Zoom Zoom

I screwed up, it's the P4 :oops: . It's just been reissued.

To put it in perspective, I've held a $25 328GTB kit in my hand at a show in the past year or so and put it down w/o buying. I'd balk at $15 for a 348. My Ferrari purchases in the next few months will likely be the Fujimi P3 reissue, 599GTB (Revell and/or Fujimi), and perhaps a Revell Superamerica. The Hasegawa kits are all pretty dull by comparison.

I've heard they'll be out in December, and that preorders from the traditional Japanese sources wouldn't happen until closer to the release date. Maybe then we'll get a decent preorder price in yen, and any more than 3000 yen is a ripoff for a 328, and any more than 2500 yen is a ripoff for a 348, one of the most boring Ferraris ever.

$46.69??? :roll: :evil: That's ridiculously overpriced for straight reissues of non-prime Ferraris. For $20 less I can get Fujimi's Enthusiast Daytona. I was going to get a 328 GTB but forget it for that kind of extortion for what should be a $25 kit. With 1000+ kits in my basement it's getting much easier to be choosy.

Looks great! Honeycombs are a nice touch. I'm not digging the photo host at all because there's no way to adjust the images down to a viewable size. Ginormous images of model cars = :cry:

I must agree that this is a golden age of the "mature" hobby; I too would be lost w/o the huge variety of subject matter from all over the world in both mass-produced and the cottage industry, and to the newer products/technologies that help to build the models, and the instant gratification of sharing our work and tips and techniques on boards like this. Modeling isn't a great vacuum of solitude that it once was. The only downside to the internet is it's ability to take time away from the modelkng activity we're discussing if we let it. Now, back to my resin '70 AMX that continues to defy me :roll:

Guess I'm so used to living in a city that there's a Home Depot or Lowes always close by. It's far easier to find a spray can of B-I-N around here than to find a decent hobby shop :roll: :cry: Funny that I had the spray can of B-I-N before using it on models, recommended by one of my best friends for doing primer work on an old wooden chair that I was refinishing. He raved about it, because of it's fast build/quick dry/smooth sanding and much easier on the olfactory senses than Kilz.

Bill, I think that either denatured or 91% alcohol will work fine. I can't remember what I used when I airbrushed it on my 924 just a few months ago, I suspect it was 91% rubbing alcohol. Mix that stuff up thoroughly; the stuff that's settled at the bottom is really thick. I didn't even know if it was available in a pint can; all I've seen are quarts, gallons, and large spray cans when I've seen it at Home Depot/Lowes. I have one of those awesome "has-everything-you-can-imagine" hardware stores in town, I'll have to see if they have B-I-N in smaller cans. They also have Pacer superglues, K&N brass, Evergreen, balsa/basswood...great hardware store

I prefer Tamiya clear; the MML clear goes on nice, but will blush-I've never had that happen w/Tamiya. I simply have better and more consistent results w/Tamiya spray cans. If the MM clear didn't blush I'd like it better-once they're dry they both look the same to me, and both buff out nicely. Funny how some prefer one brand over another, with my style of painting Tamiya sprays are far more precise and far less trouble-prone. I get about 100% good results w/Tamiya, my success rate w/MML is about 50% before resorting to airbrushing the stuff.

Testors nozzles hate me. I really wish I could slap a Tamiya nozzle on a Testors can, but ain't gonna happen. Testors lacquer sprays way differently than Tamiya; when transfering it it's obvious it's a bit thicker and foamier. It settles down w/a little thinner (Mr. Color Thinner) and airbrushes like a dream. Testors lacquer does have much denser pigment than Tamiya, or Testors enamel. I'm still painting a Big Bad Blue AMX that nearly was ruined by the first nozzle that splattered all over the AMX. My latest problem was with their clearcoat (airbrushed) it acted strange and isn't smooth. Perhaps it's the lacquer thinner I used... :roll:

I almost fell out out of my chair when you said that Testors actually had a better spray nozzle than Zinsser! I honestly thought one could not get a more useless nozzle than one supplied w/a can of Testors. Learn something new every day :wink: Good luck w/it! Those Testors lacquer nozzles can be messy, I've been using some this week to transfer some of the lacquer to an airbrush, I ended up using a small donut of fun-tack to attach a section of drinking straw to the Testors nozzle; sure makes transferring the paint much, much cleaner and easier. I cut the straw into a 2" section.

Thanks Bill, I'll also have to try the Future trick. I let the Future thicken up a bit before spraying, it goes on so watery.

Bill, thanks! That definitely sounds like something I'll try. Let me get it straight, that is to apply Ambroid and sand the area smooth twice before priming? Also, if color bleed is an issue obviously a sealer will still have to be used.

I have no idea if that will work; Zinsser B-I-N shellac based primer/sealer is what I've used. http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=10

I always wetsand (micromesh usually, 2400-3600 depending on what I'm sanding, and how smooth it is) between coats. I sand my primer and my color coats, except any final color coat that's a metallic or pearl. I also usually sand between clearcoats (I generally spray 1-2 primer sessions, two color sessions and two clear sessions). The smoother the base, the smoother the end result. It's nice when I don't need primer and use Tamiya sprays, then I can generally get away w/minimal wetsanding between coats and no wetsanding of the final clear, just elbow grease and liquid compound and I get a mirror finish. Darker colors I'll always put more time/effort into the final wetsand/polish. Steve, thanks for the heads-up on the Zinsser quart cans. It hasn't rusted yet, and I do have a spray can of it (used on a 1:1 chair restoration where it worked just fine as a primer). I don't need a sealer often, but there are times it's mandatory.

Sometimes you have to expect the unexpected:

Yes, it's probably a 40 min. drive between Suwannee and Smyrna. And it's only about 20-25 mins. to Road Atlanta from Suwannee 8)

A quart is somewhere between 8 and 13 bucks, can't really remember, but it's enough to last an eternity :wink: Maybe you'll be lucky to find a pint sized can of it. Again, mix the living **** out of it, it settles out. Home Depot/Lowes have it. I'm sure it's available other places. I'm pretty sure I used 91% alcohol to cut it, I think denatured alcohol will work as well. It's pretty mild stuff, a lot less toxic than enamels and lacquers. But it sure does the job. Avoid the spray cans, unless you want to transfer it. The nozzles are awful, it sprays way too much and way too splattery for a model car.

If everything is smooth before you paint, I suspect it's the paint that is overpowering your primer and causing ghosting. You need to use a sealer to avoid it. Most automotive paints, even Tamiya lacquers, will cause ghosting if the body has had a strong layer of automotive paint or primer applied-once the damage is done, it keeps happening over and over and that's when even Tamiya spray will cause you headaches. Mold lines that you sand away carefully, areas that you fill, details you sand away, all reappear faintly because the solvents in the paint are leeching through and into the plastic, causing it to swell. This problem can drive you crazy. You must use a sealer or primer that blocks the solvents. I had more trouble w/Black Gold clear than I could ever imagine, before I began cutting it with Mr. Color thinner. I'd get the primer smooth, apply the color, looked great, and then when I clearcoated it would blush and cause all the bodywork to magically reappear. Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer/sealer used over a light application of automotive primer should block the solvents and be a sufficient sealer. Dupont Variprime also works if you follow the directions to the T; it must be thoroughly mixed and dried the proper amount of time and you must use a respirator. BIN is much safer, cheaper, and available everywhere. Get a can of it (not a spray can), and mix it thoroughly, cut it w/a bit of alcohol, and it sprays nicely, sands just as powdery as the automotive stuff. It's a white primer. It saved me the problem of Tamiya white primer turning pink on a vintage Monogram kit, and blocked the ghosting of a couple areas that I used filler. Cobra Colors primers seem to avoid ghosting, especially the VX primer which looks a lot like Variprime, but it's not great at covering. Moon Mud covers better. For the low cost of a quart of Zinsser, I think that's the easiest to use w/an airbrush. If you must use a spray can, avoid automotive products or get MCW's primers/sealers in spray cans.

Great! You should come to our ACME meeting as well on Sunday afternoon in Smyrna. We'll probably be at the Petite as well; Kevin from Strada Sports comes to visit every year for the Petite. Should be a great weekend 8)

I'll be interested to know about shipping; if their shipping charges are similar to HLJ's (and ship SAL vs. the pricey EMS) I may put in an order with them. Odd that HLJ isn't carrying the kit. It looks like it builds up fairly decent, for a "motorized-era" kit.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I'm pretty sure this is a reissue, not sure if it originated w/Aoshima or they ended up w/it from a defunct company. If it's not too skeezy I may want to get one, as it was one of the better looking imports from the early 80's. They used to be pretty popular and common, especially in CA. Now if Fujimi or someone would take the Starion kit and give it the wide fenders :wink:

Cool! Looks like a fun project. I'd like to find a '61 HT like that to restore, or a resin. The CV's seem much more common.

Hope you can make it! Should be a fun show this year as always.

Hey Craig! Good to see you here.