Spectrum Maximum Security Vehicle

[RangerNeil]

This is the third of the vehicles from the Gerry Anderson kids TV series "Captain Scarlet". The other two - the SPV and the Patrol Car were the subject of this years Sci-Fi build. This is the hardest of the three kits to find so I got lucky spotting it as it came up on the dreaded eBay.....


So - the unboxing. As with all the Imai kits part content is minimal:
Instructions.




The entire box content.


Upper Hull.


Lower Hull.


Parts Sprue #1


Parts Sprue #2


Tyres & Misc. bits.


Decals.


The observant eye might notice the decals look as "crusty" as the ones that came with the Angel interceptor which means they are likely useless. Fortunately I had some spares provided by the nice chap who printed me some replacements for the SPV gave me some spares.
However it seems there was supposed to be a small one on the lower nose according to the box art and on-line images which is NOT included.

First job was to remove the flash from the upper & lower hulls and sprue #2. Unlike the other two kits this one had quite minimal flash. Once this was done the next step was to apply a coat of Tamiya Fine Surface Primer.


Whilst that was drying I had to work out what colour the exterior was meant to be. The Dinky versions were available in White, Silver and Gold. The vehicle itself appeared too few times in the show to be able to find a good clear image but there is a video on YouTube of a guy restoring a Dinky one to "Show Condition" and he painted his Ford Polar grey as the closest match to the show vehicles. The closest acrylic match was Tamiya Medium Grey so I used this on the underside. The upper hull had two holes in it for the obligatory, by Imai standards, missile launcher which need to be filled and sanded back. I had to do the same on the bonnet of the patrol car. No paint guide was provided for the underside so it was a case of artistic license...


Next step is going to be sanding and shaping the filled holes in the nose of the upper hull, painting that the same Grey and then detailing lights etc.

[RangerNeil]

Got the two unwanted holes in the front filled in now and the upper body is ready for top coating.

[digger303]

[RangerNeil]

Put the top coat on today - Metallic Grey. Found out that putting a Grey on a Grey is a nightmare..... and that metallics dry in the gun a lot faster.....

[ForeverPlasticKits]

This build is more simple than the others and the grey is ... grey!

[RangerNeil]

Been cracking on with the MSV today. Most of the upper body is done now - just needs a coat of gloss varnish, the two decals applied and sealed and thats it!!

[digger303]

Nearly done.

[RangerNeil]

Added the replacement Spectrum decals.
I tried to keep.a ring of white around them but I am not sure it has worked so well. I am tempted to remove them and use the last two I have, cutting them out on the edge of the colour. What are your thoughts folks??

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Very nice progress!

[digger303]

I like the ring the white and I think it is better having it.
The left side decal doesn't look bad. The right side top edge detracts from the viewer perception.
But if it is a difficult to cut out evenly ( hell I know it is) maybe removing the white might be better as any unevenness would be harder to spot.

[BigWall]

I'm with Digger. They look pretty good the way they are