KH400 Kawasaki
With cars and bikes I usually start with the bodywork.
The pink primer is UMP. It’s an acrylic that settles very smoothly and self levels. Very forgiving.
I let it settle for a day before I sand if it needs it.
The spark plugs will be replaced with more accurate parts. I am not going overboard with details with this one.
The engine looks very detailed and doesn’t need much fiddling around. To highlight the castings I have used Alclad II Hi Shine Aluminium and Alclad II Polished Aluminium over Alclad Black Base.
Hose clamps of BMF added
The Air box is painted in SMS Jet Black for the shiny plastic while the rubber parts have SMS Black which give a flat finish.
The supplied cables are oversized but I didn’t have any lighter in my stash. Must fix that! I have a jig for building bikes but it doesn’t allow for Hasegawa bikes.
Seat done in SMS “black” over UMP grey primer.
The tank, tail unit and side covers done in SMS “Signal Red”. It should give me a more ‘orange’ shade.
SMS 2k clear coat.
The tail unit and side covers settled perfectly with no trace of orange peel.
The fuel tank however did have a very slight orange peel over the top of the tank.
You can see the orange peel on this shot
I cannot leave it like this, Yoda would would be very disappointed!
The side covers were perfect as they were
The tank here has had a quick and very light wet sand with Micromesh 6000 grit. The uneven surface starts to reveal itself.
Wet sand with 6000 grit leaves a flatter surface but dull from micro scratches.
A few minutes with a wet 8000 grit and the tank starts to come back to life.
12000 grit starts to bring up a shine and the scratching has all but gone.
UMP polish brings back the shine. The polish kit also has a cutting compound but this wasn’t needed.
Looks good but it does still need a wax.
Wax down and buffed off.
From the side.
Ok, I’m happy with that so onto the next thing!
Test fit of the tank, seat and tail unit. Not happy with the side cover Alclad. It has rubbed off from the handling.
I have had a mountain of problems with the front wheel and guard.
Just to prove the CDI unit is in there! Battery detail.
I repainted the side covers and the outside engine cooling fin.
“But the front fell off”! Famous line from Australian comedy skit. Apologies to International audiences.
Nobody ever said that modelling had to be ordered and organised!
Compare the pair. Earlier build, Kawasaki KH 250 with the latest subject. Of note at this point is I retained ALL of the kit supplied chrome. Normally I would remove it but I questioned myself as to why I do. I did not come up with a reason so I left it all in situ and I do like the result.
I have one more Kawasaki Tri Stars kit to build from what is available, the H1-500. I would love to get my hands on a H2-750 but there is only the old Hella kit from the eighties which is impossible to find at a price I would be game to build and the Aoshima pre built kit, which takes the fun out of it!
Comments
21 18 March 2022, 09:11
Peter HardyJv, I use UMP polishing system. A little expensive but I get much better results from using it than anything else I have tried. And I have tried everything from Tamiya through to car polishes.
umpretail.com/collec..mate-polishing-cloth
19 March 2022, 10:36
Peter HardyAnyone confused with the "The front fell off" remark should watch this. Famous political satire skit from and Australian TV show. Very funny! Youtube Video
25 March 2022, 23:48
Martin OostromHard to choose what I liked more; the bikes or the video 😄
Stunning build Peter, very well done!
26 March 2022, 21:24
Peter HardyI wouldn't call it a technique Villiers, more of a control on the saturation in the end colour. The colour I wanted was red with a hint of orange but I didn't want a yellow tint to it. The pink keeps the red but keeps it light.
Martin, the comedy duo were on a current affairs show every Friday evening and always too the p-ss out of a train wreck interview with a political figure for the week. Heaps of them on You Tube, anyone can relate to them because politicians are all the same.
Spanjaard, me or the model? 🤣
27 March 2022, 05:34
Tom ...Excellent build, Peter. I believe the UMP primer is Stynylrez and it is fantastic stuff. I've also started using 2k clear and it is fantastic too.
9 April 2022, 08:14
Peter HardyTom, the UMP primer is very forgiving and self levels. Love the stuff!
9 April 2022, 11:42
