Rich Chernosky

A masterpiece from you "as per usual" Mark

Knocking the stash down one kit at a time. This weeks feature is a 1/20 Fujimi of the Williams FW16 that was driven in 1994 by Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill. Williams actually had quite a bit of sucess with this car despite the death of Senna. they won the manufacturers championship and Damon Hill was second in the world championship losing by only a single point. Model is painted in Tamiya TS26 white and Mr color #5 blue (80%) #39 purple (20%) Kit is mostly box stock except for the Rothmans aftermarket tobacco decals. A few other modifications were made and explained below. Thanks for looking and comments welcome. Front suspension was well detailed but went together tricky. The lower wishbone attached to the front nose cone and would move side to side despite a location lug. Once I was able to line it up with the top wishbone it assembled correctly. Engine had some pretty good detail but I didn't add anything. The rear engine cover removes so if I ever get bored I can get back to this. Most of the body panels fit quite well on this kit. But I still drilled the mounting lugs and inserted a small wire. The 6 corresponding holes in the chassis were also drilled out and the engine cover was mounted and these wires were bent over to secure it, This meant no glue was required and the engi9ne cover could be removed, which I had to do when I forgot to include a couple parts. Gluing down the engine cover was risky and this solved tow problems at once. Rear wing mounted nicely to the transmission and sat nice and straight.....whew!! The kit decals were Cartograf and laind down nicely where they were supposed to. All the blues (paint and decal) matched nicely. Car had a lot of tobacco decals that were omotted in the kit for obvious reasons. Looks better with them though. Had this Onyx 1/24 dicast in the collection so I though it would make a good comparison. It did n't come with tobacco decals either so I had an extra and added it.

Helmut...a point well taken. There are two kinds of work. The one we have to do...like earning a living. Not something we very much enjoy but it has to be done if we want a roof over our heads , want to eat and enjoy other comforts. (I am retired so I am beyond that now) Then there is the work we want to do. Reminds me of a Jaguar ad I saw a long time ago of a man washing his E-type. The caption was simple...a labor of love. Yah...if I had that car I would sure enjoy washing it. Well I feel exactly that way about my model collection. For years, each time I got a new kit I dreamed of the day I would sit down and work on it. I often looked at my collection and said..."one day I am going to do just that." I am sure I am not alone...I might even have you for company. Nowadays it is not just a labor of love...its a dream come true. Any slump I have comes from the fact of which kit or project do I enjoy next. I , personally overcome it quite quickly. I started this post to see how others deal with it and their thoughts. Its been very interesting to say the least. And, as always , I appreciate your insight.

Mario...have to agree with you that the Hasegawa is not a bad little kit. And you have certainly done it justice. The paint, the detailing and the background photography are, as per usual, over the top. Well done...I like it.

Gary....now this one made me smile. But I can assure you it does happen. Fortunatly ,not for long. My productivity comes from my organization.

This has been a great topic for discussion. Want to thank everyone who contributed their opine. And there is always room for more.

David....that is an awesome way to break out of a slump. I have three cars in my collection that I owned and it was a joy to build each one of them.

I would like to know how many of you beat "builders slump" For me this happens right after I finish a project. Which one of the 250 + projects do I tear into next. Sometimes it can be days wandering through boxes to get inspiration. Much of my stash has been started and is in various stages of completion. Each one was stopped for a reason. I find inspiration in various places. Do I have room in my display cases...?? Is this a project that can easily be finished...? Is it a new kit that hasn't been started.....? Did I see someone else finish a project on this forum, I have or want....? Would be interested to hear anyone elses take on this common problem.

Been on a Formula One kick lately. . Got a few in the stash and figured it was about time to finish some of them. This one is a Hasegawa that was purchased some 30yrs ago. Decals is the kit long ago cracked to un-usable. I was able to find a replacement set from Shunko a few years back. Colors are Tamiya TS26 white, Mr Color #322 Pthalo Blue, and Aqueous Color #23 Shine red. Metallic black from Tamiya's LP line for the carbon fibre chassis. Other than the decals this was a mostly box stock git-er-done project. More details under the pictures. Thanks for looking. Wheels and tires were actually done a long time ago when the kit decals were still good. Rear engine cover fit very well but I still used two small clips to keep it in place. Need it secure during the decal stage. Rear suspension was well detailed but there was not much engine to show. Only real problem with this kit was the mono shock assembly that sat on top of the transmission. It was too high and didn't allow the engine cover to sit all the way down. It was easily fixed. Wheels steered in this kit. Masking and painting was a challenge. The nose in particular recieved four different colors. Careful masking and much touch-up was needed.

Those Fujimi Lambo kits are great and you did a super job on this one. The opening doors are a plus.

You did a great job Mario.

Most of the commonly used water base figure paints cover and brush a little better over a flat primer. Tamiya surface primer is one of the best and doesn't hide the details.

Giovanni...thank you for the reply and especially the extra detail pictures. Yes I am quite familiar with Protar as over the years I have managed to aquire their whole range of automotive subjects. I am a big Ferrari fan and of course their line is top heavy in Ferrari's. I have several of these built and also own both variations of the Alfa kit. Your work on this kit is inspiring. Really hope mine turn out as good as yours.

Protar kits are no walk in the park. They take many long hours of persistence and skill to get them right. This is one of the finest examples of one of these kits I have seen. Congratulations Giovanni on a job very well done.

Was looking for a quick build and this kit turned out to be the answer. Revell 1/24 Williams FW23 from the 2001 season. Color is a mix of Mr Color #5 (75%) #322 (20%) and #65 (5%) . The kit plastic was left white and all was coated with Tamiya LP49 Clear Pearl. I enjoyed this kit due to its simplicity as the build only took 3 days. Drivers for this car were Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. They enjoyed some success as both recorded their first F-1 victories with this car. Overall they won 5 races but only finished third in the championship. Below are more build particulars in the picture captions. Thanks for looking. Trying a new background here. This panoramic view was taken at Watkins Glen. Plan to add more to it later. Kit went together well and is a curbside. Tires were not the best feature of this kit and some sanding and varnish were needed to help them along. Decals were by Cartograph and I was surprised to see they didn't age well. A couple coats of varnish got them off the sheet in one piece. Silver decals are often quite thin and require very careful handling. Overall they eventually went on nice. This is Montoyas ride.

Francois...first off welcome to the forum. I see you are not new to modeling. What an awesome model. So much attention to detail. Followed your link . Even more awe inspiring. I have this kit but I don't think mine will even come close to yours. That took a lot of courage to re-wire those wheels. Will you do the same for the Airfix Bently. Always wanted to do that to mine which I also have.

Jim...I feel your pain on this one. Your kit is actually a Fujimi. The rear end will go together...trust me. Test fit and do a little at a time. I have a liquid glue from MicroMark called Same Stuff. Hold the part together and apply a small drop with a brush and let it sink in. Its wickedly strong and will do even painted parts. Chrome and paint normally have to be scraped away before plastic will meld together, Not with this stuff. Its my "go to" for those tough jobs. Mostly I use Tamiya think and thin liquid. Here is a link to my build http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/175835-porsche-917-lemans-1970-winner/#comment-2640900 Hope it helps

This an interesting topic. I have been asked several times by fellow modellers how I manage to start and finish projects so quickly. Its really a matter of being organized. This means not spending 25% of your time looking for tools. Workbench discipline is another. As you work look at the tools you are using. If you haven't used a tool in awhile put it away. Helps if you have a place to put it. This is a state of mind that has to be developed over time. Once you get in the habit you are well on your way. I actually get irritated when I see too many tools or parts in my area. Your work area will always be a work in progress as you find better was of storing tools and accessories. Below is a picture of my work area with a short explanation. And yes...it usually looks this way. Note that the most used tools (knives, tweezers, pliers, dremels) are dead center for easy access. Same for paints, thinners and brushes. My top is granite. Its very hared but absolutely nothing sticks to it. All of the drawers contain tools and materials that are commonly used. The most used are in the center. Way off to the right is the spray booth (not pictured) This workbench is a progression of over 50 yrs of changes, Its comfortable and well lit. When I sit here I am truly at home and the rest of the world goes away.

Been staring at this kit some 40+yrs. The chassis had the rear body lower half attached so I re-engineered it so I could fill in the seam. Other modifications were the steering wheels (see pic) and other details. Color is Tamiya TS26 white. Red is a combination of Mr Color Character red and clear orange. Blue is a combination of three different Mr Color blues. The red and the blue had to match the decals. The blue and red graphics had to be painted on because I didn't trust the ancient decals, especially over the hood louvers. Kit went together surprisingly well and the rest of the decals were OK. Thanks for looking and comments welcome. I cut the molded in rack (the white piece) away from the chassis and made a new one from styrene tube and hex rod. Spindles were reworked to accept .020 Piano wire, Tie rod is .o25 brass rod with the ends flattened and drilled. The boots are wire insulation that also allows to adjust the toe. Radiator covers this up. Finished car is low and sleek. Windshield did not fit across the bottom so a wide piece of black tape fills the gap. Most GTP cars were rear engined but this one the engine is in the miiddle for even weight distribution and better ground effects at the rear. Rear end was quite detailed and is visible through the back window. A lot of masking and waiting for paint to dry went into this. all the vents were opened including the louvres in the fenders (which took a day and a half BTW) Wheel inserts were filled in with india ink and then the tops exposed with a q-tip.. A coat of clear yellow turned the spokes gold. The four cylinder turbocharged Ford engine only had a few parts but was well detailed. A little creative painting made it stand out.

Pretty cool story Gary and nice model too. Too bad you had to sell the real one,

You go Dave..you can do it. I think I have extra pieces for that kit if you need them.