Tamiya 1/20 Scale 1979 Williams FW07

[2whl]

Very nice paint work, Joel. Seeing those colors is making me want to dust off my FW07B and finish it off.

[joelw]

Paul,
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my build to date.

I'd love to follow your FW07B to completion but please get your Daytona Shelby Cobra back on the bench. It's one of, if not my favorites of the iconic 1960's cars.

joel

[adrian29341]

I've been battling Bronchitis for a week and am just back in the saddle today so I am catching up on everyone's builds.

This is coming along nicely my friend - that A flat aluminum looks fantastic and went on very cleanly indeed.

The Saudi green looks beautiful and your lines are as always very sharp and clean - the result of good taping

You always do a stellar job on your decaling so I can't wait to see those iconic Saudi decals on this body!
You are spot on that one key to decals is having that smooth surface to begin with - I always hit with a Mr. Super Clear
Flat Smooth layer before applying decals.

I'm excited for this build and following my friend

[2whl]

Jul 31, 2024 11:13:10 GMT -5 joelw said:

Paul,
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my build to date.

I'd love to follow your FW07B to completion but please get your Daytona Shelby Cobra back on the bench. It's one of, if not my favorites of the iconic 1960's cars.

joel

But what about the Porsche 936, or the Gurney Eagle, or the Alfa DTM car.   LOL   Too many started....not enough time

[project510]

Aug 1, 2024 13:02:11 GMT -5 2whl said:

Jul 31, 2024 11:13:10 GMT -5 joelw said:

Paul,
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my build to date.

I'd love to follow your FW07B to completion but please get your Daytona Shelby Cobra back on the bench. It's one of, if not my favorites of the iconic 1960's cars.

joel

But what about the Porsche 936, or the Gurney Eagle, or the Alfa DTM car.   LOL   Too many started....not enough time

OH poor Paul, drowning in a sea of MFH kits. Send them my way Paul. Ill help you clear that stash build list hahaha.

[2whl]

Aug 1, 2024 14:13:03 GMT -5 project510 said:

Aug 1, 2024 13:02:11 GMT -5 2whl said:

But what about the Porsche 936, or the Gurney Eagle, or the Alfa DTM car.   LOL   Too many started....not enough time

OH poor Paul, drowning in a sea of MFH kits. Send them my way Paul. Ill help you clear that stash build list hahaha.

Which one should I send you first?   LOL

[406 Silverado]

Jul 30, 2024 19:07:06 GMT -5 joelw said:

Jul 30, 2024 18:48:27 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

I've not been in the text portion of our forum in the last few days due to being busy behind the scenes with some improvements here and there and then again with work kicking my tail but I'm glad that I popped in on this build of yours Joel. This one is coming along fantastically so far buddy.

Joseph,
  Always a pleasure to have you stop in and checkout my work to date.  

BTW. everything that you & Kyle told me about the site is 101% true.   At least for me better late then never was so true.

joel

 It's a pleasure having you at MSC Joel. I knew you'd enjoy it with all of the good folks here.

[project510]

Aug 1, 2024 14:35:57 GMT -5 2whl said:

Aug 1, 2024 14:13:03 GMT -5 project510 said:

OH poor Paul, drowning in a sea of MFH kits. Send them my way Paul. Ill help you clear that stash build list hahaha.

Which one should I send you first?   LOL

I'm with Joel, that Daytona is somethin amazing. I sure am glad its sold out. Cuz Id really love to have it. 

[kyledehart5]

Aug 1, 2024 9:30:32 GMT -5 adrian29341 said:

I've been battling Bronchitis for a week and am just back in the saddle today so I am catching up on everyone's builds.

This is coming along nicely my friend - that A flat aluminum looks fantastic and went on very cleanly indeed.

The Saudi green looks beautiful and your lines are as always very sharp and clean - the result of good taping

You always do a stellar job on your decaling so I can't wait to see those iconic Saudi decals on this body!
You are spot on that one key to decals is having that smooth surface to begin with - I always hit with a Mr. Super Clear
Flat Smooth layer before applying decals.

I'm excited for this build and following my friend

Glad you’re feeling better and well enough to hit the bench!!

[joelw]

Aug 1, 2024 9:30:32 GMT -5 adrian29341 said:

I've been battling Bronchitis for a week and am just back in the saddle today so I am catching up on everyone's builds.

This is coming along nicely my friend - that A flat aluminum looks fantastic and went on very cleanly indeed.

The Saudi green looks beautiful and your lines are as always very sharp and clean - the result of good taping

You always do a stellar job on your decaling so I can't wait to see those iconic Saudi decals on this body!
You are spot on that one key to decals is having that smooth surface to begin with - I always hit with a Mr. Super Clear
Flat Smooth layer before applying decals.

I'm excited for this build and following my friend

Adrian,

  I had a feeling that someone was amiss. Glad that you're over the Bronchitis, and back at the bench,


 Wotj tje amount of Tamiya tape I've been using for masking this build, I should buy stock in the company.  And speaking of masking, I found not one but two issues that I totally missed painting on the sides of the Pods. 1st one is the rubber skirts to help seal the bottom of the chassis to the track for better ground effects, and the other area is the tops of those side pods needed to also be painted Green. Mission accomplished over two days. 

 Started decaling yesterday as there's a million decals. So stay tuned for my next update. 

joel

[joelw]

Aug 1, 2024 13:02:11 GMT -5 2whl said:

Jul 31, 2024 11:13:10 GMT -5 joelw said:

Paul,
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my build to date.

I'd love to follow your FW07B to completion but please get your Daytona Shelby Cobra back on the bench. It's one of, if not my favorites of the iconic 1960's cars.

joel

But what about the Porsche 936, or the Gurney Eagle, or the Alfa DTM car.   LOL   Too many started....not enough time

Paul,
 I'd say it's a  great problem to have.  You could always give up sleeping for the next year or so. While it won't clean up your back log, it will certainly make a dent in it.

joel

[adrian29341]

Thanks Kyle!

[adrian29341]

It's great to be back thanks Joel

It's so true that it usually typically takes 2 or 3 days to correct these type of misses - happens to me all the time, and even
though it's a few hours to create the step initially, if I have to fix something on it that usually takes 2 or 3 days to complete.

The modeling Gods are a cruel bunch lol

Can't wait to see how you make out with the decals Joel!

[joelw]

Adrian,
How true that the Modeling Gods can be a cruel bunch, but also can push you to new highs. Of course that's also a double edge sword as now that becomes your standard. As in sports, it's always much harder to stay on top, then to get there.

As for decaling, I'm about to seat down for day 3 of a min of 4 hrs decaling stint. And while it's my favorite part of modeling, it's also the most nerve racking and frustrating part for me at times. My limited eyesite due to Retina disease now makes it impossible for me to see a straight line. Everything looks like a moving wave depending on the angle I look at the decaled spot. I just try my best, learn a new curse word or two, and move on. Even when an area is completed, I can't be sure that what I'm seeing is what you are seeing.

joel

[adrian29341]

Aug 2, 2024 10:43:42 GMT -5 joelw said:

Adrian,
How true that the Modeling Gods can be a cruel bunch, but also can push you to new highs. Of course that's also a double edge sword as now that becomes your standard. As in sports, it's always much harder to stay on top, then to get there.

As for decaling, I'm about to seat down for day 3 of a min of 4 hrs decaling stint. And while it's my favorite part of modeling, it's also the most nerve racking and frustrating part for me at times. My limited eyesite due to Retina disease now makes it impossible for me to see a straight line. Everything looks like a moving wave depending on the angle I look at the decaled spot. I just try my best, learn a new curse word or two, and move on. Even when an area is completed, I can't be sure that what I'm seeing is what you are seeing.

joel

I remember your eye condition Joel and I truly hope it doesn't get any worse or hopefully improves somehow - the health issues just keep coming
once we reach a certain age that is for sure. Now, having said that you would never know you had this issue to be perfectly honest as your decaling
always looks extremely accurate to me on all your builds - so best of luck with today's session my friend! 

[joelw]

Adrian,
Thans so much for your most kind words. Unfortunately, the Retina condition has been getting progressively worse as none of the eye injections I received have worked. I no longer see straight lines as straight which makes decal placement rather difficult at best. If I move my head or eye the decal looks as it actually moves. I try to use any panel line or duct, or what not as a way to gauge the actual location. I've even taken to asking my wife if a decal is placed correctly. Of course once I wait to long, that option doesn't work to well.

Mike at Indy Cal has been a real life saver for me with being more then generous at times when I messed up more then one decal on a sheet. I even bought some back up sheets just in case, and most came in handy.

Joel

[joelw]

   Earlier today after 3 days of decaling, I finished the two side pod sides and the upper body shell, so I thought I'd share my efforts and results. With that being said, before I could decal the side pod sides, I needed to actually finish air brushing them.  On the bottom of each one is the rubber skirt that's spring loaded to help channel the needed air for the ground effects from the front and out the rear, so I painted them with Tamiya Rubber. I also missed do to the angle of my reference pictures that the upper vanes was painted Saudi Green on both sides, so another round of air brushing using Gravity of Spain Air Saudi Dark Green was needed.

  To prep the upper body shell and the side pod sides for decaling I long ago gave up Gloss coating, as the decaling process needs as smooth of a surface as possible, not a glossy surface. So my solution has been to very lightly wet sand with 6,000 & 8,000 emery cloth.  Followed by a rinse oi warm water, an let it air dry in one of my paint boxes.  

  I follow a modified decaling application of water under the decal, Miicro Set (Blue), Micro Sol (Red), and finally Solvaset.  I let the solutions do most of the work then as they start to dry, I gently roll the decal with a damp Q tip.  Repeat if necessary, but I rarely need to.   One other thing, and that's I use very warm water to soak the decal in. That seems to do 2 things, the decals loosen from the backing paper sooner, and are more flexible.  

  Here's a few pictures of the side pod sides and the top body cover.

joel

[kyledehart5]

Joel, that is some beautiful paint and decal work!! I’m loving this. You’re making great progress.

[joelw]

Kyle,
Thanks my friend for stopping by and checking out my decaling to date. It's always much appreciated.

joel

[kyledehart5]

You’re doing better than me my friend. I have melted some of mine on the lotus with solvaset. 😂. Learning these decals on the fly and a lot of complex shapes have led to a couple incidents. I follow a similar pattern of micro set/sol and solvaset to really melt them to a surface. Along with the very warm water.

[chrissmith]

Joel, so exceptional work you have going on here. Even with your handicap you’re still doing a top notch job.

[joelw]

Aug 3, 2024 19:49:46 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

You’re doing better than me my friend. I have melted some of mine on the lotus with solvaset. 😂. Learning these decals on the fly and a lot of complex shapes have led to a couple incidents. I follow a similar pattern of micro set/sol and solvaset to really melt them to a surface. Along with the very warm water.

Kyle,
  I've never had an issue with either Micro solvent nor Walthers Solvaset. Even on the old Tamiya or Fujimi decals.  But I don't flood on the solutions.  I apply just enough to completely wet the decal and let them do their thing. As soon as I see the decal starting to dry, I gently roll a Q tip over them, but again I don't force anything as the decals are super soft and easier distort or tear at this point especially with the Solvaset.  If I need another coat of Solvaset, I just add more.  The key was the learning process how to roll the decals and when.  The thinner the decal is, the more care and TLC it needs.  In most cases you don't even have to roll the decal after applying Solvaset as it dries just fine all by itself. I sure wish at times I could have taken my own advice about leaving the decal alone.  

joel

[joelw]

Aug 3, 2024 20:02:07 GMT -5 chrissmith said:

Joel, so exceptional work you have going on here. Even with your handicap you’re still doing a top notch job.

Chris,
  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my decaling effort to date.  A thumbs up from you is really greatly appreciated.

joel

[project510]

Wow, this is turning out quite nicely! Very well done. I just learned this technique you mentioned of rolling the q-tip! In videos and other tutorials I see builders rubbing decals and I just couldn’t bring my self to do that so I thought rolling the q-tip was a better idea. Happy to read that I was making the right choice haha.

[joelw]

James,
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my decaling progress to date. I do appreciate your thumbs up.

As for the Q tip method, like everything else we do in this hobby, less is more. Less rolling, and the rolling is just that without much pressure if any. Letting the decal solutions do their job is a vital key. When I 1st learned to decal way, way back in the early 1970's at the Syosset NY Squadron shop from a group of guys that later became the nucleolus of our IPMS chapter, I heavy handed applying a ton of Micro set and sol, then asap using a piece of paper towel and or Q Tip I'd end up removing nearly all of it, and gave them nearly zero time to work. Needless to say I just used more and pressed harder. Ruined a ton of decals, most of which were Microscale after market ones.

Very warm water is your friend as it softens the decal, so does a hobby hot air dryer. I got so tired of nearly every decal going to the closet sink and getting more warm water that I finally bought a coffee cup warmer, which should be here later today via Amazon.

I needed to additional Saudia decals as the indy cal sheet only had 2 and I needed 4, so I used two of the Tamiya ones from a 40 year old decal sheet. Worked perfectly after the water bath took forever. Can't tell them from the indy cal decals.

joel

[kyledehart5]

I’ve mentioned this before but during long decal sessions to maintain my warm water I simply fill a coffee thermos with very warm water. I keep an empty bowl and my decal dish next to me too. Each time the decal dish gets cold I pour it into the empty bowl and refill with warm water from the thermos. Don’t have to worry about plugging anything in that way as there are no plugs near where I work.

[2whl]

Joel, that decal work is looking great. And I use a coffee mug warmer whenever I decal. I usually fill the bowl I use about halfway and turn on the warmer for about 30 min before I start.

[keavdog]

Great looking livery. Coming along nicely.

[joelw]

Aug 4, 2024 17:37:03 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

I’ve mentioned this before but during long decal sessions to maintain my warm water I simply fill a coffee thermos with very warm water. I keep an empty bowl and my decal dish next to me too. Each time the decal dish gets cold I pour it into the empty bowl and refill with warm water from the thermos. Don’t have to worry about plugging anything in that way as there are no plugs near where I work.

Kyle,
  That's a great odea/ Simple yet seems very effective.   My coffee cup warmer came yesterday (Amazon one day free delivery) and it serves a duel purpose as I'm a huge coffee drinker, even during the summer months.  More then half of the time while modeling I have a cup of coffee oat the bench. And since I negotiated years ago for one of the two now quest bedrooms as my computer/modeling room, I've got plenty of outlets, just hope that I don't eventually run out of amps on the one breaker that both bedrooms are on. 

joel

[joelw]

Aug 4, 2024 21:08:50 GMT -5 2whl said:

Joel, that decal work is looking great. And I use a coffee mug warmer whenever I decal. I usually fill the bowl I use about halfway and turn on the warmer for about 30 min before I start.

Paul,
  Much thanks for checking out my decaling effort.  As always your thumbs up is much appreciated.

 And thanks for posting a picture of your decaling setup.  I bought the same warmer but in black  I'm assuming that you use the low 135 temp setting and just leave it on during the session. 

 And one more question,. I noticed in the picture that you use Micro Set and Solvaset but not Micro Sol. Any reason for this, or is it a straight swap between the two?

joel