is still online on Ebay but it carries "0 items". I can't seem to find any website of him either... Any feedback will be appreciated!