Tamiya Nismo R34 GT-R Z-Tune

[LuBu]

Hello all, this is my first post so be gentle! My first car model, 1/24 Nismo GTR Z-Tune by Tamiya.

Obligatory box shot;

Sadly I've no pictures prior to this but here is where I am up to. Managed to get the back half of the body framework and brake discs painted up. I'm brushing Tamiya Acrylics which are not the best so I've used Vallejo and some old citadel paints where I can. I'm using TS-17 for the main colour as per the instructions.

Made a start on the front, wheel arches are done, engine needs finishing and the exhaust to paint. I've got some alclad paints I recently bought to try on this, I'm thinking Aluminium? I have an airbrush and need to get used to it really.

Not a huge fan of how to semi gloss black looks, though it gives a nice contrast to the flat black.

Painted the body with a quick coat of the TS-17 spray can but it has left all kinds of dust in the paint. :banghead:

Managed a little more progress since I took the first few photo's. Painted the exhaust and the other front end components which were a little tricky to fit. Taped them down for now hopefully it all looks ok when it comes off. Slight paint touch up and all should be well. Then its onto the interior.

Any tips and comments welcome!

Edited September 29, 2014 by LuBu

[cobraman]

Looking good.

[LuBu]

Some more progress. Took off the tape and touched up any areas I thought could have used a little more paint.

As you can see I've also sprayed the wheels gloss black and added the Brembo and Nismo decals. Hard to tell on this photo but after some micro sol they looks really good to me in the flesh.

Added the radiator/intercooler plus the decal.

Only one piece left to add underneath so figured I would make a start on the interior. Wheel, handbrake and gear stick all done semi gloss black/red. Centre console needs another coat or two of titanium silver.

And then.... disaster. I fitted the steering column and then tried to place the decal for the dash. I've had decals rip before but this has gone to bits and will without a doubt be the first one I won't be able to fix. Not sure where this leaves me unless I can't get hold of a spare from somewhere. Frustrating!

That's all for now. Any help with the decal problem would be very appreciated.

[DrKerry]

Looks good, good choice of material to build... Skylines are kool!!!

[hvymtl]

Yeah nice looking so far . I have this one on the shelf along with Midnight purple II base coat paint . good luck with that I/C

decal maybe try to piece it together carefully?

Michael

[Toast]

Your Skyline is looking good! Bummer about the decal. I'd give Tamiya customer service a call. I needed a window for one of their kits and they were very helpful. Price is reasonable too. Showed up in less than a week.

[TFchronos]

Very nice work!

[LuBu]

Thanks for the replies! Sadly the decal is in far too many small pieces to put back together. I've sent an email to thehobbycompany over here in the uk. Hopefully I'll be able to get a new decal sheet at a reasonable price.

Edited October 6, 2014 by LuBu

[LuBu]

So after contacting http://www.hobbyco.net/ yesterday. I ordered a replacement decal sheet for a grand total of £5 including postage and it arrived this morning. To so I am pleased is an understatement!

[LuBu]

Small update.

Dash decal is on along with the wheel.

Made a start on the tub.

[LuBu]

So I've been busy the last few days but still managed to get the interior finished and mounted to the body. Tried some flocking to make it look like carpet too.

Mounted it to the chassis.

Also masked off the windows and sprayed the black. Looks good, little over-spray on the front but should hopefully cover up with the wiper blade.

Edited October 12, 2014 by LuBu

[MeatMan]

Really nice work. I really like the color combo on the interior.

[hgbben]

Keep up the great work. Looking forward to seeing this completed

[LuBu]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Bought some Zero paints.

Primer, which goes on really well but seems to dry very very fast.

Primed the body.

Bought some Chrome Silver as well from Zero Paints which I've managed to get the first coat of on.

Needs a second coat, I've got the spoiler and wing mirrors primed but not given their silver. After that it's onto the clear. All comments welcome. Thanks for looking!

Edited October 18, 2014 by LuBu

[DynoMight]

This looks great! I always liked the Skylines. Make sure you get a good coverage over the roof, looks a little thin up there...

[LuBu]

Couple of quick questions if I may.

Do I add the metal decals/emblems before or after clear? Do I paint the window trims on the body before or after clear?

[Tonioseven]

After clear for both; that's how I do it anyway. Looks good so far.

[LuBu]

Thanks for the quick reply! Having a little trouble getting the paint to leave a smooth finish, given it a second coat looks a little better. Might have to try a third.

[Mannyp1980]

That Nismo R34 looks great.

[LuBu]

Some small progress, between waiting for some new things to arrive. Managed to get the body looking ok, for my first effort I'm happy but it's not perfect. I've also sprayed the front splitter semi gloss black, going to need a new tin at this rate!

Just this area around the bonnet vent bugs me, do I leave it and apply the clear or try smooth it out and respray? Can't decide.

Added the front wipers and the interior mirror, the back one ready to go on almost. I used some Formula 560 Canopy glue which has given me good results before.

Last I bought a Gundam Marker, always wondered what these were and the tip is really fine. Hope to use it for panel lines in the future.

Waiting on some pipettes to arrive so I can mix the clear now.

Thanks for looking!

[Byron5150]

Great build so far mate!! And nice body save, and great details.

Always love a GT-R I will be peeled to this

[LuBu]

Well after much longer than I'd have liked the clear is on, one mist cost and then a much heavier one. I gave about 45 mins in-between them. Wish I hadn't done a silver car first as I think its harder to tell which parts are covered and which are not. Still the shine is really good and the pictures don't do much justice.

There's a few bits that I'm not happy with and will need a little micro mesh, just waiting overnight for this clear to harden before that. Then it's time for a little polish. Hoping to most get this finished tomorrow so I can move onto the next one.

Cheers

Tom

Edited November 3, 2014 by LuBu

[LuBu]

Completed this one today, almost lost one of the front clear light pieces which took me three days to find. This has been a big learning curve for me and I like to think the next one I make will be better still. Making a thread in the completed section. Thanks all!