Just thought I would share a few pics. Please feel free to give advice on how to make it better!
Thank you,
Erik
Its looking really nice! Motorcycles are pretty fun to build!
You can add black wash to give it depth in areas around the engine.
I’m not sure what black wash is, could you explain please?
Thank you!
This is my first attempt at building a two stroke kit from Tamiya, very different from the modern four stroke bikes.
Basically, a black wash is highly thinned black paint that you put in the recesses on the engine. Like The Mage said, this gives it depth, to sort of trick your eye into thinking that the part is bigger that it really is.
I’m guessing that I would not completely spray it over the entire engine correct? I would spray it in the deeper parts of the engine compartment, furthest away from a veiwers eyes?
You actually brush it on in the recesses. That way you have better control.
Thank you!
Do you know a method to give metal parts a “used” look?
Well, there are a couple ways, depending on how used you want it to look. One is just spray a coat of dullcoat over it. Another way would be to scratch it up a bit with some fine sandpaper and then dullcoat it. If you really want to go all out, you can do all the above, and after the last coat of dullcoat, apply a rust wash, which you can buy or just thin some MM rust colored paint.
Actually blackwash was brought up in MotoGP GB before. The general voice is that blackwash isn’t really needed in 1/12 scale (maybe a really really light one on the block and some on the radiator) since the teams pretty much spit shine their bikes religiously. So armor techniques don’t apply THAT much here when it comes to weathering.
I like the overall lower cowling n smooth enough paint job. I don’t know if it’s me but is your front wheels fender’s seam ever filled and sanded clean? I can see it some what in the first picture and the thin spot where the light is half coming through which is pretty much where the fender pieces were attached to the sprues. The very front of the fender even has a little nick on it. It might be noticeable when you take a close up picture of your bike from the front. But at this stage, I don’t know if there is any way to fix that anyhow. Also there is a unfilled sink-mark on the lower radiator pipe and a mold line on the bolt of the syspension piece. These can’t really be seen after the cowlings go on anyway so it’s just me nick-picking. No biggie there.
Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to see how you finish it.
Edited:
And the several ways to show that the bike has been “used”/NOT CRASHED OR SCRATCHED, can be from painting the exhausts in a heat stained color and use some sand paper and rough up the tires and at the same time that helps you remove the center mold line on the tires.
I did fill the seam on the front fender (I’m still trying to work out the technique, this website has helped alot. You should see my previous work, ugly! ). The nick you see on the front fender is there. I did not notice it until I was putting on the fender logo. The fender is on the bike now, and thanfully with a black tire as a back drop you cannot see it. The rest of the seam that is visable is in the back of the fender, and lucky me, you cannot see this portion even with the fairings off.
Thank you for pointing out the nit picky stuff, I need it. Since there are no clubs and or shows that I am aware of in the central Florida area I am relying on you guys/gals to make me better 
I’ve snapped more pictures however, I will load them up tommorow.
Thank you again,
Erik
Here’s my technique for filling seams, holes… ah… body work hehe.
I actually use automotive spot putty, it comes in big tubes, is fairly cheap and I’m used to working with it. I also use such things as old credit cards or thinner pieces of plastic as my applicators (putty spreaders), very flexible is what I’m getting at here.
Let’s use your fender as an example -
I’d run a bead of spot putty down through the deepest part of the seam and allow it to stand a bit higher than the highest part of the fender.
Then working quickly, I’d take my spreader and start at the top, before the seam, using my fingers I’d try to bend it so it forms the shape of the fender keeping pressure on the outsides of the seam. Run the spreader down the seam smoothing out the putty.
After the putty dries (roughly 45-60 minutes) wet sand with 400-600 grit. Keep the little strip of sand paper curved to the shape of the fender inside my finger and gently apply pressure. It shouldn’t take much sanding, because I didn’t apply too much putty and I smoothed it out pretty evenly. Now I look real careful at it under running water. While it’s wet holes, seams, dents, etc… show up easier than when it’s dry.
If it looks good at this point and I didn’t need to repeat the above steps, then I shoot a primer coat on it. When that dries I again look it over (sometimes under running water) for any defects that need attention.
On bigger projects where even a pinhole spells disaster, I’ll spray a thin second primer coat but with a different color. Wet sand that (but with a sanding block) and any defects will show up easily. In other words, the first primer coat was say ruby red (brown), the second was grey, sand away the grey until back to brown and defects show as grey. Spot putty all grey areas, wet sand, primer again.
Oop’s… I better stop there… getting carried away. I’ll have you refinishing your wifes car before long. [:O] LOL
Nice looking bike. I really like that color you used. What brand and color, if you don’t mind me asking?
It reminds me of my cousins 1973 Pontiac Ventura, he ordered it new in Midnight Blue Metalflake.
looks like Tamiya’s Racing Blue/ Blue Mica in their TS spray cans. ???
Yes, TS 51 racing blue.
TNX for the paint info.
Know if I can only get my LHS to order something other than Testors… [:P]
If I need to order paint only I go to www.megahobby.com. If I am odering kits with paint I order it from www.rocousa.com.
The prices at megahobby are a little bit lower with the paint however, the kit pricing from rocousa is a lot cheaper, and since I’m Florida I have it in two days.
additional photos
