1:24 Alpine A110 Bumpers Set (For Tamiya)

Chrome that holds its shape

There are not many places on this French berlinetta where anything could be spoiled: the body is smooth, the glazing small, and the only things that break it up visually are the bumpers. That is why so much depends on them. They are thin, they wrap around the rounded nose and tail, and their line has to sit to 0.1 mm, otherwise the whole car looks badly set.

Molded plastic copes with this task only with difficulty. A mold needs draft angles, so the section widens toward the edges, and plating molded parts tends to round the edges off. A separately produced form is thinner, crisper and, once polished, looks far more convincing.

The target kit

The Japanese brand Tamiya is named in the title, which means that the spacing of the mountings and the radius of the bend are based on the shape of its body. Before fitting, check that no flash is left on the shell from separating the parts from the sprue: a strip likes to rest on it and then departs from the correct plane.

How to achieve a shine

Bright metal at this scale is done in two ways: with a metallic paint on a smoothly polished base, or with a thin self-adhesive film. Both work and both call for a perfectly prepared surface, because every scratch is emphasized further under a bright layer. Count on the preparation of the surface taking more time than the fitting itself, and on the last pass with polish deciding the overall impression of the finished car. A strip is moreover looked at from the side at a sharp angle, so the surroundings are mirrored in it and every imperfection comes to the surface.