Chaos!

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Niek Nijsen

I could argue that this is the most detailed kit I've ever seen straight from the box. But then I could also argue it's the most chaotic kit I've ever seen. It's a multi-media model, which means its build-up of different parts including resin, white metal, photo-etch and rubber. Although normally a kit comes in the shape of parts attached to sprues, I found all the parts for this particular kit in small zip-lock bags that were pretty much thrown into the box. Most certainly not something I expected from a Japanese manufacturer who sells their kits for almost 500£. As a result, the delicate parts are all bend out of shape and require extensive and delicate “reshaping” to get them to fit in the overall model. And that’s not the only problem, for some reason there’s no naming or numbering like you usually have when parts are attached to a sprue. In this case, I’m simply forced to look at the manual (which is something that deserves a compliment as it is very detailed and well explained) and compare the parts laid out on the bench to find the correct one. A very time consuming and frustrating job to say the least. As I said at the start… chaos.

However, with that slight disappointment and area of frustration out of the way, we can finally take a look at the actual kit, which is very detailed, to the extent that it comes with a fully functional engine (provided you turn the crankshaft by hand). The rest of the car upholds that amount of detail throughout and should turn into an impressive model once complete. The fact that it’s in 1/12 scale means all this detail is large and clearly visible, which is great but also means I have to be extra careful to pay attention to all this detail or it will be very obvious in the completed model.

The first step in building this kit was to simply lay out all the parts on the bench and try and make sense of what was in front of me. Using the manual, I slowly grouped parts that I thought would go together and decided that the engine was the best place to start (aside from the fact it’s step 1 in the manual). I’ve never worked with white metal before, so it formed a steep learning curve as I went. With the help and advice of a few fellow modellers, I managed to put the engine together, which took a lot longer than I initially thought it would. I then sprayed said engine and all resin parts with my newly acquired Mr. Surfacer black primer (great stuff, really recommended) which forms the base for further detailing and the carbon fibre decals that will cover the rest of the car. While on the subject of decals, these are another subject of frustration. They’re beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but very delicate and somewhat oversized, which means a lot of “modification” work (mostly with a sharp knife) is required to get them to fit properly. To make things worse, I don’t think the decals stick to the model very well, so a lot of additional work is needed by using thin glues and decal solutions to try and keep them in place. I’ve been playing a bit with different colours for the underlayer before applying the carbon-fibre overlay in an attempt to vary the look of the car a bit, as it would otherwise turn out in a somewhat boring black model. The latter is obviously based on reference photos which show slight difference in colours and types of carbon materials used (if that’s a thing). Although the current effect with the multiple colours is a bit strong, I think they’ll tone down a bit once I’ve gone over them with a darkened varnish to give it that matt effect and seal the whole lot, hopefully aiding in adhesion to the model. Fingers crossed…

And that’s pretty much it for now. Like I said, progress is very slow due to all the reshaping work required. I currently working on the gearbox and side pods, but we’ll cover those items in the next update. I’m also slightly behind in taking photos, so they’ll be uploaded by next week probably. See you then!

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