Aoshima Lamborghini Diablo GTR

Here's a build update on the Diablo GTR. I've been working on completing the chassis, engine and cockpit while I wait for the custom blue paint from Gravity Colors to become available.

The engine has been mounted and given a wash with thinned Tamiya semi gloss black acrylic.

The brakes haven't been added at this time. They're plated in chrome which I am attempting to strip. Aoshima's chrome so far has been resistant to concentrated bleach and 91% alcohol. I may end up using oven cleaner.

The cockpit has been mostly completed. I used Tamiya light sea grey for the dashboard and seat, and added a little flat black to the top part of the dash. To replicate carbon fiber I mixed Tamiya X32 titanium gold with Tamiya X18 semi gloss black to a 1:3 ratio.

The engine bay/surround has been added. I also painted this in the aforementioned mix of X32 and X18 and added some bare metal foil to the coolant hoses. I also installed the exhaust headers. They were sprayed with a mixture of Alclad 2 pale gold and steel.

Here's the engine bay with the body test fitted. It's shaping up nicely! There is some debris on my iPhone camera lens, so don't mind the black spots.

By the next update I should have most of the build finished save for the body. I'm still waiting on the paint from Gravity Colors, but hope to have it soon.

Aoshima Lamborghini Diablo GTR

To continue the Lamborghini theme, here is my next project. The Lamborghini Diablo GTR. This is actually a commission build for a client who is a huge Lamborghini fan. I believe this kit is fairly new as there isn't much out there in terms of build reports and such, but I was able to find a 30 part Youtube tutorial of its sister kit, the Diablo GT. The two kits are very similar so I was able to learn quite a lot about the build.

I started by gluing all the major body components together. Here it is, ready for primer in my spray booth. The body will be painted in Lamborghini Monterey Blue which is a light metallic blue. This color is currently being prepared for me by Gravity Colors. I also plan to use their 2K clear. 

The engine has been assembled, airbrushed with Tamiya LP-5 semi gloss black, then airbrushed with Alclad Aluminum and Alclad Pale Gold for the valve covers. I also used a Molotow chrome marker to pick out the details on the valve covers.

This is my first time using Tamiyas new bottled lacquer paints. The paint smells AWFUL, and yes I do wear a respirator while spraying, but the paint came out beautifully. I thinned it with lacquer thinner at a 1:1 ratio. You can't really see the color too well since this was lit by my spraybooths LED lights, but it looks pretty good. I also painted the other chassis components with this color but wasn't able to photograph them all at once.

Tameo Larrousse Lola LC89 Lamborghini

I recently completed my first 1/43 white metal Formula 1 kit, Tameo's Larrousse Lola LC89 Lamborghini. I was always interested in trying out a 1/43 metal kit and happened to see this listed on eBay for a pretty low price, so I decided to pull the trigger.

This will be a brief post because I didn't take too many progress pics, but there was a lot of prep work involved. Metal files are a must, as well as CA glue.

Here is the model in its raw kit form.

Sanded and filed away the excess metal and applied primer. This is Duplicolor sandable white primer straight from the can. 

Sanded down some imperfections and airbrushed Tamiya royal blue acrylic. I let this dry for a few days before applying decals.

Decals applied. The green red and yellow are all decals. The green portion of the nose was actually airbrushed Tamiya park green because the decal was damaged, but it's a close match to the green on the cowling.

I airbrushed Gravity Colors 2K clear after the decals dried for a few days. I love this stuff!

I didn't take pics of all the other components in progress, but here's the finished product. I added a 1/43 scale photo-etch harness. Unfortunately I lost the decals for the red on the front wing so I painted this in Tamiya red instead. It's not a perfect match and I may decide to mix up a lighter shade and repaint it at a later time. Or I will apply the decals if they happen to magically show up.

Lotus 102D Update

The Lotus is nearing completion!

I didn't take any pics during final assembly because I was too focused on not screwing anything up let alone smearing superglue all over the place. Everything went together very smoothly. The only issues I had were gluing the front suspension covers directly below the wishbones. They were quite a tight fit. Otherwise, no problems!

I actually forgot to attach a small triangular piece that goes right in front of the windscreen. I painted this a mix of X5 green and X28 park green and glued it on fairly cleanly. I also need to finish up the mirrors, add the rain light, and finally the seat.

To my relief the engine cover fits snugly.

I ground and sanded the molded in seat belts and drilled holes for the lap belts. I will eventually include a harness from Tamiya's Seat Belt F product. I have a spare kit as well, so here's a before and after photo.

I'm toying with the idea of adding radiator plumbing and wiring to the engine bay as long as I can find the right kind of materials, but I may end up leaving it as is. Unfortunately the Ford decal on the airbox cracked. This was from the Shunko sheet, so I may end up replacing it with the kit decal if it's the same size. Gotta love spares.

Hopefully everything will be completed by my next post, including outdoor photos with better lighting. Enjoy!