One reason for buying the airbrush was to be able to mix my own colours. The photos show results of a first trial, roughly 2:2:1 X-7 Red : X-8 Lemon Yellow : X-2 White, and thinned about 1 part 99% isopropyl alcohol to 2 parts paint.
OK, the colour is not my favourite either, but it shows what is possible. Actually it's not that bad for a late '70s kitchen appliance colour. It just needs a black racing stripe, preceded by some sanding as the paint I used was from the bottom of the bottles and had some chunks floating in it.
The kit is Revell's Ford Escort Mark II Rally, a perfectly horrible kit with sinkholes, injection pin lumps and flash galore. The engine is a poor representation of the Cosworth BDA, a step up from the Lotus Twin Cam but still based on the old Cortina pushrod block.
Fortunately I have a USCP resin kit of the Cosworth YB. The YB, a twin cam turbo motor based on the Pinto OHC block rather than the Cortina pushrod block, would have been fitted to the later Ford Sierra Cosworth but will be used here in a hot-rod street setup. Apparently it made 230 hp in road trim, up to 370 in race trim if the Garrett turbocharger held together.
So while getting the YB to fit (some slicing and dicing needed), I decided to strip the paint and start over. Partly I had messed the stripes up, and had no more of my custom paint left. Isopropyl alcohol did a decent job on the paint but then I got the boneheaded idea of using lacquer thinner on the primer. Memo to self: Lacquer thinner melts styrene. (I think I already knew this). Lots of sanding ensued followed by several coats of Duplicolor Automotive Primer-Filler to fill in all the gouges.
But the screaming little Cosworth lump looks good in there, and next will be getting the ride height nice and low and ensuring the fat little tires fill the flared wheel wells properly. And after cutting a couple of big holes in the floorpan, there should also be room for the driveshaft to the front axle for 4WD.
Anyway stay tuned. And remember: Do as I say, not as I do.
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