Chillyb1

Welcome to the Model Cars Magazine forum! I love the diorama, and not just because there is a Volkswagen in it. Wonderful work with great details.

That stuff is great. I use all three varieties of Testors's bottled clears: gloss, semi-gloss, and flat. You can mix a little at a time with lacquer thinner and spray away to your heart's content. They go on in really nice thin coats and you can stop when you are satisfied with the coverage.

Here's another just-completed model from the Bertsch-Bilt Model factory: Tamiya's Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R. A very nice little kit and a very cool little car. The paint is Tamiya's TS-32 Haze Gray with TS-13 Clear and the hood is TS-14 Black without clear (following the advice of Bob Downie). For those who may be interested, there are more photos here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Maquettes/Tamiya%20Nissan%20Skyline%202000%20GT-R/

Thanks. While I don't mind red Ferraris, with this build I was looking for something different. I had a can of Tamiya's TS-24 Purple that came with a lot of TS paints I won on eBay and I couldn't figure out what to do with it because I was never going to paint a car purple. I had some other leftovers from previous paint jobs and they were all in the blue family of colors, so I just mixed them all together and added purple until I was happy with the color. I really like it.

I've been busy here in the Bertsch-bilt Model factory. I built this from the outstanding Tamiya kit. The color is a custom mix I developed using Tamiya lacquers and I call it Azzurro Bertschi. I initially painted and cleared it but the clear really changed the color. So, this is just the paint that is very lightly polished. Interior colors are a variety of shades to replicate the actual car's interior: a leather tan (I think I mixed this myself but can't remember), magnesium, aluminum, and semi-gloss black. There are photoetch mesh bits in the various air intake locations. I used metal transfers for the Ferrari logos and the galloping horse. I used SMS carbon fiber twill in the engine bay and KA Models' carbon fiber on the rear panel. I took these photographs before I added the side rearview mirrors. Am I forgetting anything? More photos here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Maquettes/Tamiya%20Ferrari%20360%20Modena/

Personally, I was delighted that John saw fit to comment positively on my build.

I added a couple of details today. The metal transfers to the trunk lid, which look really good: And the Jaguar decal on the grille: And here are a couple of nice shots without the macro setting:

Thanks for the model-related responses, everybody. It was a mostly fun build but it did cause me consternation more than once. I'd originally painted it to resemble the Jaguar on the Inspector Morse television series, but then I did something stupid (I don't remember what) and had to strip it. Why mix Duplicolor and Rustoleum? Well, Harry, I'm a risk taker! Extreme Modeling, I call it. Actually, I really like the Rustoleum clear and am trying it out in different ways to test its compatibility. It is excellent and I highly recommend it to others. All the window trim is BMF. The metal transfer trim looks great, but the pieces that conform to curves tend to lift. I applied a little of Microscale's foil adhesive with a paint brush then pressed them back into place. It might take more than one application if you want to try this at home. And, since you asked:

Just finished this one up. Tamiya's outstanding kit, Dupli-Color lacquer with Rustoleum lacquer clear. Mostly out of the box. I did add photoetch wipers and some plug wires. If interested, more photos can be found here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Maquettes/Tamiya%20Jaguar%20MkII/

Wow, now that brings back some memories I didn't realize were still in my brain. No modeling story, however.

KA Models offers some of the very best photoetch sets I've seen. I have some of their photoetch for generic purposes (seatbelts, wipers, etc.) and I like those as well. I'm pretty sure I've got pe sets for other kits in the stash, but I can't think of just what right now. This is the only model I've built using a KA Models pe set: You can see a bunch of the parts in the interior and engine bay. Some others are probably visible as well. I was very pleased with the quality and ease of use. More photos here if you care to check it out: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Hasegawa%20250%20TR/

I was going to ask the same question. Good to know. I like the way it looks. The black isn't as super glossy as on some models, which makes this one look really aggressive. What did you use for the mesh over the engine and as the rear? Any way we could get a better look at the engine cover and of your outstanding seatbelt/harnesses? Are the side indicators missing for a reason or was that just when you took the pictures? And (not to sound like some rivet-counting jerk) did you know the wheel centers are supposed to be red on one side (driver's, I think) and blue on the other? I didn't notice that the first time I built this kit, and I was building it for a guy who owned a real one (and who took me for a heart-stoppingly thrilling drive in it). My brother pointed it out and I was able to correct it before giving it as a gift. Love the build.

That's a really cool kit. Which LHS had it? Here's my build of it:

Sam, what did you do for the windshield surround/frame? I'm working on this kit right now and am unsure what I intend to do. I'll probably end up shooting Alclad. Yours looks good in the photos.

You need Skip Jordan to answer this one. I had the kit and liked the look of it very much, but sold it before I ever undertook to build it.

That is a really cool project. From concept to realization, and as a collaborative effort, it is just a magnificent sight to behold.

I will never buy nor build this kit, but I'm excited to see how much buzz there's been about it. Lots of coverage, lots of anticipation, and I recently saw a bunch in a sort-of-local hobby shop. I do hope it ends up a blockbuster best seller. By the way, Ben, when do you think you'll find the time to build ten of those?

Yes, primer is a very good idea. I prefer to use Alclad's black base and it will not stick to anything unless there is a primed surface. But whatever black base you use, primer will help provide a more even surface for the chrome.

In my experience, Alclad's chrome and polished aluminum work best over their own brand of base coat. I've gotten excellent results shooting them over Testors/Model Master classic black enamel and I've heard of other gloss black enamels that seem also to work well. But after I tried Alclad's base coat I decided I'd never use any other base coat ever again. It is almost impossible to screw up using polished aluminum over Alclad black base; chrome is trickier, but still easier (for me, at least) to get right with their base coat paint.

Good luck with this project. I'm sure there'll be a lot of interest in it. The 910 is a very cool subject but that kit is a lot more model than I'm willing to undertake. So I'm glad you're doing it!

That's good to know (and see). I'm unlikely ever to build one of these kits, but I'm happy to see KA Models offering these sets. Their stuff is excellent and reasonably priced.

Not my thing, but they certainly look like real skill-builders. Your paint work is fantastic. There's so much going on with shading, light and shadow, and textural variety that each one is a real feast for the eyes.

I'm not a fan of the Dukes or the General Lee, but I'm looking forward to a highly detailed build with all those extras. And if you can figure out how to make those stupid multi-piece wipers work I hope you'll post a tutorial of your method. I can't tell you how many I've bent out of recognizable shape; I've given up on them.

I'm curious about the lettering. How did you make the letters or are they manufactured? They look just perfect. I can't get over how "real" they look.