Scaled Projects

Last Pics: 510

2012-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Heres one of the last updates on the 510. There are very few details left to finish it off. Once I'm done with it, I'll be taking plenty of pics if it and passing it along to Mario of Model Scientists for a feature for his blog.

Here are the last pics before finishing it off.

Thanks for stopping by.

Model Scientists Forum, Come Join Us...

2012-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I just wanted to anounce the launch of a new forum. I you are familiar with the Facebook page, now you can join us on the forum.

http://modelscientistsforums.ipbhost.com/

If your a fan of the JDM culture, there will be plenty of it, But we are not just a J-tin community. All types of model builders are welcomed.

The End Is Near: O.S. 510

2012-01-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yes I mean it this time. As I told Raees, this is the week for the end of this long journey. I have made a new harness for the drivers side and a lap belt for the passenger. I used some thin bandage tape for the belt material and the buckles are P.E. parts from Detail Master. It's suppose to be a 5 point cam type set, but the belt material supplied seemed to be pretty old. It looks like masking tape, but on backing paper. When I tried to take the tape off it ripped or was stuck really good to the backing paper, utterly useless. Anyway, it didn't look anywhere near to what a harness or even a lap belt would look like in a real car. I used a black sharpie to "dye" the tape. It actually took me a couple of hours to make these, but it's well worth it in the end. There are a few details that I have left and then I can finally call this one done.

Thanks for stopping by.

Lower Than Shakotan Part 2: S30Z-G Nose

2012-01-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Ok in the first "lower than shakotan" we brought you Raees' Hakosuka. Well he is back with this sick olive drab S30Z-G Nose that is packed with plenty of muscle to burn some serious rubber. This Hasegawa kit comes as a curbside kit, meaning that it comes with out an engine. That also means that there is no engine detail under that hood. That did not stop Raees from stuffing a mean looking RB26 with a snail the size to suck in baby birds or a kitten. There is plenty of goodies stuffed in there, like a Cusco style oil catch can, braided lines and a monster sized intercooler peeking out of the bumperless front end. The plow like chin spoiler is so low that I doubt it will be cruising around a mall parking lot. Along with the plow spoiler it has fender flares for stuffing those deep SSR Formula mesh wheels with Hippari style tires under the wheel arches. Not one for leaving them shiny, he decided to do them in black. I just gives it a menacing "I'm gonna get you sucka" look. On the inside you will find a clean and subtle environment, well other than a pair of Ferrari seats to hold you in while you blast along the wangan. Slammed with a clean stance and a bit of Oni-kyan in the rear, you can't help but to stare.

Some words from Raess.

"Another model finished. This time it's a Datsun 240ZG. A very cool kit by Hasegawa. It's a very different build from me since I love my shiny cars, but in matt green it does look good."

Specs on the 240ZG
Kit: Hasegawa Datsun 240ZG
Paint: Tamiya as 14 olive green and matt black bonnet. Decals and metal number plates
Interior: Tan and black, Ferrari 599 seats, flocking, carbon bits on dash and a spare wheel.
Body: Custom front lip, bonnet cut open, rear spoiler and fender flares.
Chassis: Engine bay scratchbuilt, RB26 fitted, custom mounts, boost pipes, resin intercooler, resin turbo, custom branches, exhaust, custom brake booster, wiring for resin battery, braided lines, custom oil catch can, working hinges and suspension cut and remade.
Wheels: Aoshima SSR Formula Mesh.

New Kits: 2012 Kick Off...

2012-01-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

I have never shared (on here) any of the new kits that I add the my ever growing collection. I have enough kits to last me a couple of lifetimes. It's no 1000+ kits like I have seen others have nor should I really call it a collection since I do plan to build them. Lets call them my "Stash" I like to think of it as something to do for when I retire, even if that is no where near to happening... I am lucky to have a wife that accepts me for who I am, a styrene addict.. Now I dont splurge and pay up the ass for kits like my others do. I shop around and look for deals, sometimes I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Some are rare and hard to find, so when a good deal pops up on them, I try to buy it.

It's been discussed on several forums at different times. Is it hoarding, collecting or an addiction?? You be the judge.

My wife got me this one. Weld MKII. Im a Toyota nut, so she knew I would like this one.

Italeri Volvo. Found this one at a swapmeet at a good deal. It has some decent details. I couldn't find much about it online, but I have a buddy working on getting me some intel about it. This one is screaming for a ground scrapping lowereing and some wide, deep offset wheels.

Aoshima AE86 LEVIN. These are a "must have" kits for the AE enthusiast. Great details inside and out. This one comes with Buddy Club P1 wheels and working suspension.

A Bandai CORONA MKII. Now this is a jem in my 1/20 scale finds. This one is brand new and complete. It comes with full engine detail, opening doors and trunk. I got this one from a forum member for a great deal. It still even has the original price tag. 1,200 yen...that would be around 15 bucks, man I wish I was around for that.

Picked this one and the civic from Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair at their montly meet.
My uncle had a chevy van when I was a kid. It did not look like this, but it was pretty nice either way. Im thinking J-tin support van... =)
AMT reissued this kit along with many others. I read great reviews on it and had to get one.

Tamiya Mugen Civic is a reissue. It's a kit I have wanted for quit sometime, but they were going for like 60+ on ebay. Good thing I waited. It's a must have for any race car enthusiast.

These next 5 kits I got from a fellow modeler. killer deal for these, again right place, right time.
Revell 62 Impala. Brand new and still sealed. Nothing real special about it, other than the fact that I got it for more than half the retail price. Low Rider anyone?? Will be the first in over a decade.

Aoshima Blitz R32 4door Skyline. I like this one a lot, especially the driver Ken Nomura. It's been started already, but it's complete. The paint job looks good and the decals have been applied already. All it really needs is clear coat. Am I going to finish whats been started?? I don't think so, but if I change my mind all credits will be appliled properly.

This Revell Golf kit is still intact and complete. Im no Euro guy, but after seeing Raess' Golf builds I felt like adding at least one to my display.

Now these 2 Intergras were out of the box and thrown into a zip lock bag. They are from Revell "Street Tuner" series. They seem to be complete as far as I can tell. One of them is started already, doesn't look too bad either. I had bought this kit when it first came out. I was pretty disappointed with it and well got rid of it, now I have 2...Hey, it was 2 for way more than half the retail price. But what to do, what to do?? Stance? HellaFlush? Drag?

So two things to think about. It's not the end of the month and you have not seen my collection, what comes to mind when you see this?? Hoarder or an addiction to styrene/plastic??

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for "New Supplies: 2012" and a complete view of my stash.

Builder Spotlight: Raees Amien

2012-01-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

After some thinking and wondering, I have came to the conclusion that I have not done a "Spotlight" on Raees. Sure I have featured many of his wonderful builds and have even done a small intro about him, but I have yet to do an actual "Spotlight", well here it is.

Raees hails all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, that is almost 10,000 miles away from Cali, where I live. He has been at the mercy of styrene since the tender age of 8 and has built some great looking models since. He also likes taking long walks by the beach and listening to jazz....ummm nah not really, but he sure loves to put in time on all his builds. Some taking a couple of weeks, with long hours to others that have been on stand by for years. We all have that one or several builds that take more time than usual. So what if OCD kicks in, we'll get back to it. Eventually...

The SPC forum, some emails and the occasional Facebook comments are the ways we communicate to share one of the passions that we have in common and that is model car building. His style of building is one that catches my attention in many ways. From digi-carbon fiber camo pattern on the Amuse R35 Skyline or nicely detailed SR20 under the hood of his silver beauty 510 to the slammed trio of VW golfs, the details are eye catching. The attention to detail in each of his builds are amazing. Plenty of time goes into them to get them that way and the patience he has is something that many need to have in order to build any type of model. It's the key to the door of the this hobby, well time and money is another key factor that come into play, but thats another story..haha.

He has been building models not only for himself, but for others as well. I have featured the finished ones on here and he has more to come in near future. Just recently he finished a VW beetle that was featured on the cover of Speed and Sound Magazine out of South Africa. Not only did he build a scale replica of that beetle on there, but there is an article about Raees himself and his builds in that issue. His builds have caught plenty of attention from many and I can see him getting more in the future. The man has skills for what he does. I have seen plenty come into the hobby only to leave it behind, I can say that Raees is here to stay. now if we can only get ourselfs to finish those unfinished WIP's...

Heres some quick info:
Full Name: Raees Amien
Age: 23
Time Building: Been modeling for 14 years
What Got Him Here?: I started with small aeroplanes
Firts Time?: First modification was cutting a Ferrari testorossa and a plane to make a dragster.
Goals: Now I mainly focus on cars 1/24 scale and 1/12
Favourite build/s: Datsun SSS and KPGC10/Hakosuka

Here are just a few of his builds.

Not only does he have skills in building models, but he also has skills in taking some great looking photos.

All pics were taken by Raees Amien.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this, thanks for stopping by.
Happy Motoring.

OS GIKEN 510 Progress...

2012-01-12T01:51:00.000-08:00

Well it's getting closer to being done. just some minor details are needed to get there. I need some oil cooler lines, make some seat belts, steering wheel, some wires and add an extra detail that revell forgot to add. more on that later on.

Here are a few pics of what I have managed to do. first up I made a headliner using bandage tape. then I brushed some citadel "mud" wash for the brown color. the MSD box is on the dash as well. second thing I did was put an underhood liner. I know, the 510's didn't come with them. but hey, its better than seeing those pesky injector marks. the last thing I added was BMF for the window trims. both front and back.

Once I make the seat belts, I'll be able to "marry" the body to the chassis and start on the final details on the outside of the body.

Thanks for stopping by.

AE86 COUPE LOVE

2012-01-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of clean and bad ass AE86 coupes that I found while browsing around and on Club4ag as well.
Enjoy and thanks for looking.

And heres one of my AE coupe

My coupe is currently not running. can't figure out what it is, I miss driving my coupe.

Builder Spot Light: Robin and his SSS 510

2012-01-01T23:29:00.000-08:00

Last month I posted a teaser pic of a 510 chillin in the corner of a shop diorama. I also mentioned that Raees Amien was going to take some pics of this Datsun. Well here it is and I gotta say, it looks tastey. for anyone that loves old school J-tin this one does not disappoint. lowered stance, chocolate covered paint job with some old school body tuning can give you a cavity. Robin has done a fantastic job on this build, heres a bit of detail about both Robin and his 510

"I started building kits approximately 9 years ago, it all started with a civic ferio (hasegawa) that my brother bought for me for my birthday (i still have this kit), this also fueled my liking for japanese cars and due to this kit i bought me an actual civic ferio lol.

What inspires me is the japanese car culture and not the hellaflush and american scene but purely what rolls on the streets of japan (gonna go live there one day lol)

As for the kit its a hasegawa bluebird sss...

- sprayed it the datsun brown (dont remember the code)
- ssr sharkstars with hippari tyres
- scratch built front lip/spoiler
- hasegawa rally datsun sss overfenders
- carpets inside
- seat belts with seat belt buckles
- "leathered" the seat (using electrical tape)
- lowered the suspension (wheels still turn left to right)

Thats it basically, awesome kit and i amazed myself with the detail lol."

All pics were taken by Raees Amien for Robin

I just love that old schoo vibe. the color combos are spot on and the paint is just beautifully done. gotta love the JNC (Japanese Nostalgic Car) decal on the window as well. real sublte, but cool

Thanks for stopping buy and have a Happy New Year.

Coming Soon: Builds

2012-01-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Well it's now 2012 and another year for building. 2011 was not really productive for me, with only one build done, about 4 started, one about 96% done and about a dozen added to the collection, O_o but I plan to chang that up this year, well I hope so.

My plans so far are to finish some builds that I started a while back.
96% shoulda been done already Datsun 510
AE86 N2 Levin
Toyota Corona Mark II Mild Bosozoku Style(not pictrured)
AE86 Levin Drift Coupe(not pictured)
The Dirty Rat Rod

Wish me luck and stay tuned for more, thanks for stopping by.

The Low Down MK2, Another Commisioned Build..

2011-12-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

As I said before Raess has been working on a few comissioned builds and heres another one. this time around its a Golf MK2. slammed down to the ground, so that makes it 2 low down ground scrappers.
this one is a more subtle look to it. porsche mesh wheels get this one rolling around, it's different from the MK1 trio he finish up earlier.

So far this make it 3 MK1's and 1 MK2, all he has left of comissioned builds are a Honda Prelude and a Beetle. I'm sure he would be happy to get those out of his hair soon.

"Another commission build . this was done during the mk1 builds so this progress was a bit slower. none the less it is finally done. This is the second lowest car iv done after the kpgc10 skyline"

Specs of the Low Down:

Kit: Fujimi vw mk2

Tamiya light tan with 2k clear

Ferrari seats

Porsche mesh wheels

All pics belong to Raees Amien

Thanks for stopping by.

Lower Than Shakotan?? "Godzilla Is Here"

2011-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

Holy shit this thing is low! The shakotan style is low, but I think this is an all new "low" for Raees. he built this Hakosuka so low that the exhaust is pretty much non-exsistent(see those little things peeking out of the side), it's grungy, dirty, and damn right sexy.

The body has been weathered, it adornes torn decals as a sign of age, classic front mounted oil cooler and race configuration spoiler, flares and head light covers gives it a vintage race track menace appeal. the interior shares the same grunge as the outside, sporting only one seat for the driver, vintage 3 point roll cage, race style gutting, kevlar dash pad and some wethering on the sheet metal. sorry ladies, this is a single mans car..haha it's rolling stock are a set of SSR MKII's with blue faces to match the decals on the hood, they wraped in some hippari style tires(stretched) to clear the race fender flares. it has all the markings of a highway reflector killer and well speed bumps are not an option with this one.

Enjoy.

"So i decided to take a bit of a break from all the commision builds to finish my skyline. this is probably may favourite build. it was really fun trying new techniques. the results i am very happy bwith

"Godzilla's" Specs:

Fujimi takahashi kpgc10 racer

Aoshima SSR MK2 wheels

Aoshima nostalgic seat

Kevlar dash with 'stolen gauge'

Custom weatherd bonnet

Custom damaged exhaust

Colour is a mixture of tamiya silver, chrome powder, weathering set and acrylic paints"

Here chillin with the homies and the sexy silver 510..

All pics are taken by Raees Amien.

Thanks for stopping by.

MK1 Factory Part 2

2011-12-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

In part 1 we had a sweet looking black golf on steelies, this time around Raees finished up another Golf in red with some BBS mesh wheels. those 2 along with the silver one from the VW Approved post are all for customers that he has lined up. oh and trust me, theres a couple more on his bench that are for customers as well, they too will be done really soon and will be posted on here as well.

The red one is the last of the trio of MK1 Golfs that he had to build. it's a fairly simple and clean loking Golf. red, lowered, BBS and the factory lip spoiler. looks like it could be a fun ride. knowing Raees, he will most likely build another MK1, hell who knows it might be of his real MK1.

Enjoy the MK1 Factory

"All the MK1's are finally done. These are all done to customer specifications. enjoy!"

Specs of the V.A.G's:

Silver: Fujimi MK1 kit

Tamiya silver

Aoshima Enkei focus wheels

Interior flocked

Dropped

Flushed holes

Carbon stripe

Tan and black interior

Matt black: Fujimi MK1 kit

Tamiya matt black

Aoshima steel wheel

Red and black interior

Interior flocked

Flushed holes

Dropped

Red: Fujimi MK1 kit

Tamiya red with 2k clear

Resin bbs wheels painted tan

Tan and black interior

Interior flocked

Dropped

Flushed holes

All pics belong to Raees Amien

Stay tuned for more on these commissioned builds that Raees has going on.

Thanks for looking.

2012 Spot Light Teaser...

2011-12-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

2012 is coming right around the corner. whats in store for me hobby wise??? well I hope to get some more building done, come out with a line of tires of my own design for scaled kits and well, just get some building done..lols

Here's a small teaser of a spot light im looking forward to doing in 2012.

Im looking forward to doing this feature. the good man Raees will be snapping some pics of that menacing looking beauty chilling in the dark corner.

Until then, happy building and thanks for looking

Commissind Build, Well half built...By Raess.

2011-12-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Raees has taken in some interesting projects. he has had some people ask hime to build models for them. some box stock with a couple of mods and maybe one of their real car. this Revell 510 was only half built by Raees. the other half to be completed by the customer, which to be honest with you can make or break this already fantastic looking build.

He has painted and built the interior, chassis and engine. he also added some details like spark plug wires, some weathering on the chassis and the small details in the interior. the wheels are aoshima SSR MKIII's on some super low profile tires with a stance that looks quit menacing.

Well, I can only hope the customer lays down a nice paint job. if possible, I might be able to have an update on that once it happens.

Thanks for looking.

MK1 Factory PT:1

2011-11-25T10:26:00.001-08:00

Raees has been working on some more MK1 Golf's for customers. Its calle the MK1 Factory and so far he has 2 going at the same time. one is a flat black with chrome steelies and the second one is going to be red. as of 2 days ago, he finished the black one and I think it came out pretty sweet. he is now working on the red one.

And here it is done.

"I was finally able to finish the matt black mk1. This was a fairly quick build. I am qute pleased with the outcome."

Specs:

Fujimi mk1

Dropped
Aoshima steel wheels

Red interior

Flocking

Matt black paint

Smoothed out body

All pics were taken by Raees Amein.

Thats all for today. thanks for stopping by.

Been a while...

2011-11-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well its been a couple of weeks since the last post. we ended up moving on Halloween weekend, started saturday morning and ended tuesday evening when I turned in the keys to the ex-landlord. it was a tough 4 days! but we managed to get the hell out of that dump.
It's almost 2 weeks in the new place and we are very happy to be here. it's bigger, it's nicer and best of all it's safer than the last place. we have several neighbors that are or were in law enforcement and a fire fighter. only thing missing is the "couger" looking for the young "cubs" hahaa kidding...

So today as I was roaming around on the web. I bumped into a blogsite from japan. there are a few guys that build model cars and have some sweet looking rides.

These are just from one guy, but it's some major inspiration for me to get my work station up and going so I can get some unfinished business done. he has a pretty clean building style and has some build inspired by the HellaFlush scene from here in Cali.

Enjoy the pics.

Heres a link to his blog, it's in Japanese, so a bit of help from a translation software would be good.

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/577041/blog/

So after all this, I think I am ready to hit the bench. stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.

VW APPROVED!

2011-10-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have a soft spot for these little cars. when I was in high school I had a freind with a 80something Golf GTI. it didn't look as good as this, it was a bit busted actually, but it was a form of transportation and for a HS student that was good enough. we had some fun times it that beater until the engine finally gave out. for Raees it's a bit different. being a owner of a clean VW MK1 himself he already nows what it needs to make it clean and sweet. this "quick" build, well at least it was suppose to be quick took a bit longer that it was suppose to. but like many of us in the hobby know, some things don't always go as planned or we like to take on other projects or life takes up most of the time in the day. either way, we don't finish them as fast as we wanted to in the first place.

I like this Golf, it has some character that is just subtle and mellow. it's lowered, has some stretched tires with deep offset wheels and the paint is just clean, what more would you want in a daily driver?? well thats if it was to be your daily driver. well have a look for yourself and see what you think.

SPECS OF THE V.A.G:

Fujimi vw mk1

Tamiya gloss aluminum

Carbong fibre stripe

Dropped

SSR Focus wheels with tan centre

Front head rests removed

Rear wiper and sunroof smoothed

Indicators removed

Smoked lights

Cross hairs in the front

Tan an black interior

All pics were taken by Raess Amien

Thanks for stopping by.

Rak's Tofu Runner

2011-10-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know that I am an AE86 enthusiast, well now you do. going on 10 years of owning one and about 15 years of liking them. waaay before the anime series Initial D hit the commercial side of entertainment and the popularity of drifting in the US. Anyways, I'm not here to talk about me, it's about Raks Tofu runner.

It makes me happy to see someone paying attention to the details. he has detailed the chassis, engine bay, gave it the "panda" paint job and the interior resembles that of the real thing. the kit he is using is from aoshima. it's one of the best kits out there of the AE86.

Heres a reminder of where he was.

Now heres the update as of today. weathered chassis to give it that driven, not parked look. as a bonus he has added what look to be the parking and brake lines. very nice touch.

Here it is all in white sporting the classice Watanabe wheels.

Heres a closer look at the Wats, they are wrapped in old school Pirreli Sport tires.

Getting it ready for the "panda" paint job. which is just a 2 tone black on white. the lower portions along with the arches are painted black.

And here it is after it's been shot with black. looks good and it a classic look for the AE.

All pics belong to Rak.

Stay tuned for more of this one. as I said before, Rak some some great talent and it shows very well.

Thanks for stopping by.

IP:3 Sexy Boxes: Hakosuka

2011-10-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Those in the tuning world will know the name "Hakosuka" it's the name given to the Legendary Nissan Skyline KPCG-10. the word Hako means "box" and Suka is short for "skyline" in Japanese. it's racing background is what made it a legend, but it also has a underground style as well. some guys use it in a skakotan, bosozoku, kaido racer or simply restored.
Here are some great examples of the race that I found while browsing around.

All pics were found while browsing, they are not mine.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Dato/Nissan Madness update

2011-10-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

A few of the guys and myself on the SPC forum have a thread going. it's called "Dato/nissan madness, it just keep spreading" what its all about is in the title, only catch is that it can only be pre 1989 vehicles. just about anyone can join the fun. there is no time limit, it's not a build off nor is it a contest. just a few guys that like old school j-tin. in the coming year Im going to start another one dedicated to Toyotas. same rules apply and the Dato/Nissan thread.
Here is a bit of an update on what Raees and Hanzel has coming.

Raees did a bit of work on the hood. some weathering on that blue paint look great.

Pictures were taken by Raees Amein.

And it seems that Hanzel has an R30 Nissan Skyline coming out. the mock up pic looks pretty wicked.

Picture was taken by Hanzel Conchas

Stay tuned for more updates as these are just a couple of them on that thread.

Thanks for stopping by.

Raees' HAKOSUKA!

2011-10-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well the man that has several builds going on his workbench has started a new build..haha, don't we all. this time around it's the legendary Nissan Skyline KPCG10, yup a Hakosuka. although he just started, Im loving the way it's looking.

Here is what he has so far.

Fujimi Takahashi kit

Aoshima SSR MKII

Paint: Tamiya gloss aluminum polsihed with Kosutte Ginsan

All pics are taken by Raees Amien

Thanks for looking

IP PT:2

2011-10-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Insperational pics Part:2 (IP)
Here are some more from my file-o-pics that i found while browsing. I hope you enjoy.

Not my pics, they are what i found on the interwebs..

I plan to make an exhaust like this for one of my build in the future.

Thanks for looking.

Clean and Simple CIVIC

2011-10-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well with all the Hellaflush and Stancing that is going around in the 1:1 tuner world as well as the scaled world, it's nice to see that the simple and clean look can still be just as appealing. here is a perfect example. the ever popular Honda Civic hatchback is just lowered on stock alloys. interior is stock and no body kit. some tasteful carbon fiber mirrors and just a couple of Mugen decals and you can call it a day. looks good to take a cruise and hit the V-Tec.

Specs:

fujimi ek4 civic

tamiya peral white

carbon mirrors.

converted to manual

lowered suspension

tail piece added

sunroof flushed

All photos were taken by Raees Amien

Thanks for reading.

Inspiration Photo's

2011-10-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

As I browse the interwebs, I bump into some pics of bad ass looking J-tin. shakotan style or clean and subtle lowering with some sweet sakura wheels. here are some that I saved, it's just the tip of the iceberg. this is what influences me to build my models the way I do. I will be posting more of the pics I have saved.

These are not my pictures, I found these online. if they belong to you, hit me up and i will credit your name to them.

Thanks for reading.

Builder Spotlight: RAK PT.1

2011-10-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

RAK, now where do I begin to describe this mans creativity??? Awesome is one word, but not enough to describe it, unique is another.....hmmm, how about exquisite. every detail that is he puts into his builds seems to be premeditated. grease, dirt, grime, oil and fuel stains and weathering is meticulously added to the surfaces of the chassis, valve covers and body panels. his building stlye is a mix of grundge and shakotan with a touch of nostalgia. here, I'll let you take a look at what he has to offer.

Biography:
Title: rak
Name: rak
Age: 44
Nationality: Thai
Language: Local Thai
Location: Bangkok
First Model: gundam /bat mobile (revell)
Real Car: taxi/bicycle

Nostalgic syle Tamiya Honda S800

Shakotan style CRX??

Nissan 260Z clean build with L26 under the hood.

Honda race car just drips with grim...lols

This Tamiy NSX with JGTC body has a boro wangan racer look. I love it.

NORI YARO shout out!

Now these 2 Hakosukas are just sick.

This one has a Nissan V8 from the Tamiya Nissan R89C kit. looks mean with the wide fender arches and deep offset Watanabe RS. deffinitly something you don't want to see in your rearview mirror.

The RED Hako has a special treat under this metallic gray hood.

Yes, that is an RB26 from an R32 Skyline.

Not only does it have the RB26, it also has the ATTESA-ETS system. how cool is that??

Skooter anyone?? pretty sweet. this one is part of a build that he currently has going.

All pics are taken by RAK

Well there is plenty more from where this came from. I'll be doing a 2nd part to this one. stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

Building MADISH style....

2011-10-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Heres another SPC forum member. some may call him "Bob" but I call hims MADS. the one thing I like about mads is that no matter what happens during a build, he doesn't quit. there have been moments that some may consider stopping and putting it aside till they figure something out. which some can take years to come up with (cough, cough, me O_o) with only 5 builds in 1/24 and 1 in 1/43 scale under his belt, he is on his way to having some of the coolest builds on the forum.

This Daihatsu Midget is his latest build. taken from a scetch to a 1/24 build. has lots of character.

Comparing the size of the Midget to the Nissan 350Z

Aoshima Nissan S13 Vertex kit done a bit different. it has some old school feel with the mesh wheels.

Banana peel anyone??

Tamiya Lexus Mobil 1 JGTC racer got him an award at a model car event

Tamiya Porshe Rothmans livery with some weathering gives it that "after race" effect.

And this little guy(1/43 scale) is a replica of his buddies real car. Skoda Favorit

All photos were taken by BOB aka MADISH

Well I hope to see some more from you MADS.

Thanks for reading.

VisVos

2011-10-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

MCM forum member Matt Scott, AKA: VisVos has some very impressive builds. from american muscle cars to imports even some exotics. Chevy, Toyota and Ferrari just to name a few. with each build, it's something different but they are all the same, eye pleasers. here are some of his builds that can be found on the MCM forum.

Revell, "Super Nova"

Tamiya Subaru Impreza WRC

Revell 1969 Shelby GT-500 Mustang

Tamiya Subaru Impreza WRC

Tamiya JACCS Honda Accord JTCC

Tamiya Clarion R33 Nissan Skyline JGTC

Fujimi Toyota Corolla AE86

All photos were taken by Matt Scott

You can find more of Matts/VisVos builds on www.modelcarsmaga.com/forums/

Thanks for Reading.

OLDSKILL_86!

2011-10-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Every now and then there is a builder that gets your attention be it using 5 pounds worth of PhotoEtch parts or high shine paint jobs that only show cars have in the real world.
well Adrian aka OLDSKILL_86 on the SPC forum has caught my attention with his builds. they have old school flavor and are nicely detailed. the details are not over done and the out comes are not disappointing.

With have just a few builds under his belt, they all look great so far.

Being a Toyota nut, this Corolla GT is one of my favorites.

Toyota Corolla GT
some specification:
TS 42 Gun Metal by Tamiya
rims: JDM Impul DEEP DISH HOSHINO racing 14 inch
others: old racing seat, front spoiler, flocking carpet, OMP Monza classic sterring wheels

Nissan Skyline
spec:
paint w/ TS-50 mica blue
custom front spoiler
custom muffler
techno trv 14 inch rims

All photos were taken by Adrian

Thanks for reading.

Shakotan Chaser

2011-09-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted anything. I haven't really been doing anything to my builds, I'm mainly packing up to move. slowly but surely it's getting there.

Just today, SPC member jakub476 post that after 3 years he finally finished his Toyota Chaser GX61. he built it just the way I like to see them, Shakotan/boso style. lowered, deep offset and nice flashy paint. although it's not to the point that it can be called boso, the license plates has the word "boso" on there. boso(bosozoku) is more extreme, flares, wild body mods and the infamous crazy exhaust pipes.

Toyota Chaser GX61 Fujimi
Finished after 3 years?!

- Paint - own mixture
- New Techno Racing TR-V rims (Aoshima)
- Japanese number plates
- Lowered suspension
- External oil cooler (Handmade)
- Sticker Techno Racing in light and Trust in doors (Fujimi)
- New exhaust pipe (Sakatsu)
- Smoked front lights
- New wheel drive and shift knob
- Rim rear light (Ka Models)

All photos were taken by member jakub476

Good people & good things happenning...

2011-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

As you might remember, my car was broken into a couple of weeks ago. well this past sunday something odd happened, again. my neighbor, the one that notified me of the broken window, came to knock on my door again. I was like, "oh no, what happened now!" but it was nothing bad at all..he hands me some money and tells me "that god told me(him) to give this to you(me)" I was like you don't have to, he said it again. it was for what happened 2 weeks ago. I was shocked, this has never happeed to me, never! I didn't know what to say, of course I said thank you, but, well, that was it. it was all I can think of saying. NOW, I am in no way a religous person. my family is Catholic, but religon is the last thing I want to talk about or discuss. so, I'm thankful for this.

Also, you might have figured out that I don't build at a fast pace. well now I won't be building at any pace..why you ask??? cause if everything goes through the fam bam and I will be moving to another home. something better, a place we can call a HOME. the neighborhood is nice and seems safe. a whole lot safer than where I'm at now. theres more space for my kids to play around and well more space for all. we get to park our cars in a garage, which makes me feel a whole lot better. this also lets me I set up my building space in the garage, which in turn means more space and well, I hope more building time too.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping everything goes good, cause so far, things are looking better so far.

Thanks for coming around.

Update: Ford Vicky has some paint

2011-09-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a bit lazy lately. I havent been to the workdesk in a few days. we have a 3 day weekend coming up for Labor day and I certainly hope to get something done. whether it's to clean and organize my stuff or build some more?? hmmm, we'll see.

A couple of nights ago I did hit the desk for a bit. I decided to paint the body. now take into mind that this is not a rat rod or a show rod, so the paint might look a bit clean at the moment. it's all I really did.

First I laid some primer the night before. then I went ahead and sprayed some Tamiya Black(x-14) I like the Tamiy line, they are easy to use and dry quickly. so while it was drying, I grabbed my airbrush and some Alclad steel. shook it and pourd some into the jar. about 10 minutes later I shot the alclad. it came out pretty nice I think.

At the moment the paint looks like a metallic gray, but it's suppose to be the color of bare, raw steel before it gets hit with a grinder or sanding pad/disc.

Stay tuned for more, for the next update will have the body looking a bit weathered and some surface rust as well.

Thanks for stopping by.

GIRLS!! who doesn't love them??

2011-08-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so what happens when 3 guys and a teenager go to a car show???

So, a few weeks ago I went to SPOCOM with a couple of friends. it was a fairly small show, but there were some nice cars. after we walked around looking at the cars we decided to have a bit of fun. we then started walking around and snapping pics of the girls. all of these girls are models and were very friendly. my friend dave and my other friends little brother took pics with some of them.

These are just some of the ones I took of just the girls. there are several more, but I think this will do.

Well, there you have it. just a few girls to get you by for the weekend..haha

Builder Spotlight: Jimmy AKA: FUJIMMY

2011-08-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not everyday that builder decides to scratchbuild engines for kits that either dont have engines or have a shitty looking engine in the kit itself. most import kits out there are curbside, meaning they have no engine or engine bay for that matter. all hey have is the bottome half detail of the engine. the ones that do have an option for an engine either have a half engine or an engine that lacks the proper details.

For Jimmy, crewdawg15 on model car forums. he has taken things into his own hands and decided that the cool curbside kits from Japan needed a bit more detail to make them even better. he makes engine bays, new suspension, redesigns the interior if not correct compared to the real thing and last but not least engines. complete with the transmission, he also makes everything that can come with it. intake, header, carbs, you name it, he has probably has made it.

I personally have bought a pair of each engine kit he has casted. I am patiently waiting for him to finish a few more that he has on the bench. although being in the Airforce takes up a lot of his time, he seems to come out with some great looking builds. his most recent one is his Datsun Fairlady or as he named it, "The Bronzed Lady" its a beauty. there is one he has been working on for what seems like a decade, it is a 1973 Toyota Corolla, TE27 or "Mango" that one is a real work of art. having pretty much replace the entire front suspension, it also has a scratchbuilt rear suspension, engine bay and of course the engine itself. of course he has other WIP's on his bench, but those will be posted once he has more work done to them.

Here are some words from the man himself and then some pics of what he has made and is working on.

Jimmy says:

"I've been an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force for the last 16 years. Throughout my career, I've had a great opportunity to travel the world. Of all of my assignments, Japan has to be the greatest...I met my wife Katsuyo there, friendly people, the awesome food, and the eclectic car culture.

An uncle of mine got me started in model building when I was 5 years old, and I haven't stopped in the 30 years since then. I started out building car models strait from the box, but eventually, I wanted more and more detail in my builds. This was the 1980's, and the model after market is not what it is today. So, I started making my own custom parts. I started off small with adding plug wire to the engines, to in the last 3-4 years, casting my own resin import engines. Today, you can purchase just about any thing you can think of as far as model parts go, but I still prefer to make my own parts over buying pre made.

While I can make just about anything, I get the most enjoyment out of making 1/24 scale Japanese engines, and modifying Japanese curbside kits. That's how I picked up my nickname; FuJimmy, after the Fujimmy model kits that I prefer to modify.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Jimmy"

A Mazda 13B, Nissan SR20DET, Nissan CA-18DET, Mitsubishi 4G63, Toyota 4AG-20V, 2TGEU, 3TC and 22RE, OS Giken TC16-MAII (Datsun/Nissan L18 based block)

All pics used with the permission of Jimmy Nilan

All I can really say is keep on building Jimmy, you know to save me a couple of each...haha

You can catch some of Jimmy's work on these two forums

http://forum.spc.org.uk/phpBB3/index.php

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/

So till next time take care and thanks for reading.

An F'ed up way to end a good day

2011-08-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

The GOOD part:

Well, I just wanted to share a way that a good day can end badly.
August 21, Sunday morning. I wake up to take my 85 Corolla to get it's rear axle bearings replaced at Sonora Tires shop in Bloomington. after 2 years of grinding/growling noise, I thought it was about time. it was going smoothly until we pulled the axles out. now take this in mind, it's the first time I actually replace these on any Corolla i have owned. so i was a bit surprised. the bearings i had ordered were the wrong ones. too small, waaay too small. so I gave the guys I bought them from a call and mention to them that I ordered them a few months ago and that they were the wrong size. right away he says that they were boxed incorrectly and that I can send them back, but being that I had need them that day, he said I can pick them up. GREAT! I said. so my nephew and I made the trek down to Costa Mesa. once we get to RPM motorsports, the guys gave us the correct parts hassel free. not only that, but they were a better brand than the incorrect ones.

The BAD part:

So, we get back to bloomington and get back to work on the Corolla. we get done at 3pm on the dot! closing time for the shop... I get home to find that one of the neighbors was having a kids party. so the lot is full and I had nowhere to park but on the street. deep down inside I felt as if I shouln't have. it was roughly about 3:30pm when I park. I go inside take a shower, sit for a bit with my kids and then my door bell rings, at about 4:15ish. it's my neigbor, he comes to tell me that some kids found my car with it's window busted out...instantly I get upset. so I go to see what damage they did.
they attempted to steal the stereo, but only managed to bend the brackets, broke the pocket underneath it and the stero housing as well was damaged, so its a bit bent up. then it dawned on me that I had my tools in the trunk, cause I worked on my car earlier, so I popped it open and GONE! about 95% of my tools just gone, over $1000 worth due to there being a mixture of Snap-on and Matco tools along with some other inexpensive ones, but what brought it up was that my Blue-Point impact gun was in there as well. luckily that was all i really had of worth in there and the whole car wasn't taken.

I filed a police report, but I know nothing will come out of it. some kids saw some guys standing next to my car, but weren't sure they were the ones to do it....so it sucks. I was hoping they saw something. it was broad fucking day light, somone had to see something. but people just don't give a fuck now adays.

Lesson I learned: Next time my gut tells me not to do something, DON'T!!

Although they are material things and can be replaced with time and money, they WERE important to me and held some value to me cause some were gifts given to me by my wife, friend, uncle and mom.
for those of you who might think, "big deal they were just tools" well, let it happen to you(not that I would wish that upon you), be it small things or bigger things, any kind of theft is just something that doesn't feel right.

A car is defenseless no matter what. a car alarm can only do so much but ill be getting one though, might get one with a custom siren so I can recognise it when it goes off. who knows. I won't be leaving anything of value in the car anymore, not even for a minute!

I really hope whome ever did it gets caught at some point and has the book of law thrown at them.
I believe in KARMA, it does come bite you in the ASS at some point and I hope it happens to them.

Thanks for reading.

Builder Spotlight: Andy AKA MICRO

2011-08-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Andy is a adminisitrator/caretaker/overlooker/"post whore" O_o......well, he's MICRO on the SPC(Scaled Plastic Cars) forum. to me, he's on the top 5 for nicest guys on a forum list. not only is he helpful on the forum, he is also a great builder and has an extensive list of completed builds of all sorts, euro, exotics, j-tin, military and motorcycles to name a few.

Although Andy is pretty much on the other side of the world(Blackpool-UK), getting to know him on the forum has been a pleasure. here are some words from the man himself and and the top 3 builds I chose to show.

Andy says:
"Ever since I was 11 yrs old I have suffered with a disease known as Ankylosing Spondilitis (AS). This has affected my life alot. It means that often I am unable to do everyday chores or work or do ordinary things, I had both Hips replaced when I was 19-20 yrs old, both are now Titanium.. My illness has also caused alot of damage to my spine and although I am able to walk, I use a walking stick and I am in pain alot of the time.. because of this situation I spend alot of time looking after my kids and wife. I stay at home so this means I have looked at a hobby to keep me occupied and active. I have always been an artistic and practical person and I love repairing and working with my hands. I have chosen modelling as my hobby because I like to learn about automobiles while I build.People often do not believe me when I say I don't know a thing about cars, but it is true.

Steve Hemming (Hiroboy) gave me the opportunity to look after SPC instead of closing it down,which helps to keep me motivated.I have always liked to help others in anyway I can.

My inspiration comes from my health situation and my religion, I believe effortless effort is the best means to live a good life and build nice models.

yours truely

Andy"

Now, if this does not inspire one to build, then I don't know what will

This camaro is my favorite, it's just bad ass american muscle.

All pics were taken by Andy and used with his permission.

So, what can I say. if it wasn't for Andy, we would not have that great forum that supports this hobby.
What forum you ask???

http://forum.spc.org.uk

Wish to see some more of Andy's (MICRO) work, join the forum and check out his bio on this link

http://forum.spc.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=14960

Thank you Andy and thanks for hangin out here.

"Black Beauty"

2011-08-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

When you hear the name Black Beauty, you might automatically think of the Green Hornet's 1965 Chrysler Imperial. Well not in this case, Hanzel has a Nissan Leopard and although it doesn't have all the gadgets, it's still a beauty.

This is Tamiya's old school Leopard Dressed Up kit. comes with front and rear bumper spoilers and sidskirts. along with that it also comes with a driver figure and scooter. hell, it even has a sunroof that slides back and forth, its a pretty cool kit. simple yet clean. Hanzel took this kit and lowered its stance, put some deep offset Lamborghini wheels and shot it with gloss black. there are no modifications to the body itself. it was built mostly out of box.
I swear if it had it's windows tinted, I think even the Yakuza would drive this around on the streets of Japan.

Here are some pics of what I like to call Hanzels Black Beauty.

All pics taken by Hanzel Conchas please do not use with out permission

Thank you Hanzel and I hope to see some more fantastic builds from you.

RODDIN' 32' FORD

2011-08-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Im not all about J-Tin. I am and all around car guy. so this is why I decided to start building one of these.
Its a 1932 Ford "Vicky" made by AMT/ERTL. fairly old and low count on parts by todays standards. other than the sink marks everywhere and flash on about all the gray parts, it's an ok kit. after some cleanging it can be nice.

I have taken this one and turned it into what i would like to call a muscle rod. it's not a traditional hot rod and not a complete rat rod. its not going to have a "show" paint job, but it's not going to have fully rotted panels. its low to the ground, chopped top and some balls as well.

I used a Ford Flattie V8 with a Weiand blower with dual stromberg carbs. the rear of the frame has been Z'ed and extended along with pushing the front suspension in front of the frame it gives it a longer wheel base. putting it this low, I also had to cut out the floorboard to raise the driveline up. this of course will be covered by some panels and a tunnel. for the wheels, I used some deep cragar style on the rear with some pie crust slicks and for the front I used shallow cragar style with pie crust treaded tires. it's currently been shot with primer to find the flaws, has putty and some sanding. still a bit to go. I plan to put drum brakes on all 4 corners, bomber style seats and a custome gas tank. that's about it for now.

Enjoy the pics

Itasha Style AE86 N2

2011-08-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

Being an AE86 owner for a little over a decade I have seen plenty of different styles used on this chassis. everything from garage queens to full blown drift and track cars. the one that calls my attention the most is the N2 corolla with a full roll cage, high reving 4AG's, suspension mods from hell and of course the agressive wide body kit. it is one of the cars that any AE86 lover would love to have in their stable.

Now thanks to Aoshima, we can build these N2 kits in scale form. this one built by Henry is in a different game of its own. also being and ae86 owner he built his in Itasha style and i gotta say it looks pretty bad ass. using the decals of Hatsune Miku and some of his own this N2 LEVIN stands agressive and ready for the battle at Tsukuba.

Heres a bit about Henry and some pics of his masterpiece.

"About myself:
You can write my first name, it's Henry.
I've been making car models for over 10 years but not very seriously until recently.
My main interest is with Japanese vehicles.
One thing is, I'm never able to build anything OOB, one thing always need to another.

Thanks again for featuring my model.

Henry
About the model, I've written the technical details in my thread on SPC:
Progress thread is here: http://forum.spc.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17195
(for the forum, you would need to register to view..)

End product is a bit rough, but I'm satisfy with the result.
Decals were a pain in the @$$ to apply, but turned out ok, I guess.

Base kit: Aoshima 1/24 TRD AE86 Levin N2 Race car
Wheels: Fujimi Longchamp XR-4 + Aoshima tires
GT-wing: Scale Auto Style - Vortex Type 1 3D photo etched GT-wing
Decals: Good Smile Racing - Hatsune Miku 1/24 Decal 01 + TRD AE86 Levin N2 Race car decals + various home made decals
Other modification: Tinted kouki (late model) white line tail lights, front carbon fiber splitter, changed side exiting exhaust pipe to rear exiting.
Concept:
This Levin is a mix of Japan's Itasha culture and the heritage of AE86 N2 racing cars.
I choose this car as a base mainly due to having a real AE86, and thus have a large stock pile of 1/24 AE86s lying around."

All pictures are sole property of Henry.

Thank you Henry for letting me feature your LEVIN. hope to see some more from you.

L.A. RISING July, 30th 2011

2011-08-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

One word: DAMN! Saturday, July 30th marks the day of all days for me.
When I first heard that RAGE was going to have a concert, I said "fuck! I need to GO!, not want but NEED!" as soon as tickets went on sale, I jumped online to buy tickets. 2 months of waiting and anticipating for that day to come. as the day got closer and closer, my excitment was increasing, adrenalin rushing and rage bumping.

L.A. Rising Festival was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (home of the USC Trogans) and for those of you that absolutely love Rage Against The Machine (RATM/RAGE) you would have done anything to go to this festival. there were people coming in from all over the world. I met guys from san diego, mexicali, and arizona. also saw some people come in from Florida, Canada, Nevada, and even New York, over hearing some that flew in from as far as Norway, Spain and Japan! also playing with RATM was Muse, Rise Against, MS. Lauren Hill, Immortal Technic and El Gran Silencio.

Although the acctual concerts started at 3pm, people were lined up the night before. these were the ones in general admission. general admission was on the football field. divided into 9 sections to keep some crowd control. there was plenty of food, beer and well, people..90,000 from what I heard. cops were everywhere and security on the field was high as well. luckily we had seats where the 50 yard line would be and up about another 20-30 yards up. honestly not a bad view. I was just stoked that I was going to get to see RAGE.
Of course I took my camera, took plenty of pics, but the guys next to me kept knudging me and messing with my long exposer shots. so I tried my best.

Several hundred people still showing up, by the time we arrived, Rise Against had just finished. we can hear them as we were waiting to get into the parking lot.
Muse, was next and I gotta say, they fucking ROCK! some great stuff from them. I would not mind seeing them as well.

BUT! When RAGE started up with the siren alarm, we knew were in for a show! They opened with "Testify", goosebumps and adrenalin running through my viens...even though, even though, they had sound problems.....twice. it was still a great start to an awesome show!
RAGE closed out the show with "killing in the name"Fists pumping in the air screaming out "fuck you i wont do what you tell me!" I swear, it could have started a fucking riot, but no the people maintained themselfs and nothing bad happened.

ALL photos were taken by Luis Aguilar. DO NOT use with out permission first

RAGE closed out the show with "killing in the name"Fists pumping in the air screaming out "fuck you i wont do what you tell me!" I swear, it could have started a fucking riot, but no the people maintained themselfs and nothing bad happened.

I am very, very, very happy with seeing both Muse and RAGE, altough going to the whole festival would have also been great, we couldn't, family first. who knows when RAGE will play next, but I will make damn sure to make out again.

Much love for RAGE wish to see you guys again.

Stay tuned for some black and whites pics and pics of a couple of mosh pits that insued a bit of anarchy..

"AMUSE"ing aint it......

2011-07-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

If your in the tuner scene, then the name AMUSE will sound familiar to you. If not, well then hit that search button. not only a big thing in real life, but also in the scale world. thanks to the guys over at Jet Models for making a replica of the life size AMUSE kit for the R35 Nissan Skyline. we in the scaled world can replicate one of the top super cars of Japan.

Here is a great example of what can be done with this kit. Raees, aka DADAMAN took this kit and built an R35 that could be found in the pages of Banzai magazine or similar. this was a comissioned build for www.team-hobby.com a supplier of several aftermarket kits, including this one, Raees built it as if it were his own. he painted it in white, used carbon fiber decals in a modern day digital camoflage pattern. although AMUSE uses the stock wheels, Jet Model includes a different set of wheels. which Raess took upon himself to add a bit of lip to, giving them an aggressive staggered look. I personally think it looks as tough as nails, but don't take my word for it. here are some pics to prove it.

Raess says:
"This was a commisioned build for Team hobby. its taken a while but its finally done.
tamiya gtr
white and black colour combo
2 grades of carbon for the pattern
Jet model Amuse transkit
rims customized
tuner model lugs nuts and air valves
aftermarket decals"

pictures are sole property of Raess Amein.

510 Update

2011-07-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Another update on the 510. It has been a hot one out here in cali. Im in the san bern county, AKA the small desert. i don't like it when it gets hot, it dampens my mood to build. it's not like i can be blasting the A/C away all day, that shit gets expensive!! so i have to maintain my sanity and put up with it.

So these last few days since the last time I got some stuff done. I stripped the chrome off the grill and reprayed it with alclad chrome, figured out where I'll be mounting my oil cooler and oil filter relocator kit, and added some BMF to the tail lights, along with making an old school "wink" mirror, new radiator and intake funnel. both the radiator and funnel were shot with alclad polished aluminum. anyone that airbrushes, I totally recommend alclad paints for this type of detailing. great stuff and easy to use.

Enjoy the pics

Close to the finish line

2011-07-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the first of july and it's a HOT one. So, I thought it would be good to do an update on my 510. Im getting closer to finishing this one. still need to make a couple of small things here and there, but I think i can finish it up soon.

I installed the carbs and plumbed the fuel lines, made a new roll cage, slapped some decals on the deck lid and roll cage. I painted the cage the same color as the seats this time. I'm going to weather it as well, can't have a new looking cage and decals. I also plan to make some new seat belts, these were just temps.

Minicon 2011 IPMS-Ontario, CA

2011-06-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

This past saturday, 6/25. there was a model show/contest , held by IPMS-Ontario division. the event was for all scales, all types. there were some great looking figures on display. along side some awesome looking military figures, planes and some sci-fi.
All though dominated by airplane, sci-fi and militarty builders, there was a small spot for cars as well. lowriders, trucks and muscle cars taking most of the space, our little imports had no chance. there were only 4 people that entered imports(myself included) myself and mario aka endlessprojects were there representing, but we are guessing/told that there either wasn't enough entries for an award or not enough awards to hand out??? don't know for sure, but we did get recognition and compliments from several builders. so, next year we hope to have a catagory of our own.
the president of IPMS did mention that this year was the most entries for car models.

See you guys(IPMS) next year.

here are a few pics, the rest are here
http://s958.photobucket.com/albums/ae61/trd4agcoupe/Minicon%202011/

Intro: Hanzel AKA old school SR

2011-06-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is another builder that catches my attention. not only is he a Toyota head like me, he has a love for other J-tin plastic. from clean hatches to get down and dirty drift bashers and rat rod style, his builds get the respect they demand! here are some examples of what he has going, has built and a bit of himself.

I'm hanzel, and I'm an auto modeller from the philippines. I've been exposed to automobiles since i was a little kid and i and my first car model when I was around 7 years old. it was a 1/32 snap kit, and it was where it all started. many years passed and I can say I developed some skills along the way but I'm still learning a lot until now.

My usual modelling interests are japanese cars, mostly the common street cars. I'm not a huge fan of building race cars and super cars. I build my car kits as how I like em.

I'm known for either of my two distinct style: the buri/boro/missile/rat look or grassroots style clean look. I like to modify the cars the way I would do them in real life. I build for fun, and not for the perfection of it, as scale modelling is a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be fun and stress free. please do enjoy some pics of my work.

allen hanzel conchas

Photos are taken by hanzel conchas.

DADA'S silver beauty

2011-06-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Just an update on my buddy from South Africa. he has completed his Datsun 510 build and boy, it's a beauty.
The attention to detail in the engine bay is just fantastic. turbo SR20, dropped, flared and SSR's....what more do you want?? a feature in a local(South Africa) magazine? well that's in the works and when it happens, you will hear about it here!
Enjoy

Heres a list of mods from Raees.

body: bumpers removes and flared arches added
jap metal plates
suspension: cut and changed. dropped as low as it could go.
rims: ssr mk3
interior: z tune pedals. mini racing seat, acessories
engine: scratch built engine bay, resin sr20,heat wrap,scratch coil and msd,fully wired,
metal pullys, brass exhaust

Again, these photos are property of Raees Amien. Pleas do not use with out permission.

SHAKOTAN 280ZX

2011-06-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

DONE! Yes, I can finally call it done. the first completed build on 2011. I hope to have more of them done. it took quit a bit to get it where it is.
Its down low for a Cali look. it has boost for those that doubt that it can move throug traffic and the looks, well Im sure it'll turn some heads.

SHAKOTAN 280ZX
Kit: USAIRFIX, motorised chassis hell, curbside(no engine) body details are nice.
Mods: just about everything has been modded. bucket seats from aoshima ae86 kit, aoshima SSR MKII wheels, aoshima disc brakes, resin intercooler(modded as well) martha stewart flocking for carpet details
Scratchbuilt parts: Rear strut bar, harness bar, harness belts(using bandage tape) and exhaust
PE(photoetch) parts: hasegawa buckles for harness belts

for more pics of randomness
http://s958.photobucket.com/albums/ae61/trd4agcoupe/built%20models/

Getting closer??

2011-06-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Well, I have been getting sidetracked again, but I still managed to do something. I took some pics of the faces of the wheels. I decided on a metallic gray for them. I also had to choose an exhaust. the stock one exits the right ride, i didn't like this very much. soo i made one coming out of the drivers side. Im going with the second design. gives it more of the look im going for. along with that, I'll be putting a hang ring on the opposite side where the exhaust is suppose to come out. it's trend out in japan. signifies rebelion and since this 280ZX is far from being legal on Cali streets, I figure it would make a nice addition.

Intro: Raees Amien AKA dadaman

2011-06-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Being a model car builder, you run into many people that share the same or similar interest. Take for example, Raess, AKA dadaman on the forums. He has a passion for J-tin plastic. He has a style that can't be compared to others. He also has what we all have, an addiction to having WIP (works in progress) At the moment he has some that we share in a thread on SPC. A sick looking Datsun 510 and a 240Z.
Here is a short bio on Raees and some shots of just a few WIP's.

"Greetings :) IM Raees Amien and im am a 22 year old car nut and model builder from South Africa. ive been building models since I was 8 but in the last 6 years I have been getting into cars. But a bit about me first. I am a huge car person and have had a passion for cars since an early age. I am a lover of sketching, photography and I am a founder of R.T photography. We specialize in car photography as it is what we know best. I am also currently studying Industrial design and hope to tie this in with my passion for cars one day.

So more about my models. The model car scene in South Africa is relativly small and when I started i found it quite difficult to get it right. But after being exposed to the net and so many forums and websites I started to get more involved. With this new knowledge I started to try new things like making custom bodykits and parts. This has helped me to get to where I am today.I mainly focus on Japanese cars as they are my favourite and inspiraion comes from all over. So please do watch this space as it will updated regularly with my latest work :)

P.S the 240z is just a tease pic"

All photos are taken and owned by Raees Amien. He is the sole owner.

Keeping up with the Madness!!

2011-06-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't finished these yet, but it's getting close...
I have painted plenty of parts and made a few of them as well. I'll just let the pics do the talking.

This photo was edited by Raees Amien on Photoshop.

I like it, cause it shows the TRUE color of the 280ZX.

Shakotan 280Z

2011-05-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Got some more work done to the Z. I decided to spray the intercooler with some Alcad II in aerosol over some semi-gloss black(sgbk) to not get the full chrome look. I also started painting the tailights, brakes and seats. For the seats ill be using Microballoon filler. I a very fine poweder like flocking. If under a microscope, they do look like round marballs. In the second pic, you'll see another Z. Thats coming up after i finish up my 510.

Been a while!

2011-05-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since i have posted anything. I took a bit of a break as i got sick with this wierd weather, hot, then cold, then back to warm and breezy to cold and raining. I decided to do some more. So i have this for anyone following.

I worked on my N2 LEVIN a bit. The interior is taking shape. I need to work on the panels some more. The 280Z got a bit of intercooler treatment. The dashboard got slapped with some decals to make it stand out. The tail pipe has grown on me, so now i need to figure out how to actually mount it onto the chassis.

3rd annual citrus model car show

2011-04-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well last saturday my wife and I went to a model car show. Its the first time I enter any models. It was pretty cool for the hobby lover. lots of nice looking builds, almost like a life size car show. Shiny paint jobs, some with murals and wild pin striping. Racers, Rat Rods, Hot Rods, Classics, Stock and Imports as well under one roof. Here are just a couple of pics, the rest could be seen on my Photobucket.
http://s958.photobucket.com/albums/ae61/trd4agcoupe/3rd%20anual%20citrus%20nationals%203-26-11/

2011-03-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have started the weathering process on the 510. Some surface rust and worn and dirty seats. It's meant to be a grease monkey's car. So they need to be dirty and oil stained. I decied that the datsun nedd a buddy. A 1980 280Z. A bit cleaner than the 510, but still worn in by the owner. More to come on both of these.

510 update

2011-02-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

So i decided to paint the roll cage black, the chassis and interior wood deck tan to match the outside, some red "suns" on each door and the seats a nato brown. Almost looks like leather, but we know that these came in vinyl. Well i stopped there, because i ran out of primer to paint the other parts. I hope to get this done for an upcoming model car show in march.

2011-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

On the MCM forum, theres a community build paying homage to Historic Race Cars. I chose to go with the Greddy/Trust LEVIN N2 race car. The kit is made by Aoshima. Nicely detailed to a point. Kit contains no engine nor pars other than a gutted interior, roll cage, bucket seats, and steering wheel that indicate that it's a race car. Not having many referece pics of the actual car, i am detailing this one to what I do have. The TRD BIBLE. It contains anything TRD make for the corollas. They have nice break down details on the parts put on these N2 race cars.

Here I am making the fender arches to how they should be as per the box picture. Wide and deep SSR MKIII's with slicks sit nicely under the chassis. The aero mirrors were found in my parts box, closely resemble the ones on the pics.

Heres the heart to this racer. Toyotas rev happy 4AG-1600. With no reference pics of the actual engine, i am making it my own. High rise, equal length headers are often used. I made mine using 1/16" silver solder. Bends with ease and have a nice color to them as well.

On the chassis, i decided not to use the supplied interior bucket. Instead i am detailing the chassis plastic to resemble a gutted interior as close as possible.

2011-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is another creation in the making. A FERRARI 360 wide body with deep offset wheels. This is out of my comfort zone as far as models go. It's just one of many builds that I have going for 2011.

The kit is made by Tamiya. Very nicely detailed. This is for a build off on a model car forum SPC. There are others with some outstanding 360s, so i hope to make mine stand out from the others.

2011-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

ok, heres an update on my datsun 510 build. got some paint on it, although far from what it's going to look like when done, im liking the shakotan look it has going on now.

2010-12-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

finished my celica. first kit i started during the year and finished before the end of the year. thanks for looking

been a while!

2010-11-30T01:27:00.000-08:00

ive been working on this for a few months now. heres where im at so far.

some modeling, not the kind your thinking

2010-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

I build model cars as a hobby. one of them is the one pictured above and another one is a volkwagen beetle. those two are ones i've had done lately. i have a bunch to do and several on the bench.

66 beetle converted to rear oval glass. i built this one for my daughter. she loves beetles.

AE86 Levin

on the bench:

this datsun 510

a celica gt

but lately i've had late nights working on this, a 55 belair nomad.

so far im here. working on a 4 link.

to see some more work on this you can go here
http://s958.photobucket.com/albums/ae61/trd4agcoupe/55%20belair%20nomad/?start=0

2010-06-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

say hello to my coupe and wagon

heres the work log on the coupe

http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=57160

the wagon is my current daily driver. have plenty of fun and plenty of complements. even if it is caked with dirt, front fenders are faded, dents and

scratches.

at JCCS 08

before a huge rain puddle took out my duck bill lip, twice and yes, that tape is there for a reason. cracked lens.

rolled on a different set of wheel, but back to the hoshinos now

2010-06-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

hello everybody! new guy here. don't have much to post right now, but i will be talking about cars, hobbies, and my family.