Orange 7 WIP

[Scale-Master]

I know, I know, I can hear it already.

"Oh come on! Not another one! Aren't you sick of them yet?!"

Well, no I'm not, I hope they still hold some entertainment value for you too.

Yes, I am building another 7, C'mon, are you really surprised? I know I'm not… I will also chronicle this build as I go along.

While it will be much like an out of the box build in many respects, I reserve the right to deviate from what comes in the kit for any reason I choose. It is not meant to “out-do†the Blue Seven. It is to build and enjoy and have fun. (OK, that part is the same as the Blue 7.)

Also, if any of you are building, or have built one of these kits, please note that I am going to be all over the place regarding what I build in what order compared to the way the instruction book has you build it. Nothing wrong with following the instructions, in fact I highly recommend it if you have not built one of these kits before, but I have built enough of these to skip around for my own enjoyment and not become ensnared in any of the possible pitfalls of building out of order.

Kit: Tamiya Caterham Super Seven 1/12 Scale Master’s Coachwork Series

So follow along if you wish, feel free to ask questions, I'll try to be as clear as I can with my answers. And off I go, (again...)

I started with the engine on this one. Scale Motor Sport’s Faux Fabrix was used to simulate the sand cast texture of the engine block.

Tamiya TS-21 Gold was used for the color. The gloss of the gold was toned down with Testors Dullcote.

The head was painted aluminum and the freeze plugs painted a light steel color. The oil pan is Tamiya Clear Orange over silver for an anodized look.

Stay Tuned, comments welcome...

[ismaelg]

Here we go again!

Let's fasten the seatbelts and enjoy the ride! Again...

[Jairus]

:roll:

[Scale-Master]

Like any new project, the participation level is high at the beginning, that holds true here too…

Testors Black Chrome Trim makes a good look for vinyl seat covers. The seat inserts were brush painted with Tamiya acrylic JN Grey, the brush strokes were left intentionally to make the pattern look more like an animal hide.

SMS Giraffe pattern decals were applied. Mr. Mark Softer (decal solvent) and a good decaling brush made it an easy task.

Tamiya Clear Yellow was airbrushed in different random densities and streaks, again to make it look more like a natural animal hide. I used an Iwata airbrush and was pleased the spray pattern was so fine I did not even have to mask off the black.

The seats were finished by spraying them with a 50/50 mix of Testors Glosscote and Dullcote lacquers.

[ismaelg]

That turned out very nice!

I wish I could do decals. For the life of me I can't lay a decent decal no matter how small or flat :cry:

Thanks,

[bsoder]

Really Mark whats a couple more years!! and I don't think you could "outdo" Blue!! but equal it..no doubt oh and those are some very snazzy seats.....B

[Scale-Master]

The frame was cleaned up like normal and painted semi flat black. The floor panels are covered with SMS Kevlar #1312 decal.

Really no secret trick to it, just a little patience, and a little decal solvent around the edges and rivets. Let the decal dry for about 20 minutes before working it to conform with solvent. Keeps it from sliding around.

And let each side dry completely when decalling boths sides of something. That's hours, or overnight... Or even a couple days...

The steering rack cross member was textured to look sand cast with the Faux Fabrix...

Gettin' a little louder to go with those seats...

[Scale-Master]

Here are some more parts I used SMS Faux Fabrix on for texturing. "It's not just for seats anymore!"

The rear bulkhead received several very wet coats, (let dry between coats), to replicate the rubberized spray coating/insulation. (Keeps, stone chips from damaging the C/F too.)

The transmission took a light coating for a fine sand-cast look, and the front of the engine/head got a matching amount as was applied to the block.

Here’s the finished rear bulkhead installed in the frame.

The rivets are raised on the floor and rear panels. I lightly sanded them to allow the aluminum to show through the decal with some 1000 grit sandpaper.

SMS 1/12 Hi Def C/F on the “interior†side.

Stay tuned...

[MrObsessive]

Mark you're killin' me! I have this kit right in my hobby room and I'm saving every page of this thread for "future reference".

Really, this is gonna be another killer build!!

Keep us posted!

[Scale-Master]

The brake rotors were sprayed with Tamiya Natural Metal, then sprayed with an even medium coat of TS-71 Smoke, and then again sprayed with a couple light coats of TS-17 Gloss aluminum. Each coat of each color was allowed to dry before putting on the next layer.

The hubs were textured with, you guessed it, Faux Fabrix.

The rear differential was given a sand cast look with the same method…

[Abell82]

The rotors need work.

The rotors would (DO) look great,

but they would look even better if you had done

JUST the hub part like you did, because

the brake surface should be very smooooth,

and shiny.

(or discolored if they are on my wifes car! LOL!) HTH!

[Scale-Master]

They do look "spotty" in the picture, but in person they don't. Flash effect from the camera I suspect. Just to clarify, there is no texturing on the rotors, just the hubs.

But the rotors are nearly invisible when installed behind the wheels so it is nearly a moot point...

[Abell82]

Ah, I see. I thought they were textured, including the brake surface! :oops:

[Scale-Master]

More work accomplished on the engine…

Make some leaky stuff residue like a real Bri'ish auto...

[ismaelg]

Mark, Put down the Faux Fabrix, slowly walk away, nobody gets hurt.....

[Scale-Master]

OK, then how about some decal work instead of Faux Fabrix?

The aluminum body side panels were scratched and I wasn't able to polish them up to a level I was happy with. So I went back to an option I had originally considered for this build, carbon fiber. A base coat of semi gloss black was sprayed on to promote decal adhesion.

Scale Motor Sport 1/12 scale Hi Def C/F decal (#1512) was applied in two main parts.

Once FULLY dry, a 50/50 mix of Testors Dullcote and Glosscote was sprayed in a medium light coat and allowed to dry. The same application was repeated about 30 minutes later. The seams of where the decals overlapped were sanded out with 1000 grit wet and another coat of the 50/50 mix was applied to make the sheen uniform.

[bsoder]

Just ..WOW..work.. again Mark,gotta say your'e really making some progress on this :shock: ...B

[Scale-Master]

Here the sides are attached and the basics of the front suspension are in place. Care must be taken when putting the side panels on as to not chip the decals applied to either the sides or the floor panels. Only a little extra time and vigilance was needed to get both sides on event free.

This thing is really going together fast. It is amazing how fast one can build when one actually uses the kit's parts!

[ismaelg]

Mark,

As a long term admirer of your work, I always look forward to your updates, even if I don't respond to all of them.

But this one is special and I have to ask:

Decals are my nemesis in this wonderful hobby. Yet I don't loose hope of one day having them work for me.

I want to cover the rearview mirror or a modern race car in carbon fiber. I have the Scale Motorsports decals. I see you not only clearcoated the CF decals, but you also mention sanding it where strips meet. Can you elaborate on that? I think that's exactly what I need to do with the mirrors.

Thanks,

[Scale-Master]

OK, let's see if I can make this simple...

Preparation and patience, especially the latter, are very helpful.

Paint whatever it is you want to decal first, decals adhere best to paint, glossy paint, or semi gloss at the very least.

A good decal solvent is a must too. I like Mr. Mark Softer by Gunze Sanyo.

As far as the seams, first assess the situation and plan how you are going to approach the part. Cut fitted panels for the job, be aware of the pattern so it will line up correctly if it matters.

Let each decal you apply dry before trying to apply the next, it's very frustrating to try to keep more than one under control.

Always use a sharp knife if you need to make relief cuts. A good "decal only" brush is a must on my bench too.

Once you have decaled your part and done any "decal touch up" required, you can clear coat it to help diminish the seams.

I like Testors Dullcote and Glosscote mixed 50/50 and sprayed by airbrush. The Dullcote dries very fast and the Glosscote leaves enough sheen to look smooth. Light coats are the key. Too much, you will eat the decals. (I have never eaten a decal while doing this, because I never put a wet coat on.) Usually 3-5 coats is plenty depending on the part.

LET THE FIRST COUPLE COATS FULLY DRY to lessen the chance of the lacquer attacking the decals.

Let the last coat dry for several hours, then carefully wet sand with 1000 grit sand paper. Check your progress often!

Once you have eliminated the seams, carefully wash off all the sanding residue and dry, and seal with your choice of clear coat. Just make sure it is compatible with Testors lacquers.

It makes sense to me, but if someone needs clarification, just let me know...

I crack myself up sometimes:

(I have never eaten a decal while doing this, because I never put a wet coat on.) That could sound strange to an outsider...

[Scale-Master]

The rear panel, also made of the same soft aluminum as the sides, received the same SMS Hi Def C/F treatment as the sides. Here you can see the first largest single decal panel applied. The holes were cut out with a sharp knife after the decal had fully dried.

I like to use semi gloss black as a base because it dries faster than high gloss and is glossy enough to not cause silvering problems. These decals are dense and opaque enough that any base color will work, but they work much better over a painted surface than raw metal, plastic or resin, like all decals.

Here it is finished.

It took several decals to cover all the edges and contours. Not difficult, just time consuming. It is best to decal a part like this over several days, a little at a time, letting each application dry before proceeding. Once all the decals were dry it was clear coated with the same 50/50 mixture of Gloss and Dullcotes and treated to the same finishing techniques as the sides. As you can see it works well to hide the seams, if you get them lined up when you are decalling...

[ismaelg]

Let each decal you apply dry before trying to apply the next, it's very frustrating to try to keep more than one under control.

As simple as it sounds, I think that's one of the keys I was missing....

Your explanation is very clear.

Suit me up! I'm going in!!!

Thanks,

[cruz]

It's funny how certain people approach their work differently! Decals have always been kind of an annoying part of modeling for me too but you have certainly made it a little easier to understand and to apply it to my future work :wink:

[Scale-Master]

More decals...

The “floor†of the trunk was decaled with the same SMS Kevlar as the floor panels, but instead of decaling both sides, the bottom was treated to a couple coats of Faux Fabrix to simulate a rubberized coating like the rear bulkhead.

For the top side, first a base coat of semi gloss tan was sprayed on, (just as was done on the floor panels.)

Once the decal was applied, a thin coat of the 50/50 Clearcote mixture was applied to seal it. Then a couple drops of Tamiya Clear Yellow and Smoke were added to the mix and lightly sprayed on to tint the Kevlar a tad bit darker so it would look like it was coated with an opaque material on the other side.

[Scale-Master]

The driveshaft was covered in SMS Plain Weave C/F #1420. The textured pumpkin is painted and installed too.

The front of the engine is almost done…

The wheels are next...