For my first entry I've decided that the Ford GT90 will enter police service as a high speed chase car. It boasts a 720hp engine and a top speed of 250mph which makes it great for hunting down those Cannonball Run idiots :wacko:
I'm using the 1/25 AMT-ERTL SnapFast kit which I have practically completed in a morning. It requires very little glue work, a bit of screwdriver and the rest is pushfit.
The main thing holding me up is painting it. There's a lot of online chat about repeated sand/wash/dry/sand etc and layer upon layer of paint. As it's already white plastic I'm tempted to skip any painting and just put the decals straight on. What do you guys think?
Clear (Klear...?) varnish it first, the decals will stick on a lot better.
Some car modellers get carried away trying to replicate the miles deep shine seen on high end supercars, concepts and show cars. Go outside and look at the finish on the car park on your driveway. London to a brick says it's not that shiny and might even have a bit of a slight orange peel finish. That's what you are trying to replicate.
Paint it like you would a model aircraft but give it a gloss or semi gloss finish.
I'm going to give it a coat of white primer and an overcoat of Appliance White. That should do the trick.
You can't beat Appliance White, it's great stuff. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I shall be painting tomorrow. While the shell dries I will give the engine a coat of black and silver to make it look a little more realistic. Right now it's all navy blue and doesn't look right even under the tinted glass.
Quote from: zenrat on April 11, 2021, 04:16:57 AM
Some car modellers get carried away trying to replicate the miles deep shine seen on high end supercars, concepts and show cars. Go outside and look at the finish on the car park on your driveway. London to a brick says it's not that shiny and might even have a bit of a slight orange peel finish. That's what you are trying to replicate.
Paint it like you would a model aircraft but give it a gloss or semi gloss finish.
Second that. Take a close look at some new real world cars, and you will be shocked how poor and orange peel skin-like their finish is, even on so-called premium cars. I remember a black BMW SUV I saw and thought "so much money and such a crappy product" - I'd have rejected it. The "flawless shiny piece of candy" look of show cars - both real and in model form - takes a
lot of work and clear varnish in several polished layers, but it does IMHO not convey a "realistic" impression. For that reason I have left car models in the past without varnish, because the finish of the overall car body paint already looked very convincing (at least to me).
Quote from: Dizzyfugu on April 14, 2021, 11:45:25 PM
Quote from: zenrat on April 11, 2021, 04:16:57 AM
Some car modellers get carried away trying to replicate the miles deep shine seen on high end supercars, concepts and show cars. Go outside and look at the finish on the car park on your driveway. London to a brick says it's not that shiny and might even have a bit of a slight orange peel finish. That's what you are trying to replicate.
Paint it like you would a model aircraft but give it a gloss or semi gloss finish.
Second that. Take a close look at some new real world cars, and you will be shocked how poor and orange peel skin-like their finish is, even on so-called premium cars. I remember a black BMW SUV I saw and thought "so much money and such a crappy product" - I'd have rejected it. The "flawless shiny piece of candy" look of show cars - both real and in model form - takes a lot of work and clear varnish in several polished layers, but it does IMHO not convey a "realistic" impression. For that reason I have left car models in the past without varnish, because the finish of the overall car body paint already looked very convincing (at least to me).
The phrase used for the really smooth and shiny car models produced for shows by trophy hunters is "dipped in clear".
The second layer of white primer is on. I raided the kitchen for cocktail sticks so it didn't get stuck to the base of my spray box ;)
Thinking ahead, I'm going to give it a couple of coats of Gloss Appliance White. Do I apply the decals then or should I cover it with Klear first, then go over the decals again?
Depends how shiny it is.
Usually Appliance White dries really gloss, and will take decals right away, but sometimes it ends up a tad orange-peelly, and then it's worth a coat of Klear to smooth it off a bit.
Quote from: Nick on April 15, 2021, 07:30:02 AM
The second layer of white primer is on. I raided the kitchen for cocktail sticks so it didn't get stuck to the base of my spray box ;)
Make sure you don't get caught sneaking them back ;)
Quote from: NARSES2 on April 16, 2021, 06:55:20 AM
Quote from: Nick on April 15, 2021, 07:30:02 AM
The second layer of white primer is on. I raided the kitchen for cocktail sticks so it didn't get stuck to the base of my spray box ;)
Make sure you don't get caught sneaking them back ;)
Too late, I had to ask Mum where she'd moved them to :rolleyes: :lol:
I had a look this morning and I might have to sand it down a little as the primer has pooled in a couple of spots. Thankfully it's where the door decals will go so it will be hidden.
Quote from: Nick on April 16, 2021, 09:57:40 AM
I had a look this morning and I might have to sand it down a little as the primer has pooled in a couple of spots. Thankfully it's where the door decals will go so it will be hidden.
Same thing happened with my "Bumblebee", I'm just to heavy handed with the spray can :-\ Needed sanding and respraying.
Little and light is the watchword with spray cans.
But I'm not a good one to talk, having done exactly the same on numerous occasions. :(
I had a good bout of spraying yesterday and the day before. This GT90 now looks like a US cop car in black and white.
I will need a steady hand tonight for painting the inside of the canopy. This is for the black frame work you can see here:
https://drivetribe.com/p/was-the-ford-gt90-better-than-the-UWyRq9WhTi2c_uNM-1gnPg?iid=F5QMREnzQXeImX1RrsHa1w
After that I just need to:
Paint up the grilles and the engine bay.
Attach the lights.
Stick on the Ford logo and other stickers.
Apply the Texas State Trooper decals.
Quote from: Nick on June 11, 2021, 02:16:59 AM
I had a good bout of spraying yesterday and the day before. This GT90 now looks like a US cop car in black and white.
I will need a steady hand tonight for painting the inside of the canopy. This is for the black frame work you can see here:
https://drivetribe.com/p/was-the-ford-gt90-better-than-the-UWyRq9WhTi2c_uNM-1gnPg?iid=F5QMREnzQXeImX1RrsHa1w
After that I just need to:
Paint up the grilles and the engine bay.
Attach the lights.
Stick on the Ford logo and other stickers.
Apply the Texas State Trooper decals.
If I don 't have masks for the clear parts I do the black on the inside with a permanent marker pen. I find it easier to get a straight line with smooth curves that way than using a brush and paint.
Use a brand new marker with a pointed tip, not one of the chisel ones.
Quote from: zenrat on June 11, 2021, 03:54:58 AM
If I don 't have masks for the clear parts I do the black on the inside with a permanent marker pen. I find it easier to get a straight line with smooth curves that way than using a brush and paint.
Use a brand new marker with a pointed tip, not one of the chisel ones.
That's a very good tip which I shall try one day soon. This canopy is smooth on the outside but the panel lines I will be painting are on the inside. They are both wide enough and deep enough that I feel safe to paint it black.
Those guys on Drivetribe aren't THAT biased towards the GT90 are they? But they seem to have overlooked the fact that it's plain UGLY compared to a McLaren F1.............
Quote from: PR19_Kit on June 11, 2021, 05:23:58 AM
Those guys on Drivetribe aren't THAT biased towards the GT90 are they? But they seem to have overlooked the fact that it's plain UGLY compared to a McLaren F1.............
To be honest I hadn't read it. I just look at the pretty pictures ;D
Cannonball Run 2000
Following from the success of The Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, Hollywood finally gave the green light to Hal Needham to make Cannonball 2000. Filmed in 1998 the movie was a moderate success in the box office but barely recouped its costs. Fans liked it, critics were unamazed.
One of the automotive stars was the Ford GT90 as driven by Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller. They played a pair of conmen who disguised themselves as Texas State Troopers and the car was painted to match.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51245218236_ba5dcd3d7a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m5n92s)Ford GT90 (https://flic.kr/p/2m5n92s) by Nick Pedley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191542434@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51245983179_99c5bafdd5_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m5r4q8)Ford GT90 (https://flic.kr/p/2m5r4q8) by Nick Pedley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191542434@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51245218481_f56af3c6f3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m5n96F)Ford GT90 (https://flic.kr/p/2m5n96F) by Nick Pedley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191542434@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51246278360_028d898b41_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m5szas)Ford GT90 (https://flic.kr/p/2m5szas) by Nick Pedley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191542434@N02/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51245983074_a123259be0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m5r4oj)Ford GT90 (https://flic.kr/p/2m5r4oj) by Nick Pedley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191542434@N02/), on Flickr
It's taken a little more work than I realised but I'm done! She looks far better in real life than under the glare of a lamp and a HD camera.
Technically it should have a light bar across the top but I argue that it would be aerodynamically unfriendly. Having the headlights flash blue like an unmarked car would is more like it. ;)
The 25 year old AMT decals were rather hard to remove and had that typical layer of white snot underneath but they seem to have settled. The TwoBobs Texas sheet was a dream to work with, the decals just slid straight off onto the car.
The Texas state logo was awkward as it is not a regular shape and finding the right spot on the doors was tricky. I'm quite pleased that the Texas Highway Patrol part (which is a separate decal from the badge) fits neatly at the bottom of the door.
All I need now is a suitable license plate for the rear.
Looks superb! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great job, Nick! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Unfortunately the actual car was an aesthetic crash after the GT40. :-\
Looks good Nick :thumbsup: