-Body -Undertray -Clear Windscreen A1 – Cockpit A2 – Transaxle A3 – Seat A4 – Brake Disc A5 – Dash A6 – Rear Wing Strut Mount A7 – Steering Wheel A8 – Right Front Wing A9 – Left Front Wing A10 – Left Radiator A11 – Right Radiator A12 – Rear Wing Strut A49 – Rear Wheel Nuts A50 – Pop Off Valve A51 – Mirrors A52 – Front Wheel nuts A53 – Turbo Inlet P20 – Penske Rear Wing P21 – Penske Left Rear Wing Endplate P22 – Penske Right Rear Wing Endplate
C27 – Rear Tires C28 – Front Tires C29 – Rear Wheels M31 – RIGHT Rear Lower Wishbone M32 – LEFT Rear Lower Wishbone M33 – RIGHT Front Lower Wishbone M34 – Left Front Lower Wishbone M35 – RIGHT Front Upper Wishbone M36 – LEFT Front Upper Wishbone M37 – Rear Upper Suspension M38 – LEFT Rear Hub M39 – RIGHT Rear Hub M40 – LEFT Front Hub M41 – RIGHT Front Hub M42 – Rollover Hoop M43 – Fuel Inlet M44 – Exhaust M45 – Steering Rod Sleave M46- Pull Rods M47- Steering Rod M48 – Rear Axle
Part 1 – Clean up
Be sure to fill and clean your resin parts. I do not use mold release in my molds, but the resin still can pick up some oil contamination from the silicone rubber mold. Soaking in tire bleach or spray and rinse down with oven clean works well. Also, when sanding the surface of the resin its recommended to use Dawn dish washing soap as that helps get any possible grease off Wash and soak all resin parts in Tire Bleach overnight. This will remove all contamination/oil off the resin. After the Tire Bleach Bath, use a scratch pad and scuff up the entire surface to clean and scratch up the surface for proper Primer adhesion. Using a high grit sandpaper to clean up and scratch up the surface is also recommended. Failing to clean the surface will result in paint not adhering or paint reaction. Fill in any pin holes or air bubbles in the resin with putty or Bondo Spot filler and sand smooth. This is the most important part of the build.
Step 2 – Buildup
-Drill out the center of the Transaxle with a #52 0.063” Drill bit -Drill out the hole for the steering rod sleeve with a #52 0.063” Drill bit
-Paint the Undertray with Tamiya TS-29 Semi-Gloss Black -Paint (A2) Transaxle with Tamiya TS-35 Gunmetal -Insert Brass (M48) Rear Axle into drilled hole of (A2) Transaxle -Superglue the (A2) Transaxle onto the Undertray.
Glue on the following parts illustrated below
The white metal suspension parts need to be polished with steel wool or a soft brass wire wheel as the Penske Cars had Chrome suspension
Paint (A1) cockpit with Tamiya TS-29 Semi-Gloss Black Paint (A3) Seat with Tamiya TS-6 Matt Black Paint (A5) Dash with Aluminum and TS-29 Semi Gloss Black Glue Seat and Dash into place
Step 3 - Body
Superglue Front wings onto the nose, be sure to test fit and develop a plan on how you are going to attach them properly.
Add a light coat of Tamiya Grey Surface Primer Check for imperfections, sand, fill, sand, fill, and repeat Add light coats of Grey Primer until all imperfection are gone.
Add light coats of Tamiya White Surface Primer After Primer dries. Lightly sand smooth with high grit sandpaper.
paint Body with Tamiya TS26 Pure white and Tamiya TS-16 Yellow Spray 3 coats First coat spray light and get all the hard to spray spots first. Let sit for 1 hour Second coat, makes it a little heavier, let sit for 1 hour Last coat, spray heavy and then let dry for 48 hrs
Step 4 Wheels and Tires
Drill out rear wheel with #52 0.063” Drill bit Paint the wheels Semi Gloss Black
Sand and Clean up the black Resin tires then spray Tamiya TS-32 Rubber on them. Apply Indycals tire decals and use Solveset Decal solution to soften and help the decals conform to the curvature of the tire.
Step 5 Rear Wing and Front suspension
Paint rear wing assembly Tamiya TS16 Yellow. Glue the (A12) Rear Wing Strut onto the (F17) Rear Wing. Then Glue on the (F18 and F19) Rear Wing Endplates onto Rear Wing Before Gluing on the suspension parts, insert (M45) Steering Rod Sleeve though the front nose.
Glue on the following parts illustrated below
Step 6 Other parts and Windscreen
Before gluing the Undertray onto the body. Attach A10, A11, M44, and A53. Next, Superglue the cockpit into the body. Then superglue the Undertray onto the bottom of body
Superglue on the (M42) Rollover Hoop and the (M43) Fuel Inlet. Using small scissors cut out the Vac-u-form Clear Windscreen and attach it with windscreen/canopy glue or CA Glue (risky)
Use a small dab of CA Glue to attach the (A52) Mirrors to the side of the windscreen
Attach wheels to the hubs and glue on the (A49) Rear Wheel nuts and (A52) Front Wheel Nuts
-Body -Undertray -Clear Windscreen A1 – Cockpit A2 – Transaxle A3 – Seat A4 – Brake Disc A5 – Dash A6 – Rear Wing Strut Mount A7 – Steering Wheel A8 – Right Front Wing A9 – Left Front Wing A10 – Left Radiator A11 – Right Radiator A12 – Rear Wing Strut A49 – Rear Wheel Nuts A50 – Pop Off Valve A51 – Mirrors A52 – Front Wheel nuts A53 – Turbo Inlet P20 – Penske Rear Wing P21 – Penske Left Rear Wing Endplate P22 – Penske Right Rear Wing Endplate
C27 – Rear Tires C28 – Front Tires C29 – Rear Wheels M31 – RIGHT Rear Lower Wishbone M32 – LEFT Rear Lower Wishbone M33 – RIGHT Front Lower Wishbone M34 – Left Front Lower Wishbone M35 – RIGHT Front Upper Wishbone M36 – LEFT Front Upper Wishbone M37 – Rear Upper Suspension M38 – LEFT Rear Hub M39 – RIGHT Rear Hub M40 – LEFT Front Hub M41 – RIGHT Front Hub M42 – Rollover Hoop M43 – Fuel Inlet M44 – Exhaust M45 – Steering Rod Sleave M46- Pull Rods M47- Steering Rod M48 – Rear Axle
Part 1 – Clean up
Be sure to fill and clean your resin parts. I do not use mold release in my molds, but the resin still can pick up some oil contamination from the silicone rubber mold. Soaking in tire bleach or spray and rinse down with oven clean works well. Also, when sanding the surface of the resin its recommended to use Dawn dish washing soap as that helps get any possible grease off Wash and soak all resin parts in Tire Bleach overnight. This will remove all contamination/oil off the resin. After the Tire Bleach Bath, use a scratch pad and scuff up the entire surface to clean and scratch up the surface for proper Primer adhesion. Using a high grit sandpaper to clean up and scratch up the surface is also recommended. Failing to clean the surface will result in paint not adhering or paint reaction. Fill in any pin holes or air bubbles in the resin with putty or Bondo Spot filler and sand smooth. This is the most important part of the build.
Step 2 – Buildup
-Drill out the center of the Transaxle with a #52 0.063” Drill bit -Drill out the hole for the steering rod sleeve with a #52 0.063” Drill bit
-Paint the Undertray with Tamiya TS-29 Semi-Gloss Black -Paint (A2) Transaxle with Tamiya TS-35 Gunmetal -Insert Brass (M48) Rear Axle into drilled hole of (A2) Transaxle -Superglue the (A2) Transaxle onto the Undertray.
Glue on the following parts illustrated below
The white metal suspension parts need to be polished with steel wool or a soft brass wire wheel as the Penske Cars had Chrome suspension
Paint (A1) cockpit with Tamiya TS-29 Semi-Gloss Black Paint (A3) Seat with Tamiya TS-6 Matt Black Paint (A5) Dash with Aluminum and TS-29 Semi Gloss Black Glue Seat and Dash into place
Step 3 - Body
Superglue Front wings onto the nose, be sure to test fit and develop a plan on how you are going to attach them properly.
Add a light coat of Tamiya Grey Surface Primer Check for imperfections, sand, fill, sand, fill, and repeat Add light coats of Grey Primer until all imperfection are gone.
Add light coats of Tamiya White Surface Primer After Primer dries. Lightly sand smooth with high grit sandpaper.
paint Body with Tamiya TS26 Pure white and Tamiya TS-16 Yellow Spray 3 coats First coat spray light and get all the hard to spray spots first. Let sit for 1 hour Second coat, makes it a little heavier, let sit for 1 hour Last coat, spray heavy and then let dry for 48 hrs
Step 4 Wheels and Tires
Drill out rear wheel with #52 0.063” Drill bit Paint the wheels Semi Gloss Black
Sand and Clean up the black Resin tires then spray Tamiya TS-32 Rubber on them. Apply Indycals tire decals and use Solveset Decal solution to soften and help the decals conform to the curvature of the tire.
Step 5 Rear Wing and Front suspension
Paint rear wing assembly Tamiya TS16 Yellow. Glue the (A12) Rear Wing Strut onto the (F17) Rear Wing. Then Glue on the (F18 and F19) Rear Wing Endplates onto Rear Wing Before Gluing on the suspension parts, insert (M45) Steering Rod Sleeve though the front nose.
Glue on the following parts illustrated below
Step 6 Other parts and Windscreen
Before gluing the Undertray onto the body. Attach A10, A11, M44, and A53. Next, Superglue the cockpit into the body. Then superglue the Undertray onto the bottom of body
Superglue on the (M42) Rollover Hoop and the (M43) Fuel Inlet. Using small scissors cut out the Vac-u-form Clear Windscreen and attach it with windscreen/canopy glue or CA Glue (risky)
Use a small dab of CA Glue to attach the (A52) Mirrors to the side of the windscreen
Attach wheels to the hubs and glue on the (A49) Rear Wheel nuts and (A52) Front Wheel Nuts
Correcting the ride height issue Take the Front and rear hub/brake assembly and simplify super glue them onto the a-arms of the kit. Just make sure they are square to the overall chassis and just like that the ride height problem is fix.
Tires We are using Indycals 1/24 scale Michelin tires with the black background it makes it way easier to handle. But the key is using Walthers Solveset decal solution. I simply cut out the tire decal and apply it to the tire and then apply the decal solution and let it sit for about 7 mins and take an old t-shirt and dab the decal down to the surface and it will start conforming to the sidewall of the tire. The decal solution softens up the decal and helps “iron out” the wrinkles.
This is why I like the Indycals tire decals. Especially on rubber kit tires, where “silvering” often happens when the clear carrier film around the graphics or letters can be seen. The black carrier film of the Indycals tire decals hides any “silvering” that may occur. I just applied the Indycals 1/24 scale Michelin tires. I also used Walthers Solvaset Decal solution to help lay the decals snug and flat. You can buy the Michelin tire decals here
I recommend using Tamiya TS-82 Rubber Black and after the Indycals tire decals are applied spray Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear to seal the decal and give the proper rubber look.
We recommend using Tamiya lacquer surface primer on all resin surfaces. DO NOT use enamels on resin.
Bodywork I order to build a proper Hollywood McLaren you MUST use the resin hood no matter what Fujimi McLaren you are using as even on the BPR Zhuhai version the hood is NOT accurate as seen in the picture bellow. The Kit hood is not sharp like the real hood.
Use the flat part and super glue onto the top of the hood
The Hollywood Mclaren uses the roof scoop.
in 1996 the Bigazzi Team cars didn't have the front part of the side skirt and it was a rounded side surface.
Try your best to cut off the skirt and take the sanding file and round the surface, but don't be surprised the plastic splits and then you will have to use Apoxie sculpt and fill inside.
Panting instructions
Be sure to fill and clean your resin fenders. I don not use mold release in my molds but the resin still can pick up some oil contamination from the silicone rubber mold. Soaking in tire bleach or spray and rinse down with oven clean works well. Also when sanding the surface of the resin its recommended to use Dawn dish washing soap as that helps get any possible grease off
Use Tamiya Grey Primer to find any imperfections that might be on the body. That is the main reason for applying primer is to help find any problem areas and to give the color coats a nice base to adhere to.
Its always important to test fit any model you build. every model fits slightly different and every part that is glued on is not exactly correct and those slight variations add up. So always test fit before you start painting any model.
After apply coats of grey primer, I prefer to give the body a couple coast of Tamiya White primer. When using Tamiya spray paints, its important to use a white base, because Tamiya spray paints are very thin and translucent. After the white Primer is cured, Apply Tamiya TS-26 Pure White.
Applying decals
Use Walters Solvaset for applying the Indycals decals. Which can be purchased HERE. After applying the decals I would HIGHLY recommend clear coating over the decals. Testors Lacquer Clear coat is a good safe clear coat, Tamiya TS-13 also works but and be a little ‘Hot” so be careful.
After all those steps its just a matter of following the kit instructions until the end.
Correcting the ride height issue Take the Front and rear hub/brake assembly and simplify super glue them onto the a-arms of the kit. Just make sure they are square to the overall chassis and just like that the ride height problem is fix.
Tires We are using Indycals 1/24 scale Michelin tires with the black background it makes it way easier to handle. But the key is using Walthers Solveset decal solution. I simply cut out the tire decal and apply it to the tire and then apply the decal solution and let it sit for about 7 mins and take an old t-shirt and dab the decal down to the surface and it will start conforming to the sidewall of the tire. The decal solution softens up the decal and helps “iron out” the wrinkles.
This is why I like the Indycals tire decals. Especially on rubber kit tires, where “silvering” often happens when the clear carrier film around the graphics or letters can be seen. The black carrier film of the Indycals tire decals hides any “silvering” that may occur. I just applied the Indycals 1/24 scale Michelin tires. I also used Walthers Solvaset Decal solution to help lay the decals snug and flat. You can buy the Michelin tire decals here
I recommend using Tamiya TS-82 Rubber Black and after the Indycals tire decals are applied spray Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear to seal the decal and give the proper rubber look.
We recommend using Tamiya lacquer surface primer on all resin surfaces. DO NOT use enamels on resin.
Panting instructions
Be sure to fill and clean your resin fenders. I don not use mold release in my molds but the resin still can pick up some oil contamination from the silicone rubber mold. Soaking in tire bleach or spray and rinse down with oven clean works well. Also when sanding the surface of the resin its recommended to use Dawn dish washing soap as that helps get any possible grease off
Use Tamiya Grey Primer to find any imperfections that might be on the body. That is the main reason for applying primer is to help find any problem areas and to give the color coats a nice base to adhere to.
Its always important to test fit any model you build. every model fits slightly different and every part that is glued on is not exactly correct and those slight variations add up. So always test fit before you start painting any model.
After apply coats of grey primer, I prefer to give the body a couple coast of Tamiya White primer. When using Tamiya spray paints, its important to use a white base, because Tamiya spray paints are very thin and translucent. After the white Primer is cured, Apply Tamiya TS-26 Pure White.
Applying decals
Use Walters Solvaset for applying the Indycals decals. Which can be purchased HERE. After applying the decals I would HIGHLY recommend clear coating over the decals. Testors Lacquer Clear coat is a good safe clear coat, Tamiya TS-13 also works but and be a little ‘Hot” so be careful.
After all those steps its just a matter of following the kit instructions until the end.
This blog will show the step-by-step process of converting the1/25 MPC Dan Gurney’s Olsonite Eagle Indy kitinto the 1968 Bobby Unser Rislone Leader Card Racers Offy Eagle – Indy 500 winner.
Building a 1968 winner was a challenge before this post because of the scarcity of the old MPC Rislone Eagle kit that goes for a huge amount of money and makes it hard to justify to build and the donor kit we are using for this conversion only comes with the FORD V-8 and Chevy V-8 engines. But now there is an easy and cheaper way to build a 1968 winner with theNEW Classic Racing Resins 1968 Indy 500 winner conversion kit, which can be purchased HERE.This kit has the rear engine Offy engine with the proper engine mount setup to attach to the MPC Olsonite kit engine hookup, the proper turbo setup, vac-u-form windscreen that replaces the over-sized thick kit windscreen, and the beautiful super sharp accurate black resin tires designed by Indycals, and this kit also comes with the accurate Rislone body decals and blue line tire decals. This conversion package is the best yet for this kit.
The kit we will be using for this conversion can be easily found onebay HERE. MPC reissued this kit about 20 years ago and there is still lots hanging around readily available. There is a bunch of great features in this kit.
The decals in this kit are designed and printed byIndycals
Indycals makes it easier for the builder adding the black and yellow.
The beginning steps
The first step is to remove the two cylinders on the chassis. Im not sure what the purpose of there are but possibly to hold up he sides of the FORD DOHC engine. But we will be using the resin Offy engine and these cylinders are unnecessary. Use a Dremel and grind them off and use sand paper to sand flush.
Glue the engine bulkhead onto the chassis as the kit instruction advise. Glue in the dash and foot peddles if you choose to. Make sure to flip the dash so the steering shaft hole is on the bottom. This was obviously an error when the kit was designed.
Glue on the fuel inlets on the side of the side body panels. BE SURE to test fit the side panels and cockpit cowling before gluing. Get familiar with how the lines and gaps behave when all of them are put together. It also helps to sand off any fine plastic flashing off the edges of the panels. This kit has a little bit of flashing and its a good idea to sand and take a razor blade and clean all the edges and test fit once or twice. With this build I chose to glue the cockpit cowling on to make painting and the build cleaner looking as the cockpit detail is not very important to me, I prefer to have a nice sharp looking body and choosing to have a removable cockpit cowling will require way more test fitting and the risk of the bodywork not fitting how you want after the paint and decals are apply. Im also choosing to sand off ALL rivets on the body panels as I find it unnecessary to have rivets on a 1/25th scale model as the actually size would be almost non existent and when polishing the body later on after the paint has been applied causes real issues with rubbing thought the paint job where the high rivets are. So with all that said I will be using the Indycals decal body rivets. These decal body rivets are cleverly designed to trick the human eye to look like an actual rivet with the fine principle of optical allusion.
Be sure to cut out a piece of styrene to fill in the head support of the cowling. ( I went through most of the build and forgot this critical step, but luckily I can go back into this blog and point it out so you don’t miss this step, early on.) Use the 0.010″ piece of white styrene supplied in the kit and use the template in the last page of the instructions to cutout and glue into place.
Remove the mirror cylinders on the sides of the cockpit cowling. These need to be completely sanded off and flush with the cowling
Fill the removed mirror mounting locations with Bondo spot filler if needed.
Use the paper template supplied in the kit on the last page of the instructions to cutout the location on the left side of the tail cone. This will give space to the exhaust and turbo assembly.
I recommend using a Dremel to mill out the shape of the cutout. Be sure to study pictures to make sure you are satisfied with the shape.
Engine prep
Use a #54 – 0.052″ Drill to drill out the holes for the intake pins. The locations of the holes are indented into the side of the engine
Use a #54 – 0.052″ Drill to drill out the holes for the exhaust pins and use a #58 – 0.042″ The locations of the holes are indented into the side of the engine
Use a #52 – 0.062″ drill for the locations for the front of the engine.
Painting the body
The Rislone Eagle has a four tone paint job, but fortunately for use model builders we only have to worry about painting two of the colors. The Indycals sheet takes care of use with the black and yellow stripe already included. I will be using Tamiya lacquer paints but this only a suggestion. I prefer Tamiya Spray paint in most situations when adding color to my paint jobs I will be spraying Tamiya White Surface Primer over the light grey MPC plastic surface, first. Next will be light multiple coats of of Tamiya TS-26 Pure White and then mask off half the car to apply the Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red. I will apply the Indycals Decals next and after the decals setup I will give the whole body a few coats of Testors Clear lacquer to protect the body and decals as a protective coat and the clear also makes the colors “pop” more.
Before you start painting……make sure to scuff your body with scratch pad to help for good paint adhesion. Then washing with Dawn dish washing soap to get rid of any skin oils off the surface. Use Tamiya White Surface Primer on the body.
After the primer has dried for a day, check for any imperfections with the primer job. If it looks good spray the body with Tamiya TS-26 Pure White with very light coats, I recommend VERY light coats with Tamiya TS-26 White as I’ve noticed it has the tendency to be very thin and will “run” really easily.
Masking
For the masking process Im going to mask with wide3M Automotive Refinish Masking Tape 388N. The tape resists moisture, solvents and outdoor exposure and leaves sharp, clean paint lines without buildup. For a large area two tone paint job that requires a large area of the body to be masked off I like to use the method of covering the whole car and then use the masking template over the area that needs the tap to stay.
Use a sharp brand newX-acto knife bladeand cut the masking tape following the template edge. The edge will be covered over with the decal but we still want to get the masking edge as close and possible. The template I made lines up flush with the front bulkhead and the top rear tip will end right to the edge of the head rest part of the bodywork.
After you masking edge with theX-acto knifepeal off the red area of the bodywork
A good useful trick I learned from Indycals back in the day was to seal your masking edge with the previous color (white) before spraying the next color (red). Doing this trick will help insure that the color we plan to spray on next (red) will not bleed though under the masking tape with is always a problem when multiple colored paint jobs.
I went ahead and painted the red on the nose too. There is no masking required on the nose. I would recommend holding off on painting the engine cover and tail cone until the engine and all the turbo parts are installed to make sure the fit properly.
Whenever I paint a metallic surface in this case the Offy engine block which is Aluminum, I like to give the surface a light coat of flat black. Its always a rule of thumb to apply a dull black surface before a metallic as it helps the reflective properties of the metallic paint reflect off a more realistic look.
I always liked the look of Krylon “Short cuts” Chrome for the best aluminum look for engine blocks.
Adding spark plug wires is optional. There is no wires in the kit. I just added them for a nice touch as the plug wires are always the main attraction on detailing an engine. Also doing a flat black wash adds depth to the engine details.
After the engine is fitted up and painted. Fit the trans-axle into place. The trans-axle fits onto a little pin on the chassis.
Fitting the engine cover
In order to make this a removable engine cover, they need to stay separate just like on the real car. Luckily the offy engine covers are included in the MPC Olsonite Eagle kit.
Clean flashing off before test fitting.
Test fit to your liking and Id recommend test fitting the engine covers along with the rear tail cone to make sure the engine cover and tail cone are aligned properly.
Fixing the rear suspension
One of the biggest flaws of the MPC Olsonite Eagle kit is the rear width of the rear wheels sit way too far apart. Even the untrained eye can see the width problem. This next set will show you how to correct this problem. This method was developed by Indycals many years ago….
The first step is to remove the hooks on the ends of the wishbones these would normally hold up the upright pins but these will not be needed after all the modifications and the uprights will be sitting on top of the ends of the wishbones
Cut off the bottom of the wishbones level with the top of the pins. (See picture above)
Since the uprights are being brought inwards the upper wishbones will need to be shortened as well. As seen in the picture above cut off the the section highlighted 1/8 of an inch (3.2mm) Use anX-acto knifeand carefully cut off the amount needed.
Cut off the ends of the half shafts as seen marked on the picture above.
Since the ends of the half shafts are cut off this changes the diameter of the ends of the half shafts. In order for the half shafts to fit into the uprights, drill out the centers with a #50 – 0.070″ drill bit using a pin vise.
Cut off the end of the shock bottom and fit it on the top of the lower wishbone.
Before assembling the parts I recommend shorting the pointed part of the top wishbone support rods that attaches to the body. Not shorting the ends might result of your number 3 to get covered over by this pointed part of the rod.
Basic build-up
After these part modifications the most of the build can be completed using the kit instructions. The process of putting everything together is all the same but with shorter parts. After these basic steps are complete the next few important conversion steps are next….
Fitting the nose on is one of the final steps. I recommend test fitting before you add any kind of glue. I found the fit with the front radiator very tight, so look out for that.
The location where the kit wants your to attach the roll over hoop is not correct. The location they want to attach it is too far forward. The best location is to push it far back and lift it up so the bottom bends in the roll bar are up touching the inside angled edge of the cowling as seen in the picture.
Fit on the engine covers. Then its important to not forget the roll bar support. I waited to do this towards the end to make sure I glue a styrene rod in the correct location with the engine cover as reference.
Tires
Take theIndycals 3d designed Goodyear Blue Line tiresand scuff them up. These tires have been cast in black resin to help the model builder with the painting process as with traditional resin tires that are cast in tan resin are harder to paint the tread pattern part, its difficult to get the paint to flow into the tread pattern without having the underlying tan resin color showing though. In order to cover over the showing tan color requires more and more black spray paint and when you add more paint the more the sharp crisp detail is lost. But with the Indycals black resin tires there is no need for multiple coats of paint and the black resin hides any un-painted areas deep down in the tread pattern.
I love the shadeTamiya TS-82 Rubber Blackprovides for painting resin tires. Back beforeTamiyacame out with theRubber Blackwe always just used regularTamiya Matt Blackbut that wasn’t accurate because if you study a rear rubber tire closely you will notice it has a slight dull shade of many colors.
Windscreen
Most people really freak when cutting out clear vac-u-form windscreens. But there is not much worrying with this one as most of the cutting is straight and easy. I recommend using small scissors and I prefer using ZAP CA glue which is very risky and most people would think Im absolutely crazy, but if you know how to handle it, it will yield great strong results! But if you dont want to have hi risk the the G-S Hypo cement is the way to go.
Mirrors
Use the styrene supplied in the kit to measure out and cutout the mirror supports. This was a race day setup wit the mirrors. Cutout and bend at 90 degrees in the center lines.
I recommend taking tweezers to hold onto and dip the outer edge of the support into a puddle of Super glue and place it on the gap in between the body and top cowling. Hold down for a few seconds until the super glue holds and then push the whole super up against the windscreen and take some CA- Glue and dab a little bit on the gap between the mirror support and windscreen.
This blog post reviews and shows how to properly convert the 1/24 scale NuNu Porsche 935 K3 kit into the 1981 Coca-Cola Akin Racing Porsche 935 K3 Daytona 24 hour version. The NuNu kit came out December 2019 as the 1979 #41 Kremer Porsche 935 K3 -24 hours of Le-Mans race winner, this was very exciting news to me as a model builder and businessman because there’s endless possibilities of K3’s that can be created from this NuNu kit. I have many conversion kits planed for this K3 kit. This blog will show how to accurately convert this kit into the 1981 Coke K3.
The Akin Racing Porsche 935 K3 chassis 009 00016 first raced in 1980 by the Akin team with moderate success entering into the 1981 Daytona 24 hrs. Bob Akin co-drove with Derek Bell and Craig Siebert to take second place in the overall standings. The race was not without its dramas. During the night Bell hit oil during the night and spun, damaging the suspension. The same driving trio would go onto finish second again in the 1982 Daytona 24.
Converting the NuNu Porsche 935 K3 into the 1981 Coke k3 will require some modifications to the rear of the car so the lower tail end of the fenders can fit properly
Carefully study these pictures, top and bottom. Everything in red needs to be removed
First step is to grind everything off highlighted in red. This will require the correct grinding bit for the Dremel
I recommend using these milling bits for the Dremel found here on Amazon. Ive had good success with this style of milling bit.
Be sure to fill and clean your resin fenders. I don not use mold release in my molds but the resin still can pick up some oil contamination from the silicone rubber mold. Soaking in tire bleach or spray and rinse down with oven clean works well. Also when sanding the surface of the resin its recommended to use Dawn dish washing soap as that helps get any possible grease off
Superglue the fenders onto the body. This might take some adjusting and test fitting. Dont be afraid to do some more cutting and sanding to get the fenders to fit properly.
Use Apoxie Sculpt to fill in the back bumpers as on the Akin car didn’t have any, just a flat rear bumper, as seen in the picture below.
Sand down the Apoxie Sculpt with a file.
Use and fine grit file to smooth out the bumper.
Use Tamiya Grey Primer to find any imperfections that might be on the body. That is the main reason for applying primer is to help find any problem areas and to give the color coats a nice base to adhere to.
After apply coats of grey primer, I prefer to give the body a couple coast of Tamiya White primer. When using Tamiya spray paints, its important to use a white base, because Tamiya spray paints are very thin and translucent. After the white Primer is cured, Apply Tamiya TS-8 Italian red.
Use Walters Solvaset for applying the Indycals decals. Which can be purchased HERE.
After applying the decals I would HIGHLY recommend clear coating over the decals. Testors Lacquer Clear coat is a good safe clear coat, Tamiya TS-13 also works but and be a little ‘Hot” so be careful.
After all those steps its just a matter of following the kit instructions until the end.
The Final product.
This was an enjoyable build. The NuNu kit was very straight forward and built very well. Thank you to Indycals for working with me to make this 1981 Coke K3 possible.
It is very import to understand how to prepare the best looking resin tires for your car. I personally prefer resin tires over any gummy rubbery kit tires which are usually the wrong color and a challenge to put any kind of decal on. Another problem with rubbery kit tires is they rot over time.
WithClassic Racing Resins, black resin tiresthey are way more friendly to use. They give you the opportunity to make your tires look real. I cast my resin tires using black resin, the reason for this is to make it easier for the model builder to prepare the tire surface. Withblack resin, especially on treaded tires, is you don’t necessarily have to worry about getting the paint to flow into the tread and cover the surface like on a normal tan colored resin. WithClassic Racing Resin black resin tires, they don’t even need primer because they are already black.
Its important to follow these following steps to create realistic looking tires….
Step 1
Sand outside of tires with file. Then use aScotch-Brite Scour Padto scuff up the surface so the paint can adhere to the surface without flaking off over time. Then wash withDawn dish washing soapto decrease any possible contaminant on the surface of the resin tire, its important to do this on any plastic or resin model.
After the decals have dried I recommend usingTamiya X-19 SMOKEwashed down withTamiya Acrylic X-20Athinner. Apply that with a brush over the whites of the tires logos to create a more realistic weathered look, because I have never seen perfectly clean white letter tires on a race car, they always have a bit of dirtiness to them. I feel if the white letters on the tires are too white and perfect then it looks “toyish” and fake an not real.
UseTamiya Flat clearand give the tires a good spray down to make sure that dull rubber sheen is persevered for the most realistic looking tires you can make for a model car.
What happens if there is NO aftermarket resin tires for your model? How can you make your tires look better than their current state? How can you avoid having to paint the tire logos by hand? How do you avoid “Slivering” of your waterslide decals over the gummy rough surface?
When it comes to rubber kit tires, the most import thing is to figure out how to make the sidewall surface smooth enough to accept a waterslide decal to conform to the side wall with out that cloudy slivering of the clear part of the decal.
Most of the time when we get our kit, we open it up and see these gummy, crude round black mini donuts, that a lot of times have this HUGE indention of a tire brand sticking out, which real race cars don’t have huge logo intentions to this extreme. Most beginner model builders will try to knock themselves out and TRY to use white paint and brush paint on the little indented letters…….and that never works out too well….sigh……
Basically, the best thing to start with, is a big sanding file and sand those nasty letters off your rubber tires.
After you sand the letters off, take Clear Acrylic paint, DONT use enamel or Lacquer because you will have a nasty mess on your tires, because enamel or Lacquer does not dry too well on a rubber surface, ACRYLIC does! I prefer to useTamiya X-22 Clear Acrylicon my sidewalls and it dries very fast.Model Masters Clear acrylicworks great too.
Paint over your sharp clean white tire decals withTamiya X-19 Smoke acrylic paintto dirty up the white letter surface as there is no such thing as a bright clean white letter surface on a race car tire, giving it a bit of a weathered look will make your tires look even more believable. After theTamiya X-19 Smokedries, apply Tamiya XF-86 Flat Clear over the top of those layers.
Be sure to take your file after you finish your acrylic and tire decal process on your sidewalls, go ahead and take your sanding file and rough up and sand off the seam on the flat tire surface
I started usingApoxie-Sculpt, about 8 years ago. Once I used it, I was hooked, especially for how much scratch building I do in theMotorsports modelingbusiness withClassic Racing Resins.Apoxie-Sculptalso works great for regular plastic model kits where some modifications are needed to be added or fixed. It works great for filling in gaps on models. Its also water-soluble as you can dip and wet your tools or fingers to help work with the surface of the compound without it effecting the properties. It will make the compound smoother and looser to help with your needs.
Apoxie Sculptcombines the features and benefits of sculpting clay with the adhesive power of epoxy! Its smooth, putty-like consistency is easy to mix & use. Self-hardens (No Baking) cures hard in 24 hrs., semi-gloss finish. Adheres to nearly any surface. Great for sculpting, embellishing, bonding and filling most anything. Accepts paints, stains, mica powders & more for a variety of finishing options.
Also Unlike other similar brands I’ve used, it has a great shelf-life and doesn’t go bad and part A doesn’t harden up and go bad!!!! And the price ofApoxie sculptis VERY Reasonable! Its goes a long ways! Also comes in a nice jar. No junky flimsy box
I’ve used it many times with modifying many kits to change the shape of the bodywork to a different spec.
Features – Self-Hardening:It hardens in 24 hrs and you can sand it, very easily.
-Putty-like consistency:it works like regular modeling clay and if it gets too sticky, just add water to your fingers or dip your tools into water.
-1-3 hour working time -Highly Adhesive:It will stick to anything with a properly prepared surface – I recommend always scuffing up any surface that you plan to add Apoxie-sculpt, over. -Superior Detail -0% Shrinkage & Cracking:This is one great feature of this compound. Some putty’s and fillers will shrink, because they rely on being air dried and that will produce less and good results –Hard & Durable -Semi-gloss finish -Waterproof -12 Vibrant Colors:In motorsports modeling this doesn’t necessarily mater but in other cases it might, but it does come in the following:Natural,White,Black,Brown,Orange,Yellow,Green,Blue,Red,Pink,Silver-Grey, Bronze -Adheres to: Itself (in any stage of set-up before or after curing), other epoxies, Ceramic, Metal, Wood, Stone, Glass, Plastics, Foam, Fiberglass, Polymers, & more!
Directions Measure equal parts of A & B. Always retrieve parts A & B with different tools. Mix & knead together for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined and a uniform color is achieved. Note incomplete mixing will give poor results. *Allow mixed product to rest 5 minutes for better handling. Apoxie Sculptis ready to use; working time is 1- 3 hours. Shape as desired. Smooth or texture with a wet finger, brush,Q-tiporsculpting tool. Self-hardens (NO BAKING) 24 hour full cure.
Working Time Line Guide:
1/2 hour: Sticky & most adhesive 1 to 2 hours: Easy to work with 2 to 3 hours: Setting up, form-able detail 24 hours: Hard, cured & waterproof
I was approached by a friend earlier this year about making an affordable spyder conversion kit for the plastic1/24 scale Fujimi Ferrari 330 P4 Berlinetta. Below is a list of all the pastFujimireleases and what year and information about the kit.
Take template that is supplied in the kit instructions. Cut out the white parts of the template, only. Line up the two arrows on top of template with the top engine cover hinges. (See picture) Usescotch tapeto stick the template to the engine cover.
Use anink markerto highlight the area that needs to be removed in order to fit the new resin part inside. Use aDremelwith an end mill bit to carefully remove the highlighted area of plastic that needs to be removed.
After the plastic has been removed withe theDremel tool. Use a sharpX-acto knifeto straighten and clean up the edges. Use a sanding file to de-bur the edges.
UseGorilla glueand glue the resin engine cover under the plastic body. Also glue in the two holes in front of the rear spoiler
After thesuper gluedries. UseApoxie Sculptto fill in any gap between the plastic body and the resin part. Its best to smooth out theApoxie Sculptwith water and a smoothing tool, I use a dullX-acto knife.
Since this is aSpyder conversionwe need to cut the top off this car. Its pretty straight forward. The part in between the front and rear pillars of the side windows needs removed.
Using anX-acto saw, cut off the top of the roof. Sand off any burrs with a sanding file.
Sand theApoxie Sculptand smooth and rough spots. UseTamiya white primerand cover the body in a light coat. The purpose ofprimeris to show any imperfections and to give the color coat a clean surface to adhered to. Its very important to use white primer as your base coat asTamiya spray paintis very thin and transparent. UseTamiya TS-8 Italian Redfor the best match for this year of Ferrari. Paint the rear engine resin louvers with “chrome paint” (Polished Aluminum)
Cut out the Vac-U-Form side windows, using small sharp scissors andG-S Hypo Cementfor all the clear windscreens, side windows and headlights
Gluethe side windows in place and I recommend usingBare Metal foilfor the metal strips that outline the side windows, NOTE this might vary between the different races and cars.
After all the clear plastic has been attached its time to decal the car of your choice!Indycalshas a selection ofdecals for this kit.
