Revell Corvette Stingray with New Tooling
This is the second part of the Revell 2022 Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe New Tooling 1/25 Scale 85-4556 14556.
I got myself a new Excel Blades Self Healing cutting mat this past week, and it feels appropriate to start a brand new project with it.
I would like to mention here at the beginning of this build as I mentioned in the last post that this is my first real attempt at a model car so in a sense I’m in a bit of unfamiliar territory. As a result, I’m going to be working at a slower pace and showing a lot more of the building process.
I can build an aircraft or a spaceship very quickly, as I’ve built many over the years. With this Corvette, I want to learn how to do this properly and understand the rhythm of car modeling. This way I can build more comfortably, and the next time I build a car I’ll be able to build it faster and with more confidence. So far this week, I think I’ve learned quite a bit, so let’s start with building the engine.
I’ve glued the two halves of the engine block together, and that the glue has set I can add on some of the smaller details. Revell has a strange white styrene that’s almost a sort of fluorescent white color, it’s very reflective so some of the pictures are difficult to see.
I have used this styrene once before when I built a Boeing 747, and because of the brightness, it can be difficult to see any mistakes or imperfections in the plastic, so it’s a good idea to add a primer coat before painting.
The main color of the engine is going to be all silver, so I went ahead and I added on many of the smaller detail parts. I then sprayed on a primer coat of Mr Surfacer 1500 Black, and it really showed off all of those details. Revell put a lot of work into detailing this engine, and it looks great.
I’d like to take a moment to show you some of the different Mr Surfacer Primers that I have and what the differences are between each of them. You might already notice the different numbers on the labels, 500, 1200, and 1500. This is the grit that of each primer:
- 500 is a rougher primer, and a lot of modelers like to use this to fill in tiny scratch marks left from sanding. I’ve also seen modelers use it to create anti-skiding pads on jet aircraft and tanks. It’s also great for creating texture for a cast turret or bomb.
- 1200 is a very smooth primer that can be sanded down and polished up to a smooth glass like finish. This is my go to primer, I like 1200 the most as I find it to be really good at griping into the plastic and an excellent base coat for paints.
- 1500 Finishing Surfacer is very smooth, especially when you thin it down with Mr. Levelling Thinner. It’s very satisfying to see this primer painted down onto parts, and it’s a perfect primer to use as a base coat for metallics.
These are just a few of the primers that Mr. Hobby produces, check the Sunward Hobbies website of visit the store to see the wide and varied selection of primers that might just be perfect for your next project.
The engine was painted with Tamiya LP-72 Mica Silver. I’ve had mixed luck with some of Tamiya’s LP range, but I really love their metallics, and Mica Silver is of of my favourites as it’s a wonderful duller silver while still being radiant, sort of a grey silver.
I thinned this with Mr. Rapid Thinner, and it created a fantastic sheen. I would like to mention here that any time you see parts painted silver know that prior to painting the parts were painted with a base coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black.
While I was looking through the sprues for parts I was getting frustrated trying to read the letters on the white tabs. A quick solution was to color in the letters with a marker, and this made finding the correct sprue a lot easier.
To add a bit more color to the engine I painted the belts with Vallejo Black Grey (70.862). The Pulleys were painted with Mr. Color c92 Semi-Gloss Black, which is nearly identical in color to Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black. So I might just use that instead of the Semi-Gloss Black.
The belt section was then added to the oil tank. Now that this section was completed I can add it to the rest of the engine.
The valve covers were painted with Mr. Color 3 Red. Because of the smaller scale, I decided to paint these parts with a brighter red than the color used in the real Corvette. This will also stand out nicely when the rest of the engine parts are added and the car body is placed over top.
I was now ready to add the oil tank to the rest of the engine, and I’m really pleased with how it’s looking at this stage. I’m tempted to add a panel wash to the silver sections, not to replicate oil or weathering, but to help highlight some of the details within the silver.
The chassis needed to be painted in three colors. I started with a base coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black, and then with a lot of tape I masked off the surrounding silver sections and these were painted with Tamiya LP-72 Mica Silver.
Lastly, the back section was painted with Mr. Color 2 Gloss Black. I’m very pleased with the results of the masking. I painted the opposite side of the part with Mr Surfacer 1500 Black.
I glued the exhaust to the chassis, the fit for this part was a bit tricky as you sort of have to guess the placement, there’s not really a secure fitting. This part was also painted with Tamiya LP-72 Mica Silver.
And here is where I will end this post. I have to say that so far I’m having more fun with this project than I was expecting and I’m becoming less nervous as I progress further in the build. And I know that I might take those words back once I get to painting the main body. But for now, it’s been a blast!
I’d also like to mention that I’m really impressed with the design and ease I’ve had building this car. In the next stages, I’ll be adding on more parts and that’s where things could get more complicated but I’m up for that challenge.
-To be continued…
Jared Demes is a modeler from southern Alberta. He has been building models since he was 4 years old when his Dad first introduced him to the hobby. He has written for several magazines including, Fine Scale Modeler, Scale Aircraft Modeling, Phoenix Scale Models, and others. He has an interest in all modeling subjects, with a focus on WWII Japanese aircraft and Science Fiction.
Jared has won several IPMS awards for his modeling, and currently operates his YouTube channel rebelsatcloudnine, where he showcases model builds and product demonstrations.
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