Tamiya Team Suzuki ECSTAR GSX-RR 20 1:12

Decals

Firstly I used any remaining carbon decals to cover the inner surfaces of the fairing panels, and used a dark grey shade of paint, applied with a brush to cover any gaps. Then to aid the positioning of the main Suzuki logos down the sides I taped the main fairing panels together. The decals were very good considering some of the compound surfaces they had to conform to. There are even decals to represent the fairing fasteners!

Clear Coat

When dry these paints have a matt finish and required a clear coat to bring out the colour and create the gloss finish. Experienced vehicle modellers use two-part lacquer, but I opted for one of Zero Paints pre-mixed options, as I was nervy enough about the process, as these products can be very aggressive (actually melt decals).

In preparation for this stage, I thoroughly cleaned down the spray booth and surrounding area to minimise any dust particles that may contaminate the final finish. Next it was a case of ensuring all of the body panels were firmly mounted on suitable supports. I prepared a piece of polystyrene sheet that I could easily mount the supported panels onto as I was spraying them, and also as a location for when they were drying.

The actual application of the clear coat required a light tack coat first to ensure a good bond for subsequent coats, and also to help reduce the chemical impact of subsequent heavier coat on the decals. This needs a minimum of around 10 minutes before the second coat is applied. Due to the number of panels, and my relatively slow approach it took almost 10 minutes to get everything tack coated. I then proceeded with a second and third coat, both sprayed heavier to achieve a wet coat look (again with at least 10 minutes between each coat).

At a point part way through the application of the third coat (and on some panels a fourth coat), I noticed a reaction in some areas that seemed to make the blue darker. So I finished up left everything to dry (under a pre-prepared cover), and waited until the next day.

Subsequently on inspection certain areas of the blue did look slightly darker (depending upon the light), and some areas of the silver look almost as if they have crazed under the clear coat. At this point there was not much I could do, without stripping everything and starting again, which would also require a full set of replacement decals.

I should also mention that I had managed to catch the tank while it was wet, which had left a small area where the blue was effectively wiped off. I was actually able to touch this in using Tamiya Clear Blue X-23 (mixed with their thinners), which I lightly blended in with a brush. Another self inflicted problem was that I accidentally used the red “S” (for Suzuki) decals designed for the logos of the tank on the Paddock Stand, and so had to hand paint them on at the end.

I decided to live with the result, which is most likely down to my inexperience with Zero Paints products (particularly these almost automotive type clear coat products). My initial thoughts, are that I did not put enough of the base colours on, possible requiring a extra couple of coats, and also did not allow enough time between clear coat applications.

After everything had cured for several days (while I lamented the results!!), I gently used Micromesh 6000, 800, & 12000 to achieve as smooth a surface as I could. Then it was just case of adding the bodywork, finishing details such as the camera mount on the rear seat hump, and also finishing the Paddock Stand.

Summary, Gallery and PDF…