Scale-Master

Another "quick build". I invested quite a bit of time in the body of this one about a year ago for a demo at TamiyaCon, so don't be fooled by my use of the term "quick". While it builds great, there is a lot of decaling, (part of which I did in front of a live audience). Not really difficult, just time consuming. I also painted some of the interior pieces for a shading demo. I did clear coat it after putting all the body decals on, then it got boxed up and has been sitting ever since. I dove in after having such a blast finishing the Opel DTM, and this one "only" took about 2.5 days work time spread out over a few days and evenings. I highly recommend this kit, the fit of the parts is wonderful, but if you are not comfortable with a lot of decaling you might consider the blue Calsonic version over this livery... It is a true 100% box stock build. Only the paint (mostly Tamiya as called out in the instructions) and glue were items not contained in the box. Oh yeah, and decal solvent, lots of decal solvent...

The license plate is a custom made decal. Phillips head P/E items from SMS #8117 accentuate it. It's about ready to leave the workbench and motor on over to the pau section...

I made decals for them. Into the final stretch... The cowl was painted orange, because the color was handy, any light color would do, and the decals like to be applied over paint better than raw material. I used SMS #1320 Kevlar. Here is the decal I cut from the sheet and the solvent and brush I used. The decal reacted very quickly to the decal solvent. Made the application easy. Just don't over do it with the solvent. I made the front edge conform to the part and let it dry for a bit. Then tackled the rear and sides. A couple little patches were needed and easy to do. Then it was clear coated with the mix of Dullcoate and Glosscote with a drop or two of Tamiya Clear yellow thrown in.

Nice clean build! Now about the next one, Build It, Build It, Build It! Either out of the box or some extra detail. Just do it! Why? Better question is Why not? I've never seen one built (for more than a few days or constantly being fiddled with) with the kit's seatbelts not defying gravity. That's why I usually don't use them (anymore). And they also fray down the edges all by themselves. Frustrating... But still, Build It, Build It, Build It!

And now the front “wings†are attached… … And the completed rear fender assemblies… Now the wheels can be mounted to the car for the final time and thus the hub caps can be installed for the first time…

Once the ignition wires were routed to the spark plugs and coil, I could install the Weber carbs and K&N air filters. The carbs and filters are box stock kit items just detailed with paint. They even come with that cool screen mesh for the filter elements. I made the lettering for the wires, hose and belts.

Here is the installed muffler with heat shield. The shield was hit with some fine steel wool. It is assembled as the kit offers it with some detail painting on the now hidden muffler and the end of the tailpipe.

Seat belts are also SMS units, #8123. Assembled as per the instructions. I used a black Sharpie permanent marking pen to color them. It is imperative that sharp cutting tools be used on the belt material, other than that, it’s really no more effort than other materials I have used to make belts. I used a fresh #11 X-acto and some new, i.e. sharp, Tamiya Decal Scissors. For me, the knife was the better tool for this task. And after the side panels went in, so did the finished seats… (except for the decals that I still have to make for the buckles...) And the firewall, footbox and upper engine compartment frame assembly… The shoulder harness's will be made and installed later...

Built this in one day! Well, it felt like it. I did the body and wheels/tires about a year ago for a decal demo at the last TamiyaCon. Gotta admit, it goes together quite well. And the Tamiya lacquers dry really fast when you put them on lightly. I think I'll have to do another and take my time...

The insides of the rear fenders got a couple coats of Faux Fabrix to simulate the rubberized coating that helps absorb flying stones and keep them from punching through… The paint was decanted into my airbrush cup and sprayed to limit the amount of overspray and to avoid over saturation and possible runs. C/F stone guards were cut from SMS Hi-Def C/F and applied to front of the rear fenders. A thin border for each guard was made from Scale-Master Decal Stripe Sheet SS-2w. (There are thinner stripes on the sheet not shown in the picture that I used.) Careful cutting and a dose of decal solvent made the radiuses. The texture of the SMS Hi Def C/F is visible in the stone guard on the right side of the picture.

The front fenders have been painted Tamiya TS-12 Orange over white primer to hide the dark green plastic. Since they could be C/F, but the whole body is also C/F, I decided to paint the tops with color for some contrast and use C/F on the bottom. With some careful planning, I was able to decal the underside of each front fender (or wing for those of you across the pond…) with only two pieces of SMS HiDef. Mr. Mark Softer decal solvent was a big help too. They were sealed with the Dullcote/Glosscote mix, but were not color sanded as the side panels were so the sheen is a bit duller for some added contrast. Note the coffee stain on the counter, a possible clue to my ability to seemingly build non-stop...?

The interior panels are finished. The dash is pretty much finished too. You can see how the decal pattern is similar to the molded dash pattern. Not an exact match, but once it is all put together I think it will work well considering how little of the side panels are visible. It is much darker looking in person so the contrast is really lower than the photos show. And I finally made the decals for the coolant and oil caps…

Here is the radiator and oil cooler assembly. Kit parts and decal with couple machined aluminum details on the top of the radiator to replace what I sanded off during clean up. Easier for me to do it that way, and adds just a little more metal…

The steering wheel is done… Another fun to make accent for this project... The rubberized grip effect was made with Faux Fabrix, applied as the can says. I used three light, but full coats. The spoke section is aluminum, also from the kit, but decaled with SMS carbon fiber decal #1020. The center/horn button is an aluminum piece I machined; it was tinted with Tamiya Clear Orange. The bolts on it are photo-etched units from SMS PE sheet #8117. The decal in the very center is from the kit.

Back to the frame... The upper frame and firewall assembly is done. This one assembly usually takes a lot more time than one would think, while it did go quicker than my earlier ones, still this time was no exception, at least it is well engineered by Tamiya. The master cylinder now has its custom made Scale-Master decals on it. The foot/pedal box cover and the heater box were covered with SMS HiDef C/F. I machined a couple fittings for the heater hoses.

I finally have some of the (nearly) finished body parts to show... Like most models, I prepped the body parts and painted the base color very early in the build. The nose is painted (Tamiya Orange TS-12) and has “lipstick†applied in the form of SMS CF decals. Maybe a dozen individual pieces of decal. I used the Hi Def pattern and clear coated it with two part automotive urethane clear. Once the clear was dry, SMS #1012 C/F was applied to the interior of the nose. I started with one large piece and worked my way out with smaller tailor cut pieces. It took about two or three days of putting a few pieces of decal on, saturating them with Mr. Mark Softer and letting them dry in the window. Not a tough job, just one that takes a while, mostly waiting.

The engine assembly is in the frame and the header has been heat stained with Tamiya Clear Blue, Red and Orange. I used the lacquer paints, decanted and airbrushed with a Tamiya/Iwata airbrush.

The cam cover is done except for a decal I still have to make for the machined aluminum oil cap. Tamiya Clear Red was sprayed over silver for the color, the Ford emblems were BMF’d and the detail painted with Tamiya Transparent Blue. SMS PE bolt heads from sheet #8117 round out the detailing.

The transmission is mated to the engine and is ready to be installed into the frame…

The kit alternator… The new fan and underdrive pulley I machined for it, (this is the back side). I sawed the fan off the kit part with a PE saw and replaced it with my aluminum assembly.

Trade ya for that Seven. You know you won't build it....

A Fram PH13 filter and some plumbing… (You can also see the data plate on the distributor.) Still plenty more work to go…

That is a very fair price. This one came directly from Tamiya and cost more than that. But not too much more... The engine’s oil pump and distributor are installed. I added some boots to the wires with some left over tubing. Another part that will virtually disappear from sight once the car is done. Oh well, like that ever stopped me from detailing a part... The wires are from my stash instead of the kit supplied ones. Still need to finish the oil filter and do some plumbing…

The battery was sprayed satin/flat white… The "body" was masked off and the top was shot black and the details were picked out by hand… And it’s a roller! At least for now… I put the wheels on it to protect the bottom of the chassis from getting chipped or scratched during assembly. One extra precaution I'm taking due to the use of decals instead of paint for the majority of the body.

Dive in, and try to be safe, common sense goes a long way. The Home Machinists Handbook is a great guide. I know Sherline sells it. I buy my aluminum from my local metal supply outlet, check your yellow pages. Or surf the 'net. And I always have my eye open for scraps and left overs. What some people throw out from "real" projects can have tons of "model" parts in them.