LongCatisReal

Very nice ff-03 build & the most special part for me is that you got the original 54239 stabilizer set.

Final results. It is all covered with PS-55 I used XF-85 for the bumper & trim parts but there are not visible that good after the PS layer. Most of the body is done with PS-5 and on top of it brushed with TS black and XF-85 for the trims. To be fair I am very happy with the result as I put a ton of glue and time in this body but there are many spots where I am not happy but just cannot put too much time in it anymore. I did found a new in box FF-01 vr6 set on a second hand site so there is a change I might buy and build the real deal later on. As for now only thing left are creating running lights and that it for the vr6 body.

I also got to rebuild the TL-01 also a very practical chassis for its time and in really good condition only added new rubbers and removed servo speed controller.

So lets start with the list : Repolishing windows with smaller tools 'great results' only cons rear window will need a harder buff / but it comes with a risk to deform it if it gets too hot so its a no go After that I found a suitable damper set for my ff-03 ( for outside runs ) I do not wanna damage the TRF Damper set. The body has been sanded again on the areas it needed and reworking ( for example creating the lines of the bumper in the front left corner ) Redid the body holes as I ( again ) did not get it correct first time. The rear of the body does have more flex inward if I say it correct but I have added some stronger points with glue and reinforcing tape so the body does not pull weird ( the sides budging outward is fixed a little for no ) Only thing I want to make is a inbuild mudflap for the wheels so the inside will stay nice ( there will be a pov camera from the inside ) I still need to swap the front steering set for upgrade/carbon and alu as there is too much slop in front.

I am happy with the results. Windows are still not perfect other than the front window. There are still small areas that might need a good sanding down. Best I can do now is to leave it to cure / dry completely, the paint is unevenly structured ( because of the weather ) so some areas look matte while some look shiny. I will leave it for 24/48 hours and then give the body a good twist and maybe few taps to see how it all holds up. What really bothers me is the following : Rear wheels are close to back bumper, leaving an unusual gap in front area & the sides bulging out ( I have had this issue with a off brand body where the structure is not that great and the sides would pop out more ) Other then that I will try and create light buckets for the car and see if I can get that sorted.

Thank you, I have been creative all my life so restoring something is always an option. In this case it's a classic car body you cannot find easily. If the restore would be 100% with no marks or faults I would not dare to use it and even sell it off maybe, but in this case I think it will be a nice addition to my ff-03(now ff-03s )

It is not perfect, I can repeat the process of adding material and sanding down. I think I will try and find some matte ps paint of finish for the bumper parts. The results are approximately 2 thick layers of ps-5

Most bits are filed down, or used a dremel for the heavy works and finally sanded down with 1500 for a smooth surface. It will not be perfect ( still testing and checking results ) it would be a waste to buy everything to fix it, but in my case I had 4 spray cans left ( ps-1 ps-5 ) The only thing I want to buy for this is some 3d stickers ( for the lights ) and matte ps spray as these will be used for the bumper parts ( maybe also window trims )

Adding material / sanding / polishing 'windows' etc Rear window was sanded down and polished ( it is still not as good as front or sides but acceptable ) there is not much material to work with Many spots are added and raised with uv glue ( pretty fun stuff, going to snap 100% if you hit the body ) I used light coat Tamiya PS-1 to act as a cover to display the lines and bad spots ( this could be a crack or uneven filled area as its transparent ) The raised spots are reinforcing cement ( as I sanded it all down ) its too flexible/soft on the outside. Sanded state Front corner has the most material added, so either this will survive everything or will be the first spot to completely break off the body. The more I try to fix, the less I think I will take it out ( if all goes well )

Sanding down the correct shapes/contours from outside with uv glue It still needs work as the alignment of the rear is not perfect ( you can see I closed the body holes in the back ) the glue looks like a miracle ( it has flex but is like glass ) Please mind that the angle does make it look good but the rear bumper is too close to the wheels ( just scraping or 1mm ) I did everything I could with the ff-03 to L / M / S but still cannot find a sweet spot. Is it possible that the body fit a ff-01 better then my ff-03 ? ( I feel like my body posts are crooked ) And the box underneath is a complete original TL-01 I bought today ( missing body only ) I think finding the original body with stickers is going to be the hardest part ...

If anyone is looking a good glue to close off holes / body post holes in their body I would say this is the way to go. I just added tape from the inside on 3 holes behind my golf vr6 body and filled/dripped from the top and put the uv on. Sand it down and add again if more is needed. Really good stuff, and it stays transparent.

Got me the following done lately Paint body lightly where needed to see what areas need fixing or adding material to. Try out tamiya cement ( too soft ) not the one on the picture Try out epoxy for plastics ( a bit harder ) Try out uv hardened glue set ( hard like lexan can be used to even fill a body post hole ) this means I can also fix my opel vectra body holes as mine are not evenly drilled I fear. Cleaned up also old black glue that was behind the taillight corner The green areas that light up under uv is the epoxy glue glowing. I feel like this body can be rebuild really good now ( if those parts do hold up ) When this is done I will be picking the colors. ( I do want the bumper and plastic trims to be black so doing the car completely black will hide those details.

Yesterday I was unable to find me some good filler for the holes so I ordered some transparent epoxy ( hopefully this will do the job ) The last big bit I have finished is the spoiler / window area. The spoiler holds most of the lexan and the rear window is the thinnest piece of lexan you can find on this model, I have filled the gap with reinforcing cement and added fiber to hold it. If the epoxy arrives I can fill the gap ( the spoiler ) and it will have a strong hold on the rear window, finally giving me the chance to buff / sand that rear window. This should be the final bit of completing the body / holes , when this is done I will paint the body white so it will have a base layer of PS paint.

The body can be considered done. I will look for some type of bondo or epoxy for the small holes ( there are few on bumper / corners / licence plate area etc ) The original parts were like a puzzle and missing bits like explained before, I am unable to post some pics as I get a -200 error. The lower part of the front bumper was cut clean so I could insert a strip of lexan ( first pic ) and a flat one later below that. It looks good enough for me now, after bondo/filler and paint we will see if any more details are needed. The cutout of the original golf can be seen under and I used that one as a reference for the body shape