Since I shelved the Cobra for a while, I pulled a bottom runner from the stash to have a go at a car prior to the Ford GB.

Unboxing


Body shell was primed with 1500 Gray and then got MM German Silver on the bottom and MM Red on the top. Masking for the trim was fun, but came out pretty well.


Interior parts primed with 1500 gray as well. Underside got gray 1500 and then various shades of black on the chassis and suspension parts. Engine and gas tank straps got MM Aluminum.


Wheels got MM Metalizer Gunmetal in the holes and recess.

I did have to make seatbacks for the buckets. Not nearly as fancy as Damian's, just flat stock.


More to come at some point.

Great to see a new build on the bench, very nice neat work so far David, not a kit I've seen built before but being Tamiya I'm sure you won't find any major issues.




It's a custom Chev, fancy is it's middle name!

It really surprizes me that Tamiya don't supply either a full seat or parts to build such.

Looking forward to more updates.

Cheers, D

Interesting choice, David

following with interest.

Fun little car. Paintjob looks really good.

BTW "Ballade" is the Danish word for trouble

Damian, I too was surprised at that as everything else is fairly well done. This kit was originally released in 1983, a second with no chrome and different decals was released a year or so later. It is a JDM car so steering wheel on the right.

Thanks James.

Thanks Jesper, well, I noticed last night that I have some minor trouble brewing.

If you look closely on the sprue with the wheels there are the two mirror parts. I accidentally threw the sprue in the trash when I cut the wheels off. I'd already emptied the workshop trash when I noticed it. I'll try and cut some flat stock sheet to fit, otherwise I'll try to fill it with Klear (Future) and silver paint and then more Klear.

David,
Certainly a choice that I haven't seen done before. I do remember this car when Honda 1st released the CR-X. I actually wanted one. It had it's overall wheel based decreased, a more sports refined suspension, and as a two door, it had the look and feel of a Sports Coupe.

I really like your choice of colors as Red has always been my color of choice, so naturally my Elantra Sports Coupe is White. The finish you achieved on the shell looks great.

Looking forward to how you complete the interior.

Joel

Thanks Joel, I had originally bought it with the intention of making it a Solo 2 car, but it was right hand drive and I didn't want to go through the trouble of cutting up the dashboard or making a full race new one.

Since there is a surge for the Japanese Domestic Market cars in the US, I decided to go full stock on it.

There are some paint flaws, but I'm not going to try polishing them out.

Interior sidewalls are very scant on detail and will hopefully not be too visible with the side windows in.

Next up is to try to mask for the black trim. Wish me luck.

David,
I have complete confidence in your ability to mask out the Black trim. Looking forward to seeing your results.

Joel

Thanks Joel.

And, I thank Mr. Tamiya for 2 and 3 mm tape for curves too. Masking and painting came out well and there appears to be minimal touchup needed. Pics Saturday or Sunday. May have final assembly done by Sunday night if all goes well.

David,
I love Tamiya's vinyl curvable tape, as well as strips I cut from their regular masking tape that does indeed do gentle curves and has a lot better sticking power.

I'm finding since I've started ordering from HLJ (Japan) & Spot Models (Spain), that Tamiya has a whole new world of paints, tools, and supplies that just aren't sold here. To some extent that also applies to Mr. Hobby/Mr. Color.

Joel

Being mostly a Sci-Fi and armor modeler I've been ordering from HLJ for many years.

Got a few photos done this morning while waiting for the race to start.

David,
Plain and simple: You nailed it

Joel

Thanks Joel.

I second that motion! Looks spot on mate, even the satin sheen on the trim compared to the body paint, lovely job.

Cheers, D

Thanks Damian, paint was MM Black Chrome Trim, which is essentially a Satin Black.

I'll tell you, I really have to thank my wife for my Christmas present from her this last one. I've used bottle fed airbrushes for the past 15 years, going from "external" mix to several variants of internal mix. This last Christmas she got me a Badger Krome cup type. I find that I will now mask and airbrush things that I would try to brush paint freehand, resulting in a much cleaner finish than I could manage before. No more wasted paint, faster color changes and airbrush clean up.

Window frames and sunroof looks razor sharp.

Thanks Jesper. Heading out on a business trip this week. Will be Friday evening before I can touch it again.

Finished up the details and decals tonight. Should have pics posted in the next few days.

I'm calling it done. I figure it is the first vehicle I've finished in about 6 years.









Thanks for looking.

Looks great David, really clean neat build! I’m sure it feels good to get one finished and on display, the first of many I hope.

Cheers, D

Thanks Damian.

Now that I see the photos I realize I should have painted the inside of the shell with an interior color. Never satisfied, always room for improvement.

That’s the idea mate, improve with every build.

What’s up next on the bench?

Not sure if I'll have time to build another vehicle between now and September. I have a 1/35th HMMWV that I was converting to a brush fire truck that got shelved a long while ago. All that was left was decals, and items for the bed. I may go back on that. Would it qualify as a Garage Queen, LOL?

David,
Congrats for getting the Civil across the finish line

Your finished CR-X really looks good. All your trim work is razor sharp, so it's a really major plus in my book.

Like Damian said, love to have you build another car/truck sooner then later, as you've got the knack, and certainly the skill set.

Joel

Nice finish. Super clean painting of all the weather stripping. And all the glass.