Mazda RX-7 Veilside 1/24 Scale Model Build Guide (AlphaModel)
I. Open the box
After opening the product package, take out all the parts bags and the car body. Since the product may be damaged during transportation by the logistics company, you should first check whether the parts are damaged. The A-pillars, brake calipers, rims and other small parts are more easily damaged. After confirming that the parts are not damaged, please check whether the etched sheet has any bending or damage and whether the water sticker has any stains. After confirming that all standard items are in good condition, you can start the preparation work for production.
AlphaModel's products are precisely molded, especially in the production technology of the car shell, which is very mature. The car shell has a precise shape, a smooth surface without burrs and shrinkage, deep engraving lines, and sharp edges. These characteristics greatly reduce the difficulty of production and are very suitable for novices.
This product is completely based on the details of the real car. The brake system, seats, central control instrument panel, etc. are precisely molded, so that players can feel like making a real car during the production process. As a classic JDM model, it allows players with feelings to deeply experience the joy of owning a car they like.
Each car has its own unique color scheme, and players can also color it according to their preferences. Before making it, you can refer to the photos of the real car and mark the color of each part in the product manual for easy use in the later coloring. In the process of making this car, we need to prepare some necessary tools in advance, such as: hook pen, paper sandpaper, sponge sandpaper, instant glue, tweezers, scoring knife, pen knife, etching sheet bending pliers, etc. With handy tools, the hand feeling is good, which can help players make high-quality static models more easily.
Use detergent or other resin cleaning liquid to clean all resin parts, because there is a layer of grease release agent on the surface of the workpiece. If it is not clear and directly sprayed with paint, fish eyes and paint will not have adhesion and cause discoloration. After cleaning, dry the water.
II. Car shell treatment
For this 1/24 Scale Model, first inspect the various parts of the car body carefully. In most cases, there may be some unevenness along the lower edge of the side skirts, so you can begin by sanding these areas smooth. After confirming that there is no loss of material, use a 0.15 mm scriber to deepen the panel lines. Although the original lines on the body are already quite clear, it is still recommended to rescribe them manually to enhance their definition. This will make the finished model look more three-dimensional. You may also choose not to apply panel line wash, allowing the natural shadows to highlight the texture and depth of the engraved lines.
When scoring, you need to pay attention to the strength from light to heavy. First, gently cut 2 knives along the scoring line, and then slowly apply pressure; at the position of the arc, you can use a curved hook knife to deepen the scoring. If there is no hook knife, do not cut out of the boundary when using a straight-head scoring knife to deepen it to avoid more trouble, and pay attention to the angle of the knife head, and do not cut the curved scoring line into a straight line.
After deepening the lines, first use 800-grit paper to grind and level the entire car shell, which will increase the sharpness of the entire car, make the position of the engraved lines more obvious, and make the position of the large plane more flat, so that the effect of later spray painting and varnish will be better. During the grinding process, pay attention to the arc and protruding positions. Use light force to avoid grinding away complex details; after leveling, use 1000 and 1500 sandpapers to grind away the coarser scratches, and then use 1500 and 2000 sponge sandpapers to grind again. Use high-grit sandpaper to apply a little more force, so that it is easier to grind away the coarse scratches. Only when the surface of the workpiece is well treated, the effect after coloring will be better.
Pay attention to wearing a gas mask during the grinding process. Resin dust is toxic, so pay attention to protection.
I plan to grind off the original wide-body rivets on the car shell, then drill holes and install resin-printed rivets. This will improve the appearance, and the rivets are black, which is also convenient for color separation.
III. Car shell painting
After cleaning the dust on the car body, first use a white putty specially designed for resin to prime it to increase the adhesion of the topcoat and unify the base color of the entire car. For the main color of the car body, I used Gunze Orange (C-58), and then waited for it to dry before lightly spraying a layer of pearl red (Jianyu Pearl Color System), so that it appears orange under normal light and reflects pearl red under polarized light. Pay attention to observation during the spraying process, spray the paint evenly, and do not spray too thickly at one time, otherwise color shift will occur. In addition, if large particles of dust fall during the spraying process, stop spraying immediately. After the paint is dry, use No. 2000 sponge sandpaper to gently grind off the dust before spraying. When spraying, spray the paint layer by layer, and stop when the paint forms a relatively smooth surface. Be careful not to stay in the same position for too long to prevent problems such as paint hanging.
After the main color paint is dry, the body parts except the wide body and the rearview mirror should be masked and colored. These parts are all black. Be careful when masking not to miss any part that needs to be masked. In some places with complex curves, you can use a pen knife to gently cut out the shape along the edge, but be careful not to damage the paint surface with the blade. When holding the masking paper with tweezers, be careful not to scratch the paint surface with the tip of the tweezers.
IV. Car Shell
The inside of the car body uses matte black (C-33) to enhance the appearance.
The inner parts of the wheel arches are finished in matt black (C-33) to achieve a shadow effect.
The headlights were masked and painted semi-gloss black (Gunze-C92).
The interior of the front grille uses matte black (Gunz C-33).
The interior of the taillights will be subsequently painted matte black (Gunze C-33).
When spraying amino varnish on large black surfaces, pay attention to controlling the technique and preventing dust, try to ensure a straight mirror effect, and avoid dust.
After the amino varnish is completely dry, you can apply line paint to the gaps in the car body. After it is completely dry, use a cotton swab dipped in a little X20 to wipe off the excess line paint.
Amino varnish needs more observation during the spraying process. Spraying too much at one time will cause accumulation at the edges. If the engraved lines are shallow, the engraved lines will be filled up, thus losing the good texture. Especially on both sides of the engraved lines, more attention should be paid. Once the amount of paint output by the airbrush is large, it will cause accumulation of varnish at the edge of the plane. If there is no way to control it precisely, sandpaper and polishing paste can be used for grinding and polishing after it is completely dry. In general, in addition to maintaining the gloss and smoothness of the paint surface, the overall texture of the car body must also be guaranteed. The beauty of a model is not only reflected in its color or gloss, but is composed of a lot of details. It takes a lot of effort to carve out a good-looking and reasonable work.
V. PE making
For the etched parts, I chose plate spraying. First, cover the parts that do not need to be colored with masking tape, and then use 800 sandpaper to polish the parts that need to be colored. Before coloring, use Gunze SF287 water putty for primer. Be careful not to spray too thinly when spraying. Use a spray brush for multi-layer sweeping to allow paint particles to adhere to the surface of the parts layer by layer. Wait for it to dry before spraying the topcoat. For the cab foot pads, I used Gunze matte black (C-33) and medium gray (C-13), the nameplate of the brake caliper is metallic gray (Tamiya LP-61), and other parts are semi-gloss black (C92).
After the resin parts are colored, the etching sheet can be pasted on them. Use a toothpick to apply instant glue on the parts, and use tweezers and a glue pen to operate. Toothpick glue can prevent glue overflow caused by too many glue dots. The glue can be jelly or liquid. Liquid glue dries quickly, but because of its high fluidity, it may overflow when bonding small parts. Jelly glue dries slowly, but has poor fluidity. After the etching sheet is attached, it can be adjusted in a short time. After reaching a satisfactory level, wait for more than ten seconds to dry. For some very small parts, Microscale MI-9 and MI-10 can be used for pasting. This type of glue can achieve the strength of fixing the parts. Once you encounter the problem of glue overflow, you can use a cotton swab dipped in water to wipe off the excess glue without leaving any traces.
Microscale MI-1 and MI-2 can be used to assist in the bonding process of carbon fiber decals. MI-1 is a backing adhesive that increases the stickiness of the decals, and MI-2 is a softener. After brushing the softener on complex curved surfaces, the ductility of the decals can be increased, allowing them to better fit the parts.
Since the main part of the brake disc directly uses its original metal texture, it can be polished using a handheld electric grinder with 400-grit sandpaper. The circles of polishing marks can simulate the texture after the brake pad is worn.
Ⅵ. Wheel making
Since the main part of the brake disc uses its original metal texture directly, it can be polished with a handheld electric grinder and 400 sandpaper. The grinding marks are used to simulate the texture after the brake pad is worn.
After the nameplate of the disc and caliper are assembled, Tamiya black penetrant is used for staining, mainly to dye the heat dissipation vents to enhance the texture.
In order to achieve the electroplated mirror effect, the wheel hub is first primed with white, then sprayed with amino varnish to achieve a mirror effect, and then sprayed with electroplated silver paint to achieve a mirror effect, but the electroplated particles have poor adhesion and will oxidize after being exposed to the air for a long time, so it is necessary
Ⅶ. wiper making
First, make the swing arm and bend it 90° along the groove on the etched sheet. Be careful not to bend it in the wrong direction, because the bending groove is thin. If you bend it too many times, it will cause breakage. The part where the swing arm is connected to the wiper is relatively small, so you can use tweezers to hold it and bend it.
Bend the wiper bracket along the groove, and the top of the bracket should be bent into a square opening.
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