Evening all;
Thought I’d post for the first time in this category with my first motorbike build. I’m building Tamiya’s Honda Fireblade!
It’s a lovely bit of kit, and I also picked up the detail-up parts, which mostly focus on the suspension.
Here’s my progress thus far. The engine has been built up, and I’ve done my best to represent something that has been well cleaned and polished after a healthy amount of riding.
I also finished building the frame. I’m experimenting with the use of clear coats on it, basically seeing how glossy of a finish I can achieve. So far, my conclusion is that the formula for mirror finish is x+1, where x is the number of (pre-retarded, of course) clear coats applied to the model.
Progress on the bike is beginning to speed up, so I’m going to post a bit more soon 
-Dennis
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Great to see you join in on the shiny side Dennis, thanks for sharing your build here with us.
Lovely work so far, I will be following and looking forward to updates.
Cheers, D
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Nice start, Dennis! I could be losing it, but at first glance, that image of your frame looked like a black panther! 
—mike
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Looks like a fun build!
I could be losing it, but at first glance, that image of your frame looked like a black panther! 
Your not losing it Mike, I though the same thing… 
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Thanks for the kind replies everyone 
Last night I worked on attaching the frame and engine. As you can see in the following photos, the engine on the Fireblade is actually a structural member of the bike, certainly something you don’t see everyday! The kit gives you little screws and a magnetised screwdriver to attach the various components, which is really nice because the fit of the frame and engine will be far more realistic. Just thinking about it I’m getting Ikea vibes!
Note the attempt at a gloss finish in the second photo.
I also made the rear taillights, the lights themselves being painted by hand.
To cap everything off for this morning, I also built the race stand!
Well, that’s all for now. Be back soon!
-Dennis
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Nice build
I have one in my stash, as well as fork set.
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Good afternoon all;
Apologies for the lack on any progress updates, it took some time to work my way through the stack of assignments I was given at school. Thankfully, it’s a long weekend here in Ontario and that means I got to do some work this morning. As well, if our case count keeps increasing I may be fortunate enough to be locked-down with all my models 
This morning’s work focused primarily on the swing arm and chain.
As can be seen, the assembly primarily focuses on uniting the shock and chain, both of which were represented very nicely by the Tamiya parts. I used their detail-up shock for the rear suspension unit. Like the part in the base kit, it’s a metal spring, but the detail-up part is coated in yellow, which I think will complement the scheme I’m doing quite nicely. I chose to do the “all-black” international paint scheme to really accentuate parts such as the engine and suspension, as I think the tri-colour scheme might make the bike a bit busy and distract from the subtleties of the detailed areas.
Well, that’s all for today. Be back soon (and this time I mean it!)
-Dennis
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Looks really good! The colors are looking perfect!
it took some time to work my way through the stack of assignments I was given at school.
Ah yes, the joys of online school while trying to still have time to build models…
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Morning all!
Well, the Easter Weekend is now over, and it was a productive one indeed. You’ve all seen thus far progress on the engine and swingarm, but now it’s time to see the bike begin to truly take shape.
On Saturday I affixed the rear wheel, and the exhaust system as well.
Note the radiator as well. So from Saturday, I transitioned into working now on the front of the bike, which is where the detail-up parts really came into their own. Check out those forks!!
This build is beginning to speed up, and hopefully I’ll be done this week!
-Dennis
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Well everyone, it is time to show off the finished product. This kit was excellent, really the industry standard. I’ll write a full review on my website and post it here later, but for now here are some photos of the Fireblade. Thanks for following along!
PXL_20210411_143751035|375x500
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That looks really awesome! The colors are perfect!
Now you can start your Pz.IV.
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Very nice work!
Only one thing I would add… “chicken strips” on the tires! 
—mike
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might just have to do that. Thanks!
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Beautiful build Dennis, really neat paintwork and detailing. We haven’t had many motorcycles hit the pages here so this is a very welcome addition!
Cheers, D
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