Technics

@1959scudetto Yes your absolutely right! However this particular vintage kit unfortunately that I bought came without front or rear lamp lenses. which is why i wrote " Cons Missing lamps lenses from the box " in the description. I found out this information after I already started but wanted to build it anyway to improve my modelling skills and have model completion momentum. I would have love to put the glass in off course! Next one! Thank you all!

It could be better, but one must continue. There is no lack of bottled paint touch up that will be needed. The magnet hinged rear is also fully functioning and in place. Sometimes it needs an extra firm push to sit tightly. Happy to be where I am with it. Next up, alot of lamps!

I had the nerve today to mask off and tackle the black areas. It went ok, a 7.5/10, there will be cleanup. The clear has alot of flaws in it sadly but the model is by far the most intimidating and complex I’ve attempted. As a complete package it’ll be nice from a distance. I cut down my thinnest tape by half, sometimes a third to get the right thickness or flexibility. I want to do the “tape on and cut away with a blade” technique but no matter how new a blade I always find the tape tears just a bit or isn’t the exact line you aimed for while stressing if your cutting into the body/ part. I find taping just better. From the paint bin a perfect satin finish match wheel colour coming up.

Looking forward to seeing more, I just got this kit in a chance bulk purchase!

I took some time to wash and detail paint the motor some more. Being not too accurate, and using a bit more thinner to paint I find helps it look a bit more real having some slight metal show through. I found more pieces for the engine compartment which I lost track of to paint as well. I’m pretty excited how it’s starting to look and feel now. It’s getting close to finishing, something I thought would be much later in the year.

I picked up the motor assembly and began by painting it in flat aluminium, I followed that by giving it two different washes. The motor is mainly tucked away and hidden when it sits in the lotus rear mounted. I had a nervous moment when I realised it might never enter the motor compartment, as I mentioned above the kit is fused together permanently already. I cut away parts of the motor and frame to get it in. I glued back the parts that I could. None of this is seen. I will brush paint and detail as much as I feel motivation to while it’s installed in the motor compartment. I really like the contrast of texture of the carpet to the black and exterior colour.

@oldcarfan haha hilarious mud bogger, so true. Horrible kits for fit and finish. Subjects can be neat though. It’s an absolute glue bomb underneath, zero mechanical sympathy. All in the name of how it appears right side up is how the stance is achieved. I dremelled, cut away even melted with a flame and bent parts to have it sit reasonably. I will need to offset these two very difficult kits made back to back ( Citroen and Lotus ) with a few kits that fall together and OOB I feel 😃

Model - Airfix Citroen Xsara WRC Details - Aftermarket hood pins, decals and DIY leaves added Modifications - Stance is hard-set with CA glue and hot glue as best as I could manage, exhaust is shortened and glued further away from original mounting and bored out to look more realistic, molded in rear badges, hood pins, tow hooks removed. Jack stand holes drilled through. Thin strip of tape painted in yellow and mounted in center of steering wheel detail. Subtle windscreen weathering, Flocked dashboard, seats, and steering wheel. Windows had to be cut down from one part to 5 separate. Gaps remain if you want to be picky 😀 Pros First completely airbrushed model excluding primer and clear First panel line wash First “light” coloured weathering Really happy with result!! Cons Missing lamps lenses from the box Second round of weathering experiment not as convincing as first, it is water soluble so I will continue to remove if bothersome to the eye over time. A simple but challenging build. The model kit reads like it’s in scale and nicely molded but the manual is bizzare and overall build is difficult I would say. A advanced build that required attention and imagination during basic assembly. Beware of old decals, low quality more then high quality ones anyway! Decals, weathering, perfect glass finish gloss paint and 100% stance remains a “could have been better” in my opinion but it’s a finished and documented model. I am very content, this is my second finished model from the 20 year break and it feels fantastic! The lotus in the photos is still a wip but could not help have them in the shot together. Original kit boxes have had their box art cut out for future display / decoration of some sort. WIP Thread -

Agree, love this! Great paintwork !!

I fused the car together, I officially dislike old kits. Horrible fit and stance 😆. The subject is unique so it’s what you have to put up with.. it is what it is. It’s why I like have multiple projects on the go, I enjoy not being challenged at each and every step of assembly. I had to dremel and bore out multiple parts to get things to sit OK. The stance still suffers a bit, and if I’m honest the underside of the kit is a glue bomb. As nothing fits together nicely I resorted to brut force, CA glue, hot glue. I am learning that I mainly care about a nice exterior and what you can take in at first glance of a model. I am no hyper detailer as much as I admire really mechanically sound builds. Being so I have not worked on the motor much. Here is where it sits now. I will brush paint any small details left and see how I feel about finishing a motor. I might fuse the model to a base to make sure the stance is the best it could be. Note I didn’t brush off any dust off so there’s tiny stuff on the surface the camera caught. I must say I think it looks absolutely awesome next to the Citroen. Which will get a concluding write up shortly. Thank you for the added motivation everyone 😀

Bunch of progress. Masked off and painted windows and lamps. All went very well. New logos sourced as I didn’t trust the discoloured 30 year old ones. I added a UK enough looking rear plate to me knowing it’s not really correct. But since realised it’s a LHD car so I’ll change it as a final touch, I’m not too bothered. I had to take away sections of the B/C pilar as they would be visible through the side windows which were painted to be correct. It’s by far the cleanest exterior I’ve managed to make thus far. I have alot more patience now, the ability to have long periods of breaks, and switching projects, wearing gloves, working in a constantly tidy, dedicated cleaned area. Before rattle can or airbrush spraying I mist water throughout the room the model will be in including myself to avoid any airborn dust, dirt, skin.

Love this, great work!

Two coats of clear, wet sanded and one more coat applied. I’m letting it rest a good while before making off the black areas and any polishing I may do. It could end up being dulled back down depending on the degree of weathering i will attempt but it’s fun trying to get a nice finish. I began painting the motor with Tamiya and Vallejo.

@titino @MarkJ Thank you, considering the setbacks I’m pleasantly surprised how it’s looking as well. I would have liked a more of a “glass” wet mirror finish for the roof and hood. I remain excited. @Bainford Thank you. It’s so much more controlled than a rattle can, a lifetime to master surely but I’m pleasantly surprised how relatively easy it is with the guidance of research and the great paints available today.

A puzzle piece arrived that I needed to have in front of me to get motivated enough to plow through the basic as it is “scratchbuilding” I’m attempting. Tasty tray of parts these! A fellow local modeller turned 3d guru made my reference images a reality. I look forward to having this sit between the frame rails. The part resolution is remarkable. I hope to do the parts justice.

@PatW the footage of these things is always so dramatic, must have been insane in person! Looking forward to your Citroen build. Belkits are top tier stuff, I’m yet to build one but I got a WRC Ford in queue by them.

Most decals are on, I matched from two separate decal sheets. I am content how it’s looking considering it’s the second build of my return and the obstacles with the decals, and missing pieces 😅 I will do a bit of detailing and light weathering I believe and calling it done after that!

Something completely different for me! I never knew these existed.

A second French WRC build has begun. I guess I really like the fighting spirit of these “hatches”. I think they look fantastic. This kit falls together in compassion to the Xsara. The part count is slightly higher but the engineered quality and feel is much higher. The cage is really nice. I went ahead and bought some close enough matching paint for the livery as the instructions call for sections of the body to be painted. On the body I removed seams, molded in body pins and cutout a slot for aftermarket tow hook. Can’t wait to see some vibrant contrasting colours on the body!

New decals to the rescue. Great eBay find and resource. I applied the kit decals which were 25 years old… fragile hassle but managed to get it all applied and sealed it with clear.. unfortunately some peeled off with masking tape when I went to paint the black trim rather successfully. I’m blaming decal age / material reaction, but it could’ve been a number of things. I am simply continuing, should turn out ok, a stepping stone build. Before some decals damaged with masking tape.

Majority of decals on. Some brutal that put up a fight. Micro Sol, Set, and Tamiya decal glue make it possible though. Definitely a challenge I never knew I’d be able to tackle. I mixed up some touch up paint in green as it will be needed in areas. I later realised the kit refers to the exact green by Mr.Color so I picked some up. I would be happy to have the exterior sealed in matt clear this year. I will aim for that!

x3 passes of Mr Hobby Super Gloss from the can. I wet sanded the roof and bonnet 4-6000k before the final 3rd coat. Front lip and rear lamp trim was taped off and painted with game air. I really like how Mr Hobby clear and the primer products feel, harden to the touch and overall settle on the surface if that makes any sense. I’m a life long user of Tamiya up to this point. For convince and speed I am continuing to primer and clear with from the can. It’s not perfect “2K wet” but project momentum and being content with the process is most important for me I am learning. I’m happy with it.

@NYLIBUD Thank you! Even though it’s rather basic I am pleased where it’s headed. I envy scratch building skills so this is a big step forward for me. I will draw the decals myself in adobe illustrator / photoshop and outsource them to a print shop. I have not made 1:24/5 decals before but several projects in rc 1:10 scale. Have a look in the link below, most have a decal of sorts I have made. 1:10 projects I am mainly after the one over the rear fender and the front windscreen header but maybe I’ll make all the sponsors, I’ll see how the motivation is and what I have in my saved decal pile.

Having a non out of box build brings new challenges. I have unwanted gaps I will need to fill somehow. I tried making a few versions of the firewall out of paper then moved onto styrene. The latest version feels most promising. I drew a section of the Chevy and cut it out of polystyrene about two dozen times. I fused the sections together to form a block and began sculpting it. It sits snug within the shell and will continue to work it to get it more realistic / detailed / functional. I’m out of my comfort zone but it’s exciting. It won’t be identical of course.

@Mattilacken he was notified before the kit was even bought ! ???parts are in queue for a while. I am intimidated by making the firewall but I’ll try my best.