Respray Your NSX for 1/64th the Cost

[NeoNSX]

Sorry for the misleading thread title. Well, not really.

I wanted to get Dippy9 a black NSX for his recent birthday but was unable to find any black models here in Australia. So logically I bought an Imola Orange one.

Here is my documented project to make a 1/64th Kyosho die-cast model resemble Dippy9's badboy black NSX. These are the BEFORE photos:

 

[NeoNSX]

First step was disassembly. I went to a hobby shop where a helpful guy 'Sebastien' carefully pulled the model apart and gave me some very useful tips. (note: i had to re-assemble the NSX for the above photos though. lol)

 

[NeoNSX]

An important step in making this a genuine Dippy9 black NSX is to LOWER THAT SUCKER!!! So i carefully filed the center base-mount down, then the gaps the wheel axle sits in by 0.5mm. This allowed the wheels to sit flush against the quarter panels. This NSX now suffers severe rubbing even in a straight line.

You can see from the photo how much lower it is. (Note, the pen is pushing the rear down because i didn't want to screw the car back on the mount... but it gave the exact same results)

 

[martin]

Hi

Can we send you our diacasts for a respray? :biggrin:

Regards

 

[NeoNSX]

Step 4

I looped some wire into the screw mounts of the main body so it could hang in the air. I then cleaned all the sections to remove oil & dirt from my hands. Masking was a real pain... especially since i couldn't touch them the clean components.

The masking allowed me to spray the model without blacking the rego-plate or filling in the holes the taillights click into.

 

[NeoNSX]

Step 5

Can we send you our diacasts for a respray? :biggrin:

You can, but you may not get them back. j/k


--------------
Continuing on...
I sprayed everything with canned paint. I learned that dust is not my friend (check roof) and that this is a great way to give yourself black nail-polish. I also painted the orange seats (yes, i did think of doing them in red but dippy doesn't have red seats yet! lol ) After spraying I touched up the orange parts the spray missed, then went off to work. It was a LOOOOOOOOONG day.

EDIT: its getting late. i'll post the rest tomorrow.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Between this and Mr. Bling, I can't stop laughing! :biggrin:

 

[heySkippy]

Good work! I've got a larger model (don't know the scale but it's 8 or 10" long) that is red that I'd love to paint Brooklands Green.

I've got a bottle of touch-up paint but it's way too thick to run through my airbrush so I've been thinking about trying to thin it down. If I ever do, I'll be sure to document my work like you're doing.

Can't wait to see the final installment.

 

[NeoNSX]

Step Six

Continuing where i left off last night.

06 TOUCH-UP's.
After spraying, I left the main body hanging on a bent coat-hanger, the roof leaning on a BNC T-connector, and the MacGyver soundtrack playing in the background. Note the picture of the scottish dude - i thought it might inspire <B>D'Ecosse</B>.

The model was left 12 hours to dry... way more than needed coz I was at work.

Removing the masking was nerve-racking. Unfortunately there were two tiny leaks on the windscreen. Using a scalpel I carefully picked them off best I could. Final results - you couldn't really notice.

Lastly I used silver touchup paint to put the fog lights back in. Note: Perfectionists will notice I didn't bother with the side orange indicators. That's because 1) I didn't have orange paint, and 2) Dippy will probably upgrade to '02 headlights eventually anyway!

 

[NeoNSX]

Step Seven - FINAL PRODUCT

And here's the final results. It looked outstanding in my humble opinion. And yes, that's a photo of <B>gheba_nsx</B> in the background.

I could encourage anybody to give this a go. Just make sure you plan it all first and maybe seek some advice from a hobby shop. I had so much fun doing this, and plan to repaint another model or two. It's a great way to spend a rainy weekend, and a cheap-fix if you are trying beat the "modding bug".


My next projects are 1) the <A HREF="http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/2_fast_2_furious/acura.jpg">2F2F NSX</A> and 2) a <A HREF="http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25847">pink nsx</A>.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Nice job! Looks like you could hit it with a high speed buffer. Don't forget to finish it off with a coat of Zaino. Also thanks for bringing back Mr. Bling.

You're gonna have a helluva time getting those fake LV logos on the 2F2F NSX.

 

[mickeylex]

Great job. I like this thread because it shows how much labor goes into repainting an NSX right. The next time someone posts and asks why a quality NSX repaint costs between $6K-$10K, show them this thread and have them multiply the effort by 64X. :biggrin: :tongue:

 

[NeoNSX]

Thanx guys! It was a lot of labour, but it was enjoyable.

While black is difficult to photograph, here's a close-up photo so you can see more detail. You have my Word i haven't touched it up in photoshop. My paintjob wasn't 100% perfect, but at least it was the right colour. And yeah I can really appreciate how much trouble respraying a real NSX must be.

 

[gheba_nsx]

Re: Step Seven - FINAL PRODUCT

And here's the final results. It looked outstanding in my humble opinion. And yes, that's a photo of <B>gheba_nsx</B> in the background.

What an honour!!! :smile:

I also love that "lucky" shot... :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: thanks Mike for the small cameo :tongue:

 

[Enzo]

Re: Step Seven - FINAL PRODUCT

And here's the final results. It looked outstanding in my humble opinion. And yes, that's a photo of <B>gheba_nsx</B> in the background.

I didn't recognized Gheba in the picture ! Thanks for the info !
:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[gheba_nsx]

Re: Step Seven - FINAL PRODUCT

Very curious pictures that Neo uses...

 

[nuccaJB]

Neo you are awesome. The entire post is hilarious, yet impressive at how much work you performed. Makes me want to go buy a model. :biggrin:

 

[spartan2-3]

Nicely done NeoNSX, you should have told me you are looking for a "black NSX', I have several of them :tongue:

 

[4AU4LIFE]

you should open your own body shop. LOL :biggrin:

 

[dippy9]

Holy crap gee you must of really loved that test drive i gave you. Thanks heaps for you pressie. Now you you get a real car bring it on over and i will get my paint brush out to help paint your car as well.

 

[nsxsupra]

you are hardcore :smile:

I am going to try that and paint my 1/64 JGTC nsx white.

 

[NeoNSX]

thanx guys. If this thread has interested you, I highly recommend you try painting a model for yourself -- it was a LOT of fun. Just make sure you do all your preparation, dont rush, and you'll be right. Worst thing you can do is stuff up a nsx model... no biggy. (i can't believe i just typed that! )

Holy crap gee you must of really loved that test drive i gave you. Thanks heaps for you pressie. Now you you get a real car bring it on over and i will get my paint brush out to help paint your car as well.

When i get my 1/1 scale NSX, you can help me paint FLAMES down the side! cool! thanx man!!! j/k

 

[NeoNSX]

forgot to post this... for amusement.