A decade in the making

mr.Quality Finish a decade in the making

Is there one thing in this hobby that you are so apprehensive of attempting that it makes you put the project on the shelf for an unknown (meaning very long) amount of time while the momentum of the build evaporates? Or keeps you up at nite until you finally muster up the courage to face this obstacle, knowing that if you can pass this hurdle that the build's momentum will be restored and push you to the finish line? Anyone? I know I am not alone.

For me this hurdle comes in the form of TS-50, also known as Tamiya's Mica Blue. It is one of my favorite colors and represents everything that is Subaru racing, from the late Colin McRae to Richard Burns and their WRC rally cars. The last time I attempted this finish was on Tamiya's 2001 season Subaru WRC based on the rally in Monaco. This was over a decade ago and it did not go as smoothly as hoped. It took forever for the kit to arrive in Canada, almost a year after it's UK release. Which in the meantime the paint that I had bought from the Subaru dealership had dried up. But once I had this kit in hand, it quickly got primed and the Mica blue was decanted and airbrushed on... it was not the perfect finish but it could be worked on. Then everything had to be boxed up and put into storage while I spent a year abroad. In that time the heat/cold in the attic had caused the bag it was carefully wrapped in to leave marks on the body. I've opened that box many times over the years but never really attempted to use that beautiful blue... until now.

The victim this time was Tamiya's fantastic new kit of the Subaru BRZ and I could only build it using one color! Once again, I carefully cleaned up the body, primed and wet sanded and repeated this process until I had in my hands a perfect body shell 'in white'. I knew that if I was going to attempt another car shell, I was going to apply the paint while using a spray booth. So that was ordered and it arrived but alas there was no time to put it to use. A few months later some free time became available so I set everything up and went for it! Once again... it was not a perfect finish but the Mica blue was on (as you see in the photo above). I let the body sit and harden for a few weeks while in the meantime I rebuilt my 'plastic mojo' and made another attempt today...

...and I can happily say that I've finally achieved a quality finish on a Scoobi in the only color it ever needs to be in. It was well worth the wait! _pL

Tamiya Nissan 350Z complete!

mr.Nissan 350Z - Completed!

Okay, it has been awhile...again, but in my defense I started a new job and it's been taking a lot out of me but really happy to be coming home smelling of sawdust! Some good news is that I have finally acquired a new camera and took some shots tonight!

I present to you my completed Tamiya Nissan 350Z finished with Humbrol Metal-Cote. It was definitely a fun build thanks to Tamiya's ingenuity and great fit of parts, though somewhat simplified in areas, it is not lacking in detail. She did receive some extra attention in the form of Brembo brake decals on the front calipers & metal logos both by Hobby Design as well as flocking by KA Models for the carpeting. Nice to have another completed car sitting on the shelf.

This is my second completed build of 2012, lets see how productive I am in the coming month and a half!

Getting closer...

Couldn't resist seeing the chassis together with the painted body. It's definitely coming along and nearing completion... on the home stretch now :) pL

She Finally Arrived

Mr.Aventador

I managed to nab a kit early from HLJ and when the email confirmation came stating she had been shipped and would be arriving at my new home,  I waited patiently. The daily routine consisted of peeping out the window in anticipation of mr.Mailman. If I took a washroom break, went to snack in the kitchen or make a cuppa, I would always come back to peak out that front window in the hopes to see a cardboard box waiting for me. But nothing. I finally decided to actually leave my humble abode and wander among the people of my new city. In this case, I went to work on my portfolio, which had been in the works for some time now... and sure enough when I got home there is a notice indicating that delivery was attempted and as no one was home, the package would be available at a nearby post office as of tomorrow afternoon! YES! YES! YES! Finally! I picked her up the next day and tore through the shipping box and... no matter how many images you see of a kit in an online review or of the box cover, nothing compares to having it RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!

All I can say is this is gonna be a good one! _pL