Bobby Allison’s 71 Dodge Charger

[GMasterG]

Main body color done and trunk/boot cut out and hinged:

 

 

[GMasterG]

I need to mask this to be able to spray the top sections of the body gold. Has anyone been through this exercise in the past and have any tips that they could offer as to the best approach?

[Horrorshow]

Normally, I would spray the whole body gold, then mask for the red.

[slusher]

29 minutes ago, Horrorshow said:

Normally, I would spray the whole body gold, then mask for the red.

Less to cover that way..

[satterwhite78]

Use Tamiya masking tape to start at the top of the fender and follow the Chargers fender and character line to the rear. 

It's been a while when I built the #12 but if memory serves correct  it was Testors Enamel  Met. Gold.  Once painted and decaled,  I used Pledge acrylic floor wax to brush on.  Self leveling, drys fairy quick (15 minutes) and if needed you can apply 2-3 coats. Easy to work with.

Sent some pics to visually help out and feel free to reach out anytime... Chuck

Edited January 10 by satterwhite78
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[satterwhite78]

Since the body is sprayed with red, masking off for the Gold and go from there....

[GMasterG]

12 hours ago, satterwhite78 said:

Use Tamiya masking tape to start at the top of the fender and follow the Chargers fender and character line to the rear. 

It's been a while when I built the #12 but if memory serves correct  it was Testors Enamel  Met. Gold.  Once painted and decaled,  I used Pledge acrylic floor wax to brush on.  Self leveling, drys fairy quick (15 minutes) and if needed you can apply 2-3 coats. Easy to work with.

Sent some pics to visually help out and feel free to reach out anytime... Chuck

Thank you, these photos are great reference material. I appreciate the time you've taken to post them and share your techniques with me.

[Shark]

If you want to build the Coke version, Mike's Decals has the supplement sheet.

[TarheelRick]

A suggestion to help prevent bleed-through is to spray the tape line with clear or in this case the red body color. That seals the tape seam and prevents the second color from bleeding under the tape.

[GMasterG]

1 hour ago, TarheelRick said:

A suggestion to help prevent bleed-through is to spray the tape line with clear or in this case the red body color. That seals the tape seam and prevents the second color from bleeding under the tape.

Thank you Rick. I’ve never tried that before. I will do so with this paint job. 

[GMasterG]

I decided to use a marker to make some guides for the masking tape:

then I used some thin masking tape to follow the lines:

After covering the rest of the lower body with masking tape, I sprayed some clear along the mask line, laid down some Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black, and laid down some metallic gold coats:

[Shark]

Be careful with a marker such as a sharpie, they can bleed through paint. Don't ask me how I know.

[GMasterG]

1 hour ago, Shark said:

Be careful with a marker such as a sharpie, they can bleed through paint. Don't ask me how I know.

I’m sure I don’t need to ask!

[GMasterG]

Well I think that tracing the profile of the gold has paid dividends in the sense that the lines are smooth and by and large reflect the real thing. Let’s see if removing the marker gives me cause for regret. 
 

The gold was meant to be metallic. I laid it over black primer. It looks like I’ve laid it on too thick and it doesn’t look metallic. Oh well, another learning curve for the future I’m sure. 

[bobss396]

2 hours ago, Shark said:

Be careful with a marker such as a sharpie, they can bleed through paint. Don't ask me how I know.

I find that my gray primer hardly covers over a black sharpie. So I wash it off with lacquer thinner before. 

[GMasterG]

The devil is always in the detail with this hobby, and it is always the little things that we strive to perfect that ultimately give us the greatest sense of satisfaction. In this case it's achieving symmetry with the profiling of the two-tone paint. Below are a couple of visual juxtapositions that give me cause for a sense of a job well done even if I do say so myself.

[GMasterG]

I lightly wet-sanded the masking line and removed as much of the marker as I was willing to remove without adding to the small patches of burn-through that began to emerge in a couple of places. I will use the  marker again in the future but I will do things a little differently next time. And then I applied the 2k clear coat. I didn't use the HK automotive 2k that I've used recently but rather I opted for SMS 2k clear which is another of my favourites that I can mix in my sleep and apply almost without looking:

This first batch of 2k is mixed as per SMS's directions without a lot of thinner. I first apply a very light tack coat and let it sit for about 10 minutes following which I apply regular coats at between 15-20 psi. I work under a magnifier lamp and at the end of the process I always look at the reflection of the lights on the hood. If the finish is generating a mirror-like reflection then I know I'm on the right track. I will wait for this to go off for 24 hours before giving it a light wet sand and applying some wetter/thinner coats of 2k.

Edited January 30 by GMasterG

[GMasterG]

The body got its final coats of clear, a wet sand with 10k grit and a polish with some DSPIAE 10k polishing cream. And now some progress with decals on one side and on top:

[pulln4dejr]

Beautiful job! 👏🏻

[GMasterG]

1 hour ago, pulln4dejr said:

Beautiful job! 👏🏻

Thank you. It’s progressing well. 

[GMasterG]

Im trying to improve the quality of my sub-assembly builds. I have some touch-ups to do on the engine frame but otherwise I’m pleased with the results of this evening’s endeavours:

 

[GMasterG]

Test-fitting the roll cage. I initially assembled the 3 sides, top cross-bar, and rear cross-stays and fit them in place. Next came part 80 running from lower passenger-side front to the rear. Parts 77A & B aren’t long enough to connect to the locations they are meant to be placed so I’ve made new ones with 2mm round styrene.

The other little detail that pleased me was the rectangular piece on the passenger's side floor. I have no idea what it is but I used it as an opportunity to apply some different-colored washes over the base silver. I don't think that I've truly appreciated the purpose of using such materials until now. The brown and black tones that I've used have created some really nice subtle shading. The highlights and contrasts have created depth and realism to the part (whatever it is).

While I'm at it, I should give myself some praise for the metal bezel around the fire extinguisher gauge. Compared to the first two that I made for the Oldsmobiles that I am building, I fashioned this one with greater ease and affixed it to the extinguisher's face with greater precision and cleanliness. It's by these tiny milestones that we measure the development of our skills as modelers and it's important that from time-to-time we pause to recognise that progress. 

Edited February 7 by GMasterG

[GMasterG]

Time to now pay some attention to building the engine before fitting together the two halves of the chassis. Previous experience with the Oldsmobiles tells me it’s best to leave fitting the steering wheel until after fitting the section of the steering column that runs between the firewall and the steering tie rod.

Edited February 7 by GMasterG

[GMasterG]

Some progress on the engine today. I’m happy with the finish of the individual parts but I was a little absent-minded and forgot to test fit everything before painting and gluing and it shows. I’m sitting here scratching my head and wondering how I could forget to do something so basic. Notwithstanding that, I’m happy with the detail I’ve added such as the spark plug tubes to take 0.4mm solder and the 3D-printed MSD dizzie which I detailed with some panel liner. 

[GMasterG]

I wasn’t happy with this engine’s assembly so I pulled it apart and started again. By the end of the weekend I’d managed to add spark plug cables using 0.4mm solder. By refusing to accept poor workmanship and keeping clear focus we can all improve the final results.