Tamiya Porsche 911 Turbo '88

[Apexscalpel]

I started this model at a teenager back in 2007, 17 years later I rediscovered my model car stash in my mother in laws basement. After repairing some of my completed models I couldn't wait to get started building again. The Tamiya 911 Turbo being a very simple mosly snap together kit seemed like a good one to start up again. 

Previously all I had completed was spraying the interior, chassis, and suspension parts semi gloss black. I had also masked and painted the body color parts of the chassis. I had also painted the body TS-94 metallic gray. It was full of orange peal and I didn't have full coverage around the bottom of the body. I sanded the body with the intension of respraying. I'm my haste I decided to use the the unopened 17+ year old TS-17 gloss aluminum and TS-13 clear cans I had in my modeling supplies box. I knew the risks by I didn't care, this model was just for practice after all. It went every well until the 4th and final wet coat of TS-17, the paint started coming out in larger droplets. I stopped immediately and let it dry overnight to assess the damage. Overall it wasn't terrible, a few little blemishes on the hood was all I could see. The paint went down with minimal orange peal as well. I then sprayed it with clear and covered it up to cure for at least 7 days before I attempt to sand and polish the finish (something I have never done before but am looking forward to trying). 

BTW I masked the clear headlights 17 years ago using Micro Mask. I'm curious to see what is waiting for me underneath when I remove it...

Moving on to the interior and chassis. Nothing fancy inside. I painted the dashboard and seat controls using reference images on BringaTrailer. 

For the engine and chassis I brush painted the individual parts and then used my new favorite paint Tamiya Panel Line Accent to give them some depth. The Tamiya Acrylic paint is super thick and my local hobby shop didnt have any Retarder so I ordered some, its not due to arrive for another two weeks, so I forged ahead. I used by Badger 350 airbrush that was still new in the box from 2006 along with the aerosol can to spray the exhaust system with both Allclad Exhaust Manifold and Chrome. It worked so nicely that I am seriously considering buying a compressor and spraying more parts in the future. I then tried my hand at weathering using Tamiya Weathering Master D set, which was so much fun! My wife was watching me do it and couldn't believe how much it changed the appearance of the painted parts. 

I did notice from other completed builds of this kit that the exhaust sits way too low compared to the body, so once the paint is fully cured I'll fit the body and adjust the height of the exhausts as need. 

Working on painting the rear lights next. 

On another note, since it is still winter here I sprayed the body in our guest bathroom shower with the vent fan on and some plastic sheeting to catch the overspray. (I was wearing my respirator). After spending a few hours cleaning up all the overspray the sheeting didn't catch I ordered a spray booth. Looking forward to using this in the future. I'm impressed with the LED lighting. 

Edited March 10 by Apexscalpel
spelling & grammer

[oldcarfan]

That's a good start! Have fun with it, those Tamiya Porsches are nice kits.

[Dann Tier]

Loving it...my favorite Porsche of all time!!

[shoeman]

Looking forward to seeing this when it's done. The engine looks great. Very cool that you found your old stash too.

[Apexscalpel]

Thanks all!

After 7 days of curing it is time for my first attempt at wet sanding and polishing the body. I've spent the week watching youtube videos and reading forums posts in preparation, but I was still quite nervous. 

This is what I was starting with. Lots of orange peal, both from lack of practice with Tamiya sprays and the fact that the cans were 17+ years old. 

I started wet sanding with 2000 grit sand paper, then 3000, then moved on to sanding sponges, 4000, 6000, 8000, and finally 12000. I actually found it to be quite theraputic. You can really feel the sandpaper "cutting" the rough finish and then when there was not resistance I would switch directions, and then move on to a finer paper. I was able to see an improvement after 3000 and it just kept getting better! This photo is after the last pass of 12000 grit sanding sponge. 

On to the polishing! This step really bought it home for me. After the application of the Tamiya Fine compound it already looked better than any of my other models I had every painted. 

And holy smokes! The finishing compound blew me away. I could believe the finish I was ended up with after such a messy orange peally start. 

All in it took me about 3 hours start to finish and I couln't be happier. I listened to "Three Body Problem" on audiobook while I was doing it and at no point was I frustrated or impatient with the process. 

As an update on the 17 year old Micro Mask on the headlight:

Good news! It came off easily and perfectly masked the headlight lenses!

Bad news! 19 year old Kevin forgot about masking the lenses from the inside, so they are painted metallic grey from the inside 🤦‍♂️. Oh well! This was a test model anyway to try out new techniques. Not sure if the lens are remotely salvageable at this point. I fear using thinner to remove the paint will make them hazy and look worse than they do now. Any insights would be appreciated. 

Next up is masking the body to paint the window trim and rubber body panels!