Acura RSX JDM Tuner Style

[Bernard Kron]

Acura RSX JDM Tuner Style

This project represented a radical departure from my usual modeling fare. Since my return to auto modeling nearly 10 years ago I’ve dedicated myself virtually exclusively to hot rod, custom car and straight line racing (drag and LSR) subjects. And Old School, at that. Indeed the only exception was a Ferrari 250 GT SWB I built last year, so that means that not only is this non-hot rod, but my first post 1960’s build as well! The motive for doing this car was to gain experience building contemporary cars. I’m gradually building up an inventory of contemporary sports cars to build. These kits sometimes involve techniques and construction approaches that are new to me when compared to the older kits (AMT, Revell and Monogram) that I usually tackle. Examples of this are the windows mounted to the outer surfaces of the bodywork, and the blackout trim around the edges of the window glass.

This was a low-risk project because this was a kit I won as a door prize a few years back at the one and only IPMA show I ever attended. But my personal build style was still in evidence, for example in the fill panels I added to the kit tuner nose piece which originally had the characteristic Acura “V” indentation. I did it to give the car a more purposeful race car look. I also made my own carbon fiber decals for the rear wing and the hood. The trade “decals” on the both pieces are part of the art for the carbon fiber panel, laid over a base of metallic silver. The rest of the decals are from an aftermarket Hobby Design JDM sheet. I’ve never experienced decals of this quality before. What a pleasure! Other than that the build is largely out-of-the-box. The body color is Duplicolor Toreador Red. The wing brackets and wheels are finished in Testors Metalizer Brass for a gold-anodized look.

All in all a well-conceived, well-engineered kit with excellent parts fit and nice clean, crisp casting. A good introduction to modern auto modeling.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

Edited June 5, 2018 by Bernard Kron

[cobraman]

Looks good. Love the interior.

[ChrisR]

Great build!

[Dann Tier]

NICE!!!!!.....love that engine bay!!!!, and this may sound odd, but your windscreen looks more realistic than most.....the swirl/scratch marks.....that's how REAL cars glass ends-up!!….well done!!!!

[Bernard Kron]

2 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

NICE!!!!!.....love that engine bay!!!!, and this may sound odd, but your windscreen looks more realistic than most.....the swirl/scratch marks.....that's how REAL cars glass ends-up!!….well done!!!!

Thanks everyone. Dann, you made me laugh! As I'm sure you know, that was unintentional. A last-minute attempt at using Tamiya "Finish" polishing compound to clean up the glass. Never again! I should have stuck with Windex and a soft cloth. But this points out how sensitive these "moderns" are to the Clean Build I've written about. These are the sorts of details that "upstage" the overall look and distract from the somewhat clinical precision that's inherent in modern car design. It's certainly different than how one might treat a sports-racer, for example, even as late as into the 1980's or 90's. There, weathering is appropriate. But today the pit crew wipes down the bodywork of a race car moments before it leaves the pits. That idealized look extends to how all modern cars are photographed and presented and it prejudices how we expect to see them. For me, taking on modern subjects is at least partially about pursuing the elusive Clean Build.

Edited June 5, 2018 by Bernard Kron

[Mr. Metallic]

Nice build Bernard. Love the color.