Itilari's MV Augusta 500cc tripple 1/9 Made in 72

[RedRoo]

I was shopping around the "Traders Venues" at the QMHE and I came across this little gem, and modelers being unable to walk past gems, especially the hard to find ones, I just had to buy it and I got it for $55 Au dollars, and on e- it was priced at double that so, I took some pics and I will build this slowly, looking all the time what Google images has on offer.

[RedRoo]

Just a couple more bits to show you.

[number1]

Very nice find Redroo,

[Mark]

You're a brave man tackling that model

[baby_astons]

hello redroo, a very nice model, italeri aren't that bad...
if you don't mind i'll move you from here to bikes as that's the better place...

[RedRoo]

Why should I mind that you look after your members Babe ? I think it's great that you do, so thank you sir.

[RedRoo]

Mark, have you had this model at all as I know it's got a lot of flash and it is of the hand engraved tooling era, but (I sit here trembling) what did you mean "That model" ?

Is there something your not telling me. ? LOL

[casper]

Great looking Augusta kit redroo

[Mark]

No, I've never had that kit, but I've built a couple of vintage kits. They can be hard work
It's a really nice subject though

[RedRoo]

The hard work that Mark mentioned is now beginning.

I have set up the work area with a sheet of white styrene, as it makes every thing easier to see and to take pictures against.

The very first stage of the build, according to the instructions, are the wheels.

First, I had to remove all the "mold seam" flash on all parts of the model.

These 'seams' are the result of where the two halves of the dies that have the parts engraved don't meet perfectly, especially with the older kits that were hand engraved and machined, and the hot plastic when injected, gets pushed into these areas. and if not removed before assembly of the parts, can seriously detract from the overall appearance of the finished model

The spokes of the wheels were first and as to not damage the finish of the chrome here, I had to apply extra care with the tools to avoid marking the rims themselves, to effect a good result for the eye.

[Chadders87]

That looks like a real challenge RedRoo. Good luck

[RedRoo]

Chadders, I see your Rolls is proceeding well, and as we like a challenge, .......................................... Yes mate, a 'chunky' one at that, but it's been a while since I did a model that has the exact fit like this one.NOT

[Chadders87]

What (if any) putty do you use to fill the gaps?

I've tried Vallejo Plastic Putty but it doesn't sand down nicely even after cuing it for days. It also "shrinks" quite a bit so a gap I think is well filled, dries with dents in it!

[RedRoo]

Chadders, thanks for the question and I use gel, and I have a good one from Japan with a long thin tube applicator and it dries overnight and is "cuttable" with a really sharp scalpel blade, it does NOT shrink and dries crystal clear and no "FOG" after curing, and no 'dents', I love it.

When I built my bikes, I used it on the front mudguard/fender when putting the two halves together. First I glued the halves with Tamiya liquid glue, let it dry overnight then a thin film of the superglue gel on the seam, it dries, then I scrape with a sharp blade then sand the last bit and it just strengthens the seam a bit better than just the Tamiya glue, especially with the handling that little part endures when prepping for paint and the positioning, whew !!!

I have used all kinds of different fillers and putties but I have found that superglue gel fits all problems.

The best thing is to try it on some scrap and see what happens.

Cheers

Roo :-)

[RedRoo]

Now the engine block and cylinders and head.

There are so many gaps from where the tooling just didn't match, so a lot of superglue gel and sanding will have to be the order of the day.

[RedRoo]

I have worked on some pretty rough kits and I hate to admit it, this kit is one of them.

It really was the art work and the fact that the box was sealed in its original plastic that had me buy the kit, and it really was cheap, compared to what it is being offered for it on line.

As I progress, using that word loosely, If I remove too much of the poor bits, it really impacts on what you keep, but that's what we have fillers and such.

The misalignment in the tooling I keep going on about, really became obvious with the exhaust pipes and the "cliff" I had to overcome was a doozie.

[RedRoo]

Now the frame and there was the same misalignment 'flash' I had to remove but it turned out ok, and when it was glued together, the pins and receiver holes didn't align, AGAIN so instead of removing the culprits, I glued as is any way and corrected the excess with the now usual shaving and sanding technique I had developed years ago and was NOW perfecting

The great slugs on either end were eventuall removed without misshap, like the loss of profile.

DSCN1374.JPG (37.43 KiB) Viewed 3652 times

[RedRoo]

Painting this Italian stud with Tamiya "Italian Red" the same as the Ducati will look devastating.

[Mark]

Now you know why I called you brave

You're certainly giving this kit a good run for your money. Challenging, but it will be worth it in the end !! It's a shame that there aren't more classic bike kits being made by the main stream makers. I think the RC166 was the last new tooling of an old bike we saw ??

Have a K for not binning it after seeing the engine !!

[RedRoo]

Thanks Mark, yeah, I do like the older kits, well, for that matter, I like ALL models I see LOL.

It is coming together gradually though.

The fairing will 'shield' a fair bit of the roughness, but I am putting a huge effort into the paint job, mainly the frame needs it than the fairing. Thanks for the K,

Red Roo :-)