Pierre Rivard

Yup, pink primer really helps bring out the red. I tried it on my last red car and it makes painting red easier. Nice to see this build on the bench again.

Wonderful build Matt. I love what you have done to add a serious dose of realism to this very basic kit.

What an incredible build Jason, and a tutorial on weathering techniques.

So now that I have licked my wounds (all self inflicted), I am ready to go.

I do man... back to square one and the fight will go on I did everything I could to make the Airfix body presentable, but now I just can't look at it. Focusing on the Otaki going forward. I have one donor chassis, one set of very scary decals, one PE detail set and one set of properly sized replacement wheels and tires, so one build it will be and it will be with the better Otaki body shell. Still tons of issues to resolve. Stay tuned. Box says 1/24, molding on trees says 1/24... but it's not. I should have checked when I first opened the box and saw the small body shell. My bad.

Best weathered interior I have ever, ever seen, period!

The last changes to the body. Yup, body is done... or not?

Looking good Helmut. These types of build test our patience but can be so rewarding when we conquer the obstacles. Sort of like a styrene/putty Everest!

Tony looks very very good. I love how you have achieved realistic finishes for the clothes and helmet. Wonderful.

Absolutely gorgeous work. The dash and gauges are amazing. On a side note I see you are using a little bit of putty on the fenders. Now that's something I can relate to! ?

Yeah, so boring when they come out of the box and the shape & dimensions are spot on. Aahhh... the smell of freshly cut resin, putty and epoxy, nothing beats it!

Revell chrome spray looks mighty impressive Mark. Curious to see if the parts can be handled after the paint has fully cured.

That's a good find Dave. I think the Otaki is a better kit to model this historically important race car. The kit I'm working from involves more work but it's an enjoyable journey.

More body modifications

Thanks Mark, as always you are so kind in review of my efforts. I like this type of work but this one will have lots more issues to deal with. Thanks Dave. This operation is as old fashioned as it gets. Old styrene kits, putty and paint brushes. Perhaps I should get a vacform some day... Thank you sir. Nose surgery done, now moving on to butt surgery. ?

Wheels and tires are so important when striving for realism and these upgraded parts shown next to the original kit wheels & tires provide compelling evidence. Ok Mr Tanaka, time to get down to business. Show us how to make spaghetti exhaust pipes! ?

A bit more tuning of the side glass opening and then moving on to the front end.

That one would definitely be out of my comfort zone...

I agree, it's beautiful and certainly a bit more restrained compared to the group 5 spec car I am attempting to replicate

That's another super build from your bench Rich. Just make me realize how much the body of this car was transformed between 1961 and 63. Unique and very interesting car to model. Well done sir!

First shot of paint on the body means we have the kit figured out and successful test fitting of all the key elements. Always a fun achievement. You've got this one on a roll and it looks very promising.

Scratchbuilding extraordinaire. The whole process of carving the body from Renshape was a feat in itself but then looking into the details is what makes this replica so real looking. The aluminium interior panels (especially the seat backs), the integration of the XKSS chassis elements, the windshield fabrication with the real fasteners, I could go on and on, it all looks so special. Anybody noticed the air scoops on top of the rear fenders? Perfectly in scale. Wow!

So I guess brush painting my models puts me at the bottom of the food chain. Just for fun let's flip this argument on it's head. Doesn't make sense using a can as it limits you so much with what you can do. But an airbrush? That's way too easy. Just learn to properly paint them with a brush. These are brush painted. Don't go nuts guys, just rattling your chain ?

Thank you so much Rich. The E9 BMW was the prettiest of them all and the csl racing version was simply awesome. Too bad no accurate kit of it exists so I try to make things a bit better. I just want to get the glass areas good because they are such a key part of this car's unique styling.

The DB5 is still in waiting for wire wheels shipped by SpotModel 4 weeks ago so I decided to take on the next project. The BMW 3.5csl is a holy grail build for me so I am determined to find a way to work with these so so old kits to get it done Thanks TJ but I am set on replicating the car as it was designed to race in 1976. Thanks Ken, there might still be a bit of room there and perhaps along the belt line too. I'll try it.