Today was a big day. I finally united the motorcycle and the sidecar. It went smoothly, but created a very heavy model. The tires are solid and each is heavy, and now the model has 3 of those heavy tires on it. The instructions have you build the motorcycle with the kickstand in the down position, which was great to stabilize a free-standing motorcycle, but doesn't make a lot of sense with the sidecar attached. I used my Exacto to reposition the kickstand into the up position. I did a little highlighting bolts and other areas with an oil wash. I used a black wash in some areas, and a dark brown wash in other areas. I did the painting on the MG-34 using Humbrol Dark Steel in a spray can. I really like these paints. When you first spray the steel on the part, it is dead flat. But a quick polish with a paper towel brings it to a glossy shine. Once it is dry, you don't have to worry about damaging the finish with anything you want to do. I finished the day by spraying some clear gloss in the areas where there will be decals. I decided to try using the decals rather than making stencils, but I am ready to pivot if the decals don't look right. Cheers.
5 attached images. Click to enlarge.
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1. Extended kickstand didn't make sense after the sidecar was added. A little Exacto work allowed me to reposition the kickstand to the up position.
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1. This is a beast when the motorcycle and sidecar are united.
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1. I started by spraying black primer on everything. I masked the handle to keep it black. The wood is Tamiya Dark Tan, and the metal parts are Humbrol Dark Steel.
2. Notice the steel has a flat finish right out of the spray can.
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1. A quick buff with a paper towel gives the steel a shine. You can buff it to a very shiny finish, but I wanted a subdued shine.
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1. I filled the depressions that simulated the cooling holes using very dilute Vallejo black. I thought it would take a while to complete, but it took only a couple of minutes to do all the holes.
