Tamiya 1/24 Mustang... GT4

Tamiya 1/24 Ford Mustang GT4 (24354)
2018 IMSA Road America Winner T. Hindman and A. Baynjolfsson

See all my models at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/98961263@N00/albums/72157603606379755

Decals - Blue Stuff Volt Racing Team (24087), Studio 27 Carbon (ST27-CD24038)

Paint: Gravity Fluorescent Yellow (GC-122) and Zero 2K Clear

Photograpy: Nikon D300; Focus Stacking using Helicon Focus; Editing using LightRoom

This is a fantastic kit by Tamiya. The fit is perfect all around and the stance of the car looks very realistic as a result. There were more ejector pin marks than I'm used to from Tamiya kits but they were all shallow and could be sanded smooth without filler. I suggest taking your time with the final assembly since the lighting arrays front and back are very fiddly. Some small touches really make this a pleasure to build, for example, the exterior mirrors have a nice slot that they fit into rather than with most car kits where minimal mating surfaces are provided. Another nice touch are the tires - the compound used is easily sanded to get rid of the seam. A time saving feature of the kit are die-cut masks for the glass. These are so much better than the printed variety which take a steady hand to cut-out. I wish there had been masks for the rear brake lights though - these were very difficult to paint - I tried masking them but I couldn't due to the complex shape - I elected to hand paint them and the result is just so-so.

Being a fluorescent paint, the Gravity yellow needs several coats. Anticipating this, I overheated the grey primer with pure white before applying the color. I still needed 5 coats for even coverage. I used ⅔ of the bottle.

The decals from Blue stuff are among the best I've ever used. The only problem I had was that they seemed to shrink a tiny bit leaving some gaps on the hood and roof. The instructions say they were slightly oversized to compensate but mine didn't seem oversized. Perhaps the clear coat had a shrinking effect on them.

The Studio 27 carbon decals were very challenging to work with as I find with all their sets. They are brittle, don't stick well and don't conform easily to setting solution. I've taken to soaking smaller decals in setting solution prior to applying to give them a head start. I also dip them in a solution of white glue and water before applying to improve adhesion. Mountains of patience is needed. However, the quality of the printing is fantastic and seemingly well researched.

Comments welcome…

3 additional images. Click to enlarge.