Hi folks, going to do a WIP on this kit I got for a very competitive price on ebay! It's a Tamiya 1/24 kit and caught my eye as I have had the same car in my Gran Turismo garage for as long as I can remember! It was a personal favourite in the group C class and I've done thousands of laps in it during my computer gaming years!

I don't think there's too many of these kits still about but they can be tracked down normally online from private sellers. It's an older kit but there is still some decent engine detail there, I've been looking forward to building it for ages.

I was lucky enough to get a bit of photo etch and some carbon fibre decal included in the bundle as well.

I've already made a start on the engine and the brakes. The engine was primed in black gloss and airbrushed with tamiya acrylics, then a bit of diluted tamiya smoke as a wash. I've painted the various photo etch bits of brake disc still on the frame and I'm currently in the process of putting them together.

I'm still using the humble cardboard box as a spray booth. The bottom lifts out and the cling film can be changed, then I hoover out the box from time to time. Very low cost and it's lasted over a year now!

I've put a bit of carbon fibre decal down inside the engine bay at the back. It was tricky to get down in certain places this time round, but most imperfections are around the areas which will be covered. I'm not really to fussed about spending too much time on parts such as the front suspension shockers which will be completely hidden on the final model.

Thanks very much mate, cheers.
Looking forward to seeing your Ferrari once it's done. It's looking good so far. I'm away down the lakes now for the weekend so I can't do anymore work on the Mercedes till Monday.

I wonder if you can get the correct colour from Hiro Boy. Nice progress report. My spray setup is similar - boxes, newspaper, cheap 'n cheerful.

That sounds nice Richard, looking forward to seeing that.

Hi again folks, here's a quick update on the slow and steady progress on the Sauber Merc.

There were quite a few different C9's, back in the late eighties George, you aren't wrong! Here's a rough pic of some of the more well known teams.

I'm going to replicate the 1989 24hr winner, the #63 car. That year saw the #61, #62 and #63 Sauber's all sporting the same livery and were nicknamed the "Silver Arrows". They aren't as complex as the graphics on some of the other C9's but I like the bold simplicity, and the #63 car always will have a special place in my heart from the amount of laps I've done in it on Gran Turismo for the Playstation!

The brakes are assembled with the poly caps still featured on the modern Tamiya kits. I'm not really too bothered about moving wheels on my models as it normally encourages drunk friends into trying to spin them... But it does come in handy when taking the photos to get the tyre decals into the right position.

The back discs have been attached to the rear axle also and the engine has been test fitted into the back of the car without any issues. There is still a lot more detail to add to the engine, I was brave and ordered a wire detailing kit from ebay.

I've made a quick start on some other parts to be installed in the engine bay and I've put some base colours down in the cabin, but there is still a whole load more work to do on this one. It's proving good fun though, never a chore!

Cheers Simon thanks! Still a long way to go yet though, I should get more posted tonight.

I probably will George, definitely won't be glueing it shut!

I've made a bit more progress with the painting of the engine bay and the rear shockers, but they are still far from finished. I've been using the Tamiya acrylics as a base then spraying highlights of Alclad over the top for a bit of variation in tone.

I've been trying to multi task a bit and crack on with the cockpit at the same time. I've used some more of the carbon fibre decal for the sides of the cabin. I'm not going to detail the cabin as much as I could do as most will be lost when the shell goes on later. The Sparco harness should still stand out through the glass though hopefully.

Here's a couple of pics of the progress so far, just a test fit though for now.

All looking good Richard, those belts will definitely show .