Subaru WRC 97

[The 5th Horseman]

Hi everyone
I 'm starting this new WIP about building the Subaru Impreza WRC 1997 - SAFARI. I 'm using Tamiya's 1998 kit and will try to backdate it using Hobby Design Decals and some scratch-building. The progress so far:

[The 5th Horseman]

I used Tamiya TS50 through my airbrush over Hycote automotive white primer, and then the decals went on. The clearcoat will follow soon...

My big problem now concerns the wheels...
The 1998 version as modeled by Tamiya uses moltispokes Speedline wheels.
The 1997 version that i want to replicate used 8-spokes Speedlines...
Rennaisance models make 8-spokes Speedlines but
a) I don't know if the size is correct and more importantly
b) they are 4 bolts when they should be 5 bolt wheels as you can see in the photo

Any suggestions anyone??

[Martini Man]

welcome to the forum !

the tamiya repsol escort has the 8 spoke rims.
but i just checked and they too are 4 bolt. : (

Paul

[The 5th Horseman]

Paul thanks for the welcome and the tip...
Yes it is my first post and thread in AF although i have been watching all the amazing stuff here for a few years ...

Concerning the wheels ...
I know Hasegawa has released a couple of older Imprezas (1994-1995) that have the correct wheels...But i cannot get a hold of them either...

Maybe i will have to 3D Print them myself, depending on the cost...

[The 5th Horseman]

So..
with most of the chassis and interior done i can't resist a little mock-up ...
still trying to figure out how to get the best possible pictures though... sorry about that...

I will add photo etched seat buckles and seat belts to the interior , but not much else i think.. very little of the ''office'' can be seen on the finished model...

[The 5th Horseman]

Oooops!

Found a new picture of the Subaru in action in the actual 1997 rally...
Very detailed...
And it also revealed two mistakes i made on my model...
a) the roof has only one aerial , in black, the other in silver is fixed on the boot just in front of the rear wing
b) in the front i completely removed the lower portion of the bumper according to the instructions but that should only be done to the 1998 version... in 1997 the lower part was slightly different as you can see.

So to sum it up, i have to remove the base of the aerial of the painted and decaled roof and modify the removed piece of the bumper paint it and re-attach it.. oh! and i 'm out of TS50...

[The 5th Horseman]

The only way is forward! Today i overcame my fears of ruining the painted and decaled body of my Subaru and removed the aerial base i told about yesterday! After some sweating and some cursing i 'm quite happy with the result, although it is something i should have done before spraying on the primer! The damn thing was very small as was the room for error but its all ok now! I slightly damaged the decal but nothing serious, i have spare portions of white and blue on the decal sheet, so i should patch things up fairly easily.
next, i 'm tackling the bumper-lower sill thing... see you soon...

[rallymaster]

roof wasn't easy to save but you made it !

[The 5th Horseman]

Originally Posted by rallymaster

roof wasn't easy to save but you made it !

Thanks Phil
I 'm actually pleased with myself on this one.
I usually let these things slide...
btw i like your signature... the car i 'm modelling is that of Colin, as i 'm sure you guessed, and i 'm also working on the 2001 version, Richards car of course!
Rally cars are by far my favorite modelling subjects.
Cheers!

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by The 5th Horseman

Thanks Phil
I 'm actually pleased with myself on this one.
I usually let these things slide...
btw i like your signature... the car i 'm modelling is that of Colin, as i 'm sure you guessed, and i 'm also working on the 2001 version, Richards car of course!
Rally cars are by far my favorite modelling subjects.
Cheers!

thank you, my signature banner was made by Stevenoble.
here too, rally is my favorite subject... and almost only one
if only I still had time for modeling...
I have a lot of burns and McRae cars waiting

[The 5th Horseman]

Hey everyone

while working on smaller bits and parts i 'm preparing to clearcoat the Subaru. For the first time i 'm thinking of using ZeroPaints 2K clear.
The thing is that i 'm not that confident , especially as i have the decals to worry about.
How heavy should my coats be? How much moisture is too much ? How long after the first coat should i spray the second , etc, these sort of things.
I know lots of people here have used it with great results, so any TIPS are MOST WELCOME! Btw i have a single action Paasche airbrush...
Thanks in advance

[rgriffs]

you should apply the first coats very lightly so the chemicals in the clear do not attack the decals. with a heavier coat later to finish.

[AudiR8V8Phantom]

How to apply Zero 2K:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UQB5KUs-rE

[stevenoble]

The 2k clear will not harm your decals. I've used it many times on every type of decal and never had a problem. Apply one light coat and allow it to tack off for about 10 mins, then apply one to two wet coats with 5 mins between coats. That's it. You don't need to do endless light coats with this stuff as it doesn't harm decals, even when applied heavily.

[The 5th Horseman]

Originally Posted by AudiR8V8Phantom

How to apply Zero 2K:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UQB5KUs-rE

Originally Posted by rgriffs

you should apply the first coats very lightly so the chemicals in the clear do not attack the decals. with a heavier coat later to finish.

Originally Posted by stevenoble

The 2k clear will not harm your decals. I've used it many times on every type of decal and never had a problem. Apply one light coat and allow it to tack off for about 10 mins, then apply one to two wet coats with 5 mins between coats. That's it. You don't need to do endless light coats with this stuff as it doesn't harm decals, even when applied heavily.

thanks guys ... its just my first time and so i 'm nervous
Steve the thing that worries me is the weather. I live in Athens Greece in the day temperature this time of the year is around 30-31 Celcious (that is around 87F) and around 30% humidity. I 'm just not sure how much thinner i should add...
I think i will give it a try this weekend...