AK Interactive 1/35 GC125 Motorcycle

[frank2056]

I am not receiving anything from AK in exchange for using their products, although it feels like that's all I've been building or using recently... That said, here's my build of their Honda 1/35 GC125 motorcycle.



The motorcycle comes with two options; wire spoke wheels and solid 5 spoke wheels, plus differences in headlights and instrument panel. I've built enough ICM kits to recognize their molding and attachment point methods. This looks like a simple build, but it isn't - not hard, just  not a shake and bake Tamiya.

The first issue I came across was with the wheels. I was going to use the wire spoke wheels, since I'd had great results with the Thunder Indian motorcycle kit. Thunder provides a tool to bend the PE spokes into shape and it works well.
In this kit, the instructions show the wheel hub glued to each PE spoke part, then squeezed to shape between the tire halves. The PE spokes compress and should result in a nice wire spoked wheel. I completely forgot to anneal the PE, so there was enough spring in the PE parts to make gluing the tire halves together difficult. I took the tires apart the next day and just used the five spoke wheels.

The front fork is a surprisingly complicated assembly, and connection between the fork assembly and the body looked very weak (just small dimples in a couple of the plastic parts) so I drilled out the connection areas and used a brass rod for strength. The front wheel and fork now turns easily, which is a plus.

I'm not a motorcycle guy and have next to zero experience with them, but looking at pictures of the GC125, I found few images of the Honda version (vs cheap clones) with the solid disc brake plate on the front wheel. I also think the brake pad connections suggested on the instructions (on the disc break itself) don't make sense, so I'm deciding what to do with the fight wheel, pending further research:



The rest of the build - even the PE - has been straightforward. Some very small parts and hard to reach places that need sanding/trimming but not bad. The fuel tank in these pictures is just pressed on; it and the seat need some careful trimming before they fit properly:





I painted the body in a mix of NATO black and steel (Mig ATOM paint, not AK for a change...) although I painted the fuel tank and fenders with the AK red pen (you can see the remnants of the first paint tests with red and blue). I'll see how it looks tomorrow before I decided on the final color. There are still a handful of parts that need to be added, but it's easier to paint them first.

[Wardukw]

Yep I'll be watching Franky mate ..I like this sort of build 

[frank2056]

I'm almost done with this motorcycle. Just need to fix some issues visible in the pictures, add some very light weathering and add a brake line:







And of course, Ms Hot pants and our French Mechanic for scale:



I'm still debating if I should add the rear view mirrors.

If I were to build this again, I'd make some changes in the assembly procedure:
1 - anneal the wire spokes for the wheels before assembly.
The front fork assembly is the most delicate and I held the forks in place against a hard surface while they set.

2 - drill out the front fork/frame tube and add a thin metal rod. I did this and it greatly strengthens the assembly

3 - I would paint as much of the frame as possible, before assembly. There are some areas that are hard to reach.

4 - leave the wheels off until the end. It makes painting and handing the body a lot easier. That's what I did and the front fork and rear wheel mounts can be spread apart just enough to trap the wheels.

[Wardukw]

I'm almost done with this motorcycle. Just need to fix some issues visible in the pictures, add some very light weathering and add a brake line:







And of course, Ms Hot pants and our French Mechanic for scale:



I'm still debating if I should add the rear view mirrors.

If I were to build this again, I'd make some changes in the assembly procedure:
1 - anneal the wire spokes for the wheels before assembly.
The front fork assembly is the most delicate and I held the forks in place against a hard surface while they set.

2 - drill out the front fork/frame tube and add a thin metal rod. I did this and it greatly strengthens the assembly

3 - I would paint as much of the frame as possible, before assembly. There are some areas that are hard to reach.

4 - leave the wheels off until the end. It makes painting and handing the body a lot easier. That's what I did and the front fork and rear wheel mounts can be spread apart just enough to trap the wheels.

She's alot of work so to speck for a little ride Frank but there's no denial it's looking damn good 👍

[NARSES2]

That's a really nice piece of work   

[Weaver]

That's a nice piece of work with a nice-looking kit - well done. 

I AM a motorbike guy, and nothing leaps out at me as obviously wrong.

On those solid-spoke wheels (called "Comstar" wheels by Honda), the recessed bit in the middle of each spoke was normally painted black on UK bikes, but I don't know what other licence manufacturers around the world did/do. They weren't one-piece cast alloy hub+spokes+rim like modern cast wheels are, rather they were two pressed star-shaped plates, rivetted onto the hub and the rim.

[Mossie]

Nice little mobbie.     

[zenrat]

Good job Frank.

 

[frank2056]

Thanks for the info, Harold. I'll try to paint them.
Beyond that, I think I'm finished. It was a pretty enjoyable build and quick.

I added brake lines and engine control lines with 0.4mm (0.15") solder. I was going to paint it, but I liked the dull metallic look. I also did some mild discoloration on the exhaust pipe and added the rear view mirrors.
I tried to photograph it outside on a printed sheet of airport runway (1/72) but it was too windy:





Indoors:





Thanks for all the comments!

[Old Wombat]

Hopefully that wonderful result was the sinecure you needed after what seems to have been a run of somewhat frustrating builds, Frank.  

[frank2056]

Guy - it was a good reset.

Since I was in a motorcycle-ish mood, I decided to finish a shelf of doom motorcycle, the Bandai Dragon Ball Bulma's Capsule No.9 Motorcycle.

It's roughly 1/35. I changed the exhaust and handlebar and painted it in Ammo Atom Aotake Blue:

[buzzbomb]

On a two wheeled roll Frank.

Nice work

[Old Wombat]

 

[Wardukw]

 ..so cute 😍 

[NARSES2]

..so cute 😍 

Yea, and I want one. Oh sorry you were talking about the bike ? 

No seriously it's brilliant