Zoom Zoom

Fujimi's latest kits are at least as good as Tamiya's, and they're less expensive. Their GTR is better than Tamiya's (cleaner body, more detail, cheaper price), I believe Fujimi would do a better job on the 370Z and it would be less expensive than Tamiya. I don't expect Fujimi to do the 370, but one never knows. Aoshima might do it. We shall see...

That's historica...hysterical!

Amazing what a little patina can do to an otherwise mundane model. He won't be trading it anytime soon Very cool.

I really hope Tamiya (or better yet Fujimi) does the 370Z NISMO. 350HP, much better looking than the NISMO S Tune they showed in Japan. See it here

Faster than a GTR? A GTR will spank this car silly, 0-60, quarter mile, you name it. Regardless, I'd rather have the Z car, even if I could pay for a GTR. There's a point where all that excess HP and capability is absolutely useless on public roads. The Z is more fun to drive daily at sane speeds. I love the Z as well, I hated those lights in photos, but in person they work. Same w/the Maxima. I got over that hatred pretty fast! My next object of spite is the Ferrari California. I'm pretty certain I'll hate it even in person (the back half of the car makes me nauseous). Tomorrow I find out in person if I'm right or not at the Ferrari Challenge race at Road Atlanta. The California will be there . And I'll finally get to see the FXX's in person and at speed

I'm greedy. I want them both

Nice! I'll raise the stakes with this slightly more conventional car:

Nice work Jon!

Very nice work!

Yes, please, to your top three. Vanquish is my least-favorite Aston styling-wise (let's not talk about the recent Lagonda debacle). I'll take the new Vantage or DBS

The Tamiya 370Z, at 3400 yen, will come into the US with a retail price probably approaching $60; the Carrera GT lists for 3400 yen and is $54 USD and the 350Z NISMO is 3000 yen and $52 USD. A Tamiya FXX is $71 USD. Needless to say hobbyshop prices like this keep online sources like Hobbylink in business. US retail prices for Tamiya/Aoshima/Fujimi are brutal, due to import costs and an extra distribution channel to take their cut.

It boiled down to the missing amber lens on the back fender behind the wheel! Oops! That was what tipped it definitively to "model" for me

Yeah, the coupe isn't bad at all. As for the ladies, I think it went something like "Sacre bleu! Zut Alors! Regardez ce que mon mari a acheté! Documents de divorce sont en cours d'élaboration toute de suite!

How much there? They are $30,000-$39,000 USD, which is a good price considering the performance. I don't think there is anything faster for less $$, though the new WRX is probably close (it actually tests faster to accelerate than STI) but it's been hit by an ugly stick.

Not likely. It's well past the "sell by date" to be a viable kit to market. Too new to be considered a "classic", too old to be considered "hot property", too esoteric for the general market. Ebbro made nice ones in 1/43. Scratchbuild it and get it resin cast if it turns out well. Seriously...

I'm looking forward to it. Hope someone does the NISMO variant. Previous Thread

I seriously doubt "beautiful" was in the design brief I think they were attempting something like a French version of what Virgil Exner was doing. The results speak for themselves. The Ami was based on the 2CV. It was also at times a best seller I was shocked, horrified, and amused when I saw them in France in 1978. I think they could have imported it here as the Citroen Whiskey Tangeau Fauxtrot. Everything You Want To Know About the Ami But Were Afraid to Ask And if you really want obscure, how about a rotary engine coupe variant of the Ami called the M35: Citroen M35

It could happen; they keep making additions to the list of cars. I'd definitely have to get the SM, it's one of my favorites too. Oddly enough, the ugliest car of all time, the Ami 6...I'd get one of them too I have the 1/16 Heller kit of the DS, and bought a builtup Chapron CV, and I think a Solido 1/18 DS (with working suspension)...but the scale just doesn't suit me.

Sounds like your glue is just fine, that's just what it's like. It's like stringy testors tube glue. I don't use it often, I prefer Formula 560 Canopy Glue but there are times when the watch crystal glue is preferable, usually in very tiny amounts.

I would avoid using white primer. Don't be afraid to use a matte clearcoat (dullcoat) over the black and white paint, which can be applied as gloss or semigloss. It can dull down paint that's too glossy. If the subject gets any decals, the only good way to do it would be paint the base coat under the decals a gloss color, apply the decals, and then dullcoat the entire subject. Military builders do this all the time so the decals stick properly and don't "silver". While it's preferable to airbrush dullcoat (airbrushes are a fantastic tool for weathering), there are spray clears in matte and semigloss. IIRC Testors are a mild lacquer. Tamiya now makes spray clear in matte and semigloss. It's not based on the "yellow varnish" clear that Testors uses. If the white should stay white, use the Tamiya.

Don't you love the internet, where everyone is an expert! And everyone else is "wrong" If the hotlink goes away click here Harry, I refer you to Alclad's own instructions. When they re-introduced chrome (Alclad was off the market for awhile a number of years ago, and got re-introduced, I believe a new owner and smaller bottles, I have a few of the old big bottles of Alclad, but never had the original chrome, if it was even available back then), they specifically instruct the user to spray their chrome over black enamel (only for chrome, other Alclad colors can be shot over a variety of bases, like polished aluminum that should be shot over a gloss white base, no mention of lacquer or enamel). That is straight from the horse's mouth, it works, what more does anyone need? Later they have offered their own black base for the chrome (I don't have any, don't need it, I have black enamel and I generally use Spaz Stix chrome over Tamiya TS black as I prefer it, most people seem satisfied but not everyone). It really doesn't matter if it's a lacquer over enamel, Alclad Chrome is sprayed in such thin layers and dries so quickly that it doesn't damage enamel paint. It gives the correct chemical bond. And by my own testing and experience, Alclad's instructions are 100% correct. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. Imagine that! Will other bases work? Yes. I already know from personal experience it works over hardware store clear urethane. "Definitive" is subjective w/o at least photographic proof. To me there's one person that really makes Alclad work, and that's Steve Boutte. The proof is seen on his models, and I've discussed the Alclad subject with him. He is the master. He uses black enamel. I wish there was a simple, relatively inexpensive "bridge" method between Alclad and sending chrome out for replating. I never have enough stuff planned out/ready to send a big tree, prices are a bit high especially if parts are sent loose, there's the wait...while Alclad is a quick/easy alternative but results are much more fragile and not up there with vacuum plating. Hoping that there's a better solution one of these days. Better as in easy, cost-effective, not toxic, and satisfies KISS methodology.

That's just cruel, since you are on the cover Great article! I'm surprised the publisher doesn't send single copies in first class envelopes to the contributing authors. It's a nice perk, they always arrive well before subscription copies and in perfect condition.

WOW. Looking awesome

There are several ways you could approach this. If you have a drawing program and a laser printer (black toner), you could easily do the checkerboard as a decal, and then bury under clearcoat. You could scan the body so you'd have your artwork in scale. You could get a solid sheet of black decal film, carefully cut the sheet to the right pattern, and apply each block separately. Use black paint for the solid black portion at the rear, only use the decal for the checkerboard. Apply this over the orange. If you want to do it old-school, you'll need to hone your drawing skills to design the pattern on paper, in the right scale, right angles, right spacing (you'll need a good straightedge and mechanical pencil or pigment liner pen). You can make a tape pattern of the area directly from the body, transfer it to a flat surface (piece of glass is best) and draw the pattern, or use a drawn pattern underneath the tape so that you can cut the tape squares you need for the pattern, then carefully transfer the tape masking squares to the body. Or just lay out the tape, draw the pattern, cut the squares, and transfer the ones you need to the body. The idea is not to lay down masking material on the model and then do the cutting; unless you are a true expert at this kind of job, you will damage the paint and have problems with paint running under the mask, paint peeling up after being applied, etc. You want to paint the orange first, and mask it off to paint the black. If it were mine and I prefer paint to decals, I'd do the masks by drawing the pattern on the computer after scanning the body, using the scan as the base layer of the drawing to trace over with my design so I know that the angles/spacing are correct, print it out, cut a test strip to lay next to the body to make sure the design still works in 3D, use my light table to transfer that design to the masking tape by drawing the pattern with a straightedge and pen, carefully cut the pattern (masking tape applied to either clear plastic or glass), and then transfer the cut tape masks block by block to the model, seal the masking tape (Tamiya tape) with a light coat of clear (if any paint bleeds under, it's clear), and shoot the black. Before the black is completely dry, carefully remove the masks. Then more clearcoat to even out the edges. There's always more than one way to do something like this. Practice the pattern long before you apply it to a model, you want to do your learning on test panels before your final piece. Make your mistakes on your test pieces, not your model!

Here They Are! Aoshima is doing four new 20" wheel sets: Aoshima S Parts Series 20" wheels