2001 Rodney Forbes AU Falcon Conversion

The subject for this Code 3 was Rodney Forbes’ 2001 Gibson Motorsport AU Falcon.

Rodney Forbes' 2001 Gibson Motorsport AU Falcon
Some might say this was typical pose for the Forbes Falcon, shown here (I think) at Phillip Island…
I used a 1/43 Mark Larkham Mitre 10 car from the 2000 season as the donor (a very good looking model itself).
I used a 1/43 Mark Larkham Mitre 10 car from the 2000 season as the donor (a very good looking model itself).
The model required a totally new paint job (stripped this one right back to bare metal) so had to be pulled completely apart for work to begin. The 'bumps' on the wheel inserts have been cut back to a more realistic height for the centre-lock wheel nut.
The model required a totally new paint job (stripped this one right back to bare metal) so had to be pulled completely apart for work to begin. The ‘bumps’ on the wheel inserts have been cut back to a more realistic height for the centre-lock wheel nut.
Dry-fit after priming the body & rear wing and polishing out the old decoration from the windows. I grabbed some white wheel inserts off another donor car to save having to paint the yellow ones.
Dry-fit after priming the body & rear wing and polishing out the old decoration from the windows. I grabbed some white wheel inserts off another donor car to save having to paint the yellow ones.
1st coat, and the red is not quite the right one but made a good base for the correct shade. I dont have a Dremel tool (yet!), so the fin in the front splitter had to stay.
1st coat, and the red is not quite the right one but made a good base for the correct shade. I dont have a Dremel tool (yet!), so the fin in the front splitter had to stay.
Rear wing ready for hitting with Tamiya gloss black spray. I used Maskol to mask the endplates which needed to stay red. (Maskol is a Humbrol product that paints on as liquid and peels off like latex. It stinks, but it's good.)
Rear wing ready for hitting with Tamiya gloss black spray. I used Maskol to mask the endplates which needed to stay red. (Maskol is a Humbrol product that paints on as liquid and peels off like latex. It stinks, but it’s good.)

 

I bought the decals many years ago from a guy who no longer does business (damn, cos he had stuff for other cars I never got to buy!). They were clear-coated before use but remained very fragile and tore easily. To get the decals to snuggle down on door shut lines, I applied the decal in the normal way and let it dry. A sharp razor blade was then used to cut the decal on the shut line and decal solvent used to get it to contour.
I bought the decals many years ago from a guy who no longer does business (damn, cos he had stuff for other cars I never got to buy!). They were clear-coated before use but remained very fragile and tore easily. To get the decals to snuggle down on door shut lines, I applied the decal in the normal way and let it dry. A sharp razor blade was then used to cut the decal on the shut line and decal solvent used to get it to contour.
The finished model. I'm going to have to experiment with a better primer - note the chip on the lower edge of the front splitter? The paint job is just too fragile.
The finished model. I’m going to have to experiment with a better primer – note the chip on the lower edge of the front splitter? The paint job is just too fragile.

IMGP3308

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