Materials:
Kyosho Porsche 911 GT3 RS unpainted autoscale
Krylon Fusion Gloss Black
Krylon Fusion Gloss red Pepper
Krylon Fusion Satin Rolling Surf
Krylon Fusion Matte Ink Blue
Krylon Fusion Metallic Silver
Tamiya Flat Black
Future Floor Polish
Pattos Prsche935-936-Mrtini-24 decals, 1/27 scale, clear vinyl in custom inverse color scheme (not yet installed)
As is customary for me, I took the last two weeks of the year off to unwind around the holidays. I had planned to spend some time on custom paint jobs and ordered a batch of decals from Pattos however I had not factored into my plans that Pattos would be on vacation as well...DOH! So, with ample time available and a ridiculous backlog of decal sets on hand, I completed the Kouros ZR1 and got a jump on what turned out to be one of the most ambitious selections I've done to date. I've done some very intricate detail work in the past and nothing prepared me fully for the time and difficulty in doing a 5 color paint job. I've always tried to stick to 3 color jobs at most but I've always wanted to do Martini livery. I had a Martini livery custom in the past done by someone else and always admired the work that went into and now have a greater appreciation for the work itself.
I started with the base layer of silver. This was easy and the Kyrlon Fusion Metallic Silver went on thin so 3-4 coats total. Thankfully, the metallic cured solid unlike some others that continue to rub/flake off.
Next up was red. Given the limited coverage, this wasn't so bade and Fusion Gloss coats tend to go on thick so I know this was going to be quick. Always go in lite coats at first to ensure your not saturating the tape which can lift. I used a technique on this job in which I layered the mask along the edge in multiple layers that get wider at the top. This proved successful as paint bleed was limited to a few locations. What made this difficult was the varied body contours that had to be masked.
Red was followed by light blue. These were stripes that grew wider and decided it would be most efficient to lay them down next and then paint dark blue over top to reduce overall masking which only gives more opportunity for error. Best to work light to dark as well. These went down without issue.
Final stripes were the dark blue. This challenging and stressful as I had to mirror the sweeping curves and used copious layers of mask tape. I ended up going through nearly two rolls of tape on this job.
Last but no least were the black front and rear skirts. I know the Krylon Fusion Black in particular goes on heavy so it would cover the prior stripes OK. As long as you remain patient and go slow, you reduce opportunity for paint leak.
What proved more challenging than fine intricate mask cutting was simply laying out repeated stripes that all had to remain straight, proportional and consistent as well as mirror each side. This was in itself the hardest part and as the number of paint layers increased, so does the anxiety as you really don't know how it turns out until you start pulling back the tape. It would have been devastating to get 3-4 colors in only to have a bleed that botched the whole thing. In the end, there is likely two days time in masking alone. I remained calm, took my time ignored the rolls I was burning through and the results rewarded me with a most satisfying result. I still don't have the decals, which are still 3-4 weeks out so I can't clear coat this until those are on.
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