Tamiya Nissan Skyline GT-R, V-spec II (R34), 1/24

An exquisite kit with clear instructions.

Following are a warning, and a deviation from the instructions' order of body assembly that may be helpful.

A Warning

This is with regard to the clear windows, item D8.

The windows come with a sheet of masks that are to be applied to the inner surfaces, so that black paint can be applied to create window 'frames' of a sort. Do not, under any circumstances, use spray paint to do the black painting. Use only Tamiya X-18 semi-gloss black brush paint. Using spray paint will result in this.

The strong solvents in the spray paint bleed through the masks and fog the clear plastic something fierce.

I had to order replacement clear parts (sprue tree 'D') and a masking sheet from my local hobby shop. Had those items not been available, the kit would have been a write-off.

A Deviation

The instructions would have you assemble body components as you go along with construction of the kit. That hugely complicates painting. I wanted to be able to paint the complete body as a unit, so I pre-assembled all the body components. The pertinent components are:

• The body itself, of course.
• The front bumper, item B19.
• The rear bumper, item B18.
• The rocker panels, items B9 and B10.
• The wing mounts, items B14 and B15..

With all of those items assembled, one has a complete body that can be painted all at one go. Pre-assembling the body does not result in any anomalies in the order of construction.

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And here's the finished model.

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