Airfix Sunbeam Rapier progress

[Zane]

Here in St. Albans, the modelling wheels grind slowly but inexorably towards the completion of another kit....

My 1963 Airfix kit of the Sunbeam Rapier now has two coats of Humbrol Gloss 40 on the body. This colour has gone down really well, and has such a good depth to it, I'm not tempting fate with a third coat. This also means that the delicate 'SUNBEAM' letters on the bootlid will retain some definition for drybrushing silver later. My crude camera has blasted it with flash, but it is really shiny, honest....


The chassis is now complete, and thanks to advice from Dirkpitt, I have circular whitewalls after purchasing a superb circular tape cutter from Japan:



After much deliberating and changing of mind, I have elected to build the roof, windows and windscreen in one unit, to be attached after the body has been detailed. I hope this works, as all the joints are edge to edge, with no room for glue splurge, and the windows fit the body where they touch, so we'll see.


The dashboard, completed months ago:



And finally, I have started the 2010 reissue of the Aston Martin DB5:


More soon.

Zane

[JamesPerrin]

It all look superb especially the interior. Do have a pic or linky for you circle cutter. I've a standard (janome?) twirly one and it's a bit hit and miss.

[Zane]

James

My Circle cutter is a Model CMP-1 by OLFA, and it cost me seven or eight quid from Amazon.

It's a well made tool, and I would recommend it.

It has revolutionised the painting of wheels and tyres for me, especially as most early Airfix tyres have part of the wheel disc moulded in!

Good Luck

Zane

[kerensasdad]

Nice builds!

Greetings from Welwyn Garden City.....

[Zane]

A quick update as I wade into the detailing of the body. Chrome highlights everywhere, as well as the red side flashes.
The pictures show the side flashes on, with the lower chrome strip picked out, as well as the bootlid hinges, rear number plate and surround finished.

Next is the upper strip on the flashes (done seperately from the lower to ease the masking operation), dry brushing the 'Sunbeam' letters on the bootlid, and then the chrome highlights on the fin top edges and rear faces. Oh, and door handles!

Eventually, I'll be able to actually glue some parts onto the body moulding!





Having dry fitted the roof/windows assembly, I'm now no longer sure that I did the right thing making it all up as a subassembly. The fit onto the body leaves a small gap between the lower edge of the windscreen and the body, unless I bias the whole thing forward, which makes the fit around the rear pillars and window less 'settled'. Anyway, I've lots to do before I get to that bit, so I'm hoping something will ping into my head by then.

More soon.

Zane

[Dirkpitt289]

Wow, that's got a nice finish to it. Look forward to seeing more

[Zane]

Thanks Dirk

It's Humbrol Enamel Gloss 40, and is a lovely colour to work with. This is just two brush painted coats, and I'm well pleased with the result.

Zane

[Dirkpitt289]

Brushed on? Did you do something to buff it to get that finish?

[Zane]

What you see in the pictures is pretty much the finish 'off the brush'. I may locally address certain points with Alclad Polishing Cloth if required.

I always follow these key points when painting gloss on car bodies:

1) Always have a 'painting plan': decide how you will go around the vehicle with the brush. I normally start at the rear lower corner (or front wing), and then work in one direction around the body, taking in wings, bonnet, roof and boot as you go. You should then finish next to where you started.

2) Primer first, rub down wet 'n' dry.

3) Make sure the paint is THIN. Don't be afraid of multiple coats.

4) Work quickly, work the panel you are on until you are happy (in one direction) , but never go back over it after more than 20 - 30 seconds. If it's naff, let it dry & rub down. Otherwise, you'll get residual brush strokes.

5) Use the right size brush for the area. You may need more than one brush on the go at once.

6) When dry, wait for 24 hours before rubbing down with 1200 grade wet 'n' dry paper. Use loads of water and a light touch.

7) Recoat until you've got a deep, rich finish. I normally aim for 3 coats max, otherwise more layers will obscure fine detail like name letters etc.

Hope this is useful. Thanks for the feedback.

Zane

[JamesPerrin]

Great advice and very disciplined!

[Dirkpitt289]

Thanks for that information. I'm going to have to remember that once I get to my cars