Bob's Dream Garage - Lamborghini Aventador!

 Any auto fan has, I think,  an Ultimate Car. Were time, space ,and money no object, we would have this in our (large, clean secure and well-equipped) garage. For me it's been the big Lambos. The Reventon was top of the heap, but as they only made 20, individually assigned to the buyers, even as a dream car it seemed a bit too lofty. But in 4 short years they came out with the Aventador ,which had much of the styling and performance, and only retailed for half a mil or so, so not out of reach of the nouveau riche...

Of course I am neither Nouveau nor Riche, and unless I win the lotto bigly (which is unlikely since I don't play games of chance) I cannot afford one. At least not a full-sized example...

SO late in 2024 I decided to take the plunge and buy my dream car - in 1/24th scale...

I did some online searching and found that Aoshima made several Aventador variants all available on the aftermarket (eBay in this case) and I made my selection, a "Super Veloce" variant.

A Supercar needs to be painted in a "LOOK AT ME" color, and I had a bottle of my much-loved (and lamentedly now unavailable ) Modelmaster enamels, in this case one of the special run of Boyd Enamels - Orange Pearl. Bright and shimmering, it would be the perfect Lambo Color (but not the best paint, as we'll learn later). 

I had never built an Aoshima kit before, and I'll just say I'm impressed and Would Build Again.

The details is excellent, the fit superb, the plastic much more to scale thicknesses than with the car models of my youth. While this adds to the delicacy of building and handling after, I'm building a scale model, not a toy car, so let's get going!

As mentioned above, Aoshima makes several Aventador variants based on the original base model, so expect unused parts, and bags of special SV parts.

I'd also recommend you do a serious inspection of the somewhat sparse instructions, paint and decals in particular.

Because I wanted a really nice exterior finish, and the car body came in multiple parts applied over several assemblies, I had to build in an altered sequence. My initial thought was to spray all body exterior pieces, then assemble. After careful review of the instructions and the fit of pieces, my actual choice was to build as much as could be built, and paint the car body essentially complete to avoid marring the finishing with any glues to assemble it.

But we are getting ahead here. First was chassis and suspension.

(So...many...pieces...)

The Upper and lower control arms, brake disks and calipers, and front steering link were all represented and moved appropriately. And yes, there were tiny Lambo script decals for the calipers, which will ultimately be buried deep within the SV-specific single bolt wheels, but I"LL know they're there...

Next, we build up the Lambo V12; block, heads, accessories, intake, exhaust, etc.

It nestles down in the rear "tub" where the titanium shade exhaust manifold will be nearly invisible when we're done. A word on that. I've been searching for a successor to Modelmaster metallizer for a while; and after the B-50 earlier in the year and now this car, I unhesitatingly recommend Alclad lacquers fort your metallic needs. Spray straight from the bottle, clean with relatively cheap lacquer thinner from the auto parts store,  dries very quickly, and critically, is a great metallic tone. Not plagued with too-large hunks of pigment, making metal into metal-flake, it does however require an absolutely smooth surface, because it goes on SUPER thin and will show any faults beneath, including differing prep colors (You use this to your advantage on large aircraft surfaces to get that "different panels / different shades" look ). Understand the requirements, and get a superb finish.

( air intake manifold, suspension components, hoses in place, and yes, more Lamborghini logos)

With the engine bay ~ complete, we move on to the passenger compartment. 

In a strange twist of fate, my hording of old paints paid off: A Japanese kit calls for Japanese paints, in this case Mr. Color (Formerly Gunze Sangyo, at least in the U.S.) C 40 Field Gray for the interior. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, than a Bottle of that color, still good after ~ 30 years on the shelf! Luck was with me (so far). Since it's acrylic, a good undercoat of Tamiya surfacing primer in light grey (another staple on my bench) was followed by old faithful Feldgrau luxurious Lamborghini leather Gray (makes me wonder about the gray interior of the two VW Jettas I've owned, come to think of it...)

I used Alcald Gunmetal in place of the mix of black and silver , wherever it was called for, which I believe was their stand-in for carbon fiber. It has more sheen than dead flat, and a hint of sparkle.

Note to self (and others): Skip the little red decal on the top of the steering wheel, just paint a red stripe. It really didn't want to wrap around the wheel even with liberal amounts of solvaset, and near impossible for a two-handed human to hold in the correct position, and get to wrap around the wheel, and tamp out excess water at the same time. I also pondered what to do about the MFD screen in the center of the console. No decal provided (unlike the excellent one for the main instrument display) so I painted it light gray, outlined it with a black wash, paint on some diagonal silver streaks to mimic a reflection, and then gave it several heavy coats of clear gloss. Not really happy with it, but better than naught.

(Everybody likes a good "test fit", and you can see how much of the body isn't yet attached to the body...)

Crunch time. Time to build what I can of the body, then decide what gets painted how. First I did some assembling.  

(Looks more like a car, no?)

The side panels, intakes, gas cap, little vents, C Pillar panels, door jambs all separate pieces...and yes, I had a bit of Tamiya extra thin get away from me and left a thumbprint on the driver's side. Bare Metal Foil plastic polish to the rescue (another staple in my modeling toolbag). This confirmed my decision to assemble first, paint second. Any other little blems were addressed with the polish. Then I masked the exterior and sprayed the interior surfaces, first priming then painting gray the passenger compartment-facing surfaces, as with the rest of the interior. Set aside until tomorrow.

Then mask the Interior, and wipe down the body shell with a microfiber cloth, and head back to the booth. I wanted a bright finish, so I didn't prime any under-color.

My decades old bottle of Orange Pearl mixed and thinned well. Then spraying commenced...

If you zoom in, you'll notice that the surface is...not smooth.  To shorten my Tale of Woe, I was able to rule out the following:

1. It's not orange peel - it was thinned adequately and sprayed on well.

2. It's not dirt in the brush, the paint, or the environment (my basement) as the alclad, much thinner, went on smooth as glass

3. My conclusion, and recommendation, is this: Don't use 30 yr old paint for a gloss spray finish. There are pigments that simply won't smooth out, tiny bits that coalesce and can't be thinned, stirred, or shaken into solution. The color was EVERYTHING I wanted it to be, but the finish was (shudders) awful. What to do?

First, spray a second coat to darken the color and deepen the available shine, a bit thinner perhaps and try to smooth it out. Went successfully but still couldn't hide all the flaws.

(While I pondered what to do next, I sprayed the Flat black and gunmetal bits of the body)

I thought "Maybe some clear gloss will deepen the shine and hide some defects?" I had a can of Krylon clear enamel on the bench, so?

DISASTER

Blessedly I only sprayed it on the engine cover. It was like looking a a time lapse car crash. It sprayed on smoothly, and began to wrinkle and dull before my very eyes, like when the businessman drinks from the wrong Grail Cup...

(Photo from Bloody Disgusting.com)

Well that went from Bad to Worse. If my bottle of Boyd Clear Gloss hadn't gone bad? Who knows. But Krylon ISN'T the answer, and I now have a boot lid to redo from scratch AFTER I get it clean of paint.

(Soaking in Easy Off oven cleaner is a gentle-to-plastic solution. If you're wearing gloves. And have excellent ventilation. It's decidedly not gentle to anything...human)

I resolved to just live with the situation, and the learning that went along with it. So just go ahead and finish assembly. Doors would be last.

A note on the window glass. Beautiful, clear, thin, distortion free. And comes with an excellent set of masks so you can paint the black borders on the interior of the glass. Which works really well if you remember to do it before you install the glass. Just sayin'.

A note on assembly. For bare plastic to bare plastic, Tamiya extra thin. For structural integrity and in areas not near to clear parts, ACC cement. For clear, or near clear or near paint parts, Testor's Window Glue. Now, as for those signature Lambo doors...

The door exterior parts (in body color) and the door interior half (in interior color) formed a slot to hold the door support, a wire clip that was attached to the body when assembling the door jamb, and rotates freely in the arc required to get the large door past the A Pillar and into a raised position. The completed door slides onto the end of this wire support which looks like a miniature paper clip on the end, and snaps in place. The tension will break a normal plastic glue joint (ask me how I know!) so ACC was used , and let cure thoroughly. Now for some good news bad news. Good news is, despite appearances the door will snap onto the clip. Be firm but gentle. The bad news is that once it's on, there's no adjusting the fit. If you're displaying the car with the doors up, no one will ever know. Close it and ...expect some misalignment. On mine, the passenger side will stay ~ completely close. Driver's side, not so much...

But, like your own children, they're beautiful and you love them. 

Dream Achieved. My Lamborghini Aventador! She ain't perfect but she's mine! Now if I could just get that device The Rock used in Red One to transform it into the real thing....

If the weather clears, I'll get some doors up / engine compartment open shots in daylight. until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Commission - The B-17F and the Bf 109 G BROWN & STIGLER

 

Perhaps you have heard of this event.  It was hush, hush in WWII, but it is famous now.  A friend found on Facebook liked my work and asked if I would be willing to build him a Diorama!  This is my first Commission challenge, and a dandy one indeed!

This is what my friend Silvano Bruglioni is after.  There is more to it than two aircraft and some figures, but as we proceed with this post, that will become evident.

We begin with the Bf-109-G of Franz Stigler.  A flyer with 26 victories including a bomber this day.  Silvano chose a Tamiya kit (a first for me) and I consider it an excellent choice.  As you will see there are many fine details and the fit and finish is first rate.  I probably have twice the number of photos than are shown here, but the build process is something that I have tended to belabor in the past.

The cockpit and internals are sufficiently detailed right out of the box.

Including seat belt decals.

Its the engine that interests me and the stages of construction.  The options for final display are many since there are so many of the parts that can be removed.  As you will see magnets are included in order that gluing of assemblies can be minimized allowing for the available display options.

This last photo shows some DIY - wire!  The engine is built up in layers and can be removed if one wishes to display with the cowl closed.  But since this model will be on  the ground - wheels down and mechanics will be working, our engine with be on display!

Recall I mentioned magnets.  They will attract the washers glued in place for keeping the propeller and bottom engine cowl is place!

The kit includes wonderful canopy masking.  You have to use your xacto to remove them from the backing, so care is needed, but the result is very good.

I favor making a thinned flat black wash for the fine panel lines. Just some testors enamel with thinner added and let capillary action take over.  extra wash where not wanted is easily scraped away with the xacto.  I wash over the lines and rivets. The underside has a lot of line detail so I wash over everything and then when I give it a light spray of the cover coat of aircraft gray everything shows nicely.

Specific decals for this particular aircraft were obtained but the first patch was poorly manufactured and disintegrated removing from the paper backing (we got new ones - no charge), but the first batch was partially salvaged by coating the decals with Testors window glue.  When set, the glue became the film for picking up the decal off the backing paper.

See what I mean by interchangeable parts.

Besides the Franz Stigler 109, specific markings,  the Tamiya kit has a seemingly endless array of markings. Example here on the wheels and tires.

Here is a WIP photo with the engine, upper and lower cowls and propeller in place.  There will be more later when I am done assembling and painting the crew.

Accurizing a vintage Athearn Blue Box locomotive

I've often felt that skills acquired in one hobby find application in another. In this case, adding additional detail and correcting inaccuracies in an old RTR locomotive. I have an Athearn SD-45 in Santa Fe livery that was bought new in the early 80s and run many miles on my old layout. It has literally survived a flood and still runs well. But it needs a bit of TLC to run in the 21st century. 

..................

As delivered, this classic has some issues.

The nose should not have twin headlights, these will have to go. The numbers on the cab are not correct for any real prototype. Those cast on grabirons will have to go. The yellow paint should wrap over the top of the low hood. The foot boards need to come off and a plow pilot put on. For starters...

...........

FYI, the recommended reference work is "The Santa Fe Diesel, Volume 2", by Dr. Cynthia Priest. A treasure trove of prototype photos.

I selected ATSF #5610 as it appeared in 1972.

.............

We'll begin by removing the headlights and filling in the "nose".

Lenses removed, railing removed and set aside.

Old Squadron Gray Putty will do. Grabirons nicked off with the exacto.

Masking with Tamiya tape, primed with Tamiya gray primer. I had received a recommendation to use Tru Color paint as being a best-match to ATSF yellow. It's a lacquer that needs little thinning to spray right from the bottle, and goes on smoothly. 

Side by side with the (aged) Athearn yellow, it's a bit lighter but looks acceptable. 

Now we need to fix those cab numbers. Using a sanding stick followed by increasingly fine grades of modeling sandpaper, the old numbers were removed.

I smoothed the surface by masking and spraying a coat of Modelmaster Insignia Blue. It goes on flat, but we'll take care of surface finish later.

It appears that ATSF used different fonts for can side and number board numbers, and varied from prototype to prototype. As I'm using 5610 as my basis, a railroad roman font for the cab, and some sans serif block font for the number boards. Rather than make decals, I wanted to employ my wife's Cricut machine to cut some vinyl stencils and spray them. I used a free download font called Railroad Roman 1916 set to 18 pt and stuck them on either side, using Tamiya tape to finish the mask.

You'll also notice I've removed the old decals from the number boards. A Q-Tip dipped in Isopropyl alcohol and some rubbing will dissolve it all and not harm the surrounding paint..

The ATSF herald on the nose is coming from Microscale decals, "HO Santa Fe Diesels 1960-1972 #87-12".

Now let's correct the paint on the back end. Like the front hood, it should wrap around the corners and across the top of the loco. I masked everything but the now-blue-to-be-yellow area and shot it with white primer,  removed the mask over the already-yellow, and sprayed the Tru Color, blending the two shades into one.

I'm not planning on addressing the grabirons on that end, at this time. Back to the front, to deal with the pilot...

ATSF began doing away with footboard pilots and installing plows in the early 70s. I like that look, so ordered up a Cal Scale pilot plow and some MU hose sets from an online vendor. Generic parts, they'd  need some massaging to fit. 

(footboard pilot-before)

(Footboard removed, gaps filled and extended downward with sheet styrene)

I had to remove the footboard flush with the face of the pilot, fill the gap with styrene, extend them down below the bottom of the original pilot, and drill holes to a accept the locator pins on the cast metal pilot. Also had to trim off the three "bumps" where the MU hoses attach, and drill two holes for their pins, and trim off some of their cast-in bracket to get it all to fit, as shown below.

Now to get those number boards updated. I would print decals on white decal paper, white numbers over a black background.  I could not find a font that matched in all particulars. The 5 and 6 are ....; the 1 and 0 are... . At scale, you can't tell they're different. 

Now, what else needs changing. The ATSF logo on the nose, obviously (microscale sheet 87-22, ordered). But wait, there's more:

The MU receptacle, the fold down step, the pilot handrail, the coupler lift bar, the grabirons, the classification lights needed to be drilled out and lenses installed. Windshield wiper, cab sun shades. Air hose next to the coupler.  The rooftop ground plane and radio antenna. For starters...

.........

My decal sheet arrived. A couple of observations. 

1. Microscale decals are uniformly excellent. If they have them for your prototype, get them.

2. I could have used these for my cab numbers and number boards. D'oh!

3. Lots of little "bonus decals" I can use to increase the detail level. 

But first, let's get that logo on the nose...

There. One of the biggest inaccuracies,  corrected. :-)

Next up, I'm trying out some new dynamic brake fan/housings. If these work out, I'll upgrade the radiator fans as well.

First, drill a large hole in the center of the existing fan. Use an exacto to slowly,, incrementally increase hole diameter until the old fan housing is gone. Check fit with the new fan base. Assembled the new fan per the (non-illustrated) instructions, and dropped it in the hole. 

That provides extra detail and room.for sound to escape if I ever get that far...

But first, back to the cab and pilot details.

cast on grab irons were removed with the tip of a sharp exacto, drilled out and brass replacements fabled and installed. The pilot-wide handrail (still in brass, above) was added. A MU stand was added. I managed to damage the paint and nose decal in the process...

Added the drop step, coupler lift bar, and adjusted the plow height to provide as much rail clearance as possible without modifying the coupler pocket.

Had to pause and do a bit of research and ask those more knowledgeable regarding antennae on the cab roof. My 74 dated photo of 5610 shows a ground plane and antenna peeking over the top of the cab on the left. How much more is there that I cannot see?

Online help from the Facebook group Midwest Santa Fe Modelers was quick and valuable. 

Here's the roof of sister ship 5612:

All antennae are "can" type, the 2 forward on the double size ground plane are for RCE (remote control equipment) signals, the rear plane and antenna off set to the left on top of the dustbin is the radio.

I bought the first ground plane and used it to help me build the larger RCE plane out of sheet styrene.
 I added coupler lift bar, mu stand, drop step, mu hoses, and pilot handrail to the rear deck as well.

I drilled out the classification lights, and used some home printed decals to replicate the blue outer circle present on 5610  in photos, based on the photo in the Priest book. Fiber optic rod was inserted,  and less will be added later.

I added air system hoses and glad hands to the right of the coupler front and rear. All.that remains is windshield wipers which are on order, then it's on to weathering.