With the interior done, it was time to move onto the chassis. It was pretty straight forward, started off with a coat of grey acrylic primer and then coated with aluminium, chrome or semi gloss black. I was very pleased with the paint job, the masking worked very well but it will need a dry brushing to pick out details.
The exhaust was meant to be chrome and it was the perfect opportunity to use my new chrome paint. Firstly sprayed with a lacquer gloss black and then with the chrome once dry. Next it also needed a section to be painted with gold. I decided to use the gold/ copper lacquer paint to match the wheels. Over all I am very pleased with the exhaust system.
The brake callipers were also painted using the chrome and copper/ gold paint. Overall, very pleased with the results. After applying the tiny red decals, they really looked the part.
The wheels looked amazing once painted and the decals applied. Very tiny work. The wheel nuts will have to be painted blue at a later date, before I gloss coat them. I am very pleased with how good the colour matched paint looks. Will have to use more of those in future models.
Now for the part I have been really looking forward to; the bodywork. I was looking forward to see how the midnight purple lacquer paint turned out. Pre painted with 2k black primer, I coated the body work with 2 thin coats and then two thick coats but not too wet. The paint is quite thick and I didn't want runs or for it to cover details. Trick is to apply gently till I get the coating I desire. The paint work turned out pretty well and here it is without the gloss coat. Even without the gloss, the paint is impressive.
Once the paint coats were done, I applied the decals. These are the after market metal decals I purchased. I wanted them to be under the gloss coat for the best effects. A lesson learnt from my Ferrari. Once they were applied, it was time for the gloss.
The gloss was a 2k Diamond Lacquer. It needs to be pre mixed with the lacquer, harder and thinner and sprayed with two dry coats and then two or three thick wet coats. Once fully dry, I used 3000, 5000 and 7000 grit sand paper to work out any dust or imperfections and to try to achieve a perfectly smooth coat. Next I was to use my polishing compound, three grades starting with course, then medium and moving onto fine. I used my Dremel tool and the polishing pads I purchased to achieve an amazing shine. The finish still had a little orange peel but not as much as the Ferrari, I think a little more sanding next time is needed. Once polished, I masked it up for the window rubbers in matt black. Once that was dry, a coat of finishing wax and a polish with a soft cloth.
Overall, this whole process took some time, especially to clean out any excess polishing compound. Once done, I was very pleased with the finished results.
Even with the limitations of the camera, the 'flip' in the paint can be easily seen. It flips from deep purple to blue with traces of orange in it and the flake really stands out. The shine is amazing but next time, I will make sure to give the finish a little extra sanding to remove more of the orange peel as possible. Overall, I am really liking the results. Next thing to do, is put it all together.
