Mindys Mini-Me

[Chillax]

So, as I’ve been ill recently (had a heart attack while working in the garage) I’m not allowed to work on my cars until I recover. Well, decided to build the suspension on the MX5 (aka Mindy), fit the brake discs and calipers, oh and respray the car!

Not the real one of course! I was lucky to get two identical models of the MX5 for my Christmas (one from Gayle my wife and the other from my eldest stepdaughter and her husband) so decided to chill out and build one of them.

Model is 1/24 scale by Tamiya

 

Got some parts painted prior to building. Brake discs with red calipers, exhaust, shocks with red springs (slight deviation from the instructions but just my preference). Also did front and rear wishbones, front rear subframes and all other parts.

Detailed the underbody tub, so exhaust, petrol tank , bottom of engine etc all done.

 

Rear suspension etc all ready to build

 

Front suspension all built and added to tub.

 

Rear all built and ready to fit

 

Interior painted and put together. Really proud of my wee wood look gear knob! Mixed various colours to try and get the right look!

 

The body required sanding down with fine wet and dry as there were a lot of casting marks that I wasn’t happy with.

 

Decided to buy proper “Mazda Classic red” paint from Halfords (part of my ocd thingy!) Resprayed the body, but not too happy with the finish so that will be getting done again. Even though I used paint prep wipes, and a plastic primer, the paint seems to have reacted with the plastic so truned out pants (well, in my opinion anyways!) so deffo redoing that. Final pics are of the completed model. When I build the second one, I’m going to use a different glue too as the one I have is also crap, quite stringy.

Anyway, totally enjoyed building this, really theraputic. Looking forward to the second one! Oh, I haven’t put any of the number plate decals on as I’m making my own (which will be same as Mindys!)

 

 

[pmba]

So sorry to hear your news.

I’ve enjoyed reading all about Mindy and hats off to you, admire your attention to detail and tenacity!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! 

[Roadie]

Very nice. Did you rust proof the sills before fitting the body?

[Scottishfiver]

I’ve got two boxed ones in the loft somewhere…

Nice job,

 

[Bettabuilda]

Have you heard of this chap, from my days on Nutz.

https://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=274482, not sure if he’s still at it. 

Barrie

 

 

[ast]

Or super detail the Motormax 1/24 diecast MX5s. The shape isn’t too bad. They represent LHD European spec cars, with the wider rear plate opening.

I suspect not too hard to make the Tamiya mouldings fit.

Motormax 1/24; rear lights are about the right shape, but not the colour




Needs rear deck chrome plates adding.

Motormax makes a hash of the front nose, splitting it in two halves, and a crude representation of the mouth




Motormax Interior. They get the cloth texture of the seats, attempt what looks like a S-Spec Nardi steering wheel (Tamiya used the base model plastic wheel)



Tamiya interior is crisper, but they also don’t get it correct. Something about the seats and the tombstone.



Motormax Engine



The Tamiya of course has no engine detailing. Likely not too hard to scratchbuild a better representation, but the Motormax engine is clearly a B6 (1.6), not a BP 1.8, or a “generic twin cam”.


I have a whole set of these Motormax’s in blue,red, silver and brg/tan, plus various Hotwheels, Tomica, half build Gates, Kyosho plus uber rare gold Mia & Tia. Have some unbuilt Tamiyas, so need to see if there is any compatibility. But then, maybe I ought to finish the black n red Gates project (I’m missing front sidelights…) first…



Lovely 1/43 Mark43 models, expensive




Ignition 1/18 resin model. They went for the tuner look.



Lap up the cheap Tamiya/ Motormax models while you can. At one time MX5parts used to sell the Gates diecast models (which are really toys) for under £20 (it was £12 for the unbuilt version). Now, at any shows, the retailers will relive you of £100+ for a boxed Gates… I should have brought ten of them back then. Would have been quids in. Really quite shocking, the paucity of models for the NA MX5 (which apparently is down to Mazda). 420,000 NAs were sold (v 523,000 MGB roadster, 314,000 Triumph Spitfires, 207,000 Spridgets, and around 100,000 E-types).

[IanHP]

I made models of my Son’s Eunos and my NB from 1/24 kits. Both painted in our colours. I used Microsoft Excel to make the number plates. I have also used Excel to make temporary trailer number plates, non reflective of course but pass muster!

[rhino666]

Sorry to hear about your illness Dave and wish you a full and speedy recovery.

The little car looks great and the interior detail appears excellent but I agree with you on the top coat.

Not sure why it has reacted but I would have to redo it:-)

Perhaps test on some of the support plastic pieces first if any left with a big enough area to play with.    

[Bettabuilda]

Not exactly a budget model but does look fantastic! Following on from saz9961’s post

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/EUNOS-Roadster-na-Green-1-18-Ignition-Model/26006418085?iid=362365110309

Barrie

[Chillax]

@Roadie

Very nice. Did you rust proof the sills before fitting the body?

Lol no, and I went back to it today and the plastic sills need welding already!  Thanks for all the kind comments guys and the links/photos of other models. To be honest, my favoured scale is 1:18 and normally diecast. But can’t complain as they are gifts and must admit did enjoy the build. Going to try and sand send it back to see if I can get a better finish. The other one I still have to build might just get the aortic enamel paint I think.

 

[ast]

@rhino666

Sorry to hear about your illness Dave and wish you a full and speedy recovery.

The little car looks great and the interior detail appears excellent but I agree with you on the top coat.

Not sure why it has reacted but I would have to redo it:-)

Perhaps test on some of the support plastic pieces first if any left with a big enough area to play with.    

 

Its the solvents used in car paints. Best to use acrylic or water based paints.

 

Car paints are in general too glossy for scale models. You need to tone down with a satin coating. Tamiya do a vast range of colours, that will be close enough to the basic Mazda colours.

 

The Tamiya kit has fine detailing (eg. door shutlines) that is somewhat lost when there is a paint reaction.

[ast]

@rhino666

Sorry to hear about your illness Dave and wish you a full and speedy recovery.

The little car looks great and the interior detail appears excellent but I agree with you on the top coat.

Not sure why it has reacted but I would have to redo it:-)

Perhaps test on some of the support plastic pieces first if any left with a big enough area to play with.    

 

Don’t use car paint; its the solvent. Because it basically melts the plastic used in the model, sanding it back will result in the sharp details on the Tamiya kit being softened. When building a scale model, you need to use a less glossy paint to preserve the detail. Water or acrylic based paints are better… O wonder if using a matt paint then a satin clear coat is better; it will be more forgiving of mistakes.

 

Never use a car shop primer; it needs too much rubbing back. Use Tamiya white primer. That might allow use of car paint if you need a peculiar colour, though for the original MX5 colours, Tamiya’s range should suffice.

 

Comparing the Motormax and Tamiya models, the wheel bases are the same, and the body shells are very similar. A Tamiya kit can be used to improve a Motormax diecast. Hmmm.

 

Motormax got the red right, the blue is appalling. The silver is a bit spangly. The BRG has a slight flake in it, but close enough. Not sure if they do a black or white version.

[RichardFX]

A couple of years ago I bought a Fujimi 1:24 plastic kit for the NC (no 87), (was £26 now £120) and the detailing is pretty good, except for the suspension which is naturally just a bodge and not much like the NC, especially not at the rear.

This kit has a red body shell and black underpinnings, with suitable self coloured or clear for relevant bits.  However, the body panels are a translucent red, so painting is mandatory.  I was hoping to paint it in Icy Blue to match my NC, but after doing some testing on the plastic frames holding the bits, the Paints4U colour coat reacts, as did the UPol primer.  Bad words said.  I tried some acrylic colours from the local art shop and they were OK if a bit thick, but adhesion was poor and the colours were not what I needed (although my satellite dish camouflaged with acrylic paint looks like my pebble dash walls and is lost on the house).

The paint problem set me back a bit, and nothing more happened until recently, when I was talking with a neighbour who collects aviation models, and he put me on to someone who makes the most fantastically beautiful finished items from quite ordinary kits.  Big Snag; he has a waiting list and is expensive.  But it may yet happen, having seen his work and knowing what my patience is like, it may well be worth it.

As a teenager I’d have piled into it and finished it in a couple of days.  Unfortunately the haste would have been all too obvious.  Now I’m a lot more careful, but the eyesight is no longer that pin-sharp short sight, and using glasses and magnifier is so awkward for the fussy bits.  Another reason for someone else to have a go.

[Scottishfiver]

Modelling air-brushes & paints are popular amongst serious modellers for good reason.

I’ve used them to help “weather” 00 gauge rolling stock over the years.

Not worth the investment for “one-offs” though.

 

[ast]

@Scottishfiver

Modelling air-brushes & paints are popular amongst serious modellers for good reason.

I’ve used them to help “weather” 00 gauge rolling stock over the years.

Not worth the investment for “one-offs” though.

 

 

Tamiya and Revel do aerosols. Weathering is easy,; hides a lot of sins. So modeling a MX5 as a beater would be easy.

[Scottishfiver]

The whole point of weathering is to create illusional sins.

I never found I had quite the same control from tins than airbrushing, and of course you can make your own colours for the applications required.

I’d happily use a modelling tin for a car model though where uniformity is all.

[First_rider_off]

This is my Tamaya model of my ND. I used a Halfords spray can for the bodywork. Fantastic to put together. Far better than the Airfix and Revell models of my childhood.

[ast]

Neat model, but as you notice “full scale” metal flock is a bit big at the scale model size. Metallics are difficult to do, unless you have a standard silver or something.

Also, the Tamiya Eunos Roadster is now 30 years on, and injection moulding is a bit better now than then, and its apparent when you compare the NA to the ND model.

FYI, Tamiya hardtop fits the Motormax Mk1 perfectly, wheelbases are exactly the same. the Tamiya has slightly thinner tyres, so scalewise, the Motormax 185s are more like 205.

[First_rider_off]

@saz9961

Neat model, but as you notice “full scale” metal flock is a bit big at the scale model size. Metallics are difficult to do, unless you have a standard silver or something.

Also, the Tamiya Eunos Roadster is now 30 years on, and injection moulding is a bit better now than then, and its apparent when you compare the NA to the ND model.

FYI, Tamiya hardtop fits the Motormax Mk1 perfectly, wheelbases are exactly the same. the Tamiya has slightly thinner tyres, so scalewise, the Motormax 185s are more like 205.

Cheers. Appreciate what you are saying Saz. However it does look reasonable in the flesh. Couldn’t get Reflex Blue in a can, but it is not too far off Eternal Blue as available for the ND2.