Wolf

Wow!, Fantastic project so far! I look forward to seeing how this develops further. Cheers, Wolf

Nicely done so far Mark, This build definitely evokes a strong sense of deja-vu. This kit was definitely one of my very favourite builds. Cheers, Wolf

Hi Mark, With regards to the rims, eliminating the seam is a bit time consuming but not a big deal. Try carefully dry fitting the spokes though. When I went to install them I found the holes they go in to were slightly too small with the rims halves glued together. A bit of reaming out was trick. I’m assuming you’re going with the white base color if doing the rims in anodized gold. I went with the red base but did the gold rims anyways because I think they looked way better than black. Just the way I would like it if I had the 1:1 bike. Cheers, Wolf

Hi Mark, This kit is, in my opinion, the best of Tamiya’s 1/6 scale bikes in terms of what you get in the box. I’ve built a few and still have a couple in the stash. Of course it’s Tamiya’s latest bike kit so it benefits from all the newest model making technology. I built the kit a couple of years ago and was particularly impressed with the rims and how delicate the spokes are moulded. I opted for the detail-up chain as I wanted the chain to move with the rotation of the rear wheel and in the end it looks far more realistic than the kit piece. The only detail I added to the build was the missing fluid level sight glass on the front brake fluid reservoir and the stencils on all the control switches on the handlebars. If the kit has a short fall it’s the lack of data stencils for all the function switches on the handle bar controls. In 1/6th scale I think it’s an obvious omission as the details are large enough to notice especially with the kit already being so detailed. I used lots of bits and pieces of decal from multiple sources to make up the stencils. The symbol on the horn button was 3 separate bits of decal that came off a 1/72nd scale WW I German aircraft data stencil sheet! I hope you don’t mind me posting a photo of my build that shows the added data stencils. Cheers, Wolf

Beautifully done Steven, The addition of the rubber seals for the vent windows is a very nice touch. It’s always the clean execution of little details that make the difference. Cheers, Wolf

Beautiful work Steven! Including the foil work. Are you using BMF? I ask because it doesn’t appear to have any distinguishable grain which I find BMF usually does. The windshield moldings look incredibly smooth. Cheers, Wolf

Welcome back to the plastic part of the hobby and to the forum. Is your Tamiya Corsair the 1/32nd scale kit? Cheers, Wolf

Greetings, salutations, and welcome here Howard! I look forward to seeing you ‘vette in progress. Cheers, Wolf (from just north of the 49th in Abbotsford)

Absolutely gorgeous GTO! My favourite colour too! I just recently got back into building cars and spend almost no time on Facebook so I’d be hard pressed to believe, looking at your build, that this kit has such a bad wrap. Simply beautiful Tommy! Cheers, Wolf

Whoa, that baby pops! Stunning colour and not an easy one to paint. Well done Michael. She looks fast just standin’ still. I remember a Porsche like this coming up fast behind me on the autobahn while I was driving from Mainz to Jever back in 2000. A couple of flashes of the headlights and it was gone like I was standing still. I was doin’ 160 kmph, the max allowable speed rating for the tires on my car! Damn! Cheers, Wolf

Hi Ken, I'm currently working on the Revell Hemi 'Cuda convertible. At the price you got the kit for you can't loose. However, depending on what your goal is with this build, this particular kit, the convertible included, is far from accurate. It's surprising as most other Revell/Monogram kits of the same vintage seem to be a lot better. If you're building it out of the box you'll still have a nice model though. Is that the route you're taking? If you do decide to dress it up a little and you're going with the stock Rallye Wheels, 1972 coronet (John Shoe) is right regarding the Fireball Models Rallye Wheels. They are a beautiful substitute for the kit wheels and as they come in a number of separate pieces I found they were easier to paint and build up. I hope you don't mind me posting a couple of photos of the Fireball Models wheels if you're not familiar with them. I'm certainly not trying to highjack your thread. If you feel I'm infringing on your posts please let me know and I'll remove them. Cheers, Wolf

Hi Rich, Thanks for your reply. The 250 GTO kit I have is the basic Fujimi kit. I have the Historic Racing Miniatures engine set coming as well as the HD Borrani wheels. I’d like to get a photo etch set for the car and hoping I can source one soon. The Revell Type-E looks like it would be a fine companion to the GTO. Cheers, Wolf

Both your Jaguars look beautiful Rich! Love the photos! I’ve always been more inclined to favour the looks of the coupe over the roadster so it’s appreciated that you included a photo with both. I recently acquired the Ferrari 250 GTO kit and would love to get one of the E-type to display side by side. Even Enso Ferrari himself admitted the E-type Jag was one of the most beautiful cars ever made! Cheers, Wolf

Lookin’ real sharp Chris. I would add some valve stems to the wheels though. She’s gonna look fantastic when you have ‘er all wrapped up! Cheers, Wolf

Wonderful details Steve! The dimmer switch reminded me of a young lot kid we had working at the dealership quite a few years ago. We had taken in, on trade, an old Ford Pick-Up and when one of our lot kids went to move it he drove it up to where I was standing. He said, “hey Wolf, what’s this thing do?” while madly clicking away on the switch. I explained that was an old style foot operated dimmer switch for the headlights. The expression on his face was priceless as he replied, “noooo waaaay, really?” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Cheers, Wolf

Welcome here Thomas! I’m originally from Alsfeld in Hessen. That was many years ago though. I would love to see some of your models. I share very similar tastes in modelling subjects. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you Bill. I have to say I’m enjoying the progress so far myself. Surprisingly though there’s definitely a lot more work involved than I originally had anticipated. I suspect correcting (as much as possible) the inner fender walls and firewall are going to be the biggest challenge of this build. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you David! This was my first attempt at moulding and casting clear parts so it was a good learning experience. As for the wheels and tires, all credit goes to Joseph from Fireball Models, I just painted ‘em. ? Cheers, Wolf

Hi John, Thanks for the comments regarding the tail light/reverse light assemblies. I thought I had good castings the first time around but found a couple of flaws when I went to paint the thin chrome trim. The 2nd time was the charm. I was impressed with Joseph’s Rallye Wheels when I saw them on the Fireball website. Now even more so since cleaning them up and painting them. They really are beautiful pieces and go together perfectly. I’m extremely happy with having purchased them. Cheers, Wolf

I've been playing around with casting the tail light and reverse light assemblies. I found that I could pour the red section by itself, cure it with a UV light, and then pour the rest of the assembly in clear resin creating a complete red and clear light assembly. I then traced out the shape of the kit part on to thin styrene sheet and cut it out. This part was then covered in Bare Metal Foil to create a background reflector and then glued to the clear section with 5 minute epoxy. The raised ribs on each section were painted with a Molotow fine tipped chrome pen. First the clear red section was given a very thin top coat of Tamiya clear red to give it a bit more depth than just the red resin alone. I also managed to clean up most of my work bench. That gave me space to actually paint something. I gathered up the pieces of Fireball's Rallye wheels and painted the steel wheel section with Testors Metallic Silver decanted from the spray can. Once dry I gave each wheel a coat of Pledge Shine (Future Floor Wax) to give them a shine just off dead flat. Each trim ring was painted with Tamiya's Gloss Black lacquer, also decanted from the spray can, and then sprayed with four very light coats of Alclad II Polished Aluminum. The wheel centre caps were painted with Gunze Mr. Metal Dark Iron. The centre cap was masked off and sprayed with Polished Aluminum as well. The fine edge along the circumference of each centre cap was painted with the Molotow chrome pen as were each of the wheel nuts. The assemblies have been dry fit into the tires as I still have to add the valve stems from the backside of each trim ring. Fireball's Rallye wheels are fantastic and well worth the price in my opinion. I still have to add the raised white lettering decals to each tire and that will come from Ray's Kits decal sheet. Still lots to do but some progress has been made. Work, family, friends, and summer weather has kept me away from the bench so I'll take whatever progress I can get. Right? Cheers, Wolf

Welcome here Mike! I look forward to seeing what you’re workin’ on. Cheers, Wolf

My paint from Scale Finishes arrived today. Got t’ say, if the paint in the bottle turns out the same colour when sprayed on the body, I’m goin’ to be a very happy guy! I’ve already determined I’ll be using this same color on a vintage Porsche I have sittin’ in the stash. Never heard of Winchester Grey before but it’s an absolutely gorgeous Color. And that’s comin’ from a guy that dreams in Red! Cheers, Wolf

Ouch! Started reading on this page and I got the feeling something hadn’t gone right. That Sucks! Have you thought about masking off the chrome trim, spraying gloss black, and then Alclad II Chrome? Admittedly I haven’t tried that myself yet but I will on my Hemi ‘Cuda. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you Anton, I realize the kit engine is lacking in detail in quite a few places. I’m hoping to create enough extra detail and gizmology that the overall effect will cover the obvious shortfalls with the Hemi. I’ll have to read through the attached threads to get enough ideas to make it all work. I’m not inclined to purchase an entire kit just to get a more detail correct engine. Modelling skills will hopefully win the day. Cheers, Wolf

Thanks John, I'm going to try and pour a few more of the tail lights and reverse lights before I call the process a complete success. I also need to pour the front park light/turn signal lenses as I made a silicone mould for those too. As far as the dash is concerned I'm going to have to wait until the new Instrument decals arrive so I can determine the exact placement and dimensions of the holes I have to drill to accept the decals. They may not arrive, according to Vicky at Rays Kits, until August. That's Ok though as there's still lots to do on the rest of the build. Wolf