AMT Stingaree Dragster

[70 Sting]

Good Evening,

Not my normal cup of tea, however, being a Corvette fan I thought why not?

I photographed the completed Stingaree this evening and thought I'd share my thoughts. The body was painted with decanted Tamiya FS Primer White, decanted Tamiya TS-43 Racing Green and clear coated with decanted Tamiya X-13. Some of the chassis was painted with AK Xtreme Metal White Aluminum and the chrome parts were stripped and painted with AK Xtreme Metal Chrome. All aluminum and chrome parts were base coated with AK's Black Base (yucky).

 

What I learned from this build: 

1.  The body comes in 7 parts which fit together with obvious seams. Got lots of practice using Tamiya Putty.

2. There's some sort of warp in the frame. I've seen alignment issues with other builds.

3. I think I have been thinning the primer too much (1:1 with lacquer thinner) as it doesn't fill little scratches like it does straight from the can.

4. First time I decanted TS colour paint - I think I need to change the ratio (4:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Retarder type) or be more patient and apply multiple light coats and slowly build the colour.

5. First time using TS-13 Clear - also thinned 4:1. It did not burn the decals (I've read horror stories on the forums). Applied a couple mist coats first then 2 wet coats.

6. Decals were very brittle and broke in multiple places. Lined them up as best I could but the seams can definitely be seen.

7. Must remember to wipe off excess decal setting solution. It left spots that would not come off with water and or isopropyl and a cotton swab. Luckily the clear covered most of it.

8. Tried making my own fuel line with heated and stretched sprue.

9. Used a commercially available distributor and battery wires. So tiny... need the patience of a saint.

Thanks for reading ?

[bisc63]

Very nicely done! Love the green you used here, and your overall clean building style really makes for a nice display. Funky kits like this are good reminders to have fun with model cars!

[ChrisR]

VERY NICE!

[espo]

I'm not familiar with this kit, but the body sure looks smooth. Beautiful looking paint finish and color. Great detailing on the chassis and engine. 

[TonyK]

That looks great! Way better than the model box presents the kit. Would've never guessed the finished model could look this good but you did it. Thanks for showing your beautiful modeling skills.

[doorsovdoon]

Very nice work. What a crazy looking kit!

[cobraman]

Looks good, you did a great job on it.

[Zippi]

That green looks so good.  Great detail work on the engine.  Nice job.

[70 Sting]

Thanks for the comments, fellas. The box art is pretty weak. The frame was kinda finicky and difficult to keep aligned. Not sure I'd build one again, but it was certainly a good learning experience. I'm going to build my first Tamiya kit next. I hear they practically build themselves. ?

[Safire6]

I've never seen this kit before, that is crazy cooool! Great job on it!

 

[Ulbo]

Cooool?

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Harry!

Well, you clearly made the most of this kit. Assembly and body finishing are great. Bravo! 

I've never used the Tamya putty... I'm more of the catalysed variety bunch. What's your appreciation of the Tamya? I understand it is an air-drying putty, so I'm curious as to shrinkage problem that may occur down the road.

Your take?

CT 

[70 Sting]

Hey @Claude Thibodeau

I'm a recent returnee to the hobby where so much is new to me now, that I can't speak comparatively about its use and quality vs other brands.

What I can say about Tamiya Putty is that it seems to shrink a bit when it dries, however it hasn't been an issue after a second application. I treat it like using drywall mud/compound: apply just enough to fill the gap plus a little extra to compensate for shrinkage - but not too much to avoid a lot of extra sanding. I find that putting the part in a dehydrator really helps as well. For bigger gaps I would use Tamiya 'Epoxy' Putty and finish it with the regular putty.

As for long term shrinkage, I built this Ford GT40 several months ago where I had to fill in the entire rear seam like on the Stingaree and there are no signs of cracks or shrinking.

 

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Harry!

Thanks for the detailed reply, very instructive!

Non-catalyzed putties dry by evaporation, and therefore loose some volume while drying (the solvent evaporates). It is logical that you would have to apply a second light coat. Even more so after a stay in a dehydrator, obviously. The GT 40 speaks to the fact that it is mostly stable on the long term. Tamya rarely sells products that are sub-par, so I may give it a try on a future project. 

Welcome back to the hobby. It appears you haven't lost the touch!

Regards, 

CT 

[TransAmMike]

That dragster is just way too cool Harry, love the Corvette theme there.?

[PappyD340]

Beautifully done!!

[magicmustang]

Wow, great build.

It inspired me to get out mine from my stash and work on it. I have made several changes so far. Now on to the body. Thanks for the inspiration.

Edited December 14, 2021 by magicmustang

[Ace-Garageguy]

Man...those are gorgeous, both the dragster and the GT40.

I've found the 1-part Tamiya putty to work exactly as you describe, and still use something catalyzed for heavy fills.

[majel]

Excellent job, great looking model, love the paint!

[slusher]

Looks fantastic!

[70 Sting]

@magicmustang Hey that's cool ?. Please keep me posted, I'd love to know how you find the build and see the final result.

@Ace-Garageguy I've heard good things about something called Milliput but have not looked into it.

[Dave Armstrong]

Nice work on this, and the GT-40! Love the paint on both!

[Bills72sj]

I too have seen the box art online and was not sure what to think of the kit. Your craftsmanship has really upped its reputation in my book. It does seem like it could benefit from some taller front wheels proportionally however.

[70 Sting]

@Bills72sj That’s very kind of you. ?  Agreed, the box art does nothing to sell the kit. I only became aware of it through a prolific YouTube builder. With regards to the front wheels, I’m wondering if the trademark front wheel humps of the C3 Corvette make them look smaller?

[Lobo2me]

Very clean....good job!