Matt Bacon Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 Two very different cars, but inspired by the Japanese sports car duo. Both the 240ZG and the 2000GT were designed by the same guy, Count Albrecht Goertz. The 507 was also a Goertz design (probably his best -- it's undeniably one of the best looking cars ever built. So good-looking in fact that apparently BMW pulled an advertising campaign for the Z8 which paired it with the 507, because the older car made then new one look like a bit of a dog). And the LFA is, like the 2000GT, a collaboration between Toyota and Yamaha, which builds the engine... The 507 is an older Revell kit, dating back to the 90s, but looks nicely detailed in the box. The LFA is Tamiya's uber-kit, probably the best they've done (at least until the LaFerrari appeared) First job on the LFA is paint -- colour matched Zero Paints Pearl Blue (don't let the web site fool you, Steve DOES have it made up). It's a three layer colour. Silverish base coat Translucent, slightly pearlised top coat 2-pack clear coat. The 507 is going to be built as John Surtees car, which is fitted with a factory hard top. Since the Revell kit comes with a removable ragtop, that seems like the best place to start... That's all for a while, since I'll be away from the bench this week. bestest, M.
Kennyboy Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 Sweet color Matt! LOVE the LFA!! Looks just like HOK Majik Blue......one of my favorites from them! Just painted my NSX with it. (Single layer color then clear over it BTW.)
Belugawrx Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 Th th that paint WOW (emoticon of my jaw hitting the floor) Stunning Great !!
Jeremy Jon Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 That blue colour is fantastic, very nice, looking forward to seeing both models progress!
Matt Bacon Posted March 12, 2014 Author Posted March 12, 2014 Thanks, guys. Life and work have rather got in the way of modelling over the last couple of weeks, but I'm back on the go again now. The hardtop has had rather a lot of iterations to get to this state: I now need to think about glazing and how to reproduce various bits of chrome trim (there's a very visible "gutter" over the door and side windows...) I also want to have proper grilles at the front, with a "see-through" effect, rather than just painting the solid parts black. This took some figuring out how to do... I sanded from the back until the moulded grille would just pop out. A quick trial suggests that it will work, more or less... (there aren't enough grille elements on the moulded parts -- they should have seven horizontal bars). I'm trying to decide whether to lose the chrome and spray the whole thing chrome silver when assembled instead... bestest, M.
Belugawrx Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 Nice Scratchin' I dislike those solid grilles too
Matt Bacon Posted March 16, 2014 Author Posted March 16, 2014 The paint is on the body now, and the interior started with "carpet" applied using Plastikote Velvet. For once, I'm keeping it he colour it comes out of the can, more or less.. Test fit of the top shows that it will fit nicely -- but also that it's too "beetle-browed", bulged up at the front. So it's out with the sanding sticks again. The body is going into the airing cupboard in a plastic box for a couple of weeks now. It feels a bit one step forward and two back, but the real thing is quite elegant, and my version... wasn't. I'm happy with these now. The sharp eyed will spot in this photo that the "verticals" are in front of the horizontals on one side and behind on the other. I didn't figure on the "handedness" meaning that I'd have to use the front and back of the sprue grille I'd made -- I though I'd just turn them at 180 degrees to each other. However, they're teeny-tiny in real life, and I don't think that it'll be too obvious when the thing is together. I've achieved what I wanted, though -- you can see through them! And just to prove that the LFA is also under way... It's so crisply moulded and the fit is perfect: you could slot the engine together without glue if you wanted to! bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted March 16, 2014 Author Posted March 16, 2014 These are the LFA wheels. They're supposed to be "Smoked Chrome", so I sprayed them with Humbrol Metalcote Steel (which has a superb shiny metal finish when buffed) and then hit them with a thin layer of Tamiya Smoke. I thought that any brighter chrome finish would have to be smothered in smoke to be dark enough, whereas the steel is pretty grey out of the can. The "gutter" on the 507 hardtop is made from solder. It's the most tractable material, I reckon. But to get the "square" section, I rolled it on a tile to flatten it somewhat. And this is what it looks like in place. There'll be a bit of sanding to get a smooth surface, then primer over everything. Ultimately, I'll BMF it when the hardtop is silver again! The 507 engine is progressing off screen... bestest, M.
Modelbuilder Mark Posted March 16, 2014 Posted March 16, 2014 Looks like it is coming together for sure.
Matt Bacon Posted March 17, 2014 Author Posted March 17, 2014 Thanks, guys... The BMW engine is now wired (for ignition at least). I drilled out the core of the distributor and cut a Postbox-like slot across it at the back (the wires really do emerge in a line from the side, not the top). That gave me something to stuff the ends of the wires into. The Lexus engine is bigger, but not as much as you might think... The transmission is under construction as well. The 507's seats have distinctive "rollovers" at the top -- or at least they do in all the pictures i can find. Some sprue gives a starting point... bestest, M.
lanesteele240 Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 Man this is looking good Love the color of the top one. The work on the rag top conversion is awesome
Matt Bacon Posted March 22, 2014 Author Posted March 22, 2014 (edited) Thanks, Gary... That's the BMW engine finished... The LFA power train is fantastically detailed, but in relatively few parts. The carbon torque tube is painted with Tamiya semi-gloss black. gently buffed with graphite powder. Close-up compare and contrast... bestest, M. Edited March 22, 2014 by Matt Bacon
Matt Bacon Posted April 5, 2014 Author Posted April 5, 2014 It's been a very busy couple of weeks with relatively little bench time, and what I have had has mainly been devoted to progressing lots of individual pieces that need painting, but aren't very photogenic! Anyway, there's finally some progress to report... Once again, mocked up for test fit, and I think it's heading in the right direction. It'll be critical to set the windscreen just right at the correct angle, and get the hardtop to settle down properly, but at least I'm now convinced it will all fit together! The engine is now sitting in the floorpan, and as shown above, it does all fit nicely into the body with a satisfying click... The engineering on the LFA is just incredible. There aren't that many parts (and they often need painting four different colours because one moulding has several different components depicted). But they are literally a press fit in many places, with just a touch of thin superglue to hold them in place permanently. Awesome! Should get some more done tomorrow -- the interiors are being painted, bit by bit... bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted April 15, 2014 Author Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks, Bruce! It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks, but I've got back to the bench now... The dash for the 507 -- a bit of detail painting and the Revell decals for the instruments and radio, and I think it looks pretty convincing. More great kit design and engineering from Tamiya. The front suspension looks the part, but only has about 6 of them -- parts, that is... ..which means that I can officially declare the LFA powertrain *FINISHED* ...and this is where we are this evening... bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted April 15, 2014 Author Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks, Atin... a bit more assembly tonight: The piping on the seats could be neater, but it'll be under the hardtop... Work on the LFA interior is now under way in earnest. bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted April 18, 2014 Author Posted April 18, 2014 I've done a lot of "carbon" lately... It's all the usual Zero Paints Graphite Grey sprayed through a fabric mesh mask and Kleared. So much easier than chopping up decal, even if it isn't as accurate.... The doors have "carbon" in the front corners if you look hard, and the two sides of the "bridge" are the same. It's hard to photograph! Seats with belts and "sockets" added (what ARE those things called???). Transmission tunnel insulation is cigarette packet foil... useful stuff! And now you CAN see the carbon effect on the "bridge". You can see why I think the key to realistic interiors is to use a lot of different finishes and colours to reproduce different materials. Tamiya would have you do the whole thing in semi-gloss black and German grey... It's starting to come together now, even if it doesn't look that way! Tomorrow I want to finish the LFA interior and make good progress with the 507 chassis... bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted April 19, 2014 Author Posted April 19, 2014 Great thing about the LFA is that you can spec it any way you like, so who's to say that this look doesn't exist! ;-P I decided that the horizontal recessed panel would be impossible to mask and get into with the mesh "carbon" technique, so I used some of the Scale Motorsport decal I have. It claims to be 1/24, but it looks a bit large to me. It's another texture and finish effect in the mix, though... ..and that's the LFA interior done. Once again, not too many parts, but crisply moulded, well-fitting, and just crying out for detail painting... Slow progress on the 507 in parallel, but not much to show for it at the moment! bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted April 21, 2014 Author Posted April 21, 2014 Despite its age, the Revell kit has some nice detailing. I must read up on how this rear suspension works, because I've never built one like it before. It looks like some kind of torsion tubes for the "springing", regular shock absorbers, and a cross-brace to locate the rear axle. It needs some detail painting and touching up, as well. Nearly there with the LFA chassis now... more on that later. bestest, M.
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