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Post by PICTUP on Jan 19, 2022 19:37:21 GMT -8
I will do a quicky build on the passenger bus first Is this possible?
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Post by Volktales on Jan 19, 2022 20:33:43 GMT -8
It will be if I can stop having naps!
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Post by Volktales on Jan 23, 2022 21:45:04 GMT -8
Well I did not get much done on the Ghia this week at all. One of the reasons just might be this... After many, many years, it was time to open up the old modeling box once again. Do you think that anything in there might still be useable? Those small glass bottles of Testors paints are pushing 40 years old now... The orange bus model came with these new water-based paints, and I could have used them. Except the two I needed most, the transparent orange and red were both quite yucky in appearance and were not used. I did have a solution to this however... For the last model kit I ever built around 20 years ago, I bought these Japanese Tamiya acrylics. Not only did they still work great, they still SMELLED great too. Bonus! The tailights, marker lights, and signal lights were the only things I intended to paint on this model... Found the old paint brushes too. My favourite one had finally died due to age and use. Note the nutcrucker. The only way to open those pesky old paint bottles back in the day... Also found one of my two old X-Acto knifes. With a new old stock set of the famous number 11 blades, too! Couldn't quite bring myself to open them just yet... Continued...
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Post by Volktales on Jan 23, 2022 22:08:16 GMT -8
So let's get started... The engine is a reasonably detailed Type4 model. Not fuel-injected unfortunately, but that will have to do. Keep in mind that the European versions get carbs to the end of production. I do wonder what that extra large hose running above the battery is for... Note that I am not building the Orange one just yet... Revell did get the heater boxes quite wrong though. Those are 1600 style and do not look anything like the type 4 versions. Oh well. They did include the engine support bar as a separate part however. Note that six rib transmission! Front beam axle is simple, and not highly detailed. But it is actually posable, which is nice. And the wheels turn very freely. And speaking of wheels. Revell nailed it in their appearance. Even the colour of the plastic is pretty accurate. Interior went together quite easily. Lots of fiddly parts to all those seats, though. That grab handle on the middle seat required some glue as it did not snap solidly into place. This was rare with this kit, as most other parts solidly snapped together. One very weird feature is the non-walkthrough bulkhead panel. For unknown reasons, Revell molded this in white plastic instead of the surrounding grey. Strange... The dashboard assembly detailing is amazing. Choose which era of gauges you like, and pick miles or kilometer speedometer. That shift pattern decal is TINY! Very accurate this dash is... Continued...
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Post by Volktales on Jan 23, 2022 22:22:17 GMT -8
Now onto the body. First up was polishing everything with plastic polish that I had lying around. It worked reasonably well. Really impressed with the headlights. Revell did a great job on these details. Note the "sink" marks on the front panel. Sometimes this occurs in the molding procedure, and these two were the only major ones on the model. I decided to add an extra little bit of detail to this model. I had discovered Bare-Metal foil late in my previous modeling career. This stuff is pretty cool. And old. It is self-adhesive, and you just peel some off and stick in roughly over the trim you want to "plate". Then you burnish it with a toothpick to conform to the shape below... Then trim it with your trusty X-Acto. Pretty fast and simple, and if you screw up, just peel it off and start again. I forgot how much I loved this stuff... This model includes the proper side marker lights for Canada/USA spec vehicles, but the instructions don't mention it. I drilled out the body with my jet drills for installation of the marker lights. Going for the local specification on this model... Things are coming together... Continued...
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Post by Volktales on Jan 23, 2022 22:34:38 GMT -8
And there it is. I was amazed at the quality of this kit! The fit and finish of the individual parts is extremely good. Look how tightly the rear hatch and engine lid fit. And every door opens up as well! I dig those logoed mudflaps... The slider works nicely. The fit of the glass is the best I have ever seen in a model. Step inside and start er up! Was pleased with how those tailights came out. I did some minor modifications on this model. The license plate stickers were applied directly to the model. Revell supplied proper mounts, but they seemed a bit big and chunky. In fact Revell supplied both European style and US style mounts, and a bunch of different license plates to choose from. Revell also supplied a spare tire and bracket to mount it to the front of the bus. They did not have a way to mount it in the stock location inside, so I modified it to fit correctly. Otherwise this kit was built stock out of the box. Overall this was a fun diversion for me, and I enjoyed re-living my youth very much. Today's model kits are computer designed and the fit and finish is light-years ahead of the kits I used to build. They are certainly not a cheap item, but I can see where some of the cost went... Fun! Now when will I get around to the orange Restfalia conversion???
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