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Post by Joel_W on Aug 12, 2021 13:14:54 GMT -8
Ben,
the repair looks darn good to me.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 14, 2021 2:49:11 GMT -8
I got rid of the clear decal film separating the letters on the Lotus badge using Joel's suggestion about using a piece of tape to keep everything lined up. It's such a simple solution! Why the hell didn't I think of it years ago when I was piecing together airplane serial numbers?  I soaked the area in Micro Set and then used the tip of a paintbrush to gently chisel the decal up, then I moved it to a piece of wet decal paper so I could cut out the clear film between the letters.  I'll give it a couple of days to dry, then I'll clean up the body and clear coat it.  Thanks for the suggestion, Joel! Ben |
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 14, 2021 6:03:16 GMT -8
Ben,
I'm thrilled that my idea worked for you. One thing that I kind of "Stole" from Paul Budzik is that you can cut away the clear decal film before soaking the decal by using a sharp knife blade and just scoring into the backing paper, you don't have to go all the way through the paper. Then soak the decal in water and when removed just carefully using a pair of pointed tweezers or a toothpick in my case, slide the clear film out of the way as you've already made all the necessary cuts.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 15, 2021 2:05:48 GMT -8
I usually do cut away the extra decal film, and actually debated doing it here when I first applied the decals. I ended up not doing it because of the difficulty aligning the letters properly when they were so far apart. If I'd thought about using tape, I would've gone that route from the start.  Ben |
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 15, 2021 5:53:50 GMT -8
Ben,
And to think back in the old days of the mid to late 70s I use to cut all the clear film off of a decal I can as well as the backing paper. Boy did I hate that part of modeling. Now I love decaling.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 15, 2021 10:03:52 GMT -8
I got the clear coat on this morning. My paint booth pulled some lint onto the body, so I'll have to polish that out and then paint the black trim. Almost finished!  Ben |
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 15, 2021 10:41:16 GMT -8
Ben
The gloss coat looks great.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 16, 2021 5:57:26 GMT -8
Thanks! I just applied gloss coat #2 because I had to polish out some dust spots and I’m going to stop there. The model has become a dust magnet and the particles really stand out on that yellow paint! I need to dig my old Discwasher anti-static gun out of the attic. That or build a NASA-spec clean room to paint in.  Ben |
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Post by arcticwolf on Aug 16, 2021 9:19:48 GMT -8
That or build a NASA-spec clean room to paint in. Ben If you build it they will come.
Or at least I will, I'll be knocking on your door asking to use it.......please!
That certainly is yellow!!
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 16, 2021 13:14:44 GMT -8
Ben,
The finish is just amazing. couldn't ask for a better, deeper gloss shine.
Joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 19, 2021 10:23:10 GMT -8
I'm calling this one "mostly done." I never was able to get a clean edge on the black rub strips and I've somehow lost my black decal film. I've ordered more and then I'll wipe the black paint off and replace it with decal. I use Tamiya and Vallejo acrylic paint for trim work so if/when I screw up, I can remove it with a toothpick or Windex without damaging the rest of the paint. I also need to go back and paint the vents in front of the windshield. Other than my own self-inflicted wounds, this has been a painless build. It's about as close to a weekend slammer car kit you can get.    Miata for scale. The Lotus is longer and wider, but a Miata driver could see over the top of the Lotus without stretching very much.  Ben |
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Post by afx on Aug 20, 2021 3:57:54 GMT -8
Clean work Ben.
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 20, 2021 16:31:16 GMT -8
Ben,
Another outstanding OOB build. the Lotus Esprit came out looking spectacular.
joel
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Post by Ben_B on Aug 21, 2021 2:05:05 GMT -8
Thanks, Joel!
Ben
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