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Updating a 2002 Honda Rc212v Repsol Motogp bike

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I have never been really happy with this model, so I am going to update it. I have decided on Daijiro Kato's RCV from 2002 which he rode for a couple of races at the end of the 2002 season. I have had to order the decal kit from Japan which should be here in a couple of weeks.

This is the model with all of the bodywork removed.

I have also had to order the correct paint which is flourescent red and aluminium silver, I have ordered these in spray cans. While I am waiting for these to arrive, I have loads to do in preparing the model, which I will do next.

Firstly I have to prepare the bodywork for repainting. Using a sharp blade I removed the old decals and most of the paint, then finished by lightly sanding any areas that still had paint on. Below is a picture part way through this process.

Once this was done, I washed all the parts to remove any dust then dried it prior to applying primer. The primer I used was a surface primer that I ordered, it is really good for filling any small blemishes and provides a good base for the top coat to key into.

I then lightly sanded the parts again and then re-washed them. Below is a picture of the primed parts.

I them painted the parts with the main gloss coat, in this case silver and flourescent red. I used an old box, cocktail sticks and blu-tack to make it easier to hold each part when painting and to use as a stand when drying. Below are some pictures of this.

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Once these parts were dry, I masked off any areas that needed painting red, and also repainted the wheels black.

Once the wheels were dry, I applied the wheel rim decals, re-attached the brake discs etc and refitted them into the bike.

I then began to apply the decals to the bodywork and then lacquer the parts to protect the decals and also give a high gloss finish. Once this was dry I used a fine polishing compound on the body panels to really finish them off.

Once finished I fitted the body panels to the bike. First to fit was the fuel tank and seat unit.

I then fitted the remaining bodywork.

Below are some pictures of the finished model.

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