Having fixed the crushed roof on the Husky UNCLE car, I now need to replace the curved glass pieces...
1) The first step is to fix masking tape to the outside of the windows as wrinkle free as possible.
2) I now line the inside of the tape with polythene sheet to provide a smooth release for the polyester putty I'm now smearing over the inside of the taped roof. (Spoiler! This isn't going to work out as well as I'd hoped...) I'm reusing my piece of dowel as a handle for the block of putty.
3) While I wait for the putty to set, I try 3D scanning the Uncle twins with moderately acceptable results. Given the piece is so tiny (around 1/72 scale) it's a good indication my Batman, Robin and Goldfinger Goon willbhave to be around 1/16 scale to get a usable scan. I later enjoy wasting some time adding some surface detail to this scan in zBrush.
4) Back at the putty scene, the polythene sheet hasn't adhered well to the tape, so I have voids that need filling in a second build. As much as I don't want to, I spray the inside of the roof with silicone mould release (don't worry kiddies, it's a paintable grade, I just don't like having to trust it!)
5) True to my misgivings, it's still difficult to release the block of putty because it has locked around the A pillars. Luckily a knife blade and lots of gentle wiggling using the dowel handle finally succeeds in breaking away the putty without damaging the fragile die cast A pillars. ANOTHER build is now on the cards to fix up the putty block!
6) As I mentioned before, I'm not striving for a Museum accurate result, so much as the UNCLE car I've always wanted. The Husky toy body is a sky blue, whereas the movie original was a silvery metallic blue. First up, I smooth away the edges of the chipped paint with fine steel wool (and sand down the auto spot putty that is fixing the gouges I made with my moto-tool!)
7) I'm using spray enamel paint rather than auto lacquers, because it's less goopy on such small detailed shapes. Even so, I still need a light spray of white undercoat before I give it two coats of metallic blue. Unfortunately the unexpectedly wintery weather here in the Blue Mountains means the drying times are a lot longer than normal.
Wake up, Moonbasers! I still haven't finished yet!
To be continued November 2nd! Watch this space!
Max from Max's Models recently built the 1/25th scale AMT kit of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. car. The paint he used, recommended by a friend of his, was Tamiya TS-58 Pearl Light Blue. I bought a can of this spray paint to use on my own model, when I eventually get around to building it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very complex restoration. I just left my Piranha with the chips, but the windows on my are fine. It has a blank panel where the Husky name is on yours - it is probably a Corgi Juniors version, and would originally have had a paper label with the name on it.