AUTOMOTIVE MODELLING MAGAZINE • APRIL 2012 • ISSUE #02
y z a r C h c t u D stoms!
Cu
Plus
Insane bikes, A bit of rust, Some 1:12 skills & a bowl full of scale goodness!
Automotive modelling heaven. Read it FREE online at
www.racecraftmag.co.uk
E WELCOM the contents of #02
A big hearty welcome to the second issue of Racecraft Mag! First of all, I would like to thank all of our readers for the absolutely fantastic reception of the first issue of Racecraft! The first week the magazine was released saw an amazing amount of visitors to the website, from all corners of the globe, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the second issue is received. If I am honest, it has not been an easy issue to put together, just like people told me. Trying to think of subjects to challenge the impact of the first issue was not easy. But that’s not because of a lack of material out there, far from it. The question is, where do you start?
Pg 16 - Tota
lTechniques
Finding content for the first issue was pretty easy with all those ideas buzzing about, but for the second, it’s been made that little bit harder, as the standard had already been set. The subjects had to be carefully chosen, the interviews written differently and the presentation had to be just as unique. So now it’s time for you to judge how good Racecraft is, second time round. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope that this issue provides you with the assurance that Racecraft Mag is here to stay. Number three has already in the making!
Pg 10 - 5 of the Best
Thanks for reading! Rich.
Racecraft launched Podium Club earlier this month, to help us gain some much needed support for the magazine and to hopefully give a little back to our readers and community who have already or would like to get involved and support the project. Full details of Podium Club are available on the Racecraft website, but the aim is to eventually offer an online automotive model club for everyone to join.
ms
Pg 26 - Dutch Custo
Check it out and I hope you join up real soon so Racecraft can grow bigger and better!
A huge thank you to all those who have helped contribute to the second issue of Racecraft Magazine Gergo Marosi, Christian Franke, Eric Lips, Mike Newport, Davidson Zinn, Vitezslav Mach, Reinis Gudonis, Lesley Eyckerman and Tony Locke. Racecraft Magazine is produced entirely by Rich Webb. For all enquiries, please make contact via the website www.racecraftmag.co.uk. Articles and interviews are the work of Racecraft Magazine except where noted. All images are the property of their labelled owners and have been used with permission (email or written). Racecraft Magazine and concept © Rich Webb 2012 and my not be reproduced without permission.
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ale
BUILD No.1 HIGHLIGHTS Racecraft Mag is all about you automotive modellers out there. The beginners, the enthusiasts, the collectors and the detail scientists. It is a magazine that has been set up to help modellers show off their skills and chat about the hobby they enjoy, while creating awesome models we can all appreciate. With this in mind, Racecraft thought it would be a great idea to run a regular feature which will provide an opportunity for our readers to show off their work, up against other fine examples of modelling creativity and skill from around the world. And this is it. The Racecraft Readers Build Highlights. This section will be appearing in every issue, and is an opportunity for all readers to send in work to have it immortalised in the mag’s pages for everyone to see. You never know, sending in your masterpiece may even get you a feature in the mag if we think it’s good enough! The Build Highlights will be open to all abilities and all automotive subjects, especially racecrafts! Photos for consideration will have to be clear and creative, and of course, present your work in epic fashion. Racecraft wants to show off as many well made, well presented cars and bikes as possible - you just need to provide the shots or a hyperlink to your work, and Racecraft will do the rest. Models can be of any age or scale, two or four wheels. Just remember to make those photos looking as good as they can be! Of course we won’t be able to show them all at once, but those builds that are good enough, will get a page in the mag, eventually. So get those cameras out, clean off those models that have been sitting on the shelf, sucking up dust and show them to the world! What a perfect way to get a bit of appreciation for all your time and effort!
Email your questions or builds to - mag@racecraftmag.co.uk Oh yeah...Racecraft certainly won’t publish anything without the owners permission.
Davidson Zinn - USA - Nissan Skyline R33
Reinis Gudonis - Latvia - Toyota Land Cruiser
Vitezslav Mach Czech Republic Nissan Silvia S13
Mike Newport - USA - 1/24 Vespa P50s
ON THE
ROAD
2012
Check out some sweet custom paint!
Photos by Lesley Eyckerman
In the middle of March, there was a model show on in Jabbeke, Belgium, called On the Road 2012. On the Road is actually a modelling club, that has been running now for almost 20 years, and this group of avid enthusiasts present one of the finest modelling exhibitions in Europe. Held over two days and attracting automotive modellers from all over, the show consists of a sports hall full of eye watering displays, a competition on the first day, and a general viewing day for the second, welcoming in members of the public to take a glimpse at some wonderfully presented work. Obviously it’s hardly down the road for most folks, but those enthusiasts that do make the journey, get to see an awesome array builds of all varieties, from racing motors to custom creatives and even collections of trucks, bikes and other civilian vehicles. Experienced modeller and Racecraft regular, Lesley Eyckerman attended this years visual showpiece, and has very kindly allowed us to show off a few of his photos from the weekend, so that you can see what you missed out on. Racecraft was stunned by the sheer variety at the expo: trucks, bikes, F1, Le Mans, custom painted hot rods, you name it, it was on a table at On the Road, with not an aircraft or tank in sight! To see what you missed out on, Racecraft has chosen a few of our favourites from Lesley’s snaps, so you can get an idea of the standards on display. On the Road is one exhibition that should be on your list for the future if this little lot is anything to go by. www.ontheroad-brugge.be
Fantastic Subaru WRC diorama.
Choppers in a can!
A different way of showing off your Porsche 911 interior.
Some prize winning details in this Sauber Mercedes C9
A Citrรถen 2CV Racecraft in diorama
A bit more Le Mans excellence in this Matra 670.
A fine example of the classic Mercedes 300SLR
Pure fantasy, but still awesome. A show stopping Trabant Rallye.
5BEST OF THE
We are always on the look out for awesome builds at Racecraft, and with so many out there to choose from, and can be a difficult task. With such variety in both style and quality, automotive modellers the world over are creating some masterpiece replicas, that shouldn’t be ignored. Models and images by Gergo Marosi.
It makes Racecraft’s life very easy when we are approached by modellers who think their builds deserve a slice of the limelight. It’s even better when what we are presented with what can be considered a true Racecraft. Of course, we are certainly not going to turn away a feature on some prime MotoGP history! Gergo from Hungary has a huge collection of exceptional four wheeled replicas, but his awesome collection of bikes was the first thing that caught our eye. Bikes may not be as popular, but how could we resist showing off these beauties ? We got busy on the keys and sent Gergo some questions about what we think are 5 of the best bike builds we have seen in our brief history of modelling media. All of the builds are of the famous Yamaha YZR1, which was ridden in many different liveries and to a few world championships over the years. Quite a specialist subject, and perfect for a MotoGP enthusiast to get stuck into and they sure look good when presented to these standards. Gergo explained why he had chosen to build these specific bikes?
1
I build these bikes, because I am a big Valentino Rossi fan. I have a plan to build as many ‘Rossi’ bikes as possible with all the different livery he has used over his infamous career. I also like special things, like special liveries. Sometimes, because of a special occasion bikes are dressed in certain way, for example, the Spiderman bike for Marco Melandri. I try to collect these special bikes as well.
YAMAHA YZR-M1 VALENCIA ‘05
My first bike was actually that Spiderman bike I mentioned. I wanted to build something special for the first attempt, not an out of the box model. At the time there were not so many upgrade sets available so the special decals were a nice customisation. Then came the Rossi bikes. For quite a long time there was only Yamaha and Honda available. I still have many Yamaha in box but also have few Hondas in my pile waiting to be built, but they are for the future.
2
YAMAHA YZR-M1 WITH RAIN SET UP
“ My first bike was the Spiderman bike of Marco Melandri. I wanted to build something special for the first attempt.”
Like we mentioned before, Gergo also has a fine collection of cars in his display case. We thought we’d ask him if building bikes is much different to cars? How do the two styles of kit differ and are there more details or areas of the build that you have to pay attention to? Could it be said that bikes are even more of a specialist subject ? Bikes could be compared to race cars which have a detailed engine. I think as the bike is in a bigger scale (these are 1/8) you have more possibilities to make tiny upgrades which will be visible at the end. If you display the bike without the body parts, basically all of your work will be visible, and you can show a lot of details, like engine cables, pipes and connectors. So do you prefer to build your bikes in larger scale? These particular models are all packed with details, so does the level of detail form a relevant point in your choice of bike? Details are always nice, some of my bikes have more detail and some have less. In some case the decals and paintings are more important, but for these builds, a certain level of details was needed, but not all of them are seriously detailed. I still plan to make a full detailed bike without any body, to show all the engine and labyrinth of cables and computer details that can been seen. So just like when you see a detailed car build, the same can apply to the creativity that you can achieve when building a bike, as Gergo has clearly demonstrated.
3
YAMAHA YZR-M1 MARCO MELANDRI ESTORIL ‘04
But one thing still played on our mind. These builds are all the same bike, so Gergo had plenty of practise to make them look good. We asked how each build differed and if this caused any issues with the builds. To the untrained eye, or the bike novice, you might think you are looking at 5 totally different bikes. There is only minor differences in each version. For instance some are 2005 version and some are 2004. Of course this caused no issues with these models, and they were all very good kits, with parts fitting well. Like I said, the differences is the level of detail, the decals. For example you might not notice, but one of the bikes has rain tyres and metal front brake disc. The finishes you have achieved on the bikes are very natural, especially where the metal surfaces and carbon fibre show. Can you share any techniques you used for these builds that helped you achieve such good results?
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YAMAHA YZR-M1 VALENCIA ‘06
I used different methods of painting. First I tried a clear top coat, then tried a different super clear coat which gave a better and longer lasting shine but this was more aggressive to the decals. I tried a 2K automotive clear coat too. For carbon fibre parts I also used enamel clear. I never use it because it can dry quite yellow, but for carbon fibre it seems to work well. The metal parts are mostly real metal and not painted. Elsewhere I used super metallic paints and for the exhaust pipes a lacquer finish.
Prastise most certainly makes perfect then, as Gergo’s efforts clearly demonstrate. But the painting is one thing, getting those oh-so elaborate decals correct can be a completely different ball game, or so we have heard. We asked about the decals on bikes and if they were difficult to apply. Gergo’s bikes are covered in immaculate livery. So how did he achieve such accuracy, especially over the cowling. Did they give him any problems? Application of the decals are quite challenging, most of the surfaces aren’t flat so it requires a lot of decal softer. I use a decal softener and setter to help and a lot of patience. Sometimes it takes an hour to finish with a bigger decal. Finally, as we like to do on Racecraft, we have to ask how important that presentation of the builds is. These 5 bikes are all fresh from the cabinet, and the images are testament to some great modelling skills. The final question was put to Gergo; How important is that final presentation of your work for others to see?
Sometimes I have different motivations. Every model is a bit different and has a story, either because of the building or because of the history of the real vehicle, or because of competitions. Sometimes I build for competition and sometimes only for my pleasure. I have some friends who are also building in similar style to me. It’s good to consult and discuss things during building, and then see the finished models. It’s also nice when you achieve good result on a competition and its good to talk with other people and give some support or help if they ask and then next time they can use your tips to make more nice models, and that is good for the hobby.
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YAMAHA YZR-M1 TEST VERSION
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TOTALTEC Total Techniques issue #02 - Rust! Here we go with number two of Racecraft’s total techniques! We have seen several techniques that would all make perfect material for the magazine, but of course we can’t show them all at the same time, so we had to decide which technique was going to get the fame and glory. This time round, we thought it would be good to tale a look at some technique for finishing your models rather than making parts for them. One of the Racecraft community regulars, Tony Locke, was on hand with his tools, tricks and techniques to give us a good idea of how to create some pretty natural looking old metal without the use of anything too fancy. So, with some straight forward techniques, over to Tony and his rust!
LS CAN BE DANGEROUS! REMEMBER FOLKS - USING SHARP TOO
sensibly. Always wear your safety glasses and work
#1
First of all, get all your kit together. You’re not going to need anything too special, just a selection of paints, thinner, two modelling knives (one with an old blade), a cheap stiff-bristled brush, a good brush and a candle.
#2
I’m going to start of on a front wing, but obviously you can use the technique on any part of your model. This particular wing has some chrome in it too, so we can apply some aging to that as well.
#4
Then on the outside, give the part two good coats of a matt, rust colour.
#5
When your matt rust colour is dry, overcoat with another two layers of your bodywork colour. Make sure you have covered the rust completely.
#3
First step - hold you part up to a strong light and look for the areas that are thinner. Draw round them with a pencil on the inside of the part. tip - I mixed a gloss and flat yellow for my top coat, to take a bit of the shine out of it, after all, dilapidated, un-cared for paintwork is not going to be washed and waxed is it? Don’t worry too much about a smooth, even finish because of the next step!
CHNIQUES “A Rusty Technique” Article and images by Tony Locke. Reproduced with permission.
#6
Once your paint is all dry, time to wet sand. Smooth until you start to get the rust colour showing through the top coat. Don’t get too heavy handed, so you don’t go through to the plastic!
Remember the more paint you add at this stage, the more crust you will create. Experiment to get a level of crust you are happy with.
#9
Happy with your crust? Now mix a little orange or red with the flat rust colour you have used and carefully drybrush that on top of your crust areas.
#10
Once it’s all dry, give your rusty areas a very thin wash with black, to add a little definition.
#7
Now it’s the tricky bit. The next step is to take your knife with an old blade and heat it over the candle. Be careful, it’s going to be sharp and hot!
Rust up your Chrome! • If your kit part has some chrome area, you can rust those up too very easily. • Take a scouring pad or similar and rough up the
When the blade is hot enough, start to thin the plastic where you marked on the inside at the beginning of the process. Take your time, and re-heat your knife when it gets too cool. When the plastic gets thin enough, use the sharp knife to clean the area up. You are looking for a nice thin edge to your rusty area, just like you get with a real rusty panel.
• Don’t worry about taking the chrome off the plastic - you can touch that up with rust colour afterward. • Once you have attacked the chrome, and painted any exposed plastic, you can then apply a RUST wash over the top. • Let it dry and your chrome will now look like it’s been neglected for a million years! Like all these techniques, have a practise first if you can and find a way that works best for you. Of, course you might well have your own techniques that you can combine with these to get more different results, Enjoy making builds look old! Tony.
#8
Once you are happy with your rust holes, get your matt rust colour out again and blob it onto the rusty areas on the outside of the panel. As the paint becomes tacky, stab at it with a stiff bristled brush, to make a rough surface. tip - You’ll need to repeat this process to build up the layer of rough paint, make sure each layer is dry before adding more. 3- 5 layers usually does the trick.
Finished!
E W T O T E ON How often do you consider the scale you build in?
Article by Rich Webb. Models and images by Christian Franke.
Personally, I have never really though about it. I don’t go out of my way to build any specific scale, I like to build what take my fancy, usually as part of a collection. But one thing that I haven’t yet considered is a large scale models. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have ago at a large scale kit. The size would perhaps make it easier to build (bigger parts for my sausage fingers) Details might be less fiddly and could look amazing, you are of course, getting ever closer to the size of the real thing. But what about the downsides? I could see a large scale model taking a lot longer to build, mistakes would show up more, and
without that extra detail, areas of a larger build might look at bit well empty or bland. All of these thoughts mean that when I see a large scale build that has been done well, I can’t help but get inspired by it. When I see three that all look exceptional, I can’t resist in asking a few questions. Christian Franke from Germany, has some fantastic talents when it come to our hobby. He cheats a little, as his occupation is something to do with modelling for real cars, but there can be no doubt that he transfers those day to day skills perfectly to his workbench, the results are some awesome looking models.
E L A C S E ELV Why did you choose 1/12 scale Christian? Is it easier to work with?
So my dad drove Fords and everybody in the family too, so I was dedicated to Ford cars from an early age!
I chose 1/12 because of the large size and because it’s a good eye catcher in the cabinet! Also, because of the extra details that can be added.You have more space to make some improvements. It’s a thing of rare kits and the big size that is fascinating for me.
We used to go to the DRM races and at this time it was easy to get in the paddock. My dreams came true one day when I was able to get a seat in the Zakspeed Turbo Capri driven by Klaus Niedzwiedz. At that point, this guy was like an idol for me when I was younger.
Is there any specific reason to the models you choose to build or do you just go with what you like at the time? The three cars we are looking at cover three era’s of high profile motorsport, so is that something that influenced your builds? Is there any story you can tell?
It was at this time I started with modelling, but I didn’t know what clearcoat was or anything about specific colours. I just used what I found at home. Unfortunately I have lost all my models from those early days.
Well, My first experience with car racing where back in 1981. I was nearly 10 years old and my family often went to Hockenheim and watched the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (German Racing Championship or DRM) and Formula 2 races. I come from a little village with only one car dealer, and that was an Ford dealer.
Many years later, with an own family and my own hobbyroom, I started again, but now my interests have changed to older cars. I read a lot of books about the ‘Golden Age’ of motor racing, when Jim Clark was a big star in his Lotus 49 and I’ve lost my heart to those cigars of Formula One. But I have some plans to make my own Zakspeed Capri in 1/12 scale in the future.
FIAT 806 1500cc This is quite an unusual subject. What appealed to you about this model? The Fiat is an very rare model that I could never purchase as a new one. It’s a model that was never on my wish list, because of the ‘wrong’ time it was racing. But I met a very nice guy through a German model forum who is passionate about Ferrari models, with many cars in 1/12 scale and plenty more too. He asked me if I would like to buy the Fiat for a very good price, and I didn’t think long about it! It’s a car with a very defined shape and was an interesting build for me. It’s an incredible build, with amazing details; the leather bound steering wheel and seat fastenings look excellent. We are sure even at 1/12 scale these feature are tricky to complete. Which areas of this build were the most challenging?
The most challenging part was the bodywork. The kit had metal bodywork and chassis parts, so I decided to remove all fake rivets and put some real ones in place for added authenticity. What I didn’t realise was I had to drill hundreds of holes for the rivets by hand! That was work that I would never do again. I used about 30 0.4mm drills to complete it. At the end it looks good, but what a job to do! How much planning went into this build? Were you able to access good reference to achieve what appears to be a very accurate finish? How much more did you have to add to the parts out of the box? Sadly there are only a handful pictures of the original car. It was sadly destroyed by an accident before 1930. So there are only a few images from the races. I search for similar cars of this era and looked at how they were built to gain an idea of the car and it’s details. I added cables to the engine, replaced all rivets with real ones and put a lot of screws into the build. Even the chassis underneath is made of real wood plates. For colouring, I used the reference of other racers at this era and all cars had a semi-gloss look, so, colour of the bodywork is semi-gloss-red.
“ I decided to remove all fake rivets and put some real ones in place for added authenticity. What I didn’t realise was I had to drill hundreds of holes for the rivets by hand!�
“ It’s a car w
Honda RA 273 This is a popular car with history from the 1966 Formula 1 season. For what reasons did you choose to build this car? Simply, I love the clear look of the Honda. It’s a car with a great shape, it is pure and simple, a good looking car. The history of this car is also interesting. The build is full of textures, especially in the engine. Can you tell us how many different techniques you had to use to achieve such a variety finishes? Or is this just down to a large selection of paints? There are many very good hints available online. For instance, I bought a PDF file about this car to get a good starting point for some areas of the car. Most of the parts in this car are made of styrene so it was easier to finish. I sprayed every part in different colours and added some light wash to parts to create the used look that I like. Again it was not easy to find good reference pictures for this build. Some parts were made without reference, so I used my imagination and experience to guess what I thought it could have looked like. A build of this detail must need much concentration. How long did it take you to complete? This was a fast one from me. It took about 3 months with 1-2 hours a day. My family don’t like me modelling everyday, so my
with a great shape, it’s pure and simple...” time at the workbench is limited, but this build happened really fast. Other builds I have completed take nearly 8 months. Most of the work is looking at references pictures and thinking of how I can make this from scratch?
There are so many things that can be added to a build, but I wanted to see my builds in the cabinet and not at the workbench, so I set me a limit of what brings a model to life and what could be considered a worthless detail.
Are there any areas of this model that you feel you could have improved upon?
One detail on the Honda that I didn’t like are the body panel rivets. I replaced the moulded plastic ones with metal rivets, but they are too big. I should have used some smaller ones. But it’s finished now, and I don’t want to change anything on a finished build.
There are always parts or areas that could have been done better. With every model I learn more about technics in modelling and sometimes you can get lost in details!
Ferrari 312B Another famous car, which looks almost life like sat on your diorama. Like you have with the Fiat and Honda, you have presented this Ferrari as if it is being worked on. Is realism important in the presentation of your work ? Yes, realism is important for me. I like slightly used looking cars, so I try to find the middle between a shiny car and a car that has seen some tarmac. The pit lane diorama was an idea used by a friend. It was such an good looking thing that I decided to make my own to display my builds. I also try to build my models with open hoods and movable wheels. Add some tools and a few oil cans and it looks a bit more realistic.
“ A flat-head 12 cylinder engine from Maranello always has some kind of beauty.�
The Ferrari is the more modern of the three cars. Did that make it more or less of a challenge to build? Did you find any differences between this build and the other two ? There are no differences really between the Ferrari and the Honda. Both are old kits that were not a big challenge to build. The Ferrari has wrong shape tires at the front which is a big mistake from the manufacturer, but when I was building this kit, I didn’t want to change it as I didn’t know how to. Today, with some improved skills, I think I would try to make it correct. But the build is done now and like the Honda, I don’t want to touch it. The most challenging kit of this three was the Fiat. It’s a good kit, but being older , it was not the same quality of the other two. There are fitting problems and the instructions could have been better, but these challenges are there to test us!
Again the level of detail is incredible. Wing mirrors that actually work, an array of tubing from the engine and they look like printed seat belts? Can you name your favourite area of this model? I love the engine from the Ferrari. A flat-head 12-cylinder engine from Maranello always has some kind of beauty. It seems that you can almost feel the power in this engine. But I also like the drivers seat in this car. I used some real denim cloth and made it look like a bit dirty, after the hours of racing.
Models and Images by Eric Lips. If you are a regular to Racecraft you’ll know by now that the magazine loves to seek out those builds which really stand out from the crowd for one reason or another. This is especially true when we spot a bunch of builds that are very different from the norm. In our opinion, modelling could be considered pretty easy to get it right out of the box. You have instructions, colour guides and a method of piecing you 127 parts together to get a result. The creativity starts when you begin to engineer your projects to suit your tastes and the extras that so many people like to add to their models, to create more realism and make models look more unique.
ERIC LIPS
The final feature in this issue of Racecraft is going ton take a look at a more custom style of modelling, with some very different creativity and finishing. Folks do all kinds of things to real motors, so why not have a go at a scale version? Well when we found the website of Eric Lips from Holland we had to pose a few questions about three of his projects and how he goes about taking a very different angle with his modelling. The three sweet VW reproductions you are about to be introduced to will open your eye to some very impressive Dutch customs: Enjoy Eric’s VW T1 Panel Van, his VW Golf Mk.V GTi and a classic VW Golf GTi Mk.I Eric, you have chosen to build all three of these models in a very different style from the standard, out of the box kit. Why’s that? I like to build models not out of the box because I find it boring to just follow the instructions, there are no challenges for me so I like to create some for myself, so I have done three different styles. The style for the VW T1 is old style tuning. It’s not really a proper style, but I was building a race van but that didn’t work so I made a old service van from a garage, The Dutch Customs Garage, because I wanted to do something different.
The VW Golf Mk.V is German tuning style, which is seen as a clean and functional. I set out to make a German style Golf with a perfect paint but it was not perfect so I made a German style Golf on wintersport holiday instead. The final build is a green Golf Mk.1 and has been completed like the modern day Rat Rods, I like this style a lot with it’s big, deep dish steel rims. You could also say these cars are the lowest of the low. These are three very different subjects that span a few decades, but each one is a VW. Why do you choose VW for this style? Could you have build a Ford or a Ferrari like this? I think VW cars make nice models, that’s not to say I like all VW’s, however the Golfs and the Vans are some of my favourites. I think you would have to build a Ferrari to be nice and clean, because of what it is. A Ford on the other hand, well you could do the same to an old Ford Escort. I think this style only converts to certain cars and marques. Each one of your builds has some fantastic extras, that really make the models stand out. Why do you add these extras to the models and where do you get your inspiration from? I try to put little extras in every build I do, they give the car a character to make each one unique and add something special. I get a lot of inspiration from my imagination, some internet forums and photos of real cars I view online. Lets take a look at each of your builds; How did you achieve the dirty effect on the Golf V? Even the windscreen wipers have been working! How do you do that ? The dirt effect is very simple. Take a spray paint, any brand will normal be OK, but make sure that the spray is very fine. This is very, normal spray won’t work. At a distance of about 30 to 40cm, spray a little over the car. So the fine mist of paint makes the car look dirty. Making the window look like the wipers have been working is the same, just mask off the area of the window that the wipers would clean. Simple as that!
“ I think this style only converts to certain cars and marques.”
How about the wooden boxes, cartons, barrels and even the smiley on the aerial on the older Golf? Can you share any secrets on how to make those, as they look very accurate and compliment the build perfectly? The barrel is from a 1/35 scale army accessories set, the branded boxes and magazines I made in Photoshop and printed them. Cut them out and fold them up to make the details. I make the wooden boxes, usually from stirring sticks cut up into pieces and then glued together. I find this gives a more realistic effect. The smiley is also a very simple thing everybody can do. It is simply a pin, the type with a plastic ball end, and I just draw a smiley face on it and stick in place! I always look around in the house, at my work and in every shop to see if I can use something in my modelling, you never know what you might find, but you have to keep your eyes open! You latest build, the Mk.1 GTi is a really good looking model. What were your favourite parts of that build? Is it important to make sure you get all the little extras looking right? How did you create the rust on the roof bars and the barrel? My favourite parts where the roof rack and the extras that sit in it. I also had a lot of fun making the wheels, as they were turned on a lathe. Making parts like that is a lot of fun. The rust on the roof rack is real rust. I made the frame out of steel wire, painted it and then scraped off some paint and then put it in a bowl of water. I then let it dry naturally, which created the rust. The barrel was just painted. I dabbed brown paint, to create the spots then dry brushed it with the brown and some silver colour to achieve a better effect.
Did you use the same techniques on the Panel Van? You have done fantastic job in making it look well used and old. The van was first sprayed white, then with the top coat yellow. To loose some of the paint, a little sandpaper, some here and there to loose the finish in areas. I then used a special paint to make rust, but only at some points on the van. It is a 2 part paint where you first spot where you want the rust to appear, then when it is dry, you add on the second coat. This gives you the rust. For the inside of the van I dry brushed the wooden flooring and the seat for some texture, and used tissue paper to achieve a better fabric effect. I put the tissue in place, then sprayed it with water and wood glue to hold it in place. This is a great way of making it look like real fabric, as you can make a rip in the tissue and then dry brush for an even better effect.
It looks like you use a lot of extra material in your builds. The extra parts on the Old Golf we know are the real thing and not dressed up plastic, but what about all the wood in the panel van? Is that part of the kit too? I like to use all kinds of material in my work, it can be wood, steel or other things. Yes, the wood in the panel van is real wood and not a part of the kit, again I made it myself with the famous stirring sticks! All this extra creativity in your models is obviously important to you, but is showing a good finish just as important to you? Modelling is creativity, you can build it out of the box but where is the fun then?? It is very important for me to finish a model with a good result, but I have so many projects in my head for my stash that sometimes it is hard to finish a model completely! And finally, out of these three builds, which one is your favourite? Out of the three, I think the panel van is my favourite. I like those VW van’s so much be it a panel van, pickup or samba. I don’t care I just like them all.
www.ericlips.nl
“ Modelling is creativity, you can build it out of the box but where is the fun then?�
Time to step into the club house again and in this issue we are off to the Basque Country, Spain as we introduce you to the Streetblisters
Catching up with the Streetblisters over email, we wanted to find out a bit more about the group, their projects and what they are looking to achieve in the future.
These guys aren’t so much of a club, but do bring a whole new aspect to the social side of modelling. Apart from having a club website and a fine set of individual skills to boast about, the Streetblisters also take the time to get together and build a kit between them.
How many members in Streetblisters?
That’s a whole new social way of enjoying our hobby, and as they say, more hands make light work - but they also arguably make better work too. Obviously the builds that the Streetblisters produce are not a regular occurrence, the crew have only completed two models together at the time of this article, but when the crew do manage to meet and create, the results are always looking good.
We are only a few. How often do you meet up? Whenever we can, and no excuses! Why did you form Streetblisters? What was the idea behind building models together as a group? The idea was originally to deliver content and expertise. Our forum was created by two guys, ‘Superlopes’ and ‘R11Furia’, who are both excellent modellers in their own right. But as so often happens in these scenarios, there were
Honda Civic TypeR By Streetblisters
>>>>>> Check out this Stree
disagreements and different ideas, so we decided to start again and Streetblisters as you see it to day was born. The group has some very clear ideas, and we would like to take these ideas forward, following them in a clear fashion. Do you have a top member? A member that others admire or look up to? No. We see each other as equals. Do you have any specific goal for the Streetblisters? Yes. We want to Improve and get better at what we do. Always to improve our modelling.
Does the crew have a defining moment yet? Something that makes you stand out? Not just yet. We are a young crew, and we are still very much in the process of growth. We have a some great ideas about several projects that will hopefully mature and become reality, but currently, we just talk a lot about those ideas as we think it’s a little early yet. For now, Streetblisters has both feet firmly on the ground, going with the flow.
www.streetblisters.com
Honda Civic CRX CoupĂŠ By Streetblisters
etblisters video on Youtube
AUTOMOTIVE MODELLING MAGAZINE
What’s up ? e m i T t x e N Next time round in Racecraft Mag, we’re taking an in-depth look at our first Work in Progress, there’s will be the start of a new three-part feature that you are sure to enjoy, and the usual healthy dose of Racecraft quality to look forward to. Nothing more than you’d expect from Racecraft Mag, and it’ll be on time too...
Thanks for reading!
Racecraft Issue #03 Available 15th June 2012