Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon
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2022 Model Build #4 - 1/12 Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon
This is my first bike kit. I was looking for something related to the new Top Gun movie, but have enough Tomcats (for now), so this was the next best thing. I've been looking at doing a bike kit for a while but they looked pretty challenging. It turned out to be the opposite! I was using this as practice before tackling Tamiya's Honda CBR1000RR-R (enough Rs?!).
This is Tamiya 14136 kit. It went together with minimal difficulty. It's a bit different having to assemble and paint smaller bits all the way along and then build it up at the end. The fit was excellent, as expected. This was the first time trying out SMS paints. I used their Jet Black and Super Clear. I was a little nervous spraying the Super Clear over the Vallejo metallics, but it worked really well. I had a small issue on the front fairing where firstly the kit carbon decals wouldn't conform properly (all 22 of them!!). I ended up removing them and using an aftermarket carbon sheet which worked much better. In building up the clear coat, I went too heavy at one point and it turned cloudy. I was able to resolve it reasonably well with some polish and lighter coats. Most of the issues are covered by the side fairing anyway.
The green frame worked really well. That's a combination of metallic silver with Tamiya clear green over the top. The exhaust was also done using Tamiya's clear enamels following the method from Plasmo's youtube channel. I'm super impressed with how it came up. The vinyl tubing was a little tricky to fit in some places, but I think I know what to do next time to make it work better.
Apart from the front fairing, the decals were excellent. I used the standard Microset/Microsol to fit them, but found a review of various decal solutions showing that Mr Mark Setter/Softer is much better, so the last few got that treatment. Painting was mainly Vallejo acrylics, but some SMS Jet Black as a primer too. The final clear coat came up very well, but it's a bit hard to see over the metallics greys and blacks. Usually that dulls them, but this time it worked out.
The lessons:
- Go easy on the Super Clear
- Lacquer over acrylic can work
The firsts:
- A bike kit!
- Lacquer paints
The good:
- The fit
- The final paint job is one of my best
The bad:
- The front fairing decals and clear coat have some issues
- There's a small glue mark in the paint on one of the mirrors
Overall this is one of the best kits I've done and I'm really happy with it. I'm debating if the next one will be the 1/12 Tamiya Honda CBR1000RR-R or perhaps the 1/72 Airfix B-17.
