Ducati Desmosedici

[Guest]

JOHN STOP IT......... are you trying to bankrupt me??????

[Guest]

Hi Graham , I think the forks and after market stuff are worth it but like yourself I`m gonna make a bargin eBay bike first , why not build the Honda first and if your happy and still got the bike bug then splash out for the extras , the cf decals and pe came in a combo pack , a nice touch is that on the back of the decals is the templates for all the different parts but having never used the stuff its quite daunting seeing you only get one go at it to get it right , the forks look good and worth the expense in my eyes , if you compare the forks to the bits on the kit sprues theres a big difference

Richy

[Guest]

Thanks for that Richy, I am definitely building the Honda first, in fact it has been slightly started. Looks like I have some more money to spend now...........

[Ian M]

Hm looks like my 30year old honda and suzi might be getting a bit of company at this rate. What about a MC group build then?

Joking just a joke relax.

Ian M

[Guest]

Have to say, photographing silver is a pain.... It picks up every colour cast around. Ended up having to use a box lid to stop any other reflections or light sources affecting it.

Anyway, rant over, here is the alloy frame for the Honda without the swinging arm, which is the same finish, and the main engine block without detail or anything but a semi gloss black spray. The silver on the frame is Citadel Mithril Silver which doesn't look too bad and may be what I use assuming that it till looks OK after a wash to bring out the detail and a coat of Klear. Having said that, I may get some semi gloss varnish for this one as I want to keep the metallics glossy but not overtly so.

Opinions and comments welcome.

[Guest]

Great start Graham , looks fantastic - nice and clean and sharp , looking forward to the next stage mate

see I told you that you would take to it like a duck to water

Richy

[Guest]

For any beginners out there who think that people like me who have posted a few completed models just turn them out without much effort, let me show you just how I mess things up so stupidly.

I have been carefully priming, rubbing down and finish spraying the fairing and seat/tank unit for my Honda NSR500 in the worst colour to spray, white.

I had reached the point where it was looking so smooth, shiny and solid white lusciousness with the final coat when I dropped it just as the last spray hit the surface. Of course it dropped in the worst place possible and was immediately covered in just about anything you would care to think of, and a few you possibly would not.

The result? Let it dry while I head-butt a wall for a few hours and then out with the sanding sticks and get rubbing down again. This was not an accident, it was not the will of the Gods, it was not inevitable. It was a stupid mistake that no matter how many kits you have under your belt, is still a stupid mistake. Lesson to learn? No matter how confident you feal, a bit of plastic covered in wet paint hitting the floor can still make a grown man cry. Still, my fault time to get on with it and sort it.

[Gern]

We've all done similar things Graham. In my case it cost me my just-finished STAP and 'droid which took a 4 ft nosedive to the floor.

I think you're right though. The only thing you can do is to carry on as if the extra work is just another stage in the build.

Would it be worth setting up a separate forum so we can keep all these uglies in one place? One where everyone can see what can go wrong and what might be done to prevent it or repair the damage?

And of course it would show any beginners what can happen to anyone - regardless of how good they are - and maybe persuade them to stick with their builds after some disaster and work through it?

Gern

[yak face]

OOOOH!!its making me wince just thinking about it ,graham!im sure itll come out great, cheers tony

[Guest]

Graham my friend I know how you feel mate , SNAP although not quite the same , I will post up on my DBS thread the nightmare I`m having in the next day or two, I`m sure you will get round it and turn out a fantastic bike

have a look on Ryans advice needed thread , I`ve tried the alclad paints and given my thoughts

Richy

[Ian M]

ouch!

Just a thought and something I have done on more than one occasion. If it was just painted and still wet enough to pick up all the crap it hit on its journy to the floor, could you not have just washed the paint off with thinners, (or was it a hot thinner?). I have done this with Humbrol, Vallejo and those Xtracrylixs I got the other week. (Fag ash right in the middle of the wing!!!).

Im sure it will come out fine. A good finish is often the result of several attempts (and a bottle of scotlands finest).

Ian M

[Guest]

No I didn't try to wipe it off. I prefer to let it dry and then sand it. If it doesn't work out then I will have to get some stripper and get the lot off as I cannot afford to lose a great deal of detail. Having said that, I have now started re spraying and it is not looking too bad. Just cannot afford to do this with the Ducati though. Just shows that using the Honda as a test bed is working out fairly well. I have learned a lot.

[Guest]

Getting close to the finish with this Honda 'test bed' kit. Have to say it is a lovely kit and far better than I expected. OK, some issues with mould lines and fit but realistically it was only intended as a learning tool ready for the Ducati. It has been a pleasure so far though but I still need to get it all fitted together.

As you can see, the seat/tank unit I dropped in the dirt wit wet paint is now looking a little bit better.........

[Guest]

Tell you what mate, for your first attempt at a bike kit i would say...blinking good on ya!! Looking fantastic, and to recover that fab white finish having lost it to the floor is simply brilliant. Really looking forward to seeing this one finished mate, i bet it is giving you lots of inspiration for doing that stunning looking Ducati. :-)

[Guest]

Cheers Martin. Have to say when I dropped it, it wasn't one of my better days lol. You are right though, I want to get stuck into the Ducati very soon. Have so much on at the moment though. Will have to see what I can reschedule...

Anyway, just a few fiddly bits to do now and it will be done. Sad that all that work and detail will be hidden under the fairing but hey ho... It can be taken to bits to see it again one day I suppose. Will post final pics around the weekend.