My very first attempt at making a model car.

My inspiration for this project was a tutorial in a leaflet by Deluxe Materials - a specialist British manufacturer of modelling adhesives and scenic products. I recreated the tutorial here on the Hobbies blog in the hope that other people might come up with new ways to use the Scenic Rust product, or even to try building a model car kit for the first time as I am doing.

I couldn't get hold of the 1949 Ford used in the original tutorial, and similarly you may struggle to obtain the '66 Shelby car that I've used here, but the beauty of the tutorial is that you can use any car, truck, tractor or World War 2 tank that you think would look great as an end display or in a  diorama. Try the racing car version of the Shelby Cobra, which would look excellent.

A good place to find a bargain model is the Hobbies Special Offer page where there are lots of genuine 'cut-price' plastic model kits for sale.

 The first thing I noticed upon picking up the instructions is that they are still painfully basic and you still have to scan through the text to find the necessary English parts.

 

Next I noticed that the 'Paints used' page listed a lot more different colours than are mentioned on the outside of the box. Some of the paints have to be mixed together to produce the required colour. In fact the main Blue colour of the Shelby is a mixture of 3 different colour paints: 30% Ultramarine Blue; 20% Metallic Steel, and 50% White Gloss. I must admit doing this gave me more of a feeling that I was producing a Masterpiece, rather than just a Paint-by-numbers.

 

I started locating the numbered pieces, taking them from the frame and trimming any surplus plastic. Then I started painting a couple of the pieces as per the instructions.

I am a little embarassed to admit that I didn't quite 'get' how the recommended Revell Contacta Glue works. I cut the end off the long blue nozzle not realizing that part is actually a cap that protects and seals the thin glue dispensing tube inside. I had to mend the cap to stop the glue from drying out, but no harm done.

Some parts are glued together, while others, such as the wheels, snap together. I found it necessary to paint some parts leaving them to dry for a couple of hours before painting or gluing to the adjacent parts.

I don't have the steadiest hand, and for painting small, fiddly parts I would have found it invaluable to use a Light Craft daylight magnifying lamp which is on my shopping list for my next project. 

It was confusing seeing only one seat mentioned in the instructions . I discovered later that the parts 'shaded out' in the instruction leaflet are not used. Seems likely that the same frame is used for a different version or model of the car.

It was surprising how adding the painted drivers seat and steering wheel breathed some life into the model. Around this point I started to feel hope for the end result. 

Unfortunately disaster was about to strike !!!

Nowhere is it mentioned that if you get either paint cleaner or glue on your model car's windscreen is it going to 'fog up' so you can't see through, totally destroying the model.

Fortunately, with a bit of lateral thinking, I realised that this effect is perfect for the end result I was going for, which is a rusty old banger with dents, scratches. So I kept going in the knowledge this would make the model look as if it had condensation inside the windows

Using decals for the first time was nerve wracking but surprisingly easy. A quick soak in water and the transfers simply slide off the paper and onto the model, and give you a few seconds to make adjustments. The decal trim on the outside of the car tyres was particularly pleasing, giving a realistic look to the wheels.

 

I only had a couple of instances where I glued parts onto the wrong sections because I hadn't understood where the arrows in the instruction leaflet were pointing. A couple of hours of head scratching and a solution presents itself eventually, often with the accompanying Homeresque cry of 'Doh!!!' 

There really is no better alternative than to read and reread the instructions until you understand them, even though my male brain always says otherwise.

 

After applying the final decals on the car body, the model is finished and would normally be ready for display.

Now to apply the rust and ageing effects . . .