Porsche Carrera GT by CDW - Tamiya - 1:12 Scale - PLASTIC

[gsdpic]

Yay the Carrera GT is back and looking great in that yellow paint!  There's something about that enamel yellow paint that just makes the body look more like metal instead of plastic.   And interesting to note that one bottle was not quite enough for the 1/12th scale car.  That might be useful info in the future, for example when I paint that MFH 1960 Corvette kit that I just ordered.

 

[CDW]

37 minutes ago, gsdpic said:

Yay the Carrera GT is back and looking great in that yellow paint!  There's something about that enamel yellow paint that just makes the body look more like metal instead of plastic.   And interesting to note that one bottle was not quite enough for the 1/12th scale car.  That might be useful info in the future, for example when I paint that MFH 1960 Corvette kit that I just ordered.

 

Oh for sure Gary. One bottle is not enough for a 1:12 scale car. Better too much paint than not enough. Imagine the problem if something worse happened to the owner. It might be impossible to match that color with another brand without a whole lot of trial and error. I’ll over-order the next time to cover for the limited availability potential.

Another option for high quality gloss enamel paint is Model Car World  (MCW) paints. A huge line of colors, and he offers an hardener additive for his enamels. Much smaller jars but not thinned. Reduction ratio on those paints is 50%, and Mr Color Leveling thinner is compatible. Mix ratio of Gardner is eight parts paint to one part hardener. The hardener is not compatible with other brands of enamel.

Edited March 14 by CDW

[DocRob]

Your Porsche looks fantastic. I never would have thought, I would like it in yellow body color. I tend to buy more body color than needed, for the reasons you mentioned and who knows if a later batch is exactly the same. 
For the Cobra Coupe, I ordered four jars of 30ml (1oz) pre thinned Number Five color. I used only about two jars with four coats of paint. I need a second kit .

Cheers Rob

[CDW]

All my yellow body panels are now painted, and all have been given a 2k clear coat. Somehow, I managed to get a lot of crap in my clear coat. Will give it a couple more days to cure out before I start wet sanding and polishing out all the panels. That 2k clear is some really nasty stuff to paint due to the overspray fumes. A full-face filter mask is mandatory for this stuff. Don't try painting without it! I also recommend putting a coat of wax on your mask face lenses. The fumes from the 2k paint will fog the clear face shield and the wax will protect the clear shield. 

[CDW]

I have more to say, more to report about this paintjob, this 2k clear coat stuff.

2k clear coat paint is a relatively new concept to me, although it's actually been around for a long time. I just never used it much until this big 1:12 scale model. I used it successfully on some smaller scale models a couple of times with little to no issues except for dealing with the horrible fumes of the stuff. This time, I got trash in my paint (my fault, not the paint) which spoiled the finish. If this was just going to be a shelf model, I might have left well-enough alone and never tried to polish out the trash. Polishing out trash particles is not an uncommon thing to happen and is easily dealt with lacquers or enamels, but this 2k stuff is a different animal.

I start with 3200 grit polishing cloth, then follow up with 4000, 6000, 8000, and last 12000. If needed, compounds come next. This works fine with lacquer, to a slightly lesser degree works with enamel. With 2k, it sucks. You just cannot get that shine back once you start trying to polish it out.

Moral of the story: 2k requires near perfection when it goes down. After having polished out the trash, I am going to be forced to recoat everything I polished with another coat of 2k clear. With lacquer, this would not be a big deal, with 2k it's a royal pain in the rear. 

Be forewarned. 

[DocRob]

I´m sorry to hear about your experiences, Craig. I thought about 2K clear coats for my car projects as well, but then tried the Zero Paints clear lacquer and was absolutely satisfied. It sprays very well, thinned with leveling thinner, but needs to be sanded and polished afterwards, which is a relatively simple task. Another benefit is the relatively fast drying time, which helps to prevent from dust particles sticking in the fresh coat. The shine on the Cobra is perfect to my eye and so this will be my new go to clear coat for car projects.

Cheers Rob

[CDW]

27 minutes ago, DocRob said:

I´m sorry to hear about your experiences, Craig. I thought about 2K clear coats for my car projects as well, but then tried the Zero Paints clear lacquer and was absolutely satisfied. It sprays very well, thinned with leveling thinner, but needs to be sanded and polished afterwards, which is a relatively simple task. Another benefit is the relatively fast drying time, which helps to prevent from dust particles sticking in the fresh coat. The shine on the Cobra is perfect to my eye and so this will be my new go to clear coat for car projects.

Cheers Rob

I agree 100% about the lacquer clear coats. Much more forgiving and user-friendly. 

[CDW]

I’m not quite there yet but inching closer to a finish. Another dry fit to check for any fit issues. The roof tops won’t be displayed in a closed position as seen here. Instead will leave open for an unobstructed interior view.

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work Craig mate.

 

OC.

[DocRob]

Great finish, Craig, I don´t know how to describe it better, but the yellow seems to have some depth.

Cheers Rob

[Canute]

WOW! Superb finish.👍

[CDW]

9 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Excellent work Craig mate.

 

OC.

 

5 hours ago, DocRob said:

Great finish, Craig, I don´t know how to describe it better, but the yellow seems to have some depth.

Cheers Rob

 

2 hours ago, Canute said:

WOW! Superb finish.👍

Thanks for the kind words and for hitting the like button.

Yellow is one of the more challenging colors to apply, and this difficulty only increases with a large model like this one. The difficulty comes in achieving the same shade of color throughout the entire model.

[gsdpic]

As others have said, excellent work with the yellow finish.

 

Did you also do something with the windshield?  It looks particularly clear and shiny, better than the usual kit clear plastic.

[CDW]

42 minutes ago, gsdpic said:

As others have said, excellent work with the yellow finish.

 

Did you also do something with the windshield?  It looks particularly clear and shiny, better than the usual kit clear plastic.

The windshield got some overspray on it. As a result, I used 8000 and 12000 grit micro mesh followed by Tamiya finishing compound then wax. All that was buffed out with my rotary tool.

[CDW]

Coming in April from Model factory Hiro. Taking pre-orders now.

 

Matra - LeMans 1973

 

[DocRob]

5 hours ago, CDW said:

Matra - LeMans 1973

I saw it coming, Craig. Since they showed the French flag some days ago, I hoped for a Citroen DS or SM, maybe in rally outfit, but as they had the engine ready for the Matra MS11, I was somehow sure, it would be something like the MS670. I´m not biting but still have other temptations in the MFH lineup.

Cheers Rob

[CDW]

[CDW]

The doors close in near perfect alignment and stay in place with the help of magnets cleverly hidden from view.

[Danstream]

I could almost smell the odor of a new car! 

Dan

[Jack12477]

Man, does that shine ! 

[CDW]

1 minute ago, Jack12477 said:

Man, does that shine ! 

It comes as a result of 8000 and 12000 wet sanding/polishing of the clear coat, followed by a Dremel with a soft wool buffing wheel. Like these sold on Amazon:

FPPO 1Inch Polishing Buffing Wheel Set,Wool Felt Cotton Mounted 3mm Shank for Rotary Tool Accessories,Mini Brush Polishing Kit for Watch and Jewelry 50 Pieces - Amazon.com

[yvesvidal]

Craig, I can see a trophy at the next contest....

 

Yves

[king derelict]

I think I saw one of these (definitely a Porsche) driving down the road a couple of days ago. I think yours looks a lot better 

alan

[CDW]

2 hours ago, king derelict said:

I think I saw one of these (definitely a Porsche) driving down the road a couple of days ago. I think yours looks a lot better 

alan

A used 2005 Porsche Carrera GT sells for north of $1,600,000 dollars. Somewhere, I read that the 2010 Carrera GT this car is modeled to represent was twice that price. It's hard to conceive there are people paying that much for a car, but some do. Not many, and a model is as close as I will ever get to owning one.

[king derelict]

12 minutes ago, CDW said:

A used 2005 Porsche Carrera GT sells for north of $1,600,000 dollars. Somewhere, I read that the 2010 Carrera GT this car is modeled to represent was twice that price. It's hard to conceive there are people paying that much for a car, but some do. Not many, and a model is as close as I will ever get to owning one.

It amazes me what you see driving around this area. I was stopped at the lights the other week and a very low sleek car pulled up in the outside lane and I couldn’t recognize the make or model. I kept looking across trying to see a badge and I guess the driver thought I was challenging him with my little GTI because on the green I just had time to see the Lamborghini badge as he disappeared into the distance.

There is a lot of money rolling around these streets 

[CDW]

I had to give her a pose from the driver's side with the tires and wheels loosely fitted to this one side.

Tamiya thought of all the details with this model, even the tires are directional. I'll try to take detailed photos of all this and more when I finish the model. Still some more hours need to be spent before calling it done. The devil is always in the details.

[DocRob]

An absolute beauty, Craig. First you convinced me on the yellow and now, I even like the car, you are a magician .
The interior looks fantastic, absolutely leathery with the stitching and choice of leather color. I can only envy your perfect closing doors, as I couldn´t do it with the Cobra Coupe, even with added magnets and many hours of adjusting.
 

Cheers Rob

[CDW]

3 hours ago, DocRob said:

An absolute beauty, Craig. First you convinced me on the yellow and now, I even like the car, you are a magician .
The interior looks fantastic, absolutely leathery with the stitching and choice of leather color. I can only envy your perfect closing doors, as I couldn´t do it with the Cobra Coupe, even with added magnets and many hours of adjusting.
 

Cheers Rob

Thank you, Rob. All the great fit and precision can be attributed to the Tamiya tradition of engineering excellence. 

By going directly to a vendor in Japan or through Amazon, this kit can be purchased in the USA for less than $300, with shipping included. Through the hobby shops in the States, the prices are well over $500. In my opinion, they are a great value considering the quality of the item. 

I still think a MFH kit can turn out much more realistic in many ways, straight from the box, but the demand on the modeler's skill is exponentially greater with a MFH kit. Tamiya simplifies it with their precision engineering.

[CDW]

The tires have an inside and outside tread pattern that can be seen in the photo. The way the tire is oriented with the wheel is how they are shown in the photo. The tires and wheels are designed so there will never be a flat spot that develops over time. A tight, solid fit. The finished model is fairly heavy, having a full metal chassis pan.

Edited 8 hours ago by CDW