Ferrari F40

[Wendall]

The Brutal F40! The catalyst for a life long love of all things automotive. As a young boy I would spend hours longingly staring at posters and magazine articles, dreaming that one day I would own one...

Well now I do!

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After a bit of research I decided to go for Tamiya's 1/24 kit, apparently its the most accurate body shell and some of the kits from the other manufacturers don't have full engine detail. My plan is to trick it up a bit with a stunning Studio 27 photoetch sheet and a pair of eduard photoetch Sabelt harnesses. I'll also wire and plumb the engine and I'm sure there's still some carbon decal left in the spares box.

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This is officially the most work ever needed to prep a body shell!! While the shape is great, there are loads of imperfections, especially that huge front end which was so ripply it would have looked awful if it was painted. I had to sand every panel flat starting with 240 grit sanding sticks taking it down to 800 grit wet and dry. I reckon about 6 hours went into it and now it looks pretty presentable. The floor pan was also sanded and ejector pin marks filled. Another hour should finish the floor.

Then I spotted this...

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So the rear wing air intake should be molded into the body but Tamiya have molded part of it on the side windows. The instructions say to paint the bottom of the window body colour but you'd end up with a horrible join when it was assembled. Out with the blades! I'm thinking strengthen it up with a bit of styrene, a skim of filler and Bobs yer Uncle!!

That's all for now. Thanks for looking!

Jason

 

[PaulTRose]

look forward to seeing this progress, one of my fave Fezzers too

saw one about three weeks ago, still a head turner

 

[Wendall]

Crikey Paul, I haven't seen one in the flesh for decade or more! They definitely have presence for sure!! Manufacturers did seem to have a knack for building very cool cars in the eighties or is it just my rose tinted glasses???o_O

Anyway, been a lazy boy today, the weather is rubbish so I treated myself to a day off and a bit of modelling so here's a few pics of the engine wearing its Sunday best.

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I do like these photoetch kits. Not sure if they represent good value for money but I don't have many vices.....

The middle pic is supposed to demonstrate the difference between the exhaust before and after it has been drilled out. A trick I picked up on a while ago, an easy improvement and I think it looks quite effective.

Thanks for looking

Jason

 

[CDW]

Looks good Jason, I'm not sure about the cost of pe either but it does make a difference to some models.

Be nice to see this come together .. I'm not a Ferrari fan I'm afraid but still appreciate a good model

There's an f40 along with your usual astons, porche, maserati, jags and chunky nissans in a 'select' car sales place near fort kinnaird up here, been there ages surprisingly, I through they were sought after.

 

[Polux]

Looking very good so far!

Will follow this one...remember me a TV series when i was more younger.

Miami, a white F40 and Don Johnson...

 

[Plastickitbasher]

Jason

Great start I'll be watching this one

 

[John Huggins]

You have my attention Jason, very good start. :rolleyes:

John

 

[Wendall]

Looks good Jason, I'm not sure about the cost of pe either but it does make a difference to some models.Be nice to see this come together .. I'm not a Ferrari fan I'm afraid but still appreciate a good model

There's an f40 along with your usual astons, porche, maserati, jags and chunky nissans in a 'select' car sales place near fort kinnaird up here, been there ages surprisingly, I through they were sought after.

How much do they want for it Colin? I wonder if I could re-mortgage without her indoors finding out hmmm...

Thanks for the comments chaps, nice to have you along for the ride.

Quick update. Got all of the wiring details measured drilled and mocked up. Should make for a straight forward rebuild once its all painted.

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Thanks

Jason

 

[Wendall]

Crikey! I didn't realize it had been so long since I got anything done on this one.

Body painted and first flat and polish, won't wax it until its all fitted together.

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Thanks for looking, I'll try to get a bit of a move on but I'm not too fond of working in the poor light this time of year.

Jason

 

[John Huggins]

Looking good Jason, nice paint job very smooth, i'll be watching the rest of this one & pick up some tips.

John

 

[Wendall]

A couple of quick update piccies. I am getting hardly any cave time at the moment but I managed to sneak a few hours on the weekend.

Front suspension and brakes are on, the engine is almost finished and a start has been made on the interior. Here it is assembled to check the fit on the engine cover. I'm happy with the way it lines up now. The engine is back out now ready for a oil wash and some heat staining on the pipes. Most of the other parts are painted now so hopefully it'll be a smooth ride to the finish. It would be nice to have a clear workbench ready for the start of next year.

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Thanks for looking

Jason

 

[Plastickitbasher]

Looking fantastic, you're almost there the finish line is in sight...

 

[Thunderbird]

Looks great!

 

[John Huggins]

Outstanding work Jason ace paint job.

John

 

[Polux]

Looking very, very good Jason.

You are doing justice at this Ferrari!