SiniCars

Resto & Custom

Mazda MX-6

Being my favourite car manufacturer, Mazda has produced a lot of (real) cars that i would like to own, but simply can´t. The MX-6, a Coupe based on the GE generation of the Capella/626 is one of my top picks.

I had a wish to have this car in small scale - or in any scale that it would have been made - for many years now. The shape of this sleek and elegant coupe is something that fascinated me since the first time i saw it. At the same time, Matchbox has produced the Ford Probe Mk II, which is based on the same platform as the Mazda MX-6. That´s how the idea came to make the MX-6: I had two of these for Probes in my collection, both the same color, one was however slightly playworn and had a bent axle. I´ve drill opened the model to fix the axle and the idea came: Why not re-do it into a MX-6 when i have another Probe casting anyway?

Of course, the die-cast metal body was first drowned into nitro to melt the paint. After this, i realized how different the rooflines of the two cars actually were. This meant that i would need to cut the roof and reposition it to be able to start building a new roof over it. The nose and rear of the car weren´t the same either. At the end of the day i realized that the only part that actually matched was the sideline and door - to a certain grade. Therefore, i cut away every part that was in the way and gave some putty over it.

After the putty hardened completely, i was able to model the new shape of the car. i started with the front. The shape of the car is not really easy to replicate, every new picture of the real car brought me a new surprise and i had to do something over again.

Then the rear came round - this was easier to do.

During the project i decided to go for the 2.5 V6 trim, which includes a factory rear wing. This one was made from my beloved Mustard tube metal and CD tray plastic.

Also from mustard tube metal i made the wheel wells smaller to be closer to the proportions of the real car.

In order to fit the windows and to stick them into the body without leaving nasty stains, i created fake "door panels" and a wiper panel for the windshield. the rear window had no adequate place i could mount a sheet metal on. It would need to be glued precisely.

First test fitting took place with the final choice of the wheels. i borrowed them from my earlier project Mazda 323F Lantis, which in return received a nice set of wheels from a Cararama 1:64 fantasay model. This again received some used HW wheels....

...Okay back to the project:

Then i fitted the front and rear windows, i also tested the side windows but had no possibility to fix them except for glueing them in place, which was no option.

The panels received a coat of flat black enamel paint. This paint does the job when it comes to imitating leather or plastic.

After i was happy with the shapes i sprayed a coat of primer over the body to see where the obvious imperfections were hiding. You have to remove those too obvious things which jump to the eye immediately, he smaller issues are free to stay - after all, it´s a handmade model on its exterior and this includes imperfections.

Another test fitting... i love test fitting. I also added the exhaust pipes to the base. V6 style.

After i was sure i had what ui wanted, i sprayed another coat of primer which confirmed my hopes. There were no major flaws any more - and i mean major flaws - so, no nitpicking please. The paint has dried and i polished it carefully, so it would get a nice shine.

Finally, the tiny details were added - lights painted, windows placed and license plate added. During this process, i decided to change the look of the headlights and make plstic inserts instead of only painted on lights. at the same time, i smoothened some surfaces and drilled a hole into the front bumper. The front became as much detailed as the reat part of the car was. i think it is more balanced now. Et voilá, ready to go - Here are some pictures of the finished model: