Tamiya: Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 - WIP

Bob Hall
That's some Frankenstein way of extracting paint, for a second it look like something from the last Meth lab we busted ! LOL !

Tom ...
Robert, it's called science! Ask Mr. White.

Tom ...
I plan to use that color too for the Shelby Cobra, when I get around to it.

Tom ...
Hmmm, I'm finding that the micro sol solution is not working at all well with these decals. I think I need to get something stronger.... Is it possible that the micro sol solution can degrade?

Bob Hall
is it just the Tamiya decals or other brands too ?

Tom ...
Not sure, Robert. I've not had too much decal work till now. I think this is an extreme case. The smaller ones go on with no problems.

Chris Greathouse
Remember what Martin was saying what he had to do for with his Toyota racer... he let the decals soak overnight to get them to conform to his car. Maybe try soaking?

Tom ...
Yeah, I think if I'm going to do any major decals in the future I'll need stronger stuff or soak more like Martin had to.

Tom ...
That was a lot of work doing the body decals. At least with these kinds of kits you get a good amount of decal practice.

I really like Alclad's Klear Kote. Much easier to work with than Future. However, I'm not a big fan of really shiny cars (except for those who can do a perfect job of it) as it requires perfection to be worthwhile and I'm not that keen to be honest. Still, when I do need shiny I'm going to be using Alclad for sure.

Bob Hall
Looks Good ! Just have to find your technique, like everything else. But Awesome job !

Chris Greathouse
Whatever hiccups you had with the decals doesn't show, and like Robert says, just have to find your own technique... Looking good.

Bob Hall
Yes, I use a Q-tip with plastic stick or it will get soggy and start to bend, soak in warm water until it comes off paper on it's own and roll it with pressure and basically squeegee any water out from under,then soak it in setting solution then roll out any creases,let air dry in front of a fan, then clear coat over.

That's my Technique.

Tom ...
Finally ready to paint. The window mask provided in the kit are cool but quite tricky to put down well.

The one thing I really like about this kit (as opposed to the other kits I've done so far) is the level of painting detail provided in the instructions. Maybe when I've done many more models I'll get better at choosing colors but for now it's nice not to have to deal with those choices...

Chris Greathouse
Tamiya usually has great instructions, and I agree that having a color code just makes life easier and the process more enjoyable.

Tom ...
I bought some Solvaset today so I think that will help with thicker, more stubborn decals...

Martin Oostrom
I think she looks great in the pictures.
I use Revell's decal softener. With the larger decals, I use the attached brush to wet the model, then apply the decal, move it into the right spot and then add some more softener if needed. It can be applied multiple times. On the F-89 I had to apply 7 or 8 times on the dreadful shark mouth.

Tom ...
Taking a break from doing the non-body decals. There are so many....

Have to say that I really like this kit. It's not because of the car itself, which I have no interest in (I got this as a follow-a-long project), but rather the amount of detail the instructions call out, in particular with painting but also the decals. It's really forced me to go the extra mile and truly pay attention to things. I think I'll be shying away from inexpensive/simple kits in the future.

mark brinkley
Really looking nice tom, its nice to see this car in a later year then the kit I'm working on, keep up the good work

Tom ...
Thanks, Mark. It's a crash-course on decaling for me. So many. Finally on to assembly as everything has been painted and decal'ed at this point... though I still have to do the black trim on the body...

Martin, if the Solvaset doesn't workout I'll try the revell for sure.

mark brinkley
Looking forward to seeing it finished

Martin Oostrom
A fine brush, a steady hand (rest it on the table and support it with the other) and thin paint should do the trick on the trim.

Tom ...
Martin, is this what you are talking about.... (pic #25)... 🙂

bossy122
Oooh, I hope that tape doesn't take decal with it when you pull it off.....even if clear coated. Fingers crossed.

Martin Oostrom
Ivagree with bissy! (Hard to type with fingers crossed 😄 )

Tom ...
No worries, bossy. it worked out nicely.

Anyone know what happened in pic #28? Did the plastic expand or something?

Tamiya: Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 - WIP | Album by tom... (1:24)

Bob Hall
Gives it the ora of realism, spray some dirt and road dust and go for the gusto !

Tom ...
Well I just might, Robert. Next goal is to learn how to weather so I might very well revisit this car at some later date and weather it up! In the meantime I'm buying a few really cheap models to practice on.

Martin Oostrom
Perhaps while (un)masking, you pressed too hard with a thumb/finger and warped the plastic?

Tom ...
Definitely not from pressing anything. I've been very gingerly handling the body. I was thinking that maybe the model was a lot cooler when I applied the decals and now it's much warmer and the plastic has expanded a little.... but there can't have been much of a temperature difference. It's a mystery...

Chris Greathouse
The car still looks great 😄

mark brinkley
Looking amazing

Tom ...
Thanks, guys. All that work is finally paying off.

Got the interior finished. Pretty happy with it. No major cockups thankfully. The one thing that did pose a problem was pre-building the roll cage. The helmet box weaves in with the cage (see pic #29) which is hard to do after the fact as the seats are installed first so there is no access. Thankfully I was able to finagle it but it was definitely problematic.

My next problem are the tail lights... they are not fitting at all well.... mehh

Bob Hall
Looking Good Though ! I always liked the Rallye Cars, Guess I lean a little more towards the Ford Focus and the Old Escorts from 20-30 Years ago !

Chris Greathouse
Tooooooooooom!!!.. which way to decal rehab? lol

Tom ...
Done! Final pics album to follow shortly.

Chris, I feel ya'. Excellent job on the decals. They are perfect! Looking forward to the clear coat tomorrow.

Chris Greathouse
You as well, holy smokes. Your model turned out great!!

Tom ...
Thanks, Chris. It was definitely the most demanding kit I've attempted so far but it also pushed me more than the others.

That will most likely be one and only modern rally car I make. If I was to build another sports car it'll definitely be Formula One.

Time for beer in front of the TV....

Chris Greathouse
Yeah, it's beer o'clock here too... My C7R was a fun racer for me to build. It was my first episode of decal shock 😛 An F1 car would be a fun shape to build 🙂

Ronny Langendorf
Great jop!!! You've builded the Subaru very beautiful.

Laurent VILLANUEVA "HELLER-forever"
great

mark brinkley
Work of art

Tom ...
Thank you all. You are very kind. The model does have a lot of details and interesting surfaces so it does end up looking well. It was a challenging but satisfying build.

Bob Hall
Plus Tamiya is a pretty high quality kit so it builds well, and look great completed ! Looks Great Tom !

Tom ...
I agree, Robert. Definitely the best fitting kit I've built so far... okay I've only done 5 but I was still really surprised how well everything lined up. The Revell MG TC was the opposite.

M M
Looks so good!

Allan Gage
This is great..crisply modeled. I've had some issues with tamiya white decals as well. Sometimes i just couldn't get near them with setting solvent have had to rely on hairdryer. I want to try this kit , those helmet boxes are trick.

Tom ...
Thanks guys.

Allan, the helmets and box are cool. However putting the decals on the helmets was crazy hard. Can't believe I didn't take a picture of them before glueing them into the box... oh well.