Cobra Coupe - Le Mans - Model Factory Hiro 1/12

[CANicoll]

I love the creativity of this hobby.  I also have used various adhesive tapes and paper for various purposes to benefit from the textures.  But not to the extent or the successful result that you have, Rob.  Brilliant!

[seiran01]

My goodness, I really need to read this forum more frequently. Marvelous job of the build so far! I’ve never seen an MFH build thread and this one is certainly a treat 😁

[DocRob]

8 hours ago, CANicoll said:

I love the creativity of this hobby.  I also have used various adhesive tapes and paper for various purposes to benefit from the textures.  But not to the extent or the successful result that you have, Rob.  Brilliant!

@ScottsGT Cool techniques Rob!  When I built my 1/72 Space Shuttle I used cloth medical tape cut into squares and applied to the exterior to simulate the thermal blankets the exterior was covered with.  I had to use very thick enamel paint forced into the weave to fill them up.  

Thank you Scott and Chris, there are indeed a lot of techniques, to come closer to realistic results in builds. Some of them I learned of here or in other places, others, I developed myself, like the cigarette paper technique.
Only recently, a fellow modeler over on MSW showed a technique for replicating 1/12 carbon fiber, using tulle fabric over a metallic grey base and then spraying black over it. After removing the tulle fabric and sealing everything it looked very good. I stored the idea for later use.

Cheers Rob

 

[DocRob]

1 hour ago, seiran01 said:

My goodness, I really need to read this forum more frequently. Marvelous job of the build so far! I’ve never seen an MFH build thread and this one is certainly a treat 😁

Thank you Seiran, it´s my second MFH build in after my recently Crocker motorcycle build and these kits are somehow addictive. If you are willing to build high detail car or bike kits oob, this is the way to go. They definitely need another approach, as there is a lot of white metal and resin and other materials involved, but to me there is more fun into building these, as there is in most plastic kits.

Cheers Rob 

[DocRob]

Somehow, I managed to get rid of this post in its original place. Luckily, I could copy it from MSW, so it´s only slightly out of order.

I worked on the interior of the Cobra Coupe, lately, installing and decaling the switchboard first, then matte clear sprayed over the decals. Last were the switches, which are glued from the backside.
Next was the shifting lever, which was not easy to install cleanly, with the tiny rivets to add.
Last for these steps was the fire extinguisher, which is fantastically detailed. The chrome band is made from chrome adhesive tape, instead of the kit´s springy PE part.
Then the tub was installed onto the chassis, followed by the seats and seatbelts. I love MFH seatbelts, as they provide double sided adhesive tape for mounting and installing them. No risk of CA blotches, smart.

Cheers Rob

[FullArmor]

33 minutes ago, DocRob said:

Somehow, I managed to get rid of this post in its original place. Luckily, I could copy it from MSW, so it´s only slightly out of order.

I worked on the interior of the Cobra Coupe, lately, installing and decaling the switchboard first, then matte clear sprayed over the decals. Last were the switches, which are glued from the backside.
Next was the shifting lever, which was not easy to install cleanly, with the tiny rivets to add.
Last for these steps was the fire extinguisher, which is fantastically detailed. The chrome band is made from chrome adhesive tape, instead of the kit´s springy PE part.
Then the tub was installed onto the chassis, followed by the seats and seatbelts. I love MFH seatbelts, as they provide double sided adhesive tape for mounting and installing them. No risk of CA blotches, smart.
 

Cheers Rob

Stunner!

[Bomber_County]

3 hours ago, FullArmor said:

Stunner!

x 2

[HubertB]

X3 !

Hubert

[CANicoll]

X4.  

[BlrwestSiR]

X5!!!

What a stunning looking interior.

[belugawhaleman]

Looking Amazing Rob!

[Landlubber Mike]

I'm running out of superlatives so x6!

[Martinnfb]

Beautifully realistic detail Rob. 

[Peterpools]

Rob, X 7.

Details are amazing and with your talented touch, they all look so real and so hard to tell if it is or isn't. And you're so right, the fire extinguisher is amazing - imagine, getting excited over a small detail part but it just captures the eye with its details.

 

[KevinM]

X8

[DocRob]

@FullArmor, @Bomber_County, @HubertB, @CANicoll, @BlrwestSiR, @belugawhaleman, @Landlubber Mike, @Martinnfb, @Peterpools and @KevinM

Muchas gracias x10 hombres . There will be no more updates for some weeks, as I will be traveling a bit and when I´m back, I have to start playing in the sandbox with you guys.

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

1 hour ago, DocRob said:

@FullArmor, @Bomber_County, @HubertB, @CANicoll, @BlrwestSiR, @belugawhaleman, @Landlubber Mike, @Martinnfb, @Peterpools and @KevinM

Muchas gracias x10 hombres . There will be no more updates for some weeks, as I will be traveling a bit and when I´m back, I have to start playing in the sandbox with you guys.

Cheers Rob

Rob, Have a nice break and refill the stash.

[DocRob]

3 hours ago, Bomber_County said:

Rob, Have a nice break and refill the stash.

Thank you Phil, no plans to purchase kits though, but some AM for my sandbox project and others. Let´s see how long these intentions last, when I enter the LHS .

Cheers Rob

[Peterpools]

Robe

Enjoy and relax - we'll be waiting for your return to the bench and the next Cobra update.🚗

 

[DocRob]

The Cobra Coupe is not forgotten and got some love lately. There is not a lot to show, but a lot of work has been done in advance to painting the body. Numerous sub assemblies has to be finished and you have to browse through the entire manual, to see, what connects to what and with which diameter the what´s need to be drilled. Alignment of doors, bonnet and rear hatch has to be taken in consideration, as well as fitting everything to the chassis.
I think, this is the most critical sequence in the build and I want to do it properly. I also think about adding some 2 mm magnets to hold the closed doors and hatches secure in place.



Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

It's like working on a real car body there Rob. All the prep work will pay off when it's time for paint. 

[CANicoll]

Looking very smooth Rob. Can't wait to see some paint on it.  Going to be a beauty.

 

[Landlubber Mike]

These are the times of the build where I feel like I put in all this time for little to show for it, which gets me discouraged -- even though these are probably the most critical points of the build.  Nice job!

[DocRob]

18 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

It's like working on a real car body there Rob. All the prep work will pay off when it's time for paint. 

 

17 hours ago, CANicoll said:

Looking very smooth Rob. Can't wait to see some paint on it.  Going to be a beauty.

 

15 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

These are the times of the build where I feel like I put in all this time for little to show for it, which gets me discouraged -- even though these are probably the most critical points of the build.  Nice job!

Thank you Carl, Chris and Mike. I can feel the discouragement Mike is experiencing and hope to avoid it. At this point of the build, all subassemblies going into the body has to be test fitted and approved. All clean up needs to be addressed, my head is whirling and I permanently find new parts or areas, which need to be put into consideration. This is why I shied away, buying the Alfa Tipo 33 Stradale with it´s huge bonnet and wing doors. My next MFH build will probably be a F1 racer, where it is easier to get the smaller body parts to fit.

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Happy New Year to everyone, may it be a good one. 

In my sparse hours of bench time, I continued with the body preparation of the Cobra Coupe. Dozens of holes got drilled, often not through the body, which is rather difficult. The dreaded hinges for doors and rear hatch were screwed into place. For the doors, I had to refill the holes with CA and re drill for better fit. There are only tiny 1,4 mm screws, holding in the resin body, how long, I don´t know. The doors and hatch need to be removed for painting and further assembly and I hob the threads hold up. There is a lot of sanding involved as well and every adjoined part needs to be checked and prepared. Mynext goal is to partly paint the interior and then add the body parts to the chassis, to finally check the fit.









Cheers Rob