Datsun 240z BRE - Barn Find

 This Revell Datsun 240Z did not start as a planned "barn find" build.  I was going to build a nice, shiny racecar... but had some issues with the decals tearing.  My next thought was we'll strip it back down, and just make a "race inspired" street car.

After a first dip in the Isopropyl Alcohol that I use as a stripper... it only took half the decals off. After letting it sit on the work bench a couple of days... I started to think that's a pretty cool look.

Since I had already put the chassis together I decided to just finish it "as is".

I little extra grime, some rust, and a fine mist of flat tan made it look nice and dusty. Just like it had been pushed in to a barn and forgotten for years.

   

I had considered going for flat tires, and even more rust... but liked the way this one worked out.

Not totally rotted to where it was completely forgotten... just put away for storage, and took on some patina over time.

Still a "driver" with a little TLC ,and a definite candidate for restoration is where the look wound up. Sometimes a "happy accident" can lead to something fun and different.

Tamiya Ford Mustang GT4

 Another one that was finished over the past several months was another amazing kit from Tamiya.

They kitted up a Ford Mustang GT4 racecar, and decided I needed to do one for myself.

The box art shows a dark metallic grey, but I decided a nice, bright yellow would show off the shape well.

Like most every other Tamiya kit I have built, this one went together without any issues. Well I did have one, but it was certainly more "user error" than the kit.

I even got a little extra creative, and printed my own Michelin tire decals.  Once the whole kit came together, the wheels and tires just looked plain... 

So I scanned the tire decals from another kit and printed them off, and a little thinned white glue, and you can't even tell the difference.

Just makes it feel more "race-y" in my opinion.

Might have to keep an eye out for another one of these for a deal, and build another one.

Would also love to see a Camaro GT4 kit (if Tamiya is watching!).

Fujimi Ferrari F40LM - I'm back

 Back for my seemingly once a year post.

We'll throw a couple of models that I have completed in the past several months all up for kind of a "Year End" post.

First up is Fujimi's Ferrari F40 with the LeMans parts (hence the F40LM designation).

Love the way this one came out, and had been watching for a decent price on this kit for a number of years.

Comes with some really great looking wheels. Updated rear spoiler elements and a giant front splitter.

Of course this one had to be red... 

Haven't done many Ferraris that have ended up being red.

Really excited about the way this one finished up.

Lots of really nice details. Seemed to take forever, but wanted to take my time with this one.

Polar Lights - 2006 Ford GT Gulf Heritage Edition

 Another one for the collection that I had been attempting to find for a "reasonable" price for a long time.

The 2006 Ford GT!

I loved the look (and performance) of this supercar when Ford announced it was going in to production.

Polar Lights is one of the very few (if only) company that has ever produced the 2006 car in plastic.

The drawback (potentially) here, is that this is a "snap-tite" kit, which typically means that it is intended for a younger builder. Often with over-designed parts to be snapped together without glue. This is great, but does sometimes mean that proportions are off versus the real car to allow for the strength needed to push the parts together, rather than holding them with glue.

 

I did make a few adjustments to some of the parts, and glued most pieces for added strength when complete...  but I don't think you can tell this is a more "toy like" snap together kit when sitting on the shelf.

I chose to use the "Heritage" Edition of the car that Ford released as a special edition an homage to the LeMans winning cars from the 60's.... though I chose to use number 8, rather than the more tradition number 6 in the big roundels.

And while the car came molded in light blue plastic, I felt the color was off just a little, and mixed up my own batch of "gulf blue", and hand masked the orange stripe the length of the car of on the nose.

I did use the supplied thin black outline stripes to separate the orange from the blue, and was amazed at how close my painted stripes lined up with theirs.  Kit decals were used for the number roundels, Ford decal on the very nose, and a couple small details here and there.

In the picture above, you can see a little bit of the snap tite construction. There is a small "tab" on the clear headlight lens, that you can see the blue of the body. If I had paid a little closer attention, I shoukd have painted the tab black to hide that small issue.

Clear to see through the back engine cover are the supercharger and chassis pieces. As a simplified kit, this was about all the detail that there was... but a little silver paint and they stand out nicely and complete the look.

Another fun one that really stands out with it's Gulf livery paint scheme.