Revell BMW Isetta 250 - WIP

Tom ...
The build quality of this kit is really good.

My only complaints are that there are:
1) A lot of seams on the sprue pieces (but not the body or the large pieces),
2) The sprue connections are really really thick and lots and lots of them to boot, so a lot of tedious cleaning up of edges...
3) Some annoying pin-marks
4) The undercarriage is one simple molded piece so is going to be a pain to paint cleanly.

The chrome pieces are of a very high quality. I still went ahead and de-chrome them (which was very hard indeed) as I prefer the Alclad chrome.

I do wish they did some better or more interesting texturing for the seat but I guess for the skill level of the product I can't complain.

Anyway I really like this kit. All the pieces fit perfectly. The quality of all the pieces is solid. However, it's going to take me a long time to complete as I want to create a vintage (and slightly weathered) look but I'm not sure how to do that yet... so if you do follow along be prepared for very slow progress...

Chris Greathouse
no slow.... go go go! 😛 Your alclad pieces look very good.

Tom ...
Yeah, slow process... nearly two years now... decided not to go vintage this time. planning to get this kit again at some point again (i.e. when I feel I'm better able to do vintage).

Tom ...
I've started using Tamiya's lacquer thinner to thin out their acrylics and it's resulting in a very smooth finish. My only complaint is that is drys too quickly, which on one hand is great but when masking it does create harsh edges... However not having orange peel is a big plus...

Dominik Weitzer
very interesting. like what i see - nice and fresh color

Tom ...
Ugh, I tried to get creative with the door and managed to damage that paint job. As I custom mixed the colors (and don't have any left) had no choice but to strip all the paint (except the chassis) and start again....

BTW, using Windex to remove the paint was amazingly effective. Very impressed.

Skyhiker
How long did you have to have the pieces soak in Windex to strip the paint? Would that work on lacquer as well?

Tom ...
Hi Skywalker. Not very long, a minute or so. It won't work with lacquer, I don't think. Only with water based acrylics I believe. In my Tiger I build I was able to use Windex to remove my bad weathering as luckily I had laid down a lacquer based clear coat before hand.

Tom ...
Made some "chrome" strips for the door.

Dominik Weitzer
New start hä? Thats always a little bit sad, but a new start will bring some changes or upgrades you've not thought on before painting.
It only can get better now 😉

Tom ...
True that, Dominik! Part of the reason too, to start again, was because I had better ideas on how to go about it.

Dominik Weitzer
agreed!
on the finish line of my "General Lee", the paint started cracking. The body was done - paint, chrome, decals, clearcoat...and what a shiny finish he had!. That was a really hard point, to remove the paint. that time, there were no aftermarket decals on the market, so i wanted to print my own. after i removed the paint, i changed the trimlines around the roof and overhauled the complete front to fit better with the bumpers.
thats why i think, sometime the "Modelbuildersgod" gives you a hint, when you can make it better :-D .

Chris Greathouse
This is one of my favorite cars on my shelf... Such an oddball car. Watching!

Ben M
A local BMW dealership used to have one on display. One time I managed to talk a salesman into letting me sit in it. Such a weird and cool little car.

Bob Hall
Second one of these I've seen on here this week, unique little spud for sure. Knock another masterpiece out of the park Tom !

Chris Greathouse
I love how the steering wheel moves with the door when you open it to allow for more room to get in and out. Pretty ingenious of the developers.

Robert Podkoński
Good work so far, Tom. Waiting for updates! (I have the same kit in my stash but the quality of your work made me a bit shy to start... 😉 )

Tom ...
Robert, you are confusing me with someone else I think 🙂

I have a lot of kits in my stash that I'm afraid to start but I'm also getting some confidence finally.

One thing about this build is that I've learned how to strip the pain and start again (twice!) so that has been a useful break through for me. I still need to develop more patience and do more layering...

Dominik Weitzer
nice progress!

Robert Podkoński
Keep it up, Tom! 😉 the same concerns me with regard to many projects, lol 😄

Tom ...
Pulled the trigger on some automotive urethane clear coat a while back and finally tried it out on the Isetta. Have to say it is amazing stuff.

Don't really care about having a super shiny finish - in fact I just ordered the satin version of this product as that is more what I like - but do love that it goes on so easily and it dries super hard, like glass.

I've gone through a bunch of clear coats (future, tamiya, alclad) and even after a long curing process I've always had the problem when handling the model that the surface would start to feel slightly tacky and would end up with fingerprint marks that don't wipe off completely. It has always been a big frustration for me.

With the urethane I think that problem is solved but I'm still going to give it some days in the curing box before handling.

Bill Newcomer
I love the happiness of the color combo. Shiny too.

John Hughes
I've used Mr Muscle oven cleaner to strip plating and it works well. Here's a useful guide to masking curved surfaces -

Youtube Video

Apparently, these cars didn't have a reverse gear, so if you drove it into you garage too far, you became trapped in the car due to the front opening door.

Ben M
Hi john. That was a great tutorial thank you

Tom ...
Now that the car is mostly assembled, have to say that it has a lot of character. I like this model a lot. The fit is very good indeed, except the side windows but even they are not too bad.

Probably build this again in the future when I feel capable of creating a more vintage, slightly weathered look.

Bob Hall
Now go this route with one ! LOL !!!!!!

[img1]

Tom ...
Thanks John for the link. very useful.

Bob, good to see nothing has changed with you... 🙂

I wanted to share a video I also found very useful and has some great hacks: Youtube Video

Michael Kohl
Ohh, this Isetta is really beautiful. Your second paint job gave an excellent result, as your rechroming did. Very nice. Are you going to weather the body too?

Tom ...
Thank you, Michael! Not going to weather this time but do plan to redo this kit, or one similar, and try for a vintage, slightly worn look. But first need to gain more weathering experience before being able achieve what I have in mind.

After finishing my Vespa build I'll be doing projects that focus on weathering. Thinking of maybe redoing my first model, the Jeep Wrangler, as a beach or desert weathered vehicle but probably start out with something simpler like the 1969 Olds or Fait 500D.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Beautiful Izetta, Tom. 👍

I really like the colours and their clean glossy finish.
The shading of the brown leather case and on the roof add a nice contrast.

Brandon H
Came out really well Tom!

Ben M
Yeah that's a fantastic build! Tom, weathering for me is some of the most fun painting to do. Maybe you'll find it the same.

Tom ...
Thanks, guys. Much appreciated. It did turn out well. Between this build and a parallel Vespa build (which I've not documented) I've had breakthroughs on certain things and feel my confidence is finally turning a corner... only took stripping the paint twice on the Isetta and once (so far) on the Vespa... 🙂

Neuling
Lovely build! 👍

Rui S
Oh yhea, I Like it... 👍