Peterpools Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 Thanks Kai So far all fun and no issues at- now that's the way to travel. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 Thanks Rob It surely isn't a perfect kit, no real issues but could use some refinement in how the parts assemble and in the instructions department. The seat belts and harnesses were a small letdown but the more I think about it, they will hardly be seen so I can let it slide. it's going to be a while before I can paint the body as the contractors are back on the job Monday with a good three weeks of work to door and just way too much dust and construction debris will be airborne. MOst likely I'll start my next build and get a jump on it: Tamiya 1/12 Ferrari 312T and it's the original kit from 1976! Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 I pull out my popcorn Peter, when you start with the Ferrari. One of my next builds will be Tamiya's 1/12 Brabham BT44B, so I'm naturally interested how these big kits go together. Good look with the renovation work, it can be a pain, but this will be forgotten in a while, when you enjoy your 'new' home. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 Hi Rob I started the Ferrari a few days ago as I'm now in a holding pattern for the GT40 until the house construction is finished and hopefully by Sunday I'll have the first update done and on the forum. The Brabham BT44B was reissued in 2021, is still the original kit with new decals and PE and younger plastic. My Ferrari 312T is the original kit, molded in 1976 and no PE or new decals. So far the hardest part of the kit has been deciding how much of the interior portion of the car to display when finished. I'm just blown away how well the kit has gone together and puts a good deal of present day manufactures to shame. Priming and air brushing on the Alclad aluminum to the interior tub today. I'm trying to build the kit as I would have back in 1976 and only adding new finishing products that weren't around then. It's a wonderful trip back down memory lane. I've been keeping an eye open and buying Tamiya's 1/12 scale kits as I find them at a reasonable cost without breaking the modeling budget. Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 Hopefully the decals are still usable on your Ferrari Peter. I see, that there are substitutes available from Tabu, just in case of. My Brabham kit is the 2021 reissue with Cartograph decals, luckily, PE-parts and aluminum cylinder funnels. Tamiya announced to re-release their Renault RE-20 this year and I'm not sure, if I will buy one. I'm not a big friend of those turbo charged monsters of the time. Tiny engines, blown up by turbo power infinitely. I have not the biggest knowledge about the Ferrari, but I think the spoiler, rims and nose wings should be polished aluminum instead of chrome as provided in the kit. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 Rob I'm so glad Papa Tamiya decided to re-release their 1/12 scale kits with upgrades, new decals, aluminum cylinder funnels and PE. Even after all these years, the kits are remarkable. Back in the seventies, I was a huge Formula One fan ... loved the cars and drivers. I'm hoping to keep purchasing the kits as my budget allows and absolutely plan on building all, including the Porsche 935 and 934 IMSA cars as well. Back in the seventies, doing research was a lot more laborious and time consuming as there was not a hint of the forth coming computer age and no internet. You bought books, magazines an d watched the race on TV if it was broadcast. As you, I was suspect of the car actually having any chrome wings and a few other parts as well but as far as I can determine, they actually were chrome and not polished aluminum. I have a few resources I need to check out and then decide how to proceed; thank goodness I have time to do the research and figure out the correct answer. Either way, I plan on removing all the chrome and repainting those parts with the correct Alcald. I've searched on line for AM detail sets and have found a few I will use. My goal is to achieve the highest level display/finished replica I can do - fingers crossed. With the few modeling sessions now under my belt, I can honestly say I have never enjoyed building as much as now. Keep 'em comin Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 Whatever it is you turn your hand to with modelling, you seem to nail it! Awesome progress Peter, you really have some skills! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnB Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 On 3/13/2022 at 4:36 PM, Peterpools said: Finishing the Interior. Still plugging away and learning as I go. The front clip is done. The cockpit is also now complete with the additions of the harnesses and dash. Speaking of harnesses and seatbelts, the ones provided in the kit were tossed in the trash after about a half hour of pure frustration. I just can’t understand why Meng chose to use the felt like material with glue on one side, makes assembling a nightmare. I decided to double up some Tamiya take, cut on my Infinity Cutting Matt (one awesome tool I use nearly every day) and made new belts. I wish I had some textured ribbon but of course I didn’t, so this was the next best choice. They are in, painted and done, painted with Model Air Nato Black for a slight difference of black used for the seats. The non-operating interior door panels hide the floor sill/fuel tanks but what it is, it is: done and finished. The rear cockpit bulkhead/firewall is finished as well and has to be installed after the 427 engine otherwise the front end of the engine will not fit. Here I made another classic mistake and without thinking, glued the intake manifold and cylinder the heads to the engine block and then installed the assembly onto the block. Of course, it didn’t dawn on me for hours, that I forgot to install the headers as I haven’t even painted them yet. Now after painting them with Alclad dark aluminum, getting them glued into place was a bit testy. I struggled for quite some time but managed to installed the headers, the exhausts, carb and the balance of the engine parts. All the remaining parts of the rear suspension was painted and installed and figuring out how this all went together wasn’t the easiest of jobs as the instructions were a huge letdown. Getting the engine installed squarely to the chassis was another fun filled adventure but that’s now done as well. One tip for Meng: a bit more thought on the exhaust would have been welcomed. The exhausts are added as a separate part and the seam at the rear just past the mounting bracket is poor at best. What Meng should have done is mold the ends of the exhaust pipes as a separate part and added last and no seam. I had some fancy and fun filled seam removal to do and then repaint – not the best results but learning how to think ahead. Next up: It’s time to face the music and get to work on the three major parts of the body shell: front clip, rear clip and the bottom of the car. Thanks for checking in Peter Note to self: before photographing - dust and clean the model Outstanding Peter! Extremely well done! 🖕 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Hi Ant Thank you for the very kind words. The GT40 is on a week weeks hold as our contractors are back tomorrow and will need a good two or three weeks to finish up our home renovation. No chance of doing any gloss painting with all the dust from the construction that will be all over the place. I starting to do the initial sub assembly work on my next build: Tamiya 1/12 F1 Ferrari 312T that will at best right now only require primer. Gloss wet coats just aren't in the cards while the construction crews are here. Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifter Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Just brilliant. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Thanks John Just a fun build and no filler ... now how about that. She is on hold for a few weeks now as painting is impossible with the contractors resuming work on Monday. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Drifter Much appreciated Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Peter, I reckon I’ve been living in a different universe recently, this build passed me by completely. My work / life balance is pretty screwed up at present. The 40 is looking amazing, love the subtle colour differentiation of the engine components. Looking forward to the final reveal…… 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 Thanks Phil and very much appreciated. Just glad you're on board for the journey. Right now the GT40 is on hold until \our construction contractor finishes the project in about three weeks time. Just too much dust and construction everything in the air for any paint work especially a gloss finish. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 8, 2022 Author Share Posted May 8, 2022 BACK AND UNDERWAY AGAIN The GT40 was unpacked, back on the bench and the first order of business, if memory serves me correctly (good luck in this department) as to where I left off - somewhere in the neighborhood of finishing priming the body. A good cleaning of the body shell and prepping for priming was the order of the day. My primer of choice for all lacquer paints is MRP Light Gray Primer, straight from the bottle, no issues at all as the primer went down smoothly with no wet sanding being needed. Next up was the Gravity Gulf Blue, straight from the bottle, as with the primer, no issue at all – super smooth and ready for decaling. I decided to try and use the Meng decals at first and there were issues galore, starting with the teardrops over the headlights and front fenders. Micro Set and Sol were completely ineffective, not a chance of softening the decals and conforming to the compound curves - a solid no go. And of course, my Mr Setter and Mr Sol had not yet arrived. I ordered a set of decals for the Meng kit from Michael at Indycals which the following issues and were pointed out on Indycal’s website regarding the Meng decals: “… inaccurate stripes to roundels that are too small …” After carefully cutting each teardrop out (Indycal Decals are silk screened and the carrier film is one solid piece), I went to work on applying the left teardrop which still required a good deal of Mr Setter and Mr Softer to conform to the multiple compound curves of the front clip. Yes, there were still a few small edge wrinkles I couldn’t remove and I had to slice them so very carefully with a #11 blade. My first time using Indycals decals and my first race car, I’m happy to have gotten to this point. Those tiny wrinkles did seem to bother me a bit more each day. The only other issue I did have is the actual color of the teardrop. Meng’s decals are red, the Indycal website shows the model photo with a red teardrop as well and the four-view rendering shows it as orange. The actual color of the Indycal decals were a brownish color, something was amiss, I did a lot of research, discussed this with my brother who knows his stuff and Michael at Indycals; the teardrops should be red. With my original decal purchase from Indycal, I also purchased the tire decals and a mask set for the teadrop – which I should have used in the first place. For me the easiest approach to the problem and removing the two teardrop decals, the Gunz decal solutions seemed to literally glue them to the paint, was to strip the front clip back to bare plastic, re-prime and paint again. Done! A few days later, I used the mask set and painted the teardrops with Gravity Ferrari Red (how ironic) and all is fine. One very important point I learned from Michael is, if a mask set is offered with a decal set, it’s Michael way of saying the best method of applying those markings and the correct color is to paint it on using the mask set. The teardrops look great and the color is correct. Thanks for checking in Peter 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 All these struggles are luckily not visible in the fine result Peter. Bad decals are a pain to work with, but sometimes, it helps to apply a little bit of heat with a hairdryer. Anyway, masking and painting is mostly the better way, specially when you have to do the same cutting for the decals as well. Well she starts to look fast Peter, can't wait for the finish. Cheers Rob 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 Thanks Rob I should have used the masks I bought in the first place and things are now rolling. All I have left to do on the top side decals are the strips behind the rear window and on the rear end and then I'll be starting one of the sides. I've been very impressed with Indycal Decals as they are very then, easy to work with and no bleed through at all. Live an learn and think ahead should be the motto for the build but after such a long time away from the bench, I was itching to get going. Keep 'em comin Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 How’s that new bench riding………..great to see you back, the engine is a jewel….. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 Thanks Phil Feels awesome to be back at the bench in my new headquarters. ---- wow! Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 You are doing a great job Peter. And yes iff you can paint it just paint it. It can be a strugle to mask it but the result is beter that way. Looking forward to see more. Mark 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 Thanks Mark - greatly appreciated. Completely agree that masks and air brushing is a much easier way to go then struggling with decals over compounds curved surfaces. Feeling much better not only on how the teardrops look but also I have the right color as well. Well into decaling and should be ready for an update by the end of the week. Just going slow and enjoying the build. Keep 'em comin Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Peter, great to see you back at the bench. That's a fantastic recovery and glad to hear you persevered through it. I try to use masks as much as possible too. Unfortunately I don't think anyone does them for the Martini Porsche paint job. Decals have often been my arch enemy. Scale Motorsport does some very incredible carbon decal sets but they can be a real pain to apply. You basically paint the body shell semi-gloss black and then everything is a decal. Carl 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 9, 2022 Author Share Posted May 9, 2022 Carl Very much appreciated and it feels so good to be in my new hobby room and back at the bench - all the hard work and time Diane and I invested was so well worth every penny. Completely agree that masks saved the day and allow for so much more flexibility. Did you check out Indycals for the masks you are looking for? Michael has loads of decals for the 935's and a good chance masks as well, as they are shown as separate purchases with the decals. I'm also finding Spot Models another excellent resource for masks and all the carbon fiber. Couldn't find two more different types of modeling venues as aircraft and race cars and I'm find the balance between them to be relaxing and keeps the juices flowing - just never gets dull. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Looks amazing, Peter! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaireckstadt Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Great work, Peter and it’s good to have you back to the bench! I‘m curious to see the next update! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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