Lancia Stratos HF Stradale

[70 Sting]

3 hours ago, Lobo2me said:

Hi Harry....is the spare tire visible thru the hood louvers.....?

Hey @Lobo2me, no, the tire cannot be seen. As a result, I only gave it a little attention.  The kit does come with an extra set of rims that match the spare.

[70 Sting]

3 hours ago, karbuildr said:

Very well done build. Such an unusual looking vehicle but your paint color choice looks really good. Interior detailing is outstanding and I like the subtle tint on the wheels.

Thanks bud.  I enjoyed working on this one.  It certainly is a unique vehicle… like a spaceship on wheels. :^) 

Edited September 10, 2023 by 70 Sting

[e30lover]

Beautiful Stratos build! The photos are equally fantastic. Everyone who built the Hasegawa Stratos know how scary it is to put the body in without breaking anything - and they all had some issues with wheel gap around the fenders. 

[70 Sting]

9 hours ago, e30lover said:

Beautiful Stratos build! The photos are equally fantastic. Everyone who built the Hasegawa Stratos know how scary it is to put the body in without breaking anything - and they all had some issues with wheel gap around the fenders. 

Thank you sir.  And thanks for shedding some light on the wheel issue.  I did a little looking around and found gaps to varying degrees on other builds as well.  Still, doesn’t detract too much from a pretty cool kit. ?

[Mittagskind]

Yeah this looks great. Well done.

[Rich Chernosky]

On 9/9/2023 at 8:56 AM, 70 Sting said:

Thanks Rich.  The instructions give you the paint mix ratio .  The photos above are pretty close to how the model looks in person.  Internal processors in cameras don’t always reproduce colours with 100% accuracy.
 

I am no a paint expert by any stretch of the imagination. My favourite paints to apply are AK Interactive Xtreme Metalizers because they cover beautifully with thin coats at low air pressure.  The biggest drawback for me is that they are enamel based and don’t like to be messed with afterwards. 

Regarding Tamiya LP:  I think they’re pretty great.  I’ve been making the transition from their Acrylic line to Lacquer.  Biggest hurdle for me is backing off with my heavy trigger finger.  You could argue that their LP-5 Semi Gloss Black is the very best out there.  
How has your experience been with them?

This is the kit:  https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hasegawa-20543-lancia-stratos-hf-stradale--1378256

Cheers

Harry...I am fortunate to have my local hobby shop owner as my best friend.  He took on the entire line of LP (80 colors) and gave me (as in free) 1 of each. I have used about half of them. I use a Paasche H in both heavy and med tip so the pressure is a little higher and I have to thin...not much BTW as the LP line was designed for airbrush. I use Mr Color leveling thinner. The clear is one of the best I have seen as you spray and keep thinning. The last wet coat goes on shiny and stays that way. Might agree with you on the semi black as I have gone through 2 jars. But my "go to" is still TS-29 decanted. Don't mix the LP line with decanted TS   BTW as you will get colored cottage cheese ...instantly. I have been spraying more and more of the AK Metalizers for certain applications. Its great.  Although the Testors buffing metalizers are still my favorite. Nothing really like them on the market. When I heard they were being dropped I hoarded them. I might have a 10yr supply at the rate I am building now.  Thanks for the reply...been a great exchange.

[70 Sting]

21 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Harry...I am fortunate to have my local hobby shop owner as my best friend.  He took on the entire line of LP (80 colors) and gave me (as in free) 1 of each. I have used about half of them. I use a Paasche H in both heavy and med tip so the pressure is a little higher and I have to thin...not much BTW as the LP line was designed for airbrush. I use Mr Color leveling thinner. The clear is one of the best I have seen as you spray and keep thinning. The last wet coat goes on shiny and stays that way. Might agree with you on the semi black as I have gone through 2 jars. But my "go to" is still TS-29 decanted. Don't mix the LP line with decanted TS   BTW as you will get colored cottage cheese ...instantly. I have been spraying more and more of the AK Metalizers for certain applications. Its great.  Although the Testors buffing metalizers are still my favorite. Nothing really like them on the market. When I heard they were being dropped I hoarded them. I might have a 10yr supply at the rate I am building now.  Thanks for the reply...been a great exchange.

That’s a couple hundred bucks worth of paint… any chance he’s looking for a new friend? ;^)

I’ve been using MCLT as well.  Have you tried Tamiya’s thinner with retarder?  I’m not sure if there’s a difference between the two.  They must call MCLT ‘Unicornn Tears’ for a reason.If I read you correctly, you’re adding more thinner to subsequent coats of LP Clear?  How many coats do you typically apply and how does the ratio vary?

I have tried TS-29 as well… also very good and more economical.

That Testors paint will probably last forever.  I recall seeing or reading about a modeller who opened an unused square bottle of Testors enamel that sat for over 20 years… still applied perfectly.

[Rich Chernosky]

2 hours ago, 70 Sting said:

That’s a couple hundred bucks worth of paint… any chance he’s looking for a new friend? ;^)

I’ve been using MCLT as well.  Have you tried Tamiya’s thinner with retarder?  I’m not sure if there’s a difference between the two.  They must call MCLT ‘Unicornn Tears’ for a reason.If I read you correctly, you’re adding more thinner to subsequent coats of LP Clear?  How many coats do you typically apply and how does the ratio vary?

I have tried TS-29 as well… also very good and more economical.

That Testors paint will probably last forever.  I recall seeing or reading about a modeller who opened an unused square bottle of Testors enamel that sat for over 20 years… still applied perfectly.

I have tried X-22 with retarder but with mixed results. The LP clear is done is four stages.  1 first coat thinned just a little at high pressure. This leaves the surface a little pebbley with almost no shine. 2  second coat at the same pressure but open the nozzle more. Shine starts to show. 3 Third coat is thinned some more and the nozzle left where it was at but lower pressure. This really starts to shine but will dull a little as it dries. 4 Last coat is over thinned at low pressure. It should form a nice mist and goes on very wet. Usually spray this coat a little farther back to avoid runs. First three coats can be put on at 5min intervals. Last one you should probably give it an hour or so. Takes some practise but the results are worth it. This also works for Mr Color clear too.  I did a Lancia Stratos with a bottle of Testors ( Italian red but looked more like dark orange) I had as a kid...the early 60's. One of my best airbrush jobs. The paint had to be 40yrs old at the time.  Still got a few bottles. 

[70 Sting]

11 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said:

I have tried X-22 with retarder but with mixed results. The LP clear is done is four stages.  1 first coat thinned just a little at high pressure. This leaves the surface a little pebbley with almost no shine. 2  second coat at the same pressure but open the nozzle more. Shine starts to show. 3 Third coat is thinned some more and the nozzle left where it was at but lower pressure. This really starts to shine but will dull a little as it dries. 4 Last coat is over thinned at low pressure. It should form a nice mist and goes on very wet. Usually spray this coat a little farther back to avoid runs. First three coats can be put on at 5min intervals. Last one you should probably give it an hour or so. Takes some practise but the results are worth it. This also works for Mr Color clear too.  I did a Lancia Stratos with a bottle of Testors ( Italian red but looked more like dark orange) I had as a kid...the early 60's. One of my best airbrush jobs. The paint had to be 40yrs old at the time.  Still got a few bottles. 

Thanks for sharing your process Rich. I’m going to give it a try on my next build. ?

Yes, Mr. Color GX100 is very good - quite thick though.

[Lobo2me]

On 9/9/2023 at 6:06 PM, 70 Sting said:

Hey @Lobo2me, no, the tire cannot be seen. As a result, I only gave it a little attention.  The kit does come with an extra set of rims that match the spare.

Roger that...thx

[Rattlecan Dan]

Wow! That's a beautiful build. Really fine craftsmanship.

[spencer1984]

Beautiful job on this!

[slusher]

Beautifully done!

[Bainford]

Lovely Stratos. Nice clean work. It's great to see one built stock.

[Dann Tier]

What a beautiful work of art!!

[70 Sting]

On 9/13/2023 at 11:13 AM, Bainford said:

Lovely Stratos. Nice clean work. It's great to see one built stock.

23 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

What a beautiful work of art!!

Thank you kindly Trevor and Dann.  It was a fun little build (minus body - chassis fitting).

[dave branson]

Nice build I have to get one of these models.

 

[ATHU]

Looks fantastic, excellent job!!