Ford GT90 Pursuit Car

[Nick]

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 

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?

[PR19_Kit]

Clear (Klear...?) varnish it first, the decals will stick on a lot better.

[zenrat]

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.

[Nick]

I'm going to give it a coat of white primer and an overcoat of Appliance White. That should do the trick.

[PR19_Kit]

You can't beat Appliance White, it's great stuff. 

[Nick]

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.

[Dizzyfugu]

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).

[zenrat]

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".

[Nick]

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?

[PR19_Kit]

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.

[NARSES2]

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 

[Nick]

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 

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.

[NARSES2]

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.

[PR19_Kit]

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.

[Nick]

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.