Riley #33 Mercedes AMG...Updated 06/02/18

[1320wayne]

I've put all other projects on hold to get started on this one. First off, I'm venturing into uncharted waters with this build as I've never really delved into sports car builds much in the past but when I saw this Tamiya kit I was very much impressed with the style of race car and decided that I had to do one. Next was to find a more interesting paint scheme to do than what comes in the kit so I stumbled upon Slotfabrik out of Germany and they have plenty of cool schemes to choose from. I selected the Riley Motorsports red, white and blue scheme because it's cool. 

 

Be aware that if you go looking for any of their decal selections that they're not for the faint of heart in regards to the price. But in my opinion their well worth the extra money. So, I just received my decals so there is my instant motivation to get started on this one. 

I also joined a GT sports car model site on Facebook which has become invaluable in regards to research and knowledge for the sake of detail. 

 

 

The first hurdle was to identify the base color of the car and to discover that it is a dark blue metallic shade that is actually a matte finish. Upon further study it is apparent that the blue within the wrap is a different shade and appears to be more glossy. Before I chose to invest in ordering any new paint to match I went through my existing stash and found that MCW Neon Blue Metallic Lacquer is almost a perfect shade.

 

Stay tuned as I dive into this one.

Edited June 3, 2018 by 1320wayne

[tmathew1us]

I will be watching this with great interest, Wayne. $37.10 shipped from Germany is high, but not outrageous.

We have seen some real ringers as far as completed kits of this model, so I have high hopes for your project.

[mike 51]

Just ordered the kit from Japan...$41 total seemed like a good deal.

Tom...is that $37 for decals or the kit?

Edited May 11, 2018 by mike 51

[Cien1986]

I will be watching this one.... 

[tmathew1us]

17 hours ago, mike 51 said:

Tom...is that $37 for decals or the kit?

I went on the website Wayne suggested for the decals, so that comes out to $37 for the decals alone. 

[mike 51]

ouch!  thanks Tom.

[1320wayne]

Got a few coats of paint on. Not sure if I'm happy with the overall color. I might have to keep trying. I also got started on the adding detail to the exhaust and I've got the left side tires and wheels ready for install.

 

 

 

 

[Jhedir6]

Nice start Wayne. For the main body, Red Bull F1 Matte Blue looks to be a good match cause the rear of the car is, or looks matte in a few of the pics I have, the colour on the nose is definitely more metallic looking.

Wheels look good too. I use Vallejo matte varnish on mine, it locks the decals in place and also masks the carrier film.

Looking forward to more updates....might even inspire me to get mine going soon too.

 

[Dann Tier]

Looking SWEEEET!!!!

[1320wayne]

13 hours ago, Jhedir6 said:

Nice start Wayne. For the main body, Red Bull F1 Matte Blue looks to be a good match cause the rear of the car is, or looks matte in a few of the pics I have, the colour on the nose is definitely more metallic looking.

Wheels look good too. I use Vallejo matte varnish on mine, it locks the decals in place and also masks the carrier film.

Looking forward to more updates....might even inspire me to get mine going soon too.

 

Yeah, I haven't done the matte finish on the tires yet. Should look much better when they're done. And I'm not happy with the color so the body is currently in the strip tank to start over. I've also got to work out the issues with the blue in the wrap being a brighter blue than the rest of the body. 

[Jhedir6]

23 minutes ago, 1320wayne said:

Yeah, I haven't done the matte finish on the tires yet. Should look much better when they're done. And I'm not happy with the color so the body is currently in the strip tank to start over. I've also got to work out the issues with the blue in the wrap being a brighter blue than the rest of the body. 

Sometimes its just better to start over. Check out the Gravity Colors Red Bull F1 matte blue, I think its spot on for the rear of the car. Also note that the inner fender (behind the front wheel sweeping back to the door is actually white and not blue. I'm pretty sure the car is just painted white and the rest of this livery is a complete wrap, even the matte blue. 

 

[1320wayne]

23 hours ago, Jhedir6 said:

Sometimes its just better to start over. Check out the Gravity Colors Red Bull F1 matte blue, I think its spot on for the rear of the car. Also note that the inner fender (behind the front wheel sweeping back to the door is actually white and not blue. I'm pretty sure the car is just painted white and the rest of this livery is a complete wrap, even the matte blue. 

 

Thanks David, for the suggestions. Right now I'm not willing to chance placing an order with Gravity paints as I've heard mixed reviews of people waiting months for their orders. I've been working with on hand choices and I believe that I came up with a suitable color. Testors Arctic Blue Metallic is what I'm going with. Right now, after the first couple of coats I've got a really nice gloss finish. Next is to change it to a matte finish. Hopefully it doesn't change the tone too much when that happens. I've already made my templates to cut out the gloss blue for the sides and hood from blue decal film. Also got the template made for the white inside the side inlets. 

Also finished up the tires and wheels

 

 

 

[Ich_Will]

Looks good! I've got this one in the closet too... waiting on decals and a couple cars already underway.

[1320wayne]

Got the body finished in a matte finish and I'm happy with the results. I also decided to go with masking the gloss blue rather than decal film. A couple days to cure and I will be ready to start the decals.

 

 

 

 

[Mooneyzs]

Wayne... This is an awesome car and going to be a killer build. I love it and can't wait to see more of this one.

[1320wayne]

Since my last update I have had some ups and downs with this one. I got started on the decals and immediately realized that these were not what I expected them to be, for the price that was paid. The quality and registry of the decals are superb but they are very thick so when it came to getting the large side panels to conform to the contours the decal has fought me every step of the way. Ample amounts of setting solution seemed to have minimal affect on them. I posted on Facebook about the issues and numerous folks chimed in with similar stories and stated that the best way to apply these larger panels was to cut them into smaller pieces. 

Now, I'm not trying to sound negative about the decals because they are very nice graphics and the site where they were purchased is the only source for these decals. Just having never used them before and running into this kind of challenge was initially frustrating.

So, as I kept moving forward I was able to change my mood as each new decal added made the progress look more promising. I've had to touch up some areas along any of the openings because these decals are so thick they don't want to slice easily and fold under with setting solution. I also took a couple liberties with adding decals that don't exist on the real car to hide a couple of touch up areas. 

At this point I'm much happier than where I was two days ago and when I get to the other side I will have a better outlook on how to approach putting on the decals.

I also have the tires and wheels attached and mocked up the rear spoiler to see how it will look.

Coming along.

 

 

 

 

[iamsuperdan]

I'd say you've got the body of this one nailed. Looks great so far!

[Mooneyzs]

Wayne... That looks so awesome, you could of fooled me that you had trouble with the decals, I  see no flaws what so ever. It looks Great and I really like the looks of this one. Outstanding Job.

[1320wayne]

Another small update. Finished the detail painting on the exhaust and added more decals to the drivers side and rear of the car as well as painting the rear spoiler and adding decals to it.

 

 

 

 

[Metalmad]

Great execution on this build !    I'm sure it will turn out awesome when finished.

[1320wayne]

Added the white decal film to the inside of the side vent and the last couple of stars. Also started on the opposite side decals. Will update those when I'm further along.

 

I also made a purchase that just arrived. It's carbon fiber contact paper/film, adhesive backed. I figured it would look cool as a display base. Just size it, peel and stick and your good. 

 

 

[DrKerry]

Wow!!! That is looking awesome!!!!!

[aurfalien]

Hi,

This is simply awesome!

[1320wayne]

Slowly working on the passenger side decals. A much slower process as I'm breaking the large decals down into smaller pieces before applying and then giving ample time to dry before moving on. It's coming along though. With the front end decals completed I was also able to apply the lower front carbon fiber decals.

 

 

 

[1320wayne]

The interior is done. Didn't go overboard with any added detail other than what comes in the kit. Once the body is installed it's hard to see into the interior anyways. I left the passenger side panel off long enough to snap a few shots.