Ihor Meden

I managed to cut out, clean up, and test-fit all the parts from the runners. Don't let the part count fool you—there aren't a crazy amount of pieces, but a lot of them are massive and really complicated.

The plan and next steps:

• Sanding: Because the parts are big and packed with tiny molded mechanical details, getting a sanding stick into all those tight corners to clean up the mold lines is a real test of patience.
• Tight Joints: Out of the box, the ABS and PS plastic joints fit very tightly. Since I still have to prime, paint, and clear coat everything, that extra paint layer will make things even tighter. I'm lightly sanding down some of the pegs now so nothing snaps or scrapes later.
• Planning the Build: Right now, I'm analyzing the parts to plan out my sub-assemblies. Since I am sticking to the default colors, I need to figure out the best way to mask everything. The kit has a lot of tricky color separation in every part. Planning how to paint these chunks separately now will save me a ton of masking headaches later(I hope) I'm also mapping out exactly which parts will get covered with carbon fiber decals.