Lamborghini Miura

[70 Sting]

Today:

On this model, the engine cover louvers are glued in from the bottom permanently hiding the engine from view.  I cut the 2 ridges that make contact with the body and added new polystyrene contact points to the body itself. The pictures will explain it better than words.

Original:

 

Cutting:

 

After:

 

Polystyrene Bottom View:

 

Polystyrene Top View:

 

Engine cover is now removable.

The louvers sat higher than their original position so ended up sanding the 2 bottom risers down a couple millimetres, now they're closer to the actual profile. There is a slight warp in the part so I'm thinking I can use a heat gun to soften it up so all 4 corners lay perfectly flat. I did snap one of the louvers trying to bend it by hand (mistake number one). The warp wouldn't have been an issue if the part was just glued in place.

Edited July 12, 2021 by 70 Sting

[70 Sting]

Sanded down the rear grill - opening the airflow - to make it look a little more like the actual car. Used 180 grit sandpaper then finished the holes off with the Xacto. The key was to sand the back as evenly as possible. 

 

[oldrevellfan]

Nice !

[89AKurt]

Since I have this kit, will bookmark for future reference!  The opening of grills is looking good, that's something I would do too.

[250 Testa Rossa]

I'll be following this one closely, even though I will be backdating mine to build the car from The Italian Job. 

[carl63_99]

3 hours ago, 250 Testa Rossa said:

I'll be following this one closely, even though I will be backdating mine to build the car from The Italian Job. 

Before or after the tunnel?

[bisc63]

Nice work so far, opening the grille is a very nice touch when possible. Looking forward to more!

[250 Testa Rossa]

On 7/15/2021 at 3:04 PM, carl63_99 said:

Before or after the tunnel?

Before. 

[David G.]

Beautiful work on this so far, love all the added touches.

David G.

[70 Sting]

This weekend I scribed the panel lines (had to fill a few slips with Tamiya Putty) and sanded the body with 600 grit sandpaper. 

Used an airbrush for the first time to prime the body with decanted Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Had to sand and respray a few times as I discovered additional areas that needed attention. It went on pretty well as far as I know - hopefully that's a good sign when it comes time to airbrush the body. ?

 

I have a BIG problem, however. That slight warp in the rear louvers that I thought I could heat up and flatten out...

I discovered that styrene melts real quick (mistake number two).

I posted a request in the Wanted section on this forum. I tried contacting Hasegawa Japan using Google Translate, the American distributor Stevens International twice and the Canadian distributor Lightspeed Global who were the only ones to get back to me. They said they would contact the manufacturer to see if the part is available.

Anyone have an extra set of louvers they'd be willing to sell?

Edited July 18, 2021 by 70 Sting

[Beans]

Yikes!!  If your stuck and can't get new you may be able to make a new rear louver panel.  I don't know what the side profile looks like but from that picture is looks like just overlapped rectangular pieces.  Just a thought.

[70 Sting]

@Beans I did try playing around with some polystyrene thinking I could remake the lower 3 sections as they were the only ones affected. It looked pretty crude to say the least.

There is a slight curve to the louvers which match the body contours, a small gap in between each one and they sit upon 2 stepped risers on either side. A little much for my caveman skills.

On the plus side, Lightspeed Global got back to me this morning. The part is available, however due to the pandemic it will be consolidated with other orders and sent by boat in 3 to 4 months. Plenty of time for me to screw up something else. ?

[70 Sting]

Not much today, just made the backs of the headrests which will be visible through the rear window when engine louvers are removed.

Edited July 20, 2021 by 70 Sting

[Dann Tier]

On 7/18/2021 at 5:45 PM, 70 Sting said:

This weekend I scribed the panel lines (had to fill a few slips with Tamiya Putty) and sanded the body with 600 grit sandpaper. 

Used an airbrush for the first time to prime the body with decanted Tamiya Fine Surface Primer White thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Had to sand and respray a few times as I discovered additional areas that needed attention. It went on pretty well as far as I know - hopefully that's a good sign when it comes time to airbrush the body. ?

 

I have a BIG problem, however. That slight warp in the rear louvers that I thought I could heat up and flatten out...

I discovered that styrene melts real quick (mistake number two).

I posted a request in the Wanted section on this forum. I tried contacting Hasegawa Japan using Google Translate, the American distributor Stevens International twice and the Canadian distributor Lightspeed Global who were the only ones to get back to me. They said they would contact the manufacturer to see if the part is available.

Anyone have an extra set of louvers they'd be willing to sell?

I'm pretty sure i have a couple spares...

[70 Sting]

@Dann Tier I’ll send you a DM.

[70 Sting]

Got the interior completed. Decided to skip the 2-tone black paint and went all Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss with gunmetal embossing powder for the carpet. The paint went on a little pebbly but it doesn't show so much in person. No problems with the rear glass - YES!!

I didn't have any decal setting solution on hand so I tried using straight vinegar and also mixed with warm water. It didn't work on the 6 smaller gauges but it did work on the speedo and tach. The Lamborghini decal on the steering wheel would not lay down so I tried something I heard on a podcast... Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. The guy said to use it with extreme caution and don't touch it. I put a tiny amount around the outer perimeter and it laid down beautifully.

 

All remaining parts have been primed. I tried using gaffers tape to help hold parts with no obvious gripping/hiding places for the alligator clips as it is stickier than traditional, cheap masking and leaves no residue behind. It held on to the smaller parts pretty well and did't let go under airbrush pressure.

Thanks for looking.  :^)

Edited August 1, 2021 by 70 Sting

[slusher]

Real nice interior..

[David G.]

Beautiful interior!

The rear louver mishap is unfortunate but at least you can complete 99% of the build and add the louvers when you receive them.

David G.

[70 Sting]

Airbrushing day... nerves were high but I think the base coat went down ok for my first body. Still holding the brush too far away and/or not applying enough paint. I think I'm too worried about runs and orange peel.

I sprayed a mist coat, a medium, then heavier 3rd coat with Tamiya X-10 Gun Metal thinned 2:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner.

 

Let it dry for about 1 hour then it was time for Tamiya X-25 Clear Green thinned 1:1 with Tamiya X-20A (for the quicker drying time). I applied a light mist coat, followed by 4 heavier coats with 10 minutes dry time in between. Unfortunately I ended up with some texture in the paint. It did improve over time but I can't imagine it will level out any further after 48 hours.

I might try sanding and polishing the candy green at the risk of creating unevenness in the finish. Any suggestions for a starting grit? I also have Tamiya's 3 step polishing compounds.

 

 

 

[beeRS]

Lovely colour. Your Miura is coming along nicely.

I usually start the polishing process at 3000 grit, but this can vary depending upon the paint finish your starting with. 

[alan barton]

I definitely would NOT start sanding that candy finish.  It probably wouldn't remove much texture and it would be guaranteed to introduce patchiness.  As you are already using Tamiya paints, I would put three or four coats of Tamiya clear on it and then wetsand and polish the clear.

Great choice of colour by the way, on one of my childhood favourites!

Cheers

Alan

[David G.]

Beautiful color, very eye-catching.

I agree with Alan Barton's advice regarding the paint issue.

David G.

[doorsovdoon]

Looks gorgeous, nice work. Alan is right regarding the paint. When I get textured paint like that it's best to put a good layer of clear over it and polish the heck out of it rather than the paint. It should come out looking like glass.

[70 Sting]

Thanks for the advice, fellas. I guess I'll be learning another new skill - airbrushing clear. Will it hide the slight texture in the paint?

I have Tamiya X-22 on hand and after reading various methods of application, I gather the consensus is to thin it with Lacquer thinner, preferably the retarder type, 50/50 or 40/60 (paint to thinner) and sprayed between 15 to 20 psi.

There's quite a discrepancy on how it's actually applied. Some suggest multiple light layers until desired thickness or gloss is achieved, other say fewer, heavier applications. Not much mention of drying time between coats.

Guess I have some experimenting to do.

[alan barton]

Harry, I have only been using Tamiya spray cans for a year or so compared to thirty years of using Testors enamels.  My experiences so far would discourage me from doing ANY heavy coats with Tamiya.  Normally, my last coat of anything is close and wet but this stuff is hot and I have been getting reactions with paint, primer and putty that I have not experienced with any other paints. And it appears that you might have had some similar reactions on the Lambo.  

 Don't be scared of using the spray cans though, they lay down nice and  smooth and if you keep checking your surface after each coat, I think you will minimise a lot of the graininess.

Good luck - always scary when you have a nice paintjob on a nice model that is at risk!

Cheers

Alan