1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuilt and improved

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Zondaracer
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Mon Jan 23, 2017 1:46 pm

Update 23 January 2017

At last I have finished painting the clear parts. It was a total nightmare. I wanted to paint the inside of the glass parts as with the real car. On the GT90 this is of special importance since the whole dome structure is covered in glass. Even the A-pillars are covered, something which is very difficult to do and one of the main features of the car. Only recently the Aston Martin Vulcan was shown with a similar structure.
First I used Tamiya tape for masking and handpainted the edges with Tamiya acryl paint. Total disaster, I had to remove all paint. Second attempt was with mylar, I did the same with the Zonda window. Unfortunately I didn't have the original material anymore and bought new stuff. But it wasn't the same quality, wasn't that flexible and left a lot of glue on the windows. This time I decided to use a spray can with acrylic paint. Unfortunately also this didn't work, edges were okay except for run under marks and lots of glue residue. I sort of repaired those, but when I glued the structure in the paint came loose from the clear parts and I had to remove all paint again.

Upon finding out if there was a better way, I found this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT_Tyt4rqzo

For me it was a big eyeopener. I bought the 3M tape mentioned in the video, later I also found a blue vinyl one that is more flexible. Will probably buy it also for my next project.

When waiting for the tape I had another attempt with the main dome, again mylar but now with Humbrol enamel paint, gloss black. That seemed to work fine although still a few rough edges. but from 1 foot distance looked fine to me. Then the tape arrived and I used the 3M it to mask the windows and rear glass, and painted again with Humbrol enamel gloss black:
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After 1 hour or so (tack dry) I removed the tape and corrected a few small errors:
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But general view is a very sharp edge. Professional tape really makes a difference!

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After painting the main structure and rear view mirror was carefully glued into the dome:
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The rear glass hatch got 2 struts and bolts:
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This is as on the real car and completely missing from the model.

Last bit are the reflectors. I love this weird gimmick on the car and also not present on the original model. I made these from clear red plastic plate, backed up by bare metal foil and glued to the structure.
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Can't wait how this looks on the car.

View of the dome and doors with the structure and mirror in place. I am pleased with the way this looks.
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This completes this phase. Next are all the small bits on the car itself, mainly to do are the front and tail lights and mesh. When all these small bits are done, it's time to paint the car and final assembly. With a bit of luck only 1 or 2 updates before finishing the car.
Last edited by Zondaracer on Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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[KRAFTIG]
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by [KRAFTIG] » Mon Jan 23, 2017 2:30 pm

The results are very good.

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by StratosWRC » Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:07 pm

excellent update, can't wait to see it done!

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Zondaracer
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:47 pm

Update Friday 17 February 2017
Small update on the lights. Front and tail lights were a menace and a major obstacle. They are important for the model but poorly executed on the Maisto model.
One problem is there are almost no pictures available. I discovered that the light units were removed shortly after the car was revealed and since that day it has been shown with just the covers. The front lights were no question mark, just 6 halogen units per light unit. The lower mounted lights seem to be orange indicators first and presently fog lights or indicator lights with silver plated light bulbs.
For the model I needed to scratchbuild the light units. I bought small 2.0mm lenses to mimic the halogen pods.
Pictured is the original part and the scratchbuild one. Too bad the mod lights don't have the engraved lines, but they are sitting deep anyway and will give a nice sparkle when they catch the light
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For the lens cover I used the original parts. I cut it back to just the top portion and sanded and polished it in shape.
Original and modded part:
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For the lower lights I needed to make new covers, the Maisto ones are too small and have a dent in them because they are studded. I gave it a try but gave up, These are the original parts hafway the sanding process:
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I experimented with clear styrene plate, but could not get them in a curve without distorting the clearness. In the end I cut 2 pieces from a perspex bottle and by endless sanding got the correct parts.
Pictured is one being testfitted. On the real car they are sealed in with grey kit, so I painted the edges grey (not shown).
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Tail lights were a bit more complicated. I had no idea how they were lit, but in the end found a video on Youtube that shows a sort of zig-zag led light pattern.
The reflectors of the indicators are integrated, so I started with these. I removed the grid from the inside of the original Maisto part, except where the indicator needed to come. After polishing I used bare metal foil to make the indicator strip:
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It should be orange but this is the best I can do.

Then the support frame was painted.
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For the zigzag I used a piece of clear red plate, covered it with bare metal foil and cut the zig-zag.
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It's possible to buy clear colored plastic plate, but I am just using lids from a product I found in the supermarket.

The slits were covered with alu paint and the part was glued in. Result:
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Compared to the original lighted units:
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Next bits should be straight forward and easier as mirrors, mesh, intercoolers etc. Just a tiny bit of scratchbuilding to do, so hopefully the final leap to the finish.
Last edited by Zondaracer on Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by [KRAFTIG] » Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:11 pm

The attention to detail is quite impressive, they look great.

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by protzenegger » Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:39 pm

Was looking forward to seeing how you'd tackle the lights. Impressive detail work! Didn't even remember there was a zigzag like that. Very nicely done, I'm excited to see the full front and rear assemblies.

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Zondaracer
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:40 am

protzenegger wrote:Was looking forward to seeing how you'd tackle the lights. Impressive detail work! Didn't even remember there was a zigzag like that. Very nicely done, I'm excited to see the full front and rear assemblies.
Yes the taillights required lots of research. I discovered the car has been displayed for years without tail lights, just the perspex cover (there is a picture of the car at Goodwood and the sunlight casts a red spot on the rear tyre, that was the eye opener). So I had to find all early data of the car. On pics this zigzag isn't visible (I only found on one picture with increased contrast a few black lines), but I found a video on youtube of the car at his reveal on a rotating plate. The still is from that video and shows the zigzag. Possibly the tail lights didn't get enough power for full illumination, so a rare sight seeing the strips individually.

https://youtu.be/QIf7s4vIMpo?t=29s

But almost finished now, all details ready, first layer of paint on the body this weekend. If all goes well maybe ready in a week.

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MCWS
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by MCWS » Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:42 pm

I alway enjoy all the things (big and small) you improve on the models!

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Zondaracer
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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:25 am

Thanks Maarten, yes it's a great hobby. I am following your work closely as well, just wish I could build them as fast as you do!

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by robs model cars » Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:41 am

Very impressive as usual, you have more patience than me for this sort of work. Looking good, and cant wait to see it painted!

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Fri Mar 24, 2017 8:37 am

Update 24 March 2017.
Small update, moving closer to completion.

Mirror holes required attention. They were too big and the mirrors were tilted down. I corrected the size of the holes with a mix of superglue and metal dust:
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Mirrors were sanded and indents filled with putty. I reworked the base of the mirrors until they were standing straight:
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Further rework of the mirrors, finally painted:
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The use of photoetched mesh was an issue, I tried everything, but in the end double and triple stacked mesh for the intercooler intakes and back end. 1 layer of mesh gave not the right effect, on the real car the mesh is very dense.
Not a laundry line but painting mesh:
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The mesh for the shoulder intake was painted white ofcourse, the rest satin black.

The rear window spoiler is no longer supported by ugly studs but will be glued to the body. I had to resize it to make it line up with the body and decrease the gaps:
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Shoulder intake and spoilers were painted. I decided to go for a pearl finish. After polishing the shoulder intakes got their mesh glued in:
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Other small stuff finished, visible are the double and triple layer stacked mesh, logo's and exhaust. Exhaust is made of ferrules (as shown in this thread).I cut them to size and gave them a layer of Tamiya smoke to tone them down.
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The logo's don't look that chromed. I used Alclad the first time and they were perfectly chromed. But when putting the decals on, it turned out that Microset liquid attacked the alclad making it black. So I had to repaint them again with alclad but went a bit too far. I find it very difficult to stop at the right time, too early and it has a black shine, too late and it's just silver. Anyway the alclad layer was clearcoated before I could install the Ford decals, then gave it another layer of clearcoat.

At last the body. I made a frame from steel strips for support. Sanded the whole body again and primed:
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Painting white base coat was a disaster, too fast and too much. So I had to let it dry for a few days and sand most of it back to the prime layer. Then a few coats of white, a pearl coat and 2 coats of clear.
Time for decaling. All is going smooth. I am getting the hang of making my own decals, they get sharper and sharper. I'll do a video or a tutorial since I found a few tricks that make life much easier. Anyway all side decals are on, I have the V12 logo on both sides. Maisto put the V12logo on just 1 side, but at launch of the car both sides had the V12 logo (check the video above).
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I also made a decal for the yellow opening button, much easier than painting the part.

Final result:
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With the paint layer the door gaps have become alarming small but if I lift the door they just pass the fender without touching.
I'll let the decals dry for a day and then do another 2 or 3 layers clearcoat. The "numberplate" (more of a nameplate with the names of all involved employees) will be placed after clearcoating, it needs a grey edge and I don't want it to be as shiny as the body.

So a couple of days and it should be finished (if nothing goes wrong, fingers crossed).
Last edited by Zondaracer on Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by [KRAFTIG] » Fri Mar 24, 2017 10:28 am

Wow that is a lot of detailed work. I'm impressed with attention to detail. Do you want to sell it?

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:25 pm

No I am building it for my private collection. Maybe in the future I start building models for customers but at the moment too many desirable models on my bucket list and still a lot to learn.

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by [KRAFTIG] » Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:28 pm

I can totally relate. Can't wait to see the completed project!

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Re: 1/18 Maisto Ford GT90 rebuild and improve WIP

Post by Zondaracer » Fri Mar 24, 2017 3:43 pm

Yes, so do I! Clearcoating finished, now needs to dry for a few days and then a sanddown with grid 2000 and polish. Already shiny but pearl paint makes it a bit "gritty".
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Tried a few parts for looks, it's a jewel with all these lovely details. But lots of rework before everything slots in, made a few mistakes with tolerances. Paint build up is substantial. I have to learn to make bigger gaps between (unpainted) parts.
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Last edited by Zondaracer on Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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