Some sanding, polishing and waxing

While the Ferrari is recovering from its Easy Off treatment, I decided to have a go at some finition on selected sections of the Europa.

Both sides are neat and clean so I wanted to see the effect of water sanding before polishing. In this picture, the rear portion of the door is sanded with a grade 2000 paper. As fine as it seems to the touch, it is quite enough to scrape the surface and make it lose whatever shine it had. The side has then been rubbed with a 3M Grinding Compound. This cream is supposed to make any sanding with grade 1500 and above disappear. Truly enough, the shine comes back and it looks as new. I rubbed the model with a microfiber cloth so as not to damage the paint. I use such clothes on my real car, which is very dear to me, so they cannot hurt a model. Abrasiveness is very fine but effective as the cloth shows green paint onto it. The final step was a coat of wax, using an Armor All standard wax.

The initial surface was not half bad, so the effect is not particularly obvious. The picture tries to point out differences in light reflection. The border of the reflection looks finer where the paint was sanded. When the reflection spreads on both areas, the difference seems a bit more understandable. I would be very curious to see what the reflection would be if I had sanded with a grade 200 first and then with a finer grade paper. The aim is to have a totally sharp border on the reflection.


However, unless I can one day make a really shiny body, I think I could live with that kind of finish. It looks quite on par with what toy makers provide on toy cars. I can see my own reflection on the finished sections of the model.

I also tried a less-than-perfect section: the front left wing, which had a mate finish after the second wet coat of paint. The half-wing close to the headlight has been sanded but not the rest. The sanding could definitely be better, maybe if started with a grosser grade, because it cannot cover all the orange peel effect. Like I did for the side of the body, the Grinding Compound was thoroughly used on the whole wing, then wax was applied.

The final effect is very instructive: the compound can smoothe the defects a bit but is absolutely not sufficient by itself. The sanded portion is a lot better looking, in fact the front and the rear of the wing are of two different standards.
I like this example because it highlights different things. First, sanding must be adapted to the defect. Here I should have started with a grosser grade paper, then picked finer ones. As I can testify, there is no need for a long, hard sanding. It just has to be enough to blur the surface evenly. That way, I think there is no need to fear the sight of primer through the paint! Second interesting point is that a grinding compound really grinds. It works as a very fine paper. Third point, even if it is not illustrated in the pictures, wax adds to the shine, and should protect the paint, if I am to believe the indications on the bottle. Fourth point, sanding corrects even major defects. The orange peel effect on the wing qualifies as major in my mind. However, if sufficient paint has been previously applied, there should be no worry about working on the surface of the model. Next time I see orange peel after the final wet coat of paint, I will not bother any more and get some sanding paper.

Back from the dead!

I was so certain that I got rid of it! Well, I was wrong, as I have found it buried in its original Castrol Super Clean. This is the F360 body of which I made a mess while painting. Too many runs of paint. Browsing the web about a way to strip the paint, it looked like Castrol Super Clean was efficient and harmless towards the plastic. So I bought one litre of it and let the body bath into it for days, then weeks, and I saw no peeling whatsoever. I was pretty discouraged. Time flew by and the solvent in the cleaner evaporated, and I found it earlier today, with a thick crust of cleaner around its front half. It was maybe two years when I let it bathe, so I can confirm that the Castrol product will not harm the plastic! Paint was lifted in spots and easy to scrape. I took off most of it under running water with a toothbrush. On the picture, it had just had a spray of Easy Off Oven cleaner. After all, the internet says it can strip paint too, so I have to try it!
Now maybe I can hope to finish the F360 some day...

Continuing the Europa

This is the second wet coat. The whole body looks smooth except on some place. I used the same method as for the first wet coat, with 4 covering of the length of the car. I think I could have done with 3 because I noted a clear tendency to have paint running on the sides of the body. However, there is nothing horrible this time.
The light reflection on the parting lines of the hood makes me think that there may be an excess of paint, I do not know.






The coat looks pretty even and should only need a good polishing operation. Here again, I think there may be an excess of paint at the door lines, so perhaps a light sanding is in order.



The reflections of the light seem satisfying but the picture shows that the left front wing has a mate finish, compared to the right one. It is as if I had made a mist coat during the wet coat. It is perhaps a problem of distance between the can and the model. I may have lifted it too early or stopped spraying before having sufficiently cleared the body. I think I should leave it as such and try to see what a polish compound and light sanding can do.







This is how it looks from a little afar. The front left wing is clearly mate compared to the hood.







This is what the boot lid looks like after its first wet coat. The finish is dull, but I think I can expect it to be smoother after the second coat. However, I am surprised to see some fish eyes. I have not touched the part at all during the night and I wonder how its surface was contaminated. I think this means a thorough sanding to the primer if necessary.

Boot lid of the Europa

This is the lid before the first wet coat. I have chosen to heavily mist it so as to even the paint more. I am not sure whether it is efficient or not, but from the look of it, the finish is convincing. The overall aspect is mate once again, but I think it is because it still needs a good build up of paint. Next step will be to put a wet coat of paint on it and see the result. I intend this part to be a test bed for the need of a good polishing before applying a clear coat over the paint. Half of it will be polished before, and then all of it will be polished after the clear coat is sprayed.

First trial on the Europa

This is the Europa body after a first wet coat. Preparation included sanding mold lines, priming and 3 mist coats.

I sprayed the paint at a 15 cm distance, trying to move at a constant speed in a continuous left to right to left again movement for a total of 4 passages over the model. I kept my eyes on the paint itself during the hole process so as to watch its flow on the surface. Once the right flank was done, I shifted to the top section interrupting the spray only for a brief shake of the can. After 3 passages, I rotated the mounting in order to face the left flank and did the same as above, finishing by the top again. I sprayed the left a bit more slowly than the right as I have spotted a small run of paint at the base of the front right wheel arch.

The finishing touches were directly in front of the front and rear bumpers, with 2 passages each. I figured there must have been a non-neglictible amount of paint already in place, so I wanted to avoid any running problem.









The body shows very little shine only but I hope that can be fixed by polishing after a second wet coat. There is a tricky section where the rear window is placed, as the spray is partially blocked by the roof line.








The quality of the picture is poor but sufficient to show a blemished area on the door. It was there after priming and appeared when the paint started to dry. I wonder what causes it as it is directly exposed to the spray of paint. There again I hope it will only be a bad memory after polishing.

Some references about the Lotus 49

Web-based research was satisfying, as I have found these links:

First thing first, I will need English instructions, as I expect mine to be in Japanese, given that the kit comes directly from Japan. This site has them.

It may be 1/43 in scale, but the result is outstanding. Here is a step-by-step report of the painting and assembling.

Some piece of advice, in French.

The Formula 1 Modeling Website has a forum that can be useful.

Of course, the wonderful book by Michael Oliver: Lotus 49 The Story of a Legend. It is great for the history of the car, and has many backstage pictures of some details. However, the best ones are in black and white.

Some useful links about painting

That is where I sweat the most: painting a full body. Applying paint with a brush, even down to a tiny level of detail has never been a problem. I have made lots of figurines and that makes me able to get some good results. However, regarding cars, my first experience has been a nightmare. It was a Tamiya F360, yellow, with Tamiya paint in a can. Trying to get what was referred to as a "wet coat", I finally ended with lots of runs, and clogged details. And it was neither smooth nor glossy... I am currently trying again on a Lotus Europa body this time, with a proper primer and more hopes. Pictures should follow, if I can get something out of it. If not, then I am in trouble!

Here are some links that could prove useful:
Basics of spray painting, by Ray.
How to lay down a perfect paint job, by Alex. This one is about a F360 and was my reference at the time I tried to make mine. However, I never got as far as described!
Those links were picked from Brian's Model Cars, where many more tutorials are present and a forum seems very active.
The Modeler Site showcases many wonderful pieces of art, but archives are not free. However, they are not really expensive either, and I am considering buying their article about the Lotus 49.

Here's where we start!

I have created this blog with one idea: to provide some step-by-step building information for models I have yet to make. My main project is a Heller HMS Victory, which should require many years before its completion. In the very near future, I should get a Tamiya Lotus 49 model (1/12) that will get priority over the ship.

I do not consider myself as a talented model-maker. I have too little experience and probably not enough dexterity to create a wonder such as those real artists can produce. However, I went through the process of looking for tips and pictures over the internet to have some references, some warning before ruining a heavy time-consuming work. Even though not quite fruitless, my search gave very poor results and so I decided to start the job myself, and I hope I will be able to keep it up until the end. The Lotus may take several weeks, but the Victory will take several years. Who knows what will Blogger be by the time I complete it? Will I still take the time to comment on the stages of the building?

Anyway, this blog is on its way and I hope to post soon about my works in progress.