Lamborghini Diablo "Widebody" (ROG, 1/24 scale)

[Tommy124]

Hi folks,

I'd like to show another one I built some time ago. This was actually the first model I finished when I got back into modelling in 2016 after a 20 year hiatus (so please be mercyful on your judgement). I had seen lots of scratch builds on the internet back then and I had the urge to try some of that on my own.

As a result, I built the ROG Lambo (this one: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/155383-revell-07351-lamborghini-diablo-sv) and added quite some scratch-building, mostly in order to create some kind of a "raceday look".

I used Evergreen parts in order to make an overall widening on the body. Moreover, horrible ROG kit rims and tyres were replaced using a Fujimi set of OZ Futura 18" rims and wider tyres from the spare parts box. Styrene sheets and CF decals were used in order to make a front splitter and a rear wing. Wire end ferrules have been used to create an exhaust system looking similar to that of the Diablo GT (the Aoshima Diablo GT kit hadn't been released yet at the time). Metal mesh has been used to replace the plastic in the rear engine cooler. The cover of the quick filling system is a PE part from Scale Production, just like the seat belts and several "racing" decals used.

Painting has been done using ZP Graphite Grey and 1k clear, the latter being quite a disappointing product.

Hope you like it anyway!

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Tommy124

[Scalper]

nice work.

[Renegade]

 

Great color. Very nice build.

[Yahshu]

Nice tractor 

[Funkychiken]

Great build, shame about the window glass, it does look thick.

[da_ashman]

Looks great, nice work!

[Tommy124]

Thanks folks, appreciated!

14 hours ago, Funkychiken said:

Great build, shame about the window glass, it does look thick.

Thanks to you too Atin! Not quite sure about what you mean. True, the glass has been a bit out of shape and so had a rather bad fit, especially in the A pillar area. But I don't remember it as being thick. But I applied a decal on top of the windscreen in order to simulate a "sun protection stripe" of tinted glass (I don't know the English word, would be happy to learn it...), maybe that is what makes it appear thickish to you...?

[Dann Tier]

I think it looks fantastically formidable!!!

[Gramps46]

Very nicely done.

[Italianhorses]

It looks great!

One suggestions if I may - you take great pictures, but they would benefit greatly if taken from slightly lower point of view, more level with the car. Right now they look as if they were taken from a 3rd level.

[89AKurt]

That's pretty neat, for a Diablo.    Seems like these are the black sheep for Lamborghini, so anything modified is a blessing.  I sold the Italeri kit that I had, knew I would never build it, so good job for completing this!

[Hi-Po]

Simply beautiful!

[Tommy124]

On 10.10.2018 at 2:21 PM, Dann Tier said:

I think it looks fantastically formidable!!!

Thanks a lot, Dann! I'll take that as compliment...

On 10.10.2018 at 3:01 PM, Gramps46 said:

Very nicely done.

Thanks, Gary appreciated!

22 hours ago, Italianhorses said:

It looks great!

One suggestions if I may - you take great pictures, but they would benefit greatly if taken from slightly lower point of view, more level with the car. Right now they look as if they were taken from a 3rd level.

Thanks, Alex. Also for your suggestions, I'll try to take my photos to another "level".

21 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

That's pretty neat, for a Diablo.    Seems like these are the black sheep for Lamborghini, so anything modified is a blessing.  I sold the Italeri kit that I had, knew I would never build it, so good job for completing this!

Thanks, Kurt. I didn't really like the Diablo either when it was first released in 1990. But the car matured on me in the course of the years. To me the major improvement in the design was changing the pop-up headlights for the beautiful under-glass headlights in '99. I LOVE under-glass headlights! By the way, the ones used on the Diablo are same ones like on the nice Nissan 300 ZX (starting in 1990).

19 hours ago, Hi-Po said:

Simply beautiful!

Thanks to you too, Terry!

[FabbricaP]

Nice build! The mods look factory-done!

[89AKurt]

5 hours ago, Tommy124 said:

[...] Thanks, Kurt. I didn't really like the Diablo either when it was first released in 1990. But the car matured on me in the course of the years. To me the major improvement in the design was changing the pop-up headlights for the beautiful under-glass headlights in '99. I LOVE under-glass headlights! By the way, the ones used on the Diablo are same ones like on the nice Nissan 300 ZX (starting in 1990).  [...]

Yep, I knew that!    Funny how hidden headlights are universally hated when open.  Think the '39 Cord was the first, and they looked okay when open.  I have an Alfa Romeo BAT resin kit, you have the option and I'm wanting to make them operable.  

Again, nice job.

[ATHU]

Looks amazing, great job!!

[Funkychiken]

On 10/10/2018 at 11:28 AM, Tommy124 said:

Thanks folks, appreciated!

Thanks to you too Atin! Not quite sure about what you mean. True, the glass has been a bit out of shape and so had a rather bad fit, especially in the A pillar area. But I don't remember it as being thick. But I applied a decal on top of the windscreen in order to simulate a "sun protection stripe" of tinted glass (I don't know the English word, would be happy to learn it...), maybe that is what makes it appear thickish to you...?

I guess I couldnt recognise if it's a gap, or a bit of refractive index caused by thick plastic. And you clarified that there was a bit of a gap! It's my personal biggest bugbear on my own builds, with all the effort that one can put into the build, it some times ends up with thick glazing or poor fitting glazing (so it stands out to me). The pros on this site would make their own glazing out of acetate or plastic packaging which is more 'in scale however, I am not at that skill level yet! I'm still fighting a good car body paint finish...

[Red318]

That is really good looking.  I've avoided this kit - the Revell box art doesn't look very appealing but your build really captures the feel of the car.  What disappointed you about the ZP 1K clear?  I've got some of that that I haven't used yet?

[Tommy124]

16 hours ago, FabbricaP said:

Nice build! The mods look factory-done!

Thanks, Anders. You think I should sell them for money? But wait, it's just Evergreen stuff and everybody can buy that!

42 minutes ago, Red318 said:

That is really good looking.  I've avoided this kit - the Revell box art doesn't look very appealing but your build really captures the feel of the car.  What disappointed you about the ZP 1K clear?  I've got some of that that I haven't used yet?

Thanks to you too, David. I chose to build this "dispensable" kit over other Diablo kits from my stock (I have 2 Fujimi kits) as I did not know how good or bad the results would be. As I mentioned, this was to be my first kit after 20 years... As far as the ZP 1k clear is concerned... I just don't like it. There is no good balance between effort (and the stinking!) and result imho. I used this once again a few months ago in order to make an intermediate clear coat (for decals to be applied on, final 2k to be used over the decals) and I hoped my learning curve would help me to get along with the stuff better 2 years later but - nope! My advice, if you decide to go down "poison road" where the stinky stuff comes from, use the 2k right away. It's much better, it can be better sanded, polished etc. As an alternative for 1k clear I can however recommend the new Tamiya Laquer Paint (LP-9). That is some funny stuff that requires an awful lot of thinners (ratio 1:3 !), but it shoots very nicely through the airbrush and it can be easily polished. I hear only very little about people using these Tamiya LP colors, but I used a couple of them and they are very good. It's actually the same stuff that's in the TS cans, only the variety of colors available is different.