Chassis. At last it’s starting to look like a bike!
This is where things really move forward, with the major sub-assemblies going together. Once again it’s a tribute to Tamiya engineering as to how well everything fits, if it doesn’t you know you’ve got it wrong!
Body Panels
Having primed these way back at the beginning of the build they had sat on one side until now, and it was almost like dealing with a separate model. I believe experience vehicle modellers would have done these first to allow maximum cure time prior to handling, but the detail of what goes underneath sucked me in!
The first thing was to paint everything with the Zero Paints silver, for which I followed the instructions on the paint and the advise from their web site. Next it was left to cure for couple of days before applying the Zero Designs masks. The masks are to ensure the correct demarcation for the pattern, as this is critical to the decals locating accurately. Tamiya include a set of masks, but they require cutting out along the marked lines. Any errors in this operation would show up in the accuracy (or otherwise) of the demarcation between blue and silver. For this reason I obtained these pre-cut items, which were surprisingly easy to fit, using the box art and on line photos for clarification of location.
With this completed the blue was applied in multiple light coats, building up to the required shade. Once again a few days curing was allowed, and then the masks were removed. At this point I encountered a problem in that the adhesive from the masks stuck to the panel rather than peeling off with the vinyl. After my initial concerns, I established that by using an unused piece of the waste mask material (the edges of the die cut template) I could press this onto the residual adhesive on the panel and by repeating this in a dabbing motion slowly removed the excess adhesive.
With that done the bodywork was gently washed and dried, in preparation for the application of the decals.
Paul Ainsworth says
Hello,Tim – A fantastic build of this Suzuki motorbike.
I love the detail work and your skilled finishing has brought out the best of it.
I appreciate your feedback regarding the Tamiya Lacquer Paints too.and certainly consider giving them a go myself.
Following your build with great interest.
As Always,
Paul.😉👍
Tim Haynes says
Thanks for your kind words Paul. Those Tamiya lacquer paints are so easy to use. Just make sure you put down enough coats, they can be a bit translucent otherwise 🙄
Paul Ainsworth says
Hello again,Tim – A few trials and tribulations for you with this build but how fantastic the end results are.
I know motorbike kits are a challenge.I liken them to needing almost watchmaker’s precision and care.
Full compliments on a stunning Suzuki Speed Machine scale replica!🏆👏😉👍