AUTO - Rally Cars

If all else fails... RTFM! And read it beforehand. And think about what they're asking...

Simply put, don't follow the instructions and then come to a point where they somehow decided to expect you to paint a part that you allready enclosed from one side with the roll cage!
For all prospective Focus builder, I presume this has been in the instructions since the first Focus. Just check beforehand, you'll see in the final step of adding rollcages and panel sides, you have to paint some bits at the back of the car's interior on the chassis. To save yourself some extreme frustration doing it through the rollcage, do it as soon as you start the rest of the interior.

Just thought I'd mention it - isn't this what GB's are all about.

Progress update:

Basically finished. See pics below. Absolute great fun to build, no problems anywhere. These are just to show I have actually finished it. Will now muddy it up a bit - first attempt at that, so it may not be succesfull! Hey, we're here to have fun, hey...

The paint seems a bit brighter on some of the pics due to the flash. Actually the colour came out very nice.

Progress update:

Basically finished. See pics below. Absolute great fun to build, no problems anywhere. These are just to show I have actually finished it. Will now muddy it up a bit - first attempt at that, so it may not be succesfull! Hey, we're here to have fun, hey...

The paint seems a bit brighter on some of the pics due to the flash. Actually came out very nice.

Wow, what a car SeaBee!! Great job! As for me, I did buy some decals before I left Japan but found out they were for a F-1!! LOL Oh, Well!! But also before I left Japan I bought a Tamiya Toyota Corolla WRC kit ( I think the 97/98 version) It was on sale at the LHS that I was frequenting there for like 1200 yen ( bout $12) so I do have a nice kit & can't wait till I get set up in NAS Fallon to start it! - Calvin

It's the 1998 Corolla that participated in the Catalonia Rally w/ marking for Sainz/Moya or Auriol/Giraudet. As soon as I get my barracks room set up I'm gonna get 'er started! - Calvin

Thanks mate! In the end I decided to leave it clean. This is a German Rally car and though Rally Germany is usually very unpredictable weatherwise, the fact that this kit is equiped with dry tarmac tyres, just does not fit a muddy car. I have a Safari Rally Corrolla in the to-build pile which will be more suited to a bit dirtying up.

But good to see an (seemingly) aero guy getting into the auto stuff! Hope you enjoy the build! I presume you got the Tamiya Corolla and not a Hasegawa as mine (mentioned above) is. Tamiya's are a more straight-forward build!

Looks great from this distance SeaBee! Any chance of getting some more close ups?
best regards
Joel

Hahaha! My way of playing safe!

Sorry, Joel, I only have a point-and-shoot digital camera. This was taken on it's macro mode, believe it or not... Maybe I should try normal mode and see whether I can't zoom more.

Forgot to mention that the paint looks great. What type and brand is it?
/Joel

Thanks for the compliment! Anyways, it is Tamiya's new favourite colour - TS51 (if I remember the number correctly) Telefonica/Racing Blue. My biggest fear was silvering on those decals, loads of "transparent" in the decals. But trusty ole MicroSol (red bottle) came through just fine, no sign of silvering on any decal.

The paint job, however, is no longer looking so good... Went for a mtb ride on Saturday morning, came back, watched my bike, saw lots of dust, even though it was quite a hard road we went out on. Combined with what I saw of past German Rallies, I decided to go for a bit more dirtied look - it's not a straight tarmac rally (like France), so they are bound to get the cars dirty. And what the heck, we're here to have fun!

However, had a bit of a hecktic weekend and not finished yet...

Getting towards the end now. Had a slight boo-boo on the muddying up, though. Gorgot to mask off the wiper paths on the from windshield and go just a bit of "mud" on it. Not too much, though.

To help me out there: does anybody know what thinner/paint remover I can use to thin enamels and not damage the laquers benath? I usually use acrylics and laquers for weathering; did not have the appropriate colours in acrylics and used enamels. Unfamiliarity caught up with me! I usually use laquer thinners on enamels, but obviously that will not leave the laquers (and the clear plastic underneath) alone.

Great work SeaBee.

I have a later season car I am working on. I have almost finished the roll cage mods and the front bonnet vents too. I really must finish that one sometime this year.

Regards
Nenad

Back again. I must admit to a period of non-activity and little enthusiasm for kits in any shape or form. However a wettish Easter, no chores so I spent a couple of hours working on the Stratos. I've put in the panel lines around the doors. When I painted the marlboro red I decided not to mask off the narrow white strip down the side but use some white decal. This I did and also I've put a layer of white decal where the door number goes in case the red bleed through the kit decal.

Not much to go now. Next is the black strip around the windscreen and then basically final construction can get under way.

Great paint job Nicholma! Seems really crisp and fine.
My work has, again, come to a complete halt. Hate myself for it and the worst part is that when I get back on my feet I always want to start a new project instead of finishing up my old ones...
/Joel

well, when I read my own post above I figured I had to get a grip and show some progress, after all, the new airbrush arrived almost a month ago. So here are pics of the decal job on the hood and some pics of the underside. I've started to finish off the interior parts and the wheels (wich got a too heavy weathering today...perhaps I have to weather up the whole car after that).
Hopefully I get my hands on a new window set soon so I can finish this build off and get back to my bikes









Hope you all like it
best regards
Joel

Good lookin' stuff, both Joel and Mark! Having finished my effort just before leaving for a training course a while ago, I keep forgetting to take some pics (of the muddy version) and post it.

some progress

Finished the decalling and I've also attached rivets on the plates behind the doors. Unfortunately the decals cracked when they were applied over the rivets so I'll have to touch that up with paint before clear coating.
I made new decals around the rear light housings. The supplied ones were a bit large and didn't look too good, the new ones are better but not perfect.
I've cut some styrene sheet to fill out the gaps in the wheel housing, painted them in body color and on the picture below test fitted them without glue. The ones for the front will get some desert yellow to recreate the kevlar shields that the 1:1 Peugeot has.
Here's some pics. Enjoy!











best regards
Joel

I wonder how long it will take for someone in this GB sees this post Please post a note so that I can see you are still visiting! So I don't build for nothing...
/Joel

Still here! Still *blush* haven't taken photo's of my completed model (post-mud).

10 days and It seems you and I are the only ones left SeaBee......and you're finished...
/Joel

No I'm still here too but all my pennies are going into a 1:1!!! A spray can of matt black may only be a couple of dollars (and that's what I need to progress) but I need an intercom, driving lights, rally trip meter, complete the roll cage ...... and the first event is just weeks away. I haven't given up and now have another project to do some time - a model of my own rally car. It may not be in WRC mode but at least I'll be doing it again after 25 years away.

I'll post the pics (yeah-yeah, I hear you all go!) even if it's just for the two of us, Joel! Maybe Mark can have a giggle at it as well. At first I sorta looked at it and thought it to be a flop, but now it looks much better.

Just bought the 04 Subaru (goodness knows when I'll get to building it...) and it looks quite a nice kit. Maybe my mud-application will have improved by then.

I was looking around my kit cupboard the other day and pulled out my Rothmans Escort and Mikkola's Safari winning Mk1 Escort, the works Metro M6R and the Rothmans BMW M3 - all 43rd, got very very close to putting the Escorts on the bench to start preperation but looking at the 4 already on the bench and they were reluctantly put back - how many times has that happened!!

Evening all

Not a lot of progress, roll cage still not built but it has to be finished by next weekend, all the other bits required for the interior are done. Lights have to be mounted and the tow points redone, then its just a case of applying the decals. So actually doing a 1:1 isn't much different to a model

This afternoon due to "inclement " weather I hid away and pulled out the Haseqawa Focus and got stuck in to the body shell, sanded away the mould lines and worked on the front spoiler/bumber area. A bit of filler was needed around the brake duct inserts.

After that I pulled out one of older 1/43rd rally kits manufactured about 1984 and started again on the body. Its the 1949 Monte Carlo winner (or '48?) a Hotchkiss. Its (the kit) by the French company CCC. The resin is soft but brittle and previously the roof above the wndscreen had broken and I'd repair it but it still needed a bit of clean up. There was quite a bit of pin holing in the underside but Tamiya filler quickly put that to rights.

Tomorrow - well the weather is meant to be fine so I'll have to go back to the garden steps

Hey, I had a whole weekend (second in a row!) at work. Could not touch a model. Maybe tonight I'll carry on a bit. Got an F1 to decal before getting ready for the new MotoGP GB.

For you rally experts: I saw a documentary a little while ago on which the Subaru (2005, admittedly) blue seems a lot lighter than in the past. And not so metallic. I have the 04 subaru in stock and was wondering whether the prescribed Mica blue is still the correct colour. Any comments on that? Was it just the film it was shot on, or did the colour actually change? And if so, what colour will be best to use?

Sorry can't help with the colour Seabee.

Managed to get the 1:1 completed on time and finsihed the first event (220km os closed public roads - all sealed) with no accident or mechincal damage - what a blast. Next event early July then back to modelling.

Getting there with my Peugeot finally. All parts are painted, just some wheathering to do. Body is decalled and clear coated. Painted trims, panel lines and frames but the frames and panel lines turned out to be sort of crappy. Well, Joel, it's your first car - everything can't be perfect... I've put the harnesses together and started glueing them to the seats, turns out to look great, and detailed up the dash board. What's left of the interior is the gear paddles and straps for the spare tire. Then it's off to decalling the windows, mount the hole shabang together and give it a thorrough wash.
Hopefully back with pictures soon.
/Joel

Just checking in! I know that I haven't posted in a while but I haven't forgotten! I dug the Toyota Corrolla WRC out from the abyss this weekend and blew the dust off it! I may not get to do much this week but I do want to have some progress by Labor Day. - Calvin

This GB is not dead yet Even if I'm the only one still doggedly determined to finish

I finally managed to mate the chassis to the body - took 4 attempts as you have to pull apart the bottom sills to allow the chassis to slide in. Each time something (seat or rear bulkhead or a brace) became dislodged but persistence pays in the end . Now I'm on the home straight and just need to apply the decals, lights, mud flaps etc. Hopefully complete by the end of the weekend. . Pictures to follow

Could not find it! Posted pics on Auto forum...

QUOTE: Originally posted by SeaBee Strange how Tamiya avoided making Citroens thusfar... (?)

that is odd, becouse Peugiot and Citroen are the same company

Tamiya are bringing out a 307 Rally car soon

great models in here