Background:
The kit is a Tamiya 1:24 CLK-GTR, which is very well-made indeed. Since the car itself is such an elegant and stylish racer, the finished product is understanbly extra impressive in its own rights. And I personally like the name of the car very much because it is the same as my initials.
This model was made as a birthday present for my favourite singer in Hong Kong, Miss Priscilla Chan. As expected, she is that exquisite lady whose pictures are all over the body of the car. The idea is that this GT-racer is supposedly sponsored by her devoted fans to advertise her new album called "Time in a Bottle" (its Chinese name can be seen on the rear spoiler of the car). Thus the colour scheme is painted pursuant to a poster of that CD album.
Since the model was moulded in silver, it was difficult to paint it in black and required a few more layers of paint. I used Tamiya spray paints, as I think they are of the best quality.
(1) They cannot pass through some photocopiers as they are relatively thick. For the same reason, they do not conform to the curving surface of the model very well at all, which makes the application of decal to the front cowling of the car almost impossible.
(2) After colour photocopying, the images on the decal "chip" or shatter when they were cut out even with a sharp knife. The manufacturer suggests a few coating of clear on top but I did not find it makes a big difference.
(3) The biggest problem is that those decals have very very poor adhesive ability!!!!! They can be peeled/pulled off the surface in a whole piece even after being left dry overnight! As a result, I find them extremely hard to work with.
Some details were added to the interior such as a set of plastic seat belts and a better looking steering wheel from an F-1 model.
It took almost two whole weeks to complete the model, but since Priscilla
loves it very much, it is worth every ounce of effort making it!
Can Lo
