Jump to content

Revell 1/25 '69 Camaro Z-28.


Recommended Posts

Hello all,

This will be my second ever car build in over 35 years of model building! My first was a Monogram NASCAR Dale Earnhardt #3 Chevy Monte Carlo SS built about 14 or so years ago...and it wasn't very pretty. But the car bug has bit me! Looking for a change of pace, and always being a fan of American muscle cars, I picked this kit up at the LHS about a week ago:

94580120-0412-4e8a-a682-b63b7a553ac1.jpg

As you can see, it's Revell's 1/25 1969 Camaro Z-28 kit:

285b398b-9720-4930-9ad6-a23cbf02e6fd.jpg

I will be building it straight out of the box, concentrating on learning the steps necessary to produce a fair looking scale auto model. My goal is to present a '69 Camaro as though it has recently been restored.

So far I have the engine almost completed:

1407378910.jpg

She's painted Chevy engine red and bright aluminum, with metallic grey, semigloss black, gold, and white color variations for the starter, manifold, oil filter, and cylinder heads:

1407378557.jpg

1407378488.jpg

The temptation to wire the engine is great. But I really want to just enjoy this build and focus on the mechanics (no pun intended) of car modeling:

1407378884.jpg

I wasn't feeling particularly romantic about the "chrome" pieces supplied in the kit. But they actually look fairly decent to me when coupled with variations in paint color.

She still needs her air cleaner bottom and dual air cleaner installed. But I think I will wait until after the engine gets installed into the engine compartment and the lower chassis is completed before doing that (more finger room and less to get damaged).

For the next few days I will work on the headers and getting them installed, while beginning construction on the interior and chassis. Interior and pretty much all of the chassis, save the springs, rear axle, drive shaft, shocks, and dual exhaust system will be semigloss black. Exterior color was chosen by my young Son...who has a large collection of Hot Wheels cars including some vintage 1968 and early 1970 Redlines...and elected the classic Camaro metallic blue (Tamiya rattle can).

Thank you for taking of your time to read and view my post. I appreciate it. As always, comments are more then welcome. Please stay tuned as I hope to have updates every three to five days.

Regards,

Don

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have had lots of uninterrupted time to devote to the interior of my Camaro (thanks to my wife taking the kids back-to-school shopping...LOL!):

1407591696.jpg

The kit so far is fantastic! The seats went together with ease, just a few quick swipes with various sandpaper grits and that was all they needed. I am terrible at photography, but the interior has both a flat black area on the front and rear floor area and semigloss black for seats, door sides, and dash:

1407591666.jpg

Window roll down handles, center shifter, door handles, glove compartment button, and "Camaro" logos have been dry brushed with silver. The instruments and radio dials have also been picked out in silver, with the instruments getting a Pledge (Future) application to give them a gloss/glassy look:

1407591639.jpg

Steering wheel is base coated a tan color and then dry brushed with a wood brown color. The steering wheels center section is kit supplied chrome...and looks quite nice to my eyes. Shifter ball is white.

My only gripe so far with the kit is the plans. To a non-auto modeler like myself, I find the plans to be vague in areas as to where things go and how they should be oriented when attached. Now, for full fledged auto modelers this is probably not an issue. But thanks to the internet I can pretty much get any picture I need for almost every region of a 1969 Chevy Camaro, so it's not that big a deal. But it is time consuming to track down the right picture for the right region/car part.

Well...I need to focus on the rest of the engine, chassis, and begin priming and painting the body. Stay tuned....

Thanks for looking.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the nice comment. I appreciate it. I plan on painting it a metallic blue. I am leaning towards Tamiya Mica Blue (rattle can) as it seems pretty close to what some restored examples of the '69 Camaro look like in photographs on the internet.

Stay tuned. I am working on the chassis tonight and hope to have photos up by Sunday.

Cheers!

:cheers:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Tamiya sprays leave a very nice and hard glossy finish. I ise them all the time.

Man that is REALLY good to know! I am an acrylic paint and airbrush user myself. But I felt that an acrylic gloss finish on a car model just would not be durable enough. So, this is my first time using Tamiya rattle cans. My fingers are crossed....

:cheers:

Link to post
Share on other sites

O.k...it takes a lot to get me excited about paint...but I FREAKIN' LOVE THESE TAMIYA RATTLE CANS!!!!

1408246464.jpg

The TAMIYA Mica Blue went on smooth as silk. I soaked the can in warm...not hot...water for about ten minutes. Then I shook the can vigorously as per the TAMIYA instructions for about five to eight minutes.

1408244238.jpg

After I prepped my painting area to make it as dust free as is possible...but its never really dust free now is it...I sprayed one light coat of the TAMIYA paint. Just enough to cover the primer.

1408244219.jpg

I let it dry overnight (Saturday night), got up early this morning to give it a light wet sand and patted it dry. When it was fully dry I ran a dust cloth over the body and prepped my paint and paint area the same as described above.

1408244174.jpg

What you see in the pictures above is the body after two coats of paint, with the wet sand in between. Look at that shine! I love how the blue takes on a different hue depending on the light and observers point of view. I think that it mimics pictures of the real '69 restored Camaro I am using as a reference. Keep in mind also that there will be two light coats of TAMIYA gloss to follow in the next week...so my Camaro has some shine still to come.

Thanks for looking! Stayed tuned...I should have chassis pictures up by Tuesday.

Regards,

Don

PS...I am having a BLAST with this build! What a breath of fresh air :thumbsup:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Chassis is completed:

1407866445.jpg

Two issues came up during this part of the build. 1) If you follow the Revell directions and install the headers as directed they will not drop into the engine compartment and through the lower chassis. The headers splay out too wide and you will not get the engine to mount correctly nor will the radiator section fit correctly. You need to carefully sand 1mm...doesn't sound like a lot but it is...from somewhere to get the headers/engine/radiator to mount properly. So I sanded a little from both sides of the headers and from both sides of the engine compartment. Sand a little...dry fit...sand a little...dry fit...repeat until everything lines up and mounts correctly taking care not the misshapen the offending parts to make it noticeable to the viewer:

1407866414.jpg

2) The wheels were a real bear to install! Revell makes it seem as though you can just snap the wheels into place...no way! I could not just snap the wheels into place without extensive pressure, pressure that threatened to break previous assemblies. In the end I had to widen the holes and even then it wasn't a pleasant experience. But I managed to get them lined up and installed. Tires have had their tread area sanded lightly to give them a used road worn look. Rims are classic Camaro late 60's early 70's style. A set of redline tires would have been VERY cool...but alas I don't have any:

1407866381.jpg

Underside is semigloss and flat black, with various metallic colors for the exhaust system, drive shaft, fuel tank, and rear end/axle assemblies. Shocks are blue and yellow Bilstein's. Here is the interior/lower chassis/firewall all dry fitted to ensure everything is lining up (prior to the installation of the wheels):

1407693102.jpg

1407693185.jpg

Work continues on the body and gloss coating. I hope to have pictures of the final gloss coat by Thursday. My goal is to complete my Camaro within the week.

I appreciate the comments and kind words fellas. Thanks for looking. Stay tuned......

Regards,

Don

Link to post
Share on other sites

Looking great so far! Congrats on the beautiful paint job, which is almost always the hardest part of the build.

One suggestion, if you want to tone the chrome on the engine and wheels down a bit and give it some definition, give them a light wash with either black or dark gray. The details will really pop, and the chrome won't look so toy like.

Can't wait to see it finished. Are you giving it white rally stripes as well?

-Dave

Link to post
Share on other sites

...One suggestion, if you want to tone the chrome on the engine and wheels down a bit and give it some definition, give them a light wash with either black or dark gray. The details will really pop, and the chrome won't look so toy like.

Can't wait to see it finished. Are you giving it white rally stripes as well?

-Dave

Dave,

Awesome suggestion on the wash :thumbsup:/> ! I will do that for sure.

The Camaro that I am using as a reference doesn't have the rally stripes on it. However, the kit comes with white and black rally stripe decals. My concern is getting them to lay down on the complex curves of the hood and around the rear spoiler. I have heard that Revells decals can be a real bear to conform. Not sure if this is true or not, but its a concern. I see from my research that rally stripes were more common then no rally stripes on the '69 Camaro. But it wasn't unheard of to have a single color and no stripes. I think my decision may be a game time one as to if I go rally or no rally stripes.

Thanks for great suggestion and nice comment. Much appreciated.

Regards,

Don.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I sprayed one light coat of TAMIYA gloss and let it dry for 48ish hours. I then wet sanded it, washed it, let it air dry, then wiped it with a lint free polishing cloth. When that was done I sprayed a final coat of TAMIYA gloss (rattle can warmed up in warm water for 10 minutes, shaken vigorously for about five minutes, and sprayed in even coats starting and finishing well off of the model). Here she is:

1408473921.jpg

Now, it has been pretty much an overcast day here today, having had thunderstorms for the last two days. But even with grey clouds and no sun, my Camaro still shines nicely in my humble opinion:

1408473892.jpg

1408473856.jpg

I need to paint the interior of the body semi-gloss black to match the cars interior tub assembly and engine compartment. Then it will be the sprint to the finish in bringing all of the sub-assemblies together. I hope to have it pretty much completed Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks for looking all. Much appreciated. Please stay tuned.

Link to post
Share on other sites

WOW!!! What an awesome finish! A small tip if I may. I have found it easier if I paint the interior of the body first with black or whatever color I use, then mask it off from the inside. Doing it this way, you don't have to be so careful not to get any paint on the exterior of the body. It has saved my sanity more than a few times of having to wipe the offending areas off with thinner and therefore risk messing up the exterior paint. I love that color, BTW!

Link to post
Share on other sites

...A small tip if I may. I have found it easier if I paint the interior of the body first with black or whatever color I use, then mask it off from the inside....

Tips are great :thumbsup: ! I certainly don't take offense as I want to learn and improve. Your tip about painting the interior first is a great one...and in hindsight a logical one. I had to do some careful masking to protect the exterior finish, when it would have been much easier to mask the interior. Thanks for the advice and kind words!

Btw...my Camaro WILL be done by tomorrow...it's sooooooo close! I am pretty excited :woot.gif: !

Regards,

Don.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...