1/24 Tamiya Porsche 934 - I have no idea what I'm doing

[mustang1989]

Apr 12, 2016 11:13:02 GMT -5 doogsatx said:

[mrversatile]

Doogs, welcome to the world of Model Cars!! Most military modelers feel that model cars are simple, and in some respects they are. (just see the # of votes in MOM contests they garner). Parts counts are low and you are very right, the model car manufacturers are way behind the other genres for kit detail and quality. However, it is a challenge to turn these kits into examples that look real and less toy-like. Shiny flawless paint finishes are the beginning of this and in many cases these are difficult to achieve. From paint compatibility, to atmospheric influences on paint curing, to different flash times, to getting dust into the finish, etc. I build cars all the time and have established some foolproof methods from experience and have used many different primers and have settled on one: Tamiya fine primer. It is compatible with all paints, dries smooth (no need for sanding in most cases), and covers in a couple of passes. You are an experienced modeler, and I may be preaching to the choir, but if one is not familiar with building model cars, it is a steep learning curve to achieve the aforementioned results. Oh yeah, once you get that perfect paint, try keeping it that way during the continuing building process..lol. Keep plugging.

[mustang1989]

Apr 12, 2016 9:26:16 GMT -5 jpc1968 said:

[doogsatx]

Apr 12, 2016 13:53:23 GMT -5 mustang1989 said:

There's some new kits on the block that are game changers to the old school way of automotive kit manufacturing and there's a TON, I say a TON, of aftermarket stuff available. It is literally endless what you can do with automotive subjects. Without trying to force all this on you I'll just say this: Put your all into this just like you do everything else you build and see what happens. You may or may not like it but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you'll end the build wanting to do better. You're a good modeler and that's how it is with good modelers.  That's where the hook comes in. Just sayin'.............

I'd be curious to know which of these new kits are gamechangers. I mean even the newer stuff I'm seeing from Tamiya (the Merc gullwing, for example) seem like the same retreading of the same formula. I feel like every subject I find that's interesting ultimately leads back to a kit that was originally boxed sometime before 1990 (says a lot about my taste in cars I guess...).

As far as aftermarket - know there's a lot out there but it seems (again based on my very limited experience w/ car models) very, very hard to track the right things down.

[mustang1989]

.

[noname]

That Malibu wagon kit is cool.

I think it is pretty normal for people to buy aftermarket PE or whatever for an aircraft or armour model these days. So maybe one needs to expect to buy some aftermarket products for an auto if they are after that much detail. Myself, I always have to scratch build this or that as well. And I know a lot of guys building auto models often use a mini lathe for styrene and metal details.

Just like military subjects, when buying auto models I know what to expect from different manufacturers. I also will read reviews quite often before a purchase.

Maybe you should look into some of the multi media kits out. Expensive but they come with a lot of PE etc.

Here is a couple of higher end detail examples found on the auto sites. The first engine has a lot of scratched detail. The second is mostly just wires with a few extras I believe.

[jpc1968]

Apr 13, 2016 12:23:34 GMT -5 mustang1989 said:

Check out some of the newer stuff from Moebius and Meng. Aoshima puts some good kits together too.

Aoshima yes! I'm doing an Aoshima Lamborghini now. Great kits. Meng is doing autos? Are they doing exotic sports cars or just militaty autos?

[mustang1989]

.

[James Duff]

FWIW this kit in particular (as well as it's twin Valliant sponsored sibling) were tooled 30+ years ago before Tamiya really set their mind to being the premier automotive kit manufacturer. Come this fall Revell of Germany will be releasing their brand new tool state of the art version of this kit, which will include stuff the Tamiya kit sorely lacks...like an engine, or anything that doesn't feel like you're building a 50 piece borderline toy. It will probably for all intents bury this particular kit in the scrap heap of history unless RoG really botches the job, which hasn't at all been the case on their kits for the past 5+ years.

In the broader sense the Automotive end of this hobby is parked in an odd malaise of sorts because - at least with U.S. companies - they believe it's what their customers want. Revell for example, has publicly stated that they don't believe they can charge over $30 for a model kit because their customer base would not pay that much. That's a true Catch22 because Revell doesn't produce a kit WORTH more than $25 (and that's pushing it) so it can't charge $35 for their existing type of product. Revell also believes their bread and butter in terms of sales belongs to casual/weekend builders who slap together 10-12 models a year without any real desire/care about accuracy or the "art" involved.

The Automotive Hobby has never experienced the earth shifting change that IPMS/APMS builders applied to their end of the hobby. You guys got together and more or less demanded accurate models, and then were willing to back that up by PAYING for that quality. By and large, and rather sadly, the average car builder still see that box of plastic as not an assemblage of parts to be turned into an accurate realistic replica of an automobile, but rather a cheap plastic toy that takes them back to some point in their childhood that is their happy place of denial. The fact that model kits cost $22-25 is offensive, they all remember when they were a dollar.  Tamiya's FXX-K will be close to $100 MSRP in U.S. Hobby Shops - we may lose some car builders from heart attacks when they see that price.  That's kinda low ball for some of the various military kits and 1/32 aircraft out there.  Point out any inaccuracy in a model kit on a Automotive model forum and prepare to be hit will a full frontal assault of retirement age men with 13 year old mentalities spewing asinine statements like "We're lucky they still make new model kits at all!!!".

95% of my hobby dollars go to support Asian and European modeling concerns because the models produced by U.S. manufacturers are aimed at a casual/weekend builder that just slaps something together, and has no real desire to support an accurate or realistic model kit because they simply don't care. The newest kit Revell just released this week, that is a BRAND NEW TOOL, is patterned after, and assembles just like the examples of it's platform siblings that Monogram produced...in 1986. This isn't a kit that seems like it's based on something 30 years old, it really IS based on something 30 years old, which I find appalling and unacceptable but at least in some corners is the best selling model kit of 2016 based on pre-sales.

It's all enough to make a guy want to start building tanks...

[mustang1989]

.