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Building F1 Resin Model Kits: Part 3

Building F1 resin model kits: A step by step guide for novices – Part 3

Step 5: Preparing other parts

At this time the body should be ready to paint and apply decals, however many hours of work will still be poured out into this model, and we’ll need the body in order to check other parts positions such as the suspensions, ailerons…etc. As it’s obvious, these tasks can’t be achieved with the body already painted, (even if no modifications were needed) Certainly, the painting job that is the most distinctive and visible part of a curbside model, would spoil. So painting will be the last stage, when everything is ready for the final assembly.

In this step, I’ll explain how to work with different parts, farther on, we’ll set to the suspensions assemblies…etc

Some PE parts provided with these kits, though being of good quality, are not very realistic. For example the pitot tube, in the real car the tube itself is covered with, let’s say, a wing shaped body. I replaced this PE with one of plastic which was cut with the proper shape from a (1 mm thickness and 2 mm width) plastic strip.

Then, the wing was sanded to shape, 0,5 mm holes were drilled, so as to place the tube, and a wire as guide to place the body.

You may also use an hypodermic needle or steel wire as I did.

On the picture below, you can see the wing of the pitot tube already painted, it was treated as the body, white primer, red paint and varnish.

To take the photo, I removed the masking from the upper part of the tube.

The ailerons resin parts, and other visible ones, are treated like the body. In the picture, Tamiya grey putty is being applied with a spatula to fill a casting flaw at an end plate.

Putty has already been applied, as neatly as possible, then you’ll have to wait at least for one day long, to sand with #600. If you use coarser sandpaper, putty will come off. Sometimes, it may be necessary to finish the work with CA gel.

Here, you can appreciate how the rectangular drillings on the wing of the front aileron are being enlarged with the point of a cutter.

Once the drillings of the proper size were accomplished, I took a small flat file to adjust the aileron arranging then, the assembly to the nicety.

It’s very important to get these drillings ready with the proper size and shape, because they will hold the supports which will join the aileron to the nose. Here, you can see the test fit of the position, alignment…etc.

The fit should be loosely as the parts will have to be painted, and paint takes room. If you press when placing the parts, it’s probable that paint could damage, spoiling the work.

A PE diffuser was glued with CA to the lower part of the front wing. Test both parts fit, and add CA and accelerator, time and again, to get a strong union. In the picture the assembly has already been primed.

Front wing with both diffusers glued, and the white primer, ready to receive the final white coat.

Here you can see that the PE were glued to the rear aileron end plates, and the drillings to assemble them to the wings were also made. This is quite a meticulous task and it’ll be necessary to check thoroughly their position and alignment. It would be better to build them temporary, with white glue to mark where the drillings will have to be made.

The wings may be glued before painting, to mask then the assembly, nevertheless if you’re meticulous and patient, you’d rather make drillings to join them to the laterals, with bolts or cut pins, as I did.

First, make 0,5 mm drillings to assure the proper place.

Finally, a 1 mm hole of about 5 mm depth. The wing is very thin, so be very careful when making these drillings.

The pins that will be placed, should be cut to 4 mm long, and their heads diameter should be the same or smaller than the hole drilled on the laterals.

Here, the laterals are being placed temporarily, the pin heads should fit loosely into the holes. Once the parts have been painted separately, they’ll be glued with CA, which will be dropped into the holes where the head pins could be seen. The front aileron will require the same procedure.

Generally, the barge boards are PE and resin parts. It’s convenient to glue them prior to painting and priming, if better, to get a more solid union. The portion of the resin that touches the bronze of the PE, should be sanded until given a smooth finish. The PE is slightly scraped to improve adherence and the parts are glued with a great amount of CA.

You can see the Barge Boards of the 2003, ready to be primed, as it’s not possible to sand yet, the resin parts have previously been prepared, with much care.

It’s usual that the union of both halves of the mould, comes from the manufacturer achieved, on the edge of the part. So, we’ll not have to remove the mould marks, but the edge will appear porous and with holes. This is a very visible area, so it’ll be important to look for a technique, in order to get a very smooth surface to be painted.

I applied a drop of CA (liquid) to the edge, filling it by spreading this drop over (using a proper applicator) once and again from one end to the other. In this way, I got a clear though irregular surface.

Later, I sanded with #1500 Micromesh, until getting a smooth and dull edge.

It’s important to check the barge boards position, before painting the parts definitively, besides of deciding the best way they will be attached to the undertray/body. I nearly always choose the use of tiny bolts borrowed from other Tamiya kits, and some pins.

The bolts must be screwed, before painting…otherwise the paint would come off, when intending to screw the bolts.

The barge boards of the 2002, after being primed in white, and ready to be painted X2 (gloss white), and varnished later.

You can appreciate how the rectangular hole of the seat where the seat belts have to be placed is being enlarged, with the use of a Dremel and a drill.

It’s not necessary to pierce the seat so that the holes pass it through, just by deepening the marks the part has, then the strips that were cut diagonally will be glued.

Final look of both seats. In this case they’re not so accurate but you could detail them, as our friend and collaborator Dan Parrat, did in his 2000 Ferrari.

To be continued…

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To my 56 years old I'm a long time modeler as I have built more than 1000 kits during the last 45 years. Right now Editor of Modeler Site supported by HobbyLink Japan. Modeler Site is a monthly virtual magazine devoted to scale modeling, mainly made of plastic, resin and white metal. The first issue was published in April 2000, since then we have published a new issue each month, plenty of info, photos...and large modeling articles. Right now we have more than 1600 articles with 60000 photos most of them of high res. I hope to contribute with this nice idea, Hobbylink TV with how-tos, galleries and videos. If you have some question, don't hesitate ask me!

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