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Tamiya Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec (R33)

Paints:

Kapci 2K primer
PPG Nissan AH3 Red Pearl Metallic
Kapci 2K clear

Extras:

Hobby Design HD02-0146 photo-etched set
Modified lower part of front bumper using styrene and body filler
Custom front splitter made from a Tamiya Nissan Skyline R34 lip and styrene
New side-skirt lips made from 0.3 and 0.5mm styrene
Custom rear bumper made from body filler, Tamiya putty and styrene
Exhaust modified to a single turbo and new aluminium tip
Tamiya Nissan Skyline RB26 complete engine from an R32 GT-R kit
Fully scratch-built engine bay using different thickness of styrene and putty
Scratch-built intercooler pipes, turbo, strut brace and air filter
Resin Bride Vorga seats and Tamiya Nismo steering wheel
Scratch-built harness bar behind front seats and charcoal grey flocking
Aber photo-etched seat belt accessories with Tuner Model green harness
Tamiya Nismo LMGT-4 rims detailed with Tuner Model air valves
Tamiya Bridgestone Potenza tires from a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R kit
Scale Motorsport carbon fiber decal applied to spoilers and window pillars
Japanese tax disc and parking sticker from an Aoshima decal sheet

More info inside

Tamiya Box. Kit no: 145

Pieces provided inside box

This is the Hobby Design photo-etch set I'm going to use

First thing to do was to make all the panel lines deeper using a Crazy Modeler scriber

Then all the badges and side indicators were sanded down to be replaced by styrene pieces later on

Next job was the front bumper where I slightly modified it by adding a styrene lip and filler to the bottom section

Then I took a Tamiya R34 original front lip, cut out its central part and glued it to a bigger 0.3mm styrene piece

Both were then smoothed together and here's how it looks beneath the modified front bumper

With the front ready, I then made a new pair of side-skirt lips from 0.3 and 0.5mm styrene pieces

Next to do was the rear bumper. First thing I did was increase the bumper's height by adding styrene pieces

Then using automotive body filler and Tamiya epoxy putty, I got the bumper in the desired shape

I then fitted a stainless-steel tip to the standard exhaust and modified the rear bumper accordingly

The Tamiya R33 is a curbside kit (no engine details). But I wanted mine to have full engine details, so after sourcing an RB26 engine from a Tamiya Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32), the first thing to do was to cut out the hood from the body

After measuring the engine set-up, I decided to keep the original R33 gearbox and engine oil sump together with the front drive shafts. So I began by cutting the gearbox off the engine. I also cut out the engine bottom part provided with the original kit

The engine's back was filled with putty and I also started constructing the engine mounts using styrene

Then I constructed the actual engine bay. First thing to do was the surrounding area from styrene

With the surrounding finished, I detailed the firewall and started filling using Tamiya putty

I sanded down the Tamiya putty and smoothed everything using Squadron white putty. Then I added two washers to the suspension towers to make it more realistic. Here's the finished engine bay!

Then I started building a frame around the body's open hood using different thickness of styrene pieces

To make it more realistic, I also added a several holes in different sizes on the radiator beam

With the frame finished, I started detailing the underside of the hood using styrene and putty. Here's how it looks now!

The hood has to be openable, not removable! So I added two hinges to it and cut out two holes in the frame beneath the windscreen. This gave me the necessary clearance to open realistically

Finally, I wanted something built-in to keep my hood open, so I added a tiny rod that actually rotates and acts as hood stand

And finally, here's a picture showing the all finished engine bay... ready to receive the RB26 engine!

With all the necessary modifications ready, the undercarriage and all of its components were airbrushed in 2K primer

The parts were airbrushed in colour and later masked so that the second colour could be applied

The undercarriage was then airbrushed in the Nissan AH3 Red Pearl Metallic and a mist coat of 2K clear

It was later masked as shown in the instruction sheet so that the next colours could be airbrushed

With all the parts airbrushed in the desired colour, it was ready for assembly, as can be seen above

Finally, here it is all assembled and ready. It was also slightly weathered for a more realistic look

Both sway bars were airbrushed in blue to simulate Cusco items. Here are two close-ups!

The suspensions were painted green to simulate Tein Coilovers and I used Crazy Modeler Brembo decals on calipers

Intercooler is standard with modified connections. The Nismo logo is airbrushed on the photo-etch part

It was then time to start working on the interior. These are all the extra items I shall be using

After cleaning the new seats, I assembled the interior to get an idea of the parts fitment. Steering is a Tamiya Nismo

I also scratch-built a harness bar to attach the Takata harness to. The photo-etch dash vents were also fitted

Here's a close-up of the steering and rims I will use. They are from the Tamiya R34 Nismo Dress-Up Set

I drilled 0.35mm holes to the rims and fitted a set of T2M air valves. Then I drilled the extra lug holes using a 0.7mm bit. Tires are from a Tamiya Nissan Skyline R34 kit and have been sanded to make them more realistic

With everything prepared, I started airbrushing all interior parts and rims. These were first coated in 2K primer and then in the first colour. Once dry, the parts were masked for the second colour

Once the masking was done, more colours were applied. Rims are airbrushed in Humbrol 171 Bronze

Seats were finished in two different shades of red and the Bride decals were self printed. The seats back and dashboard fascia were covered in carbon fibre decal and later airbrushed using 2K clear

The interior floor and parcel shelf were covered with charcoal grey flocking. The rear seat belts were also attached

And these are the 4-point Takata front harness ready to be assembled. Decals were self-printed too

The interior was then fully assembled and here's the pictures of the all finished interior

Rims were airbrushed in Metallic bronze and 2K clear. Decals and air valves were then added

With the interior ready, the engine was next. Since I was doing a custom engine installation, several parts had to be scratch-built from Tamiya Putty and styrene, as can be seen above

Every part was first airbrushed in primer, then in the instructed or desired first colour

Some parts that needed more than one colour were then masked and the second colour airbrushed

The engine was then fully assembled. The metal stickers are from the Hobby Design Nissan Skyline set

The brake booster and ABS unit were scratchbuilt and joined by wires to replicate the brake lines

Next, the engine was fitted inside the engine bay. Last details added were a fuse box complete with a cable going to the firewall and a windscreen washer tank on the left side. Here it is all finished

The body and its parts were next on the list and first thing to do was to airbrush these in 2K primer

Everything was then airbrushed in the Nissan AH3 red. Pearl effect is difficult to capture on a red colour

Spoilers were airbrushed in semi-gloss black as these were later covered with carbon fiber decal

2K clear was then airbrushed and polished. I've used the Micromesh cloths for this and finished with an Autoglym compound. Then, the body was masked so that the window trims could be done

And here's the body with the window trims and front headlamps airbrushed in semi-gloss black

With the masking tape removed, the shine achieved earlier can be seen from the reflections of the body above

The spoilers and side-skirts were covered in carbon fibre decal, followed by 2K clear and polished

After that, the GT-R was fully assembled and here are pictures of the all finished Nissan Skyline R33

For the complete set of finished pictures, head over to the Gallery section, or click here to be directed!

Click for information

Gallery: Completed GT-R R33

Review: Tamiya Nismo Dress-Up

Tutorial: Flocking Interiors

Click for information