Tomcat's Tamiya 1/24 DBS

[Tomcat64]

Ok I'm finally going to take the plunge with this as my entry for the Wheels GB


I'm a big fan of Aston Martins and for as long as I've known about this kit it's been out of stock everywhere and goes for stupid prices on E-Bay but when one popped up for less than £30 posted in the UK my "no more kits" embargo was doomed.

Here's a bit of background on the vehicle courtesy of our friends at Wiki:
The Aston Martin DBS is a high performance grand tourer based on the DB9 and manufactured by the British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston Martin has used the DBS name once before on their 1967–72 grand tourer coupé. The modern car replaced the 2004 Vanquish S as the flagship of the marque. The DBS ended production in 2012 and was succeeded by the second-generation of the Vanquish.



Models - DBS (2008–2012)

Aston Martin DBS
The DBS was officially unveiled at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on 16 August 2007, which featured a brand new exterior colour (graphite grey with a blue tint) which has been dubbed "Lightning Silver", followed by 2007 Frankfurt motor show.
Deliveries of the DBS began in the first quarter of 2008.

DBS Volante (2009–2012)
The convertible version of the DBS dubbed the DBS Volante was unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March 2009ollowed by the 2009 Concours d'Elegance. The DBS Volante includes a motorized retractable fabric roof controlled by a button in the centre console and can fold into the compartment located behind the seats in 14 seconds after the press of the button. The roof can be opened or closed while at speeds up to 48 km/h (30 mph). Apart from the roof, changes include a new wheel design available for both the coupé and volante versions and a 2+2 seating configuration also available for both versions. Other features include rear-mounted six-speed manual or optional six-speed ‘Touchtronic 2’ automatic gearbox, Bang & Olufsen BeoSound in-car entertainment system with 13 speakers. Deliveries of the DBS Volante began in the third quarter of 2009.

Carbon Black, UB-2010 Limited Edition (2010)
In 2010, Aston Martin introduced two special editions of the DBS. Available for DBS and the V12 Vantage, the "Carbon Black" edition includes unique carbon black paint work (as well as orange and grey), Touchtronic gearbox, obsidian black or orange interior and lightweight seats. DBS UB-2010 Limited Edition is a limited (20 DBS coupés and twenty DBS Volantes) version of DBS coupé and Volante named after Dr. Ulrich Bez, the then CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited, commemorating the tenth year of his appointment. This edition comes with the Touchtronic gearbox or a 6-speed manual gearbox upon request, azurite black exterior colour, blue brake calipers and a bronze coloured interior. The DBS UB-2010 Limited Edition was unveiled at the 80th Geneva Motor Show.



2011 DBS Carbon Edition (2011–2012)
At the end of its production run, Aston Martin introduced a final edition of the DBS, named the Carbon Edition. Available as both a coupé and Volante (convertible), it had a choice of three body colours (Flame Orange, Ceramic Grey, Carbon Black) with glass veneer appearance (optional satin lacquer paint finish), 10-spoke gloss black diamond turned wheels with a reversed diamond turned (optional full gloss black) finish, black (optional yellow, orange, red or grey) brake callipers, warm black grille, carbon fibre mirror heads, carbon fibre rear lamp in-fills, smoked rear lights, obsidian black or maranello orange semi-aniline leather upholstery, leather-quilted headlining, carbon fibre trim with a carbon weave positioned exactly to follow the form of the dashboard, unique carbon fibre special edition sill plaque with laser etched metal inlay, Aston Martin Garmin satellite navigation system and beam blade windscreen wipers. The Carbon Edition was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Deliveries began in the third quarter of 2012.

Year of the Dragon 88 Limited Edition (2012)
The DBS Volante Dragon 88 honours the Year of the Dragon in China. It has 24-carat gold plate on nickel-coated Aston Martin wing badges affixed to the bonnet and rear of each car, bright finish front grille, bonnet meshes and side strakes; choice of three unique 10-spoke designs lightweight forged wheels with a special silver finish, Black brake callipers, a choice of 3 body colours (Amethyst Red, Volcano Red, Champagne Gold) with matching interior upholstery colours (Spicy Red, Deep Purple, Chancellor Red interior for Amethyst Red, Volcano Red, Champagne Gold body respectively), Sahara Tan thread stitching, Piano Black facia trim with a unique gold inlay pattern at dashboard, glass switchgear, headrest embroidery design with rendered using four thread colours (Metallic Gold, Cream Truffle, Winter Wheat and Kestrel Tan) inspired by the Nine-Dragon Wall in Beihai Park, unique laser-etched sill plaques bearing the number and designation, Presentation Box wrapped in the same leather as the interior of their car and lined with Ivory Alcantara (box lid bears an embroidered dragon, with Aston Martin wings embossed on to the front of the lid and a replica sill plaque on the inside of the lid; each box contains an Owner's Guide with gold detailing, two glass ECUs with leather pouches, a pair of customised Bang & Olufsen earphones with laser-etched Aston Martin wings in a leather pouch), 1000W Bang & Olufsen audio system. The DBS Volante Dragon 88 was unveiled at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition and production was limited to 88 units.



Specifications
Overview specifications
• Engine: 5,935 cc (362.2 cu in) AM11 V12, all-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder
• Transmission: 6-speed manual (optional 6-speed 'Touchtronic 2' automatic)
• Drivetrain: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
• Curb weight: 1,695 kg (3,737 lb)
• City fuel economy: 12 mpg US (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg imp)
• Highway fuel economy: 18 mpg US (13 L/100 km; 22 mpg imp)
• Max. power: 517 PS (380 kW; 510 hp) at 6,500 rpm
• Torque: 570 N⋅m (420 lb⋅ft) at 5,750 rpm
• Fuel capacity: 78 L (20.6 US gal; 17.2 imp gal)
• Wheelbase: 107.9 in (2,741 mm)
• Length: 185.9 in (4,722 mm)
• Width: 81.1 in (2,060 mm)
• Height: 50.4 in (1,280 mm)

Transmission
The DBS is equipped with a Graziano six-speed manual transaxle (initial 'launch' gearbox) and the optional 'Touchtronic 2' six-speed automatic transmission, based on the same ZF transaxle unit that was developed for the DB9, was introduced in 2008.

Performance
The DBS is equipped with Aston Martin's 5.9-litre AM11 V12 engine with four valves per cylinder. The same engine is also used in the DBR9 and DBRS9 racing cars albeit with extensive modifications. The engine of the DBS has a power output of 517 PS (380 kW; 510 hp) at 6,500 rpm and 570 N⋅m (420 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,750 rpm with a compression ratio of 10.9:1. The engine also includes an active bypass valve which above 5,500 rpm opens and lets more air into the engine resulting in increased performance and propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds and has a maximum speed of 307 km/h (191 mph) and 295 km/h (183 mph) with Touchtronic II transmission. In 2007, the British motoring show Top Gear sent the DBS around their Top Gear test track with a lap time of 1:23.9; 3.2 seconds faster than its predecessor, the Vanquish S and a second faster than the comparable Bentley Continental GT Supersports.



Handling
The DBS uses the VH Generation II platform, which provides strength and rigidity to the whole car. Thanks to the structure, 85% of the weight of the car is kept between the wheelbase, which results in increased handling, responsiveness and feel during tight cornering. Aston Martin has also developed an Adaptive Damping System, or ADS, which alters the suspension in order for the car to cope with the driver's desired driving mode according to the road/weather conditions. When turned on, the ADS automatically alters the suspension settings to ensure the driver has high levels of control at all times. Apart from the suspension getting stiffer, throttle and braking response is increased and steering is sharpened.

The DBS is fitted with Pirelli P-Zero tyres developed especially for the car, along with lightweight, aluminium 20-inch wheels.

To keep the weight as low as possible, Aston Martin made extensive use of carbon fibre throughout the whole car. The bonnet, the boot, the front wings, the door opening surrounds and the boot compartment are all made of carbon fibre. The carpets are also made by special thin layers made from carbon fibre. The roof and the doors are made of aluminium. The result is a 30 kg (66 lb) weight reduction as compared to the DB9. The car is also fitted with a carbon fibre splitter at the front wings to increase handling and a carbon fibre rear diffuser to increase high-speed stability.

The brake discs are carbon ceramic, which shaves a significant 12.5 kg (28 lb) from the unsprung weight. At the front, there are 398 mm (15.7 in) ventilated and drilled brakes with 6-piston alloy monobloc calipers. At the back, there are 360 mm (14.2 in) ventilated and drilled brakes with 4-piston alloy monobloc calipers.



Interior
The interior of a DBS is a blend of carbon fibre, alcantara, leather, wood, stainless steel and aluminium surfaces. The door panels are capped with carbon fibre and utilize CF door pulls. The fascia is, as standard, matrix alloy and iridium silver centre console or, as an optional extra, piano black fascia and centre console. To achieve even greater weight savings, the carpet has a special lightweight weave. The car is started by means of the "Emotion Control Unit", which was initially developed especially for the DBS but as of 2008 is available for the DB9 and V8 Vantage as well. The key is made from stainless steel and glass and is inserted into a special slot in the dashboard.

[Tomcat64]

Ok onto the kit itself - the box was a wee bit battered


But a quick check showed all the contents were in there in their original bags


Here are the sprue frames












And a look at the instruction booklet






I've also sprung for the Hobby Design detail up set


Instructions are suitably vague


But the parts look good


I've not decided how much of the detail set I'll use yet so we'll see as the build progresses.

The instructions have a call out for a Silver body colour, but having done some digging about I think this will be my first go with Zero paints and AM's Toro Red which I've been experimenting with on a spoon

[Tomcat64]

I've made a start this afternoon and section one was the front uprights...


The detail up set gave me two options for the brakes, either a simple enhancement to the kit parts... or this...


Here are the parts cut out


To get the various disks aligned I used a couple of lengths of 0.5mm brass wire through the locating holes and then CA'd them together; any resdiual CA was cleaned up with a cotton bud dampened with acetone.


After adding the outer ring the smaller front disks were aligned using something as high precision as a paint brush shaft...


The front disk was bent to shape and then the resin calliper was added


Around the back the alignment of the various parts wasn't overly obvious, but the kit part (in the middle) did have a locating lug which matched the metal detail parts, so I dropped the poly-cap in place and then CA'd the final three rings into the kit part


I then used the shaft of one of the front wheels to line everything up


And CA'd the two built sections together


So two and bit hours and I've built an upright... this is going to be a steady build I think. I'll crack on and build the remaining three uprights next even though the kit instructions call for the rears to be built later in the sequence.

That's all for now - thanks as always for looking

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh one of my favourite cars those discs look great Neil

[Tomcat64]

Oh one of my favourite cars those discs look great Neil

Thanks Kev!

Around the back the alignment of the various parts wasn't overly obvious...

Turns out the reason for this was that some prawn had missed one of the disks in the assembly

As it's all CA'd together I'm not going to try and prise it apart so one of the front brake disks is underwidth but it shouldn't show up much (if at all) once it's buried in the wheel.

[Tomcat64]

Have been pottering away at this through the week and had a decent session at the bench this afternoon so here's a quick update.

First up there's a lot of call outs for a semi-gloss black so I decided to brew up my own and after some experimenting ended up using a 60:40 mix of Ultimate gloss black and matte black primers - here's the satin result on the arches


Back to the build and Stage 2 of the instruction sheet comprised three subsections


So the brake assemblies were finished off with some semi-gloss black and the whole subsection was assembled without too much bother. Again the Semi Gloss black was the home brew mentioned above with the metallic parts picked out with a brush using Vallejo Metal Air aluminium. I've left the brake discs themselves as bare metal


Then the top of the engine was painted up and decalled. The instructions called for white, but I've used Vallejo Model Air white grey as I find pure white too stark in scale - just personal preference. This was then given a black clay wash n wipe to add a little depth. The Aston Martin logos etc were metallic rub-down transfers which were new for me but performed without any bother


This was then attached the painted up engine section - again nothing too daunting here, with paint being a mix of airbrushed SGB and brush painted details as per the call outs


And finally the engine section was added to the front suspension ready to be installed on the chassis once I've finished painting that up. The only challenge here was getting the shock absorbers lined up during the assembly but a little manipulation sorted that out.


So that's all for now - I'll paint up the lower chassis (and underfloor) next and then I think it's the rear suspension & gearbox.

Thanks as always for looking

[Kevthemodeller]

Top stuff Neil

[jmurphy18]

Nicely done! Great attention to detail

[colink]

Blimey that looks amazing.

[Shunter]

Beautiful ar and what an excellent colour choice...

[Tomcat64]

Top stuff Neil

Nicely done! Great attention to detail

Blimey that looks amazing.

Beautiful ar and what an excellent colour choice...

Thanks guys

[Tomcat64]

This has continued to potter along in the evenings this week; the instructions called for the engine/front suspension assembly to be added to the floor pan when they were completed but I decided to add them after the underside had been built out to avoid any unnecessary handling.

So first up the underside was painted up; the black is the home-brew semi-gloss black, this was then masked for Vallejo Metal Air aluminium and then masked again to add the Vallejo metallic black panels. I've also added some Tamiya black panel line washes to accentuate some of the details even though they probably won't been seen after the build is complete. The smaller details at the front were picked out with a brush and some Vallejo gold and Citadel steel.


Then down the back end the upper suspension arms, gearbox and some sort of cover were all painted up and added


Next was the exhaust system. These were sprayed with aluminium and then the gold over the top to lighten the end result (as compared to gold over black). The rear box has also been panel line washed with Tamiya dark brown. The details on the pipes were all brush painted.


A quick note regarding the instructions for the rear brake disks - some of the callouts were wrong but I spotted this before committing to CA


Once built up and painted these were installed along with the associated suspension arms and shock absorbers


Then the lower suspension system and another cover were added - the suspension was a little fiddly to get everything lined up but nothing too challenging in the end.


And here's how it all looked in place...


Before the next section required most of it to be covered up with another panel...


So that's the underside completed - the wheels will come next


So I flipped it back over and installed the engine block & front suspension


And that's where we are for the moment


Next up will be the wheels and then into the cabin.

Thanks as always for looking

[Twokidsnosleep]

What a great looking build You are doing an awesome job
The detail in this kit is amazing.Why the heck would Tamiya stop producing it?? ..morons
Just re-release the stuff that is selling for stupid $ on eBay
Perhaps licensing is the issue

[Tomcat64]

What a great looking build You are doing an awesome job
The detail in this kit is amazing.Why the heck would Tamiya stop producing it?? ..morons
Just re-release the stuff that is selling for stupid $ on eBay
Perhaps licensing is the issue

Thanks mate

I hadn't thought about the possibility of a licensing issue but that would definitely explain things.

[Kevthemodeller]

It just keeps getting batter mate

[Johno]

Looking great!

[Tomcat64]

It just keeps getting batter mate

Looking great!

Thanks guys - appreciate the support

[Twokidsnosleep]

It just keeps getting batter mate

I think he switch hits..if you know what I mean

[Tomcat64]

Managed to grab a bit more time at the bench this evening so here's a quick bonus mini-update

The wheels came chromed so these were given a coat of Ultimate grey primer followed by Vallejo Model Air Metallic Black; and then the tyres were fitted. Really impressed by the tread detail on these, and as hoped the dark colour of the wheel rims showed the brake disks off nicely through the spokes


Here's a couple of shots of the wheels in place on the chassis


And then I couldn't resist the inevitable and had to drop the body shell on top to see how it was going to look...


Thanks again for taking the time to drop in

[DRUMS01]

Neil, this is looking really nice.... in a speed daemon and sinister sort of way (smile)....

Ben

[Twokidsnosleep]

That's freaking sweet
The engine covers really look cool

[jmurphy18]

Looking really sweet Neil!!

[Tomcat64]

It just keeps getting batter mate

I think he switch hits..if you know what I mean

Got to knock her into shape somehow

Neil, this is looking really nice.... in a speed daemon and sinister sort of way (smile)....

Ben

That's freaking sweet
The engine covers really look cool

Looking really sweet Neil!!

Cheers guys

[Twokidsnosleep]

It just keeps getting batter mate

I think he switch hits..if you know what I mean

Got to knock her into shape somehow

Neil, this is looking really nice.... in a speed daemon and sinister sort of way (smile)....

Ben

That's freaking sweet
The engine covers really look cool

Looking really sweet Neil!!

Cheers guys

more like this....

[Tomcat64]

I think he switch hits..if you know what I mean

Got to knock her into shape somehow

Neil, this is looking really nice.... in a speed daemon and sinister sort of way (smile)....

Ben

That's freaking sweet
The engine covers really look cool

Looking really sweet Neil!!

Cheers guys

more like this....

I know it says "Try not to laugh" but PMSL! You can almost hear the banjos plucking in the background

[jmurphy18]

Got to knock her into shape somehowf*


Cheers guys

This so fits with what I am watching right now Mechum Auctions. So your “ resto “mods fit right in

[Tomcat64]

This week I've been working on the interior.

These have been primed in Ultimate black, then given a coat of Model Air German Grey and finally had details picked out with a brush as necessary.

Nothing too onerous on the door panels - I've used the grilles from the detail up set


Dashboard and steering wheel - I've gone for the manual transmission rather than automatic


And here's the seats and other griblies - I've given the seats a thin oil wash to give them a slightly different look to the rest of the grey interior


Once I'd installed the door panels but before putting the seats in I used some of the parts from the detail up set to create seatbelts. This involved cutting a 2mm strip from the pseudo vinyl sheet and then threading the hardware on before glueing in place with CA. There were no details in the instructions for this so I've just gone off reference photos and a little creativity.


View from the front with the seats installed


Here it is all together


The instructions then call for the tub to be fitted to the chassis so here we go...




And once again I couldn't resist popping the shell on to take a look and reassure myself it was heading in the right direction




So that just leaves me with the glass and bodywork - the two bits that give me the most jitters, but time to plough on and hope I don't nause it up!

Will be revisiting Paul's video series before tackling this part though.

Thanks as always for checking in - have a great weekend

[Gary30]

So clean!

[Kevthemodeller]

It's really coming together Neil lovely work mate

[jmurphy18]

Looking really good! You are making nice progress

[Twokidsnosleep]

This is looking great!!!
Really need to find this kit

[Tomcat64]

So clean!

It's really coming together Neil lovely work mate

Looking really good! You are making nice progress

This is looking great!!!
Really need to find this kit

Thanks guys - appreciate the support

[Tomcat64]

Here's a quick Easter update as I've managed to make some progress among the chocolate frenzy

The windows were masked off with the custom masks included in the kit and Tamiya tape for the other surfaces. The Tamiya tape has left some residue which still needs a bit of cleaning up although I've already got the worst of it off.


The headlight clusters were painted up and built - just a note here there are supposed to be decals around the chromed parts but I couldn't get them to stay put regardless of what I tried. I'll install these once the bodywork is completed.


And the rear bumper - same again, will be installed when the bodywork is done


The detail in for the top of the engine bay was picked out


And various other random parts were sprayed with home-brew semi gloss black. I've decided to use the kit grilles rather than the AM set although either would work and the mesh on the AM ones is a little denser


So with that done there was nothing for it but to clean up and mask the body shell (as well as bonnet and wing mirrors) and get started laying down Ultimate gelb primer. This is after about 5 coats and I think it's dense enough to cover the black plastic now ready for the red. The finish feels a little rough to the touch but hopefully I can sort that out with some micromesh wet and dry


Today we're away visiting family, but depending on what we decide on for tomorrow I might be able to stink the house out with some Zero paints Toro Red.

Thanks as always for looking in - hope you're having a great Easter

[digger303]

looking good Neil, I like the numerous pic's. For someone who has never done a car it's giving me some insight.

[jmurphy18]

Looking really good!

[Tomcat64]

looking good Neil, I like the numerous pic's. For someone who has never done a car it's giving me some insight.

Thanks digger - this is definitely out of my comfort zone as well so the pics are there to help me too

Most of the build (engine, running gear, interior) I'm fine with but the body work makes me nervous as hell as there's nowhere to hide and it makes or breaks the end result.

Looking really good!

Cheers mate

[Tomcat64]

We just pottered about at home yesterday which gave me chance to lay down some paint onto the DBS. This was my first time using Zero paints in anger and following Paul's video series I put it down in multiple thin layers, six coats in this case. The finish is ok for the most part but is a little ropey in places so that'll be my dodgy airbrushing technique and I suspect varying the distance between the model and the airbrush.

Anyway - it's all red and I'm hoping some attention with some micromesh will work out the rough patches


Thanks for looking

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh it's RED, BABY and looking good

[Kevthemodeller]

Loving that red Neil

[jmurphy18]

That red is really is going to stand out and look good on the car

[Tomcat64]

Oh it's RED, BABY and looking good

Loving that red Neil

That red is really is going to stand out and look good on the car

Thanks guys - yep I'm loving the red

[Tomcat64]

So having left the red to cure for a day or so I cleaned up the ropier parts of the paint job and went for some gloss.

First time using this having seen the results in a magazine article a while back and it brushes as well as it sprays and dries nice and quick. Having stunk the house out with the Zero paint I decided that I didn't want to go the 2k route and this is odourless too - clean up with water (or Ultimate cleaner).


So here's the body after a couple of coats


This was then masked up for the silver window surrounds (and rear trim)


Peeled back the masking and had this to play with


As you can see from the previous shot it was then on to the final(ish) details with grilles and headlights fitted at the front - I had intended to mark the edge of the headlight glass but forgot Hmmm... that main grille could do with a little neatening methinks...


Down the back the rear light clusters and badges were added


I was slightly surprised that there was no colour call outs for the rear lights but having done a bit of research that appears to be correct


It seems the lights only show the colour when active - presumably the way the LEDs work


Side grilles, trim and wing mirrors were added just in case I needed something else to knock off later and the glass was also installed. I was doing ok until I managed to drop a blob of CA onto the windscreen - this has mostly polished out but it's still a little hazy from certain angles so I may revisit that with more polish to try and tidy it up. Panel lines have been picked out with Tamiya black panel line wash as well.


Then the body was added to the chassis and secured by the screw provided.


You might have noticed that the bonnet is missing - that's because butter-fingers here screwed up the surface of the paint so it's gone in for a respray and hopefully will get the colour to match All being well I'll have this one finished off later this week.

Thanks as always for looking

[Twokidsnosleep]

That looks good, definitely the right call on the tail lights
Once you do a 2k clear for an auto, you won’t want anything else
If you stay with the modelling brand versions, wear a mask and either spray outside or with a booth, You are fine.
The Gauzy is nice, but doesn’t go down as smooth. I don’t touch my 2k clear after it is sprayed, just a polish, no cut back bs or anything

Besides...

[jmurphy18]

This is looking good Neil! I have to spray outside in the garage as my wife cannot take the smell and I value my life
Best of luck and understand on the stick fingers

[Hawkmoon]

Nicely done and looking good

[Tomcat64]

That looks good, definitely the right call on the tail lights
Once you do a 2k clear for an auto, you won’t want anything else
If you stay with the modelling brand versions, wear a mask and either spray outside or with a booth, You are fine.
The Gauzy is nice, but doesn’t go down as smooth. I don’t touch my 2k clear after it is sprayed, just a polish, no cut back bs or anything

Besides...

This is looking good Neil! I have to spray outside in the garage as my wife cannot take the smell and I value my life
Best of luck and understand on the stick fingers

Nicely done and looking good

Thanks guys

I might have a go with the 2k at some point but for now I'm spraying in the house (garage is full of junk & really dusty) so don't want to suffocate the wife & cats even with the spray booth on. First thing I need to do is sort out why the hell my spraying technique has gone to pot and ending up with a rough finish in places... I suspect it's a lack of patience and hosing.

[Tomcat64]

I think we're there... the bonnet has been resprayed; the detail set included a nice inner liner but unfortunately the bonnet wouldn't shut with it in place so I've just gone for a matte black underside as it'll be shut most of time - aka couldn't be arsed to sand it all down to get it to fit at this point...


So grilles and badges are fitted. The colour isn't quite the right shade - it's just a touch darker but I'll live with it as any further fettling will end in wreckage


So here it is all finished up


Rear plate was painted with several coats of Ultimate white primer and then decalled up before using CA to put it in place


And I appear to have a Toro Red DBS


I'll get the grown up camera out later to take some shots for the official reveal.

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to look and offer advice and encouragement - it's all be very much appreciated.

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes cracking result Neil