70 Sting

I have received a replacement set of louvers courtesy of a forum member.

I want to send a huge thank you to @Dann Tier for generously sending me a replacement set of louvers for the Miura.

Thanks @slusher

Engine and chassis are complete. Tried my hand at adding some wiring - turned out ok, I guess. It's not to spec but rather what I thought looked interesting. On a side note, what a difference a quality pin vise and drill bits make - no more skipping across the surface like the cheapie, generic set I bought off Amazon. Thanks for looking.

@Modlbldr Great minds think alike ?. Interesting that you sprayed green on top of the silver before applying the candy green. Was that to reduce the number of candy coats required? How did you dull the chrome? Panel liner, dullcote, clear smoke? @David G. I think I got lucky with the clear coat - thanks to tips from forum members.

Sounds like it’s similar to Meguires Scratch X. I had to remove a couple blemishes in the clear that happened from transporting the model - a blue shop towel had stuck to it - even after 24 hours including 12 in a dehydrator. I used some wet sandpaper and Tamiya Finish compound but it didn’t seem to work as well as Novus #1. Yet more lessons learned. Beginning to wonder if a problem-free model is even possible. ?

This past weekend I rolled the dice and sprayed Tamiya X-22 thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type. I applied 3 lighter coats and 2 wet coats with about 10 minutes dry time in between. It went on better than I expected and hid the grainy texture in the candy coats. However, not sure I want to continue using X-22 as it takes forever to dry - even after 2 days and at least 12 hours in a dehydrator (ask me how I know, as they say). Been hearing some good things about Future floor polish or perhaps I'll try Tamiya LP-9 or decanted TS-13. Any thoughts on these? Thanks!

Thanks for the heads up, @Venom. No doubt I would have been freaking out. It's very difficult for a newbie to sort through and determine the best way to proceed - 'build in layers', 'spray it on heavy or you won't get a glossy finish' < I'm sure both methods worked for those who used them. Judging by the excellent results in your before and after photos, I have a little more confidence going forward. It makes sense that the glossy finish comes from proper sanding and polishing. @Can-Con Are you saying that the lacquer thinner used to thin the clear could ruin the acrylic paint underneath? I'm using all Tamiya products. I would say 75% of the information/posts I could find used Mr. Color Lacquer Thinner or Tamiya brand with the remainder being mostly Tamiya X-20A. I recall someone saying that IPA dried too quickly... wait, now that I think about it, Tamiya has a paint retarder that slows down the drying time and I believe that's what he used with IPA. There was no real mention of what type of paint they were applying the clear on top of. Hmm, more stuff for me to think about ?

Hey Alan, I used a Tamiya rattle can on my previous model and was quite happy with the results - way better than the hardware store offerings I had used prior. Of course part of that was me not really knowing what I was doing (much like now). I know there is a 'general' rule about the order in which the 3 main types of paint can be applied, however that's not likely the case in mine or your situation. I'm fairly certain it has to do with distance and the amount of paint applied. I realize there is quite a learning curve when it comes to airbrushing, but it's kinda fun and I'm finding myself looking for things to paint with it. :^)

Thanks for the advice, fellas. I guess I'll be learning another new skill - airbrushing clear. Will it hide the slight texture in the paint? I have Tamiya X-22 on hand and after reading various methods of application, I gather the consensus is to thin it with Lacquer thinner, preferably the retarder type, 50/50 or 40/60 (paint to thinner) and sprayed between 15 to 20 psi. There's quite a discrepancy on how it's actually applied. Some suggest multiple light layers until desired thickness or gloss is achieved, other say fewer, heavier applications. Not much mention of drying time between coats. Guess I have some experimenting to do.

Airbrushing day... nerves were high but I think the base coat went down ok for my first body. Still holding the brush too far away and/or not applying enough paint. I think I'm too worried about runs and orange peel. I sprayed a mist coat, a medium, then heavier 3rd coat with Tamiya X-10 Gun Metal thinned 2:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Let it dry for about 1 hour then it was time for Tamiya X-25 Clear Green thinned 1:1 with Tamiya X-20A (for the quicker drying time). I applied a light mist coat, followed by 4 heavier coats with 10 minutes dry time in between. Unfortunately I ended up with some texture in the paint. It did improve over time but I can't imagine it will level out any further after 48 hours. I might try sanding and polishing the candy green at the risk of creating unevenness in the finish. Any suggestions for a starting grit? I also have Tamiya's 3 step polishing compounds.

Got the interior completed. Decided to skip the 2-tone black paint and went all Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss with gunmetal embossing powder for the carpet. The paint went on a little pebbly but it doesn't show so much in person. No problems with the rear glass - YES!! I didn't have any decal setting solution on hand so I tried using straight vinegar and also mixed with warm water. It didn't work on the 6 smaller gauges but it did work on the speedo and tach. The Lamborghini decal on the steering wheel would not lay down so I tried something I heard on a podcast... Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. The guy said to use it with extreme caution and don't touch it. I put a tiny amount around the outer perimeter and it laid down beautifully. All remaining parts have been primed. I tried using gaffers tape to help hold parts with no obvious gripping/hiding places for the alligator clips as it is stickier than traditional, cheap masking and leaves no residue behind. It held on to the smaller parts pretty well and did't let go under airbrush pressure. Thanks for looking. :^)

@Dann Tier I’ll send you a DM.

Not much today, just made the backs of the headrests which will be visible through the rear window when engine louvers are removed.

@Beans I did try playing around with some polystyrene thinking I could remake the lower 3 sections as they were the only ones affected. It looked pretty crude to say the least. There is a slight curve to the louvers which match the body contours, a small gap in between each one and they sit upon 2 stepped risers on either side. A little much for my caveman skills. On the plus side, Lightspeed Global got back to me this morning. The part is available, however due to the pandemic it will be consolidated with other orders and sent by boat in 3 to 4 months. Plenty of time for me to screw up something else. ?

This weekend I scribed the panel lines (had to fill a few slips with Tamiya Putty) and sanded the body with 600 grit sandpaper. Used an airbrush for the first time to prime the body with decanted Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Had to sand and respray a few times as I discovered additional areas that needed attention. It went on pretty well as far as I know - hopefully that's a good sign when it comes time to airbrush the body. ? I have a BIG problem, however. That slight warp in the rear louvers that I thought I could heat up and flatten out... I discovered that styrene melts real quick (mistake number two). I posted a request in the Wanted section on this forum. I tried contacting Hasegawa Japan using Google Translate, the American distributor Stevens International twice and the Canadian distributor Lightspeed Global who were the only ones to get back to me. They said they would contact the manufacturer to see if the part is available. Anyone have an extra set of louvers they'd be willing to sell?

Thanks for the reply @peteski. I have 2 potential leads I’m working on. If neither of them pan out, I will give HLJ a try.

Well, that was challenging. I tried my best to work between Google Translate and the actual Japanese website. They have a parts request form and I was able to submit the request. We'll see if they get back to me. A bit of a Hail Mary but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks @Mike Chernecki edit: Also sent an email to the Canadian Distributor: Lightspeed Global Inc.

Good afternoon, I have a parts emergency. I'm looking to replace damaged engine louvers as I don't have the skill to repair or manufacture the part on my own. I believe there are 2 versions of this kit, the red one I have (P400 SV (1971) and the detailed-up green version. I assume both are identical. Italeri also made the Miura, however I'm unsure about size and fit. I did try contacting Stevens International (https://www.stevenshobby.com) the distributor, twice, but haven't received a reply. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Sanded down the rear grill - opening the airflow - to make it look a little more like the actual car. Used 180 grit sandpaper then finished the holes off with the Xacto. The key was to sand the back as evenly as possible.

Today: On this model, the engine cover louvers are glued in from the bottom permanently hiding the engine from view. I cut the 2 ridges that make contact with the body and added new polystyrene contact points to the body itself. The pictures will explain it better than words. Original: Cutting: After: Polystyrene Bottom View: Polystyrene Top View: Engine cover is now removable. The louvers sat higher than their original position so ended up sanding the 2 bottom risers down a couple millimetres, now they're closer to the actual profile. There is a slight warp in the part so I'm thinking I can use a heat gun to soften it up so all 4 corners lay perfectly flat. I did snap one of the louvers trying to bend it by hand (mistake number one). The warp wouldn't have been an issue if the part was just glued in place.

Thanks for the info, @Can-Con. That's a good analogy for understanding paint science. Hmm, my intention was not to clear coat this one as it's my first run at painting a car body with an airbrush. I do have some Tamiya X-22 on hand, if the candy green turns out ok, perhaps I'll give it a try. If something goes wrong I'll just blame you. ? Green Miura, that's the detailed-up version. Looking forward to seeing that one.

What?! ☠️ I guess I will be from now on.

Made some progress today. After testing a few other silvers, I decided stick with AK Matte Silver and spray it over their Black Base. Stripped the chrome off a few parts with Old Dutch Bleach... wowsers that worked quick! I'm talking within 2 minutes the chrome was completely gone. I did leave them in the bath for a couple hours more and after taking them out I could feel a slimy substance on the parts - perhaps the glue? Also opened up the front and rear grill/vent locations on the body. I'm going to glue some screen to the front and grind away the back of the rear grill to expose the holes/openings. I first tried using a pin vise to drill a bunch of holes but the bit kept skipping across the surface so I ended up using an Xacto blade. I had a couple little slips but I think I can sand or fill them.

@randyc Looks great. Love that interior - great colour choice and detail. I was spraying more spoons with different AK and Tamiya silvers over different primed bases today. I pretty much suck with an airbrush at this point but I can say that AK Interactive Black Base goes on poorly. @Snake45 You could sand it down and perhaps make some louvers for the rear window. And replace the corpse in the front seat. I found a box of miscellaneous cables, wires, adapters and such and thought I could strip them for engine wires. Some are more flexible than others but I think I'll give them a try.