2017 already.......
It's not I've given up on making models, it's just I'm too lazy to upload photos.
Actually 2016 has been quite fruitful (on model making, and other stuff...)
5 kits completed, hopefully I have the will to upload all of them this time.
So first I should start off with something easy, a kit of my dream car: Fiat Abarth 500.
At first I treated it as a "break" from the Williams FW36, which is taking forever.....but in the end the short break has become an extended break.....
It's a very straight forward build, the only major modification are replacing the grills in the front and rear bumper, and removing the side strip. I used the photo etch parts from Hobby Design.
All that solid grill mesh has to go.
The same for the little one on rear bumper.
Some minor adjustment on the rear bumper studs, it's quite tight to begin with. If I don't trim it down now it's unlikely it will fir after painting.
Removing the side strip. Fujimi uses the same body from its Fiat 500 kit. It took a while to get the surface right.
Very straight forward on the interior. I got my reference from some car sales website.
The suspensions, too bad you can't really see them once the wheel is on.
Pre-fit, though this this the last time I will see this color scheme. While applying the gloss cost I messed up the side decal, so the whole thing has to be stripped and repainted.
This time I go for the 2-tone color scheme, black and white. First I paint the base white, then get the red center line done. After that cover it up and paint the top part black.
and done!
some minor correction on the red line. Late last year Tamiya released a masking tape that curves better, if that was available when I build this kit, I'm sure the red line can be much smoother. (It's not too bad not though...)
and the repaint is done!
For chrome bits I use Alclad II Chrome, first time I used this paint. Very easy to use and the finish is great! I apply it after buffing the body, as I've heard a clear coat on top will ruin the chrome shine, something I don't want to risk this time. Also something to note is the paint is not a very strong sticking agent, if you rub hard enough you can rub it off. You can still handle it normally but it's better to pay more attention and avoid if possible.
It's not very clear on this angle, but the chrome works really well.
Last bit, the number plate from the kit is quite thick, juts replace it with a 0.2 mm plastic strip.
And that's how it looks before final assembly.
Next time it'll be photos of the complete kit.
