shucky

Hello! This was Mr. Metallic Color Metal Peach (GX212) over Mr. Surfacer (white) through the airbrush and topped with Super Clear III (also airbrushed).

Took the completed Fujimi Suzuki Wagon R RX outside for some pics in natural light. Overall very happy with how it turned out. Fujimi kits especially the older ones can be a little difficult with fitment, quality of plastic, etc. but can come together nicely with proper test fitting and prep. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do (I love this little thing) and comments welcome.

Finished pics will be posted in the proper forum as the last detail bits added were photo etched key holes for the doors and hatch, added wipers, and lastly the side mirrors. Thanks for watching.

It's getting there. Here we have the exhaust getting finished. I removed the molded rear section and added twin outlets to the factory muffler. Masked the exhaust and airbrushed with metalizer. Made a tiny exhaust hanger for added strength for the twin pipes. I tried something new with the license plate. I placed the decal on thin gauge aluminum a little thicker then tin foil then used decal setting solvents to get it adhered as best as possible. Airbrushed the thin red stripe which in Japan allows an unregistered car to be drive on public roads then carefully bent the plate upwards which is common on Japanese modified vehicles. Added two photo etched phillips head screws to the plate to finish it off.

Some misc. pieces finished and ready to install. Tamiya clear yellow airbrushed inside the headlight lenses, oil cooler installed, wheels/tires and brakes ready to go, and a peek at the projector headlights. I made these with an unfaceted craft store gem (turquoise in color) inset into the factory light bucket. Used chrome and black BMF along with a photo etched circle around the "projector." I cannot say enough good things about Scale Production wheels and tires, they are simply amazing. Up next will be the exhaust, license plate, and tail lights.

Here we go with the completed interior! Simple belts from craft store ribbon and installed dash, seats, pedals, arm rests, roll bar, etc. As you can tell from the pics, this thing is rather tiny but I love the look so far.

Some progress on the interior. Painted the roll bar, dash, etc. Made some seat adjustment levers, speakers, floor mats (textured craft store paper) and added the billet emergency brake.

Few mods to the interior but overall kept it simple and clean. Made headrests from shaped styrene, roll bar, arm rests, etc. Shifter is made from pink glass tubing and RB Motion bits. Steering wheels was airbrushed with Mr. Color blue with added Mr. Color "rough" clear additive which provides a textured alcantara look.

This is Mr. Metallic Color Metal Peach airbrushed over white and Super Clear III airbrushed on top. Added various decals prior to clearing that fit the theme of the build.

Felt like the little van needed some extra aero so I made chin, side skirts, and roof wing from styrene.

Hello friends, here we have a Fujimi Suzuki Wagon R RX. Mocking up with cool Scale Production BBS wheels and tires. Lots of surgery to get it to sit just right, but overall really like the stance. Quick scratch built air suspension, brakes, etc. I build slow and stink at updates so this thread will have the work in progress pics as the model was finished yesterday. Finished pics will be posted in the appropriate section.

Mr. Hobby Tool Cleaner will remove ANYTHING.

Steve, excellent information and superb results! It's something I've struggled with for sure as I haven't dedicated enough time practicing. Thanks for sharing.

I do not have most of my photos at work, but this was DupliColor spray can paint and clear rubbed out with Scratch X only. Not sure why someone would BS another modeler when they were trying to help them, but whatever. Your mileage may vary.

To the OP, as someone else here already stated, paint jobs, like everything else related to building a model can get overly complicated by people. Don't believe me? Look at how hard some people make resin casting (it isn't). I see a lot of general information here, but what seems to be missing is the fact that all paint brands spray differently. What works for Tamiya spray cans does not necessarily work when spraying DupliColor. For example, Tamiya spray paint tends to be on the thin side. In my humble opinion, this makes it a bit more difficult to spray than DupliColor Lacquer. You have to build up layers of Tamiya spray while avoiding runs, etc. through a series of several color coats. Also remember, the more coats of anything being sprayed is more opportunity for something to go wrong. If you want to achieve spectacular paint with minimal effort and are okay with sticking with spray cans for now, your best bet is mastering DupliColor first. Ready to be blown away? You absolutely do not have to build up "mist" coats or spray multiple layers over long periods of time when using DupliColor lacquer. I have NEVER sprayed multiple layers of DupliColor in 30+ years. In fact, 100% of the time I can lay the color down in one single spray session (and you can also!). DupliColor has excellent coverage and dries almost immediately. This is why you can paint an entire car body in one painting session with no runs and no orange peel. There is no secret here. Just spray at a slow to moderate pace spraying past the model body and overlapping with each pass. Work your way around the body until your desired coverage is achieved. Because it dries so fast, you may continue to spray after only a minute until everything is perfect. After clearing using DupliColor clear (2-3 coats) you can simply rub out the paint with Scratch-X. I assure you, polishing using 15 different grits of sandpaper over the course of several hours or days is so unnecessary. I'm not knocking people who do it, but it is certainly not necessary and there is no discernable difference when comparing side by side. So long as your primer is nice and smooth, you should not have to touch sandpaper after that unless you get debris in the paint which requires fixing. Why do I make these comments? Because I used to overly complicate painting and polished using 15 different grits of sandpaper for hours on end. It was awful and I hated it. Good luck and happy building!