Tamiya Mercedes Benz 300sl 1/24

[Deleted member 3568]

superb job youre doing here marc

 

[noble]

All I can say here is WOW.


scott

 

[dougie]

This is looking stunning. Great work. The blue is an amazing colour mate and the quality of the car build is one of the best here.


I need to warn you, I don't know how long you left between 4 coats of clear but I did the same with it and had that level of finish and it was still degassing for a few weeks as it was too many coats too soon and it ended up that it shrank down more and I had to re-polish again.


I hope this doesn't happen to you but then again I think I did mine too thick :eek:

 

[Marc Stock]

Ooh you got me worried now. I think its okay as its been a long while since final clear coat. And did 4 coats of clear but each coat was 3 mist coats and 30 mins wait between. Do do all 4 coats it took about 6 hours.

 

[Marc Stock]

Okay after 4 days straight this is where im at. I wont be able to do any more until next weekend.


Fixed grille into the car, this needed alot of cutting and trimming as the black mesh behind the grille kept snagging on the bonnet made a start on the passeger door headlining, and fixed some chrome parts to the body, the chrome fixing was a complete fiddle it.took an hour and a half to do just those two chrome bits, very very very fiddly especially when you dont want to get glue all over the paintwork.


Here is a final montage of progress and have a good week you all!

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[dougie]

Ooh you got me worried now. I think its okay as its been a long while since final clear coat. And did 4 coats of clear but each coat was 3 mist coats and 30 mins wait between. Do do all 4 coats it took about 6 hours.

Sounds better than how I did it. I did wet coats that were probably too thick.


How did you find the mist coats went on? Did they build up to being glossy? I followed someone else's advive but I think what you did sounds like a better approach if your going to sand as well.


I think you will probably be good because you have lots of time between thin coats. Looks like you did great work

 

[Marc Stock]

No they weren't glossy at all. More of a dull sheen. The depth of colour became more pronounced with each coat though, i just wanted enough thickness for micromesh polishing i wasnt worried about getting a gloss finish on wet coats immediately as i knew that the micromesh would achieve a far better finish than my airbrush could do.

 

[dougie]

You did yourself proud then. Looks all good, I'm sure those coats will be fully dry. I'll be doing far thinner coats next time

 

[Marc Stock]

Thanks dougie. I was going to splash out on a new airbrush and even go down the 2pk route. But for cheaper i have been able to get the same look by using micromesh.


Although getting ready for work this morning i quickly thought id check to see if it all fitted ok and the bonnet wont close with the chassis in so im not sure how im going to takle this one.

 

[dougie]

Thanks dougie. I was going to splash out on a new airbrush and even go down the 2pk route. But for cheaper i have been able to get the same look by using micromesh.
Although getting ready for work this morning i quickly thought id check to see if it all fitted ok and the bonnet wont close with the chassis in so im not sure how im going to takle this one.

Don't use 2k man. That's some bad stuff. Its really really dangerous. Look at some of the health issues we have seen on here with less dangerous chemicals! I just won't risk it myself.


Literally one breath of it can cause irreversible health issues from what I've read on government hse docs.

 

[Marc Stock]

Did a bit on the kit just some small bits and bobs here and there in the evening during the week. Got another pinger, this time is the indicator lens it pinged off as far as the eye could see when putting it into the hole and i cannot find it anywhere. Darn it. I got one in but not the other.


So i am ordering another kit next week. Its cheaper than having to replace parts that go missing.


Im not giving up on the build im also going to do a barn find version in the same colour, so might as well make the most of it and possibly do a display case with both cars.


I have attached some more of the brightwork, the engine vent was particularly difficult to do; done some more headlining on the other door, smoothed out the headlining with 600 grit on the 1st door, attached hinges, and metal coated, and attached meshing to the rear vents to add a bit of a realistic touch.

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[dougie]

The colour is fantastic. It's deep as hell with a nice sized fleck. It's a good feeling when you finish the micromesh and it polishes up with no rub through haha great work

 

[dougie]

Also this on a base with a barn find is a great idea. Paint it like this one and add some bubbling etc... And it's a before and after. Will look amazing

 

[noble]

That is superb mate.... the colour is very cool and that shine is just WOW.


scott

 

[Snowman]

AMAZING paint job!!:eek:


That is a pro job!!

 

[Dave Jay]

The colour is fantastic. It's deep as hell with a nice sized fleck. It's a good feeling when you finish the micromesh and it polishes up with no rub through haha great work

That's a thing, how do you stop rub through when using micromesh? It's a problem I had on my cobra.

 

[Marc Stock]

Thanks guys for your kind words. Dave your question about rub through, well thats just it your rubbing it and thats where your going wrong.


I prefer to think like im 'cutting' it. When you wet shave do you apply pressure like your rubbing? Of course not you go lightly and let the razor cut.


Its the same with micromesh, you need just enough pressure to hold it against the surface (this means no pressure really, like your holding a butterfly wing). Dont rub it back and forth like your sanding something, go in light straight cuts from left to right and count them. I did 40 cuts before moving up to the next grade ( this varies from one person to the other), as you go up to the next grade it will take less off. Also listen to the cut, if its scraping like your sanding something your going too hard. You want to listen for a high pitch squeeky sort of rizzle sound (is the best i can describe it ) and make sure you do it wet to keep friction heat down. Use lots of water, too little and the paper will 'grab' the paint and graze it ( especially on freshly dried paint ) and take your time dont rush it.


I did one panel at a time divding up the sections. This ensured i didnt go uneaven on one place.


Don't know if that helps or not

 

[dougie]

That's a thing, how do you stop rub through when using micromesh? It's a problem I had on my cobra.

Is not easy. You need to get a really even coat of paint all over without going too thick.


Next you use finer micromesh than you want to... If you go too course you have deeper scratches to remove from the paint but you have already removed a lot of the overall thickness by then. You just want to remove the orange peel to a desirable level with the finest grit you can get away with and then use compound for the shine.


Stay away from edges and corners where possible as they get rubbed down more and the paint tends to be thinner.


Mark has done an exceptional job on this, his patience and pace seem to be spot on.

 

[dougie]

Oh and you want to feel like the mesh is sticking. That's when it has done is job and made a smooth flat surface for that grade of mesh. Well it seems to for me

 

[Marc Stock]

Good advice there Dougie. What do you think of the new wheel combination?

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