Pontiac Firebird

Preparation of all needed things. 

My chosen color for the chassis. It is so lovely 80 style -ish! 

I'll paint the chassis and the interior space with Magic Dust! 

Testing out Vallejo Magic Dusk. Looks so 80's awesome! 

Testing out Vallejo Magic Dusk. Looks so 80's awesome! 

 

 

 

The under section is now glued to the chassis and waits for its engine. It's already "oil washed", though you cannot see much of it. It's not done, too. 

I swear I didn't see the joints before airbrushing it.... ^-^ 

Not really satisfied with this, but, you know..., it is how it iiiiis. ^-^ 

I saw some images about restored cars and some of them are completely covered from the chassis color. I decided to "alu-paint" the oil pans because I don't have flat steel paint. 

Engine mounted and ... 

... and glued together to the chassis. After it's drying time I'll attach the engine related parts and correct some miss coloring and missing chrome spots from cutting them off the frame. For this I'll use Molotow Chrome pens. ^_~ 

I love the Vallejo Arctic Blue Metallic! So cool! 

First layer of Vallejo Pearl Violet. 

First layer of Vallejo Pearl Violet. 

Prep'd parts. 

Because my Nail Art Velvet Powder isn't arrived yet I'm using Vallejo Putty from the bottle. It has marble dust in it and it can bit imitate the carpet. Not really convinced but it works for me. It's my first "do my best" model after so many years. 

Here's a closer look. 

First layers are done. Need to wait for the second layer to the chassis. The interior parts - I guess - I let them how they are. 

Engine done (main parts)... 

...closer look to it... 

...I took a mix of paints from Tamiya and Vallejo. Bit here, bit there. I guess you know what I mean. ^_~ 

Second layer is done. I guess I airbrush another layer and then let it dry to tomorrow. Vallejo is very fragile, so I know there's not much space in sanding. But I try my best - mostly in dry sanding. Tomorrow it will get a glossy finish. 

The Putty itself looks good to me. I will let it dry completely and then I will detail it. 

Two coats of acrylic glossy finish. It is not a model making specific varnish, just one from the hardware store, thinned down with my DIY thinner. Works really very well. But, the problem here is I couldn't figure out how to "polish" it, so I could flatten the "stand out" metallic stuff. That annoys me a bit. *sigh* 

Two coats of acrylic glossy finish. It is not a model making specific varnish, just one from the hardware store, thinned down with my DIY thinner. Works really very well. 

Two coats of acrylic glossy finish. It is not a model making specific varnish, just one from the hardware store, thinned down with my DIY thinner. Works really very well. 

Two coats of acrylic glossy finish. It is not a model making specific varnish, just one from the hardware store, thinned down with my DIY thinner. Works really very well. 

Noooo, something went wrong. Applied the third layer of the hardware store varnish and... 

... it went totally wrong ... 

... totally ...
So, I guess my job is to buy some Vallejo Varnish (which - of course - I doesn't have right now) and to scrub off my blubbering varnish. Jeeez, it was such a good look and then I thought: Yeah, one last layer! My belly said something else: Noooo, don't! Let it be! Let it how it is!
Ha - Ha <:.-( 

After my Fauxpas I was going out to buy some groceries. I came back a while later and voilà, the problem was gone. But I didn't like it. Something I did wrong. Don't ask me, I dunno. But I tried to "polish" it and, oh jeez, the varnish rubs off. So I clean'd everything, scrub'd the varnish completely off (interestingly the Vallejo paint stays except some spots), dried the chassis and put some Tamiya Gloss Black X-1 on it. Now I try another Magic Dust and wait for my Vallejo Polyurethane gloss varnish, which will arrive in a few days. No more hardware store varnish - I've learned! ^_~ 

... but I guess I have to scrub it a bit before I add the Magic Dust. ^-^ Tamiya paints are incredible strong. 

That's the new choosen and more "like me" color. ^-^ 

3 Layers of Vallejo Violet Old Copper on the chassis. (not dry, still wet) 

Only one layer and it is still wet. Tomorrow I will built the interior. 

Testing out ignition cables in DIY from a youtuber. (already cut) 

New test ... 

... and I got a better solution for it. I took the hollowed vinyl from a very small gauge speaker cable (0,25mm) and put a brass wire 0,4mm in it. Well, I know it's not the right size to a spark plug, but's just a test for now.
Then I cutted a 45° wedge in it (down to the wire, no worries about) put some superglue in the wedge and easily bend it the right way. So it can stay for curing w/o problems.
0,4 mm times 24 are 10mm -ish so I would say it fits the american spark plug wires!? I don't know.
I ordered some Tamiya ignition wires for it but I love the DIY idea more for more flexibility.
Oh, how I fit them "under the hood"? Haha, nevermind, I glue them just together on the distributor under the "air scoop" coz no one can see that. 

Doesn't look that bad, innit? 

The next day ... 

... and just finished the other side of sparky sparking spark plug wiring. ^_~
I guess it's ok so far. I mean, the brass wire is "ok" and may not the right choice for it. But for the first time I did it fairly good. (It's also already oil washed a bit here and there) 

Finally some panel liners from Tamiya in different colors, also on the red caps (using the color orange for it) and as a finish I oil paint the engine in some "general use" black. Let's call it done. Phew! ^.^ 

Now the interior. Flocking first. My flock powder has just arrived so I was so curios about, I have to try it out. 

Using "NOCH Gras-Kleber" (flocking glue from "Noch") coz I bought that as a set with the flock bottle. (<- cheapest static gras applicator ever, but it works I guess, never tried it out.)
Here I applied it with a fine brush first and then tapped the powder over it. It's just very fine nail art velvet powder. 

Removed excess powder. 

It was a long day and I'm working since hours on my "project", so it is not very accurate. But this fine details no one will see it later. ^_~ 

Curing the glue for a while. Now I will finish my work for today.
My back is hurting me, my BPD kicks in and uhm, yeah, I am "ok" with my very first project after so much years has gone.
All good so far! ^-^ 

The day after: Finished the carpet stuff and added the gearshift.
Still awaiting my new leather paints from Vallejo for painting the doorpanels and the seats maybe, too. 

Added some exhaust effects. First with the Tamiya dry weathering technic, then switched over to the translucent paints, too.
That's the way I'm learning, 2 technics in one so say. There's also the airbrush technic with translucent blue, orange, red, yellow - but that was to "exhaust"ing for me today.
Feeling still covered by my BPD. *sigh* <:-/