jaymcminn Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 I took about a year off from building before returning to the workbench. When I jumped back into the hobby, I picked something that would be a fun and quick build- Tamiya's Abarth 695 Esse Esse. Of course I'm terrible at leaving things alone, so it wound up being somewhat more involved than a quick box-stock build of a simple kit! The kit itself is fantastic, with the only flaw (in my mind, anyway) being the separate fender flares that have to be molded in. They required a little bit of finessing to sit flush with the body and a thin coat of filler to blend in perfectly. I then started on the one ambitious modification to the kit... the propped engine cover that is a trademark of many 695s and really gives the little car an aggressive look. The propped engine cover started out as a way to improve cooling for the air-cooled 2-cylinder, but was soon discovered to act as a rear wing, adding stability and improving traction. The props were scratchbuilt from styrene rod and sheet... they look a little "chunky" but that's largely due to the diminutive size of the model. I also scratchbuilt an intake manifold for the engine and mounted an oversized Weber carb with aluminum intake trumpets. Just for kicks I used medical tape to mimic exhaust wrap... since the engine is permanently visible, I wanted to make sure it had plenty of visual interest! Paint color is Tamiya AS-5 Luftwaffe light blue... it's a pretty close match to the Abarth blue on the box art model. A couple of coats of my preferred Testors Wet-Look clear added a nice shine. I polish out my finishes with Meguiar's Ultimate compound and polish- they work great on my 1:1 too! The Tricolore roof insert was painted in Tamiya Bright Red, Pure White, and Racing green. Roundels and fender flags were from a VRM decal sheet. Wheels were painted in aluminum metalizer and detailed with The Detailer black wash. Bolts were picked out in Testors Silver enamel. The interior was left stock, with the addition of custom-mixed flocking in a dark blue-grey and Scale Motorsports clear/black plaid upholstery decals over red seat inserts. I'm on a bit of a plaid seat kick lately... A better view of the engine bay. Lots of P/E bolt heads. Overall, this was a great little slump-buster!
MAGIC MUFFLER Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 Absolutely fantastic...!!!!!! Really nice build of a super great car!
Tankman Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 Very cool ..nice clean build, good color... Great Job ?
espo Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 Beautiful build. Outstanding attention to all the little details. Very real looking.
Dragline Posted May 1, 2017 Posted May 1, 2017 Well done. I certainly would not know what to do with that kit.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now