Hey, guys! I’ve decided to try the wonderful world of scale auto, and i’ve bought my first kit already - 1/24 Tamiya Mazda RX-7 R1! I saw it sitting on the shelf and i knew i had to get it! (it reminds me of Keiskue Ryoskue’s car from InitialD [;)])
Is there anything i should know before i put it together? Useful tips maybe?
Also, I’d like to paint it in “Competition Yellow Mica” as shown on the box, and i’m lost as to what color paint i should buy… will regular tamiya yellow do it, or should i find something glossier? How about primer? Maybe i should overspray it with clear after i’m done, huh?
Shrikes, welcome to the other side!!! It’s a bit different than planes, but extremely fun I’ve been working on a Acura NSX, and a Mercedes CLK for the Tamiya Con (while doing a F4U-2 Corsair). It’s interesting to do new things, and it’s kind of a different modeling perspective. Hopefully you’ll get great hints here, but I think most of the auto guys hang out at the Scale Auto Forums at www.scaleautomag.com. Good Luck, and post some pics as you go!!!
Srikes, I always undercoat first with the Tamiya undercoat then apply about 3 coats of top coat misted on before applying 2 final wet coats. The wet coat gives it the gloss. 99% of the time I use spray cans and always heat then up first by placing the well shaken can in a bowl of hot water (everyone says not boiling water but I always boil the jug tip the water into a bowl and place the can into it for about 5 minutes with never any problems). I then shake vigourously again for about 3 minutes and commence spraying. I have not found the need to over coat with a gloss to give it an extra gloss, but there again most of mine are rally cars which aren’t reknown for their glossy finish. I do generally polish after about 1 week (I generally leave the body shell sitting in the sun or somewhere warm for that time) with the Tamiya polish, that smooths the coat and produces a better finish.
Its raining again and all my paint is outside in a shed so I’m not going to check but Tamiya do a couple of very good yellows, your LHS should be able to advise which paint range has your competition yellow mica.
As for other hints just follow the instructions, dry fit before glueing and take your time - no different from planes or armour or anything else. Oh use a plastic glue rather than a cyno and use a white water soluble glue for any clear bits like the windows. This will ensure you don’t make the glass with any surplus glue and cyno will often leave a fog which is sometimes tricky to remove.
okay, by undercoat, i assume you mean primer (I’m using Gray Tamiya primer)
Okay, what is a wet coat??? [D)]
“Tamiya polish” is the “Tamiya Compound” i’ve been seeing in my LHS, right? How do i go about using it?
I have a spray can of Tamiya Clear that i might as well put to good use, so i’ll probably spray that on as the last coat.
I think i’ll go with the TS-16. I’m not too sure what Chrome Yellow Looks like… Say, Does Tamiya have a color reference chart for its paint?
Thanks for the replies, Nicholma, MadModelFactory, Kik36 and JCon!!!
Shrikes, yes sorry the undercoat I generally use is the Tamiya primer. I have also used Duplicolour undercoat - a car touch-up spray paint but that sometimes reacts with the plastic so I don’t recommend for the first time.
Wet coat is a heavy coat that looks "wet’, hard to explain but I find when I “mist” on the first few coats the coat looks drier and doesn’t have the gloss look to it. This is because I hold the can further away, maybe 35 cm away from the model. The paint is drier when it hits the model but seems to adhere to the plastic surface better, especially on sharp edges. This takes more paint to get the coverage but the result is better. I’ll apply the final coats with the can maybe 12-15 cm away so the coat goes on more concentrated and "wetter’ and gives a good glossy finish.
Just apply the Tamiya Compound as with any other polish, I put a bit on a clean rag and rub it over part of the model (practise as too little seems to dull the surface and too much may cut right through it) and continue over the whole model. Then I will come back with another clean cloth and wipe it off leaving the glossy finish.
Excellent! I’m spraying the first few coats tonight… i decided to coat it first with silver to help give it a better shine (or so i’ve been told), then maybe the 2 “dry” coats afterwards. I’m really exited about the body that i’ve ignored the interior and engine altogether! [:D] Thanks for the help, Nicholma, and i’ll be sure to post some pics here of the body as it progresses… [:)]
RATS!! I was a bit overzelous on the paint and now there are bubbles every so often… I tried to sand them out buy just ended up exposing some of the plastic… [sigh] I suppose i’ll just have to strip the paint and try again.
Welecome to car modelling.
Totally different than military modelling, but just as satisfying. You’ll find that superdetailing is much easier, because of the fairly large scales.
I don’t know much about your kit, except to say that I’m not really a fan of tamiya road car kits that I"ve had since they HAVE NO ENGINES!!
Let us know how yours goes
My brother has an RX7 1st Gen. His girlfriend has one too, and hers is the bright yellow. I am building them both a model of their cars. Hers was pretty easy, because the (revell? amc?) kit was very very close…and I’m paying attention here to the color discussion.
For my brothers car, I managed to get ahold of the the Tamiya RX7. I second that “no engine” annoyance…but mine comes with a motorized setup!! I’ve never seen that in a model before!
Hey man, We all have to start sometime! But my suggestion for when you put together the chasis. Always check your wheel alignment and how the car sits on the ground. Ask yourself “are all four wheels touching?” And if not you will have to maybe break the glue joint CAREFULLY! and lift it a little until it touches then glue it in place. Thats all and good luck!
Yes. Many of the early Tamiya 1/24th car kits had electric motors which resulted in compromised suspension and drive train. When these kits have been re-released by Tamiya the motor is left out but the original moulding remains with all the faults and compromises of the original.
Okay, I’ve been trying to strip the paint on the RX-7 for almost a month now… I can’t get a hold of this castrol super clean stuff, and brake fluid doesn’t really do the trick for me, so a friend at my IPMS said that i should try a local bleach. It’s been marinating for almost 3 weeks now and still no progress… though he did say yellow is hard to strip… I’ll get back to you when the paint has come off… in the mean time, i’ve gotten my self another car… this time the fujimi Spoon 3-door civic (EK-9)! I’m building it for my cousin because she just loves these Hondas. [:D]
