1963 Corvette

[70 STING]

Good evening,

Completed and photographed AMT's '63 split window Corvette. I understand it's a bit of a cliché kit, however it was the first go at it for me. :^)

This version was moulded in white, had plenty of flash, but went together relatively well. The main issue was the glass - it's one solid piece and I found I had to compromise a little with front-rear fit.

With this build my intention was to focus on a decent candy paint job, forego the engine and build it as a curb side. Paint is Tamiya X-27 Clear Red over Tamiya LP-62 Titanium Gold then clear coated with Tamiya X-22. I replaced the kit wheels with Pegasus Daggar's Chrome.



What I learned

1. Tamiya tape may not play well with X-22 Clear. I know X-22 has the reputation of taking a long time to dry, but I thought 10 days, including many hours in a dehydrator would have been enough. Not the case as you can see in the photo below. At first I thought it was glue residue left behind but the tape actually crazed/reacted with the paint. There were so many layers of X-27 that I wasn't too concerned with burning through so I sanded it down with a 3000 grit sanding sponge and recoated with X-22.

2. Applying too many layers of paint made it difficult, impossible to dry brush the raised script and use panel liner to fill in the recesses in the 2 hood grills.



Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

[mustang1989]

I don't know where to dive in on this build to say any words that best describe this car. Clean......detailed..........realistically done......life-like. I mean...........it's all there. Your photography ranks of this beauty ranks right up there with the best that I've ever seen and truly does an already great build so much additional justice. You...........are to be commended for this fine example of a classic automobile brother. 

[tcoat]

Beautiful save on that paint! Would have ended up on the Shelf of Doom if it had been me!

[lowlife]

Beautiful paint, sounds like the tape reaction did you a favour,  the colour is stunning !

And yeah great photography too, i really should try and improve mine !

[mustang1989]

What do you use for a photo editor Harry?

[tcoat]

I don't see his picture of the messed up paint and it is important to see to understand just how spectacular the recovery was!

[mustang1989]

Apr 16, 2023 10:17:21 GMT -5 tcoat said:

I don't see his picture of the messed up paint and it is important to see to understand just how spectacular the recovery was!

There HAD to be alot of work that went into that alright.

[70 STING]

Geez fellas, I’m blushing a brighter shade of red than the car. Thanks for all the kind words.

As for the sanding, it took a few hours with a well-worn piece of 3000 grit Tamiya sanding sponge. I really like these things because you can shape them to fit into tight areas and avoid flat spots. I applied the new coats of X-22 on top of the sanded surface.

As for photography, I use a single diffused light about 12” to 14“ directly above the model. This method is very flattering and forgiving (hides mistakes).

My camera is a Canon 7D with 50mm lens. The software I use is ON1 Photo Raw… it’s an older version I purchased 7 or 8 years ago for about $100. I always shoot raw instead of jpeg as it allows for greater dynamic range (highlights and shadows) when processing. I use Photoshop to remove dust and for final cropping.

[mustang1989]

Apr 16, 2023 21:40:20 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Geez fellas, I’m blushing a brighter shade of red than the car. Thanks for all the kind words.

As for the sanding, it took a few hours with a well-worn piece of 3000 grit Tamiya sanding sponge. I really like these things because you can shape them to fit into tight areas and avoid flat spots. I applied the new coats of X-22 on top of the sanded surface.

As for photography, I use a single diffused light about 12” to 14“ directly above the model. This method is very flattering and forgiving (hides mistakes).

My camera is a Canon 7D with 50mm lens. The software I use is ON1 Photo Raw… it’s an older version I purchased 7 or 8 years ago for about $100. I always shoot raw instead of jpeg as it allows for greater dynamic range (highlights and shadows) when processing. I use Photoshop to remove dust and for final cropping.

I'm really going to have to up my game with a camera as well as getting Photoshop. Such great results bud. 

[keavdog]

Beautiful finish and fantastic photos!

[Tobi]

So, where are the pictures of the model? 

[robbo]

Is that the finished model at the top? what happened to the paint work?

[mach7]

I'm not really sure thats a model!

The paint, shading, depth all look perfect!

That's impressive!

[`Boots`]

Oh my days............that is stunning, a dream of a paint finish especially after seeing the before pics

When i saw the first few pics i thought it was a pic from a car magazine!!............fabulous!

[70 STING]

Thanks again, fellas. I can't emphasize enough the quality and benefits of this photography/lighting style. I prefer slightly subdued lighting that looks kinda like car posters from the 80's - but that's just my taste.

I did a little searching and found this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nB9M36WXvQ

The techniques are essentially the same.

[Tobi]

Apr 17, 2023 16:52:45 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Thanks again, fellas. I can't emphasize enough the quality and benefits of this photography/lighting style. I prefer slightly subdued lighting that looks kinda like car posters from the 80's - but that's just my taste.

I did a little searching and found this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nB9M36WXvQ

The techniques are essentially the same.

Thank you for sharing this useful link. I already knew a lot about model photography, but this explanation on lighting technique was really inspiring.
For sure I will try building my own diffuser.

[mustang1989]

Apr 17, 2023 16:52:45 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Thanks again, fellas. I can't emphasize enough the quality and benefits of this photography/lighting style. I prefer slightly subdued lighting that looks kinda like car posters from the 80's - but that's just my taste.

I did a little searching and found this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nB9M36WXvQ

The techniques are essentially the same.

I'll be coming back to this and thanks a million for sharing this. Will be watching this one later on today.

[maverick]

Just stunning! Great recovery...

[martslay]

Perfectly!!!!

[kyledehart5]

Another one before my arrival and what an absolute beauty!! Gorgeous color and the wheels look great on the car. Outstanding recovery

[Medicman71]

Wow! That paint work just looks perfect!

[eaglecash867]

Wow! That looks amazing 70 STING! Especially after having to deal with that tape issue. I have had the same issues here and there with Tamiya tape...both the vinyl tape and the paper tape. It just reacts badly with paint sometimes, and I don't even use the same paint that you do. I switched over to their masking sticker sheets and haven't had a problem since.

[handiabled]

Absolutely gorgeous! Your picture taking skills are top notch!

[70 STING]

Aug 15, 2023 14:53:33 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Another one before my arrival and what an absolute beauty!! Gorgeous color and the wheels look great on the car. Outstanding recovery

Thanks Kyle. Initially wanted to use the giant rear slicks that came with the kit but they looked a little fake and required modifying the fenders to make them fit.

[70 STING]

Aug 15, 2023 16:07:31 GMT -5 Medicman71 said:

Wow! That paint work just looks perfect!

Thanks Medicman71. There’s so much candy clear on the body that I’m pretty sure it would be bulletproof in the 1:24 world. 8^D

[70 STING]

Aug 15, 2023 16:36:51 GMT -5 eaglecash867 said:

Wow! That looks amazing 70 STING! Especially after having to deal with that tape issue. I have had the same issues here and there with Tamiya tape...both the vinyl tape and the paper tape. It just reacts badly with paint sometimes, and I don't even use the same paint that you do. I switched over to their masking sticker sheets and haven't had a problem since.

Thanks eagle. This is/was the first time I’ve had a problem with Tamiya tape. I’ve heard of modellers removing some of the tack by sticking it to their skin before applying it to the model. I’d be worried about paint sneaking under the edges.

Thanks for the tip on masking sticker sheets. Always looking for ways to be more efficient and avoid ‘negative’ modelling.

[70 STING]

Aug 16, 2023 9:07:58 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Absolutely gorgeous! Your picture taking skills are top notch!

Thank you.  Makes my builds look better than they actually are.  ;^) 

[eaglecash867]

Aug 16, 2023 11:12:20 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Thanks eagle. This is/was the first time I’ve had a problem with Tamiya tape. I’ve heard of modellers removing some of the tack by sticking it to their skin before applying it to the model. I’d be worried about paint sneaking under the edges.

Thanks for the tip on masking sticker sheets. Always looking for ways to be more efficient and avoid ‘negative’ modelling.

If you decide to give those sticker sheets a try, I highly recommend the option with the 1mm grid printed on it. It makes it much easier to cut some pretty complex, precise masks. Little strips of it also make really handy measuring tapes that you don't have to worry about scratching your paintjob with when you're measuring something. You definitely won't have to worry about paint sneaking under the edges either. They somehow cling like crazy, without an aggressive adhesive, and they're almost infinitely restickable if you have to move them.

[70 STING]

Aug 16, 2023 17:28:21 GMT -5 eaglecash867 said:

Aug 16, 2023 11:12:20 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Thanks eagle. This is/was the first time I’ve had a problem with Tamiya tape. I’ve heard of modellers removing some of the tack by sticking it to their skin before applying it to the model. I’d be worried about paint sneaking under the edges.

Thanks for the tip on masking sticker sheets. Always looking for ways to be more efficient and avoid ‘negative’ modelling.

If you decide to give those sticker sheets a try, I highly recommend the option with the 1mm grid printed on it. It makes it much easier to cut some pretty complex, precise masks. Little strips of it also make really handy measuring tapes that you don't have to worry about scratching your paintjob with when you're measuring something. You definitely won't have to worry about paint sneaking under the edges either. They somehow cling like crazy, without an aggressive adhesive, and they're almost infinitely restickable if you have to move them.

Hmm, my LHS also carry these: www.sunwardhobbies.ca/mr-finely-slit-masking-sheets-by-mr-hobby-gt53/

[eaglecash867]

Aug 16, 2023 19:05:44 GMT -5 70 STING said:

Hmm, my LHS also carry these: www.sunwardhobbies.ca/mr-finely-slit-masking-sheets-by-mr-hobby-gt53/

Oh! Those are cool! Might be a good alternative to using the hood striping decals in the Boss 351 kit. I'll have to give these a try. Thanks for the link.