Tamiya NIssan Fairlady 300ZX
A Proper First Attempt at a Car Build

Purchased from eModels for £15, this was my first proper build - taking in all that I have seen on YouTube, advice on Scalemates, and my experience building a BMW Z8 from Revell (the BMW didn't go particularly well, unfortunately) .
This model was also my first Tamiya kit, and I can honestly say that it was a lot more pleasant than I anticipated. And a lot better than the Italeri kit I have recently completed.

There are a few things that I neglected to do, so you'll have to forgive me the following:
I forgot to wash off any release agent
I tried and failed to make my own canopy masking from A4 sheets - hence the scratches on the perspex
I also didn't have any Future on hand (over in the UK it's called 'Pledge Rvvive It') so there is no protective shell on the canopy or the body
The bodyshell has been given several clear coats of Mr Aqueous H30, but the underside is bare blue - both are Pactra Racing Finish Acryl Pearl Blue (RC5202)
I was going to airbrush Candy Red (RC5604), but got confused during an attempt to brighten it slightly and added a fluorescent orange Lacquer, which curdled the bottle
I wimped out of doing a full interior colour scheme - I decided simplicity was a better choice over the messiness that could have ensued
I realised too late that I have put the rear wheels/tyres on the wrong side, so the brake callipers do not match the positions of the front ones
I had hoped that the reversing lights and the orange of the indicators would show up better in the rear light cluster cover
The rear license plate is crooked
I added the few decals and remaining body details before I remembered to polish the bodyshell, so there is a definite lack of super-shine, plus there is a single fingerprint somewhere on the bodywork 🙁
I initially tried to tint the bonnet (hood) to match the tinting on the rear of the canopy, but it just didn't seem to catch - plus it hid the engine - so I gave up

With that out of the way...

The car took me about three weeks to build, with me working on it most nights in-between other projects unless I was leaving the paint to cure. On average, I waited two nights between each of the three coats of primer, three nights between the three coats of colour, and another three between the three coats of clear. After each coat, I placed the kit in a plastic box, away from dust and the dog!

The paint is Pactra Racing Finish Acryl R/C Pearl Blue (RC5202), thinned 1:1 with Mr Hobby Aqueous Thinner (T-110/T-111), and went on very smoothly. I paid £2.99 for a 30ml bottle, so I'm very pleased with both the coverage and the value of this paint (I have seen it online for £2.50). It doesn't dry with a glossy shine, and without me polishing it before the clear coats and decals, it does look slightly duller than I think the paint can achieve with a better modeller.

The hardest part, without a doubt, was the canopy. From trying to make my own masks for the blacked-out areas, to attempting to get an even coating for the tinting, it took bloody forever to get it right. Well, to get it close. I've left the car with various scratches on the perspex, an uneven tone on the tinting and some very wavy lines on the masking, sadly. But, while this part of the build wasn't fun, it was very instructive.

The rest of the build was pretty simple, with easy to follow instructions, few decals and little that could go wrong, barring accidents/dropping/spilling paints, etc. I can't say I found any fit/finish issues, and there was no flash to speak of.
All in all, for a first build, this kit made it easy to focus on the process and not worry about correcting things that were not my fault, so Well Done Tamiya.