Finally something to report. I have applied around 80 decals to the body. A few were layered, not many. Tamiya Decals from the late 1990’s are very thick but laid down nicely with MicroSet & MicroSol and some Heat from a Hairdryer. It took about 3 weeks working about 2 hours per evening. I then left them dry for around 10 days. I was very fearful of any clear coat causing bubbling or attacking them. Any moisture trapped underneath can cause bubbling  of the decals. My favorite Go To Clear is Mr Color GX100 clear thinned about 80% with Mr Leveling Thinner. I sprayed the rear bumper first to see if there world be any adverse reactions. Seeing none, I went ahead and put on a light, misting coat.  Four coats later I was satisfied with the coverage and not seeing any Orange peel.

After letting it out gas for 2 weeks, I looked to polish the finish before moving on to adding the glass and chrome. Examining the Rear Body, I saw what looked like fine pebbling. Running my fingers over it, it was smooth. It looked like I used a Flat clear coat, yet the Front section was very Glossy. So, I started with Tamiya Course polish. Didn’t touch it. Then I used my Proxxon with a buffing wheel with the Tamiya Course polish. Still no effect. Just a shinny pebble finish. Before resorting to Hand polishing, I tried the Mr Polishing Course paste applied with a sponge applicator and buffed with the Proxxon. That did the trick. Took around 3 hours to buff the body. The results were amazing. I took my time and went very slowly as it is very easy to chip or damage the decals and/or paint. Once I get the glass and chrome attached, I will buff the body with Mr Polishing Fine and Extra Fine to get that Glass like finish.

Next up is polishing and installing the glass and adding the Fuel Filler. The interior needs to be painted black. Once that is accomplished, I will glue on the front part of the body and add the last little details. Maybe Late October or early November completion date.

Mark Tutton