1:24 Alpina e36 Touring transKIT for Hasegawa

A brand whose signature is a color

Alpina of Buchloe in Bavaria is no ordinary tuner. The German authorities have listed it as a car maker in its own right since 1983, and yet its most recognizable feature remains a visual one. A deep blue or green shade, a horizontal decorative line running the whole length of the car and golden lettering make up a combination that a connoisseur recognizes before making out the body type. On the wagon version of the E36 generation that line unrolls along an unusually long side.

How to prepare the surface for the decorative stripe

The decorative lines are applied as a decal, and a decal is merciless toward any texture beneath it. Even slightly roughened paint will cause air to be trapped under the film and the line will then whiten milkily along its whole length. The side therefore has to be prepared better than the rest of the car: let the paint cure thoroughly, polish it smooth and lay the stripe onto a glossy surface, never onto a matte one.

What to watch out for

• Choose a deep, saturated shade; a pale blue will not capture the impression of the brand.
• Polish the side before laying the decal; matte paint will lift the film.
• Lead the line along the edge of the body; a deviation shows at once on a long side.
• Leave the golden lettering until last; it shifts easily.

Contents

The set is a body conversion for a donor kit in 1:24 scale, which has to be bought separately. One more piece of advice beyond the color: golden elements will take only a very muted gloss in this reduction. A sharp metallic glitter in the middle of a dark area looks tawdry and reliably destroys the whole impression of a carefully finished car.