sjordan2 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Don't know how helpful this stuff will be at this stage. I can probably come up with pictures of any details/parts you need to know about. Llterally any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) ...actually, Skip... the steering wheel. Is the kit part a really bulky attempt at a Nardi, or did some of them really have that much more 3D triangular hub and spoke set up...? And do any of your pics show the firewall equipment without the engine in the way? bestest, M. Edited March 1, 2013 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) I'll have to search for any firewall shots. The kit steering wheel is pitiful, isn't it? I'd go for a PE Nardi. Bear in mind that the wheel spokes bend forward from the hub. Edited March 1, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) Random additions... This is the best I could find of the firewall. Note the two red coils mounted at top left. This is a nice touch found on many but not all models -- a Ferrari-style kickplate at the bottom of the door. Typical headliner, this showing blue-tinted glass visors. A traditional European touch. I might add, as you can see from the kit, that another visible difference of the GTi from the original 3500GT is the addition of a vent window for the rear seat passengers. One more annoying thought: If you're going to have open mesh on the grille, you might want to add the famous fluted Maserati air horns, mounted on the front of the left side of the radiator and pointing down. Okay, time for less from me and more model building. Edited March 1, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) BTW... have you seen the JayLenosGarage 3500 GT "barn find" restoration blogs? I've watched the first one, but some glitch is taking me to a Daimler Sp250 Dart restoration for the other two... bestest, M. Edited March 1, 2013 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) I've been thinking about the rear valance and the chassis/body build up. The main issue is the boot liner, at the back of the cabin moulding. Looking at it, though, and trying a quick test fit, I think it should be possible to slot the cabin interior in place and THEN plug in the chassis frame below it. I think you can get the cabin up into the body and slide it back, and then sneak the rear frame onto its mounts under the rear skirt. With the opening doors and boot lid, you've got plenty of access for fiddling the two big assemblies to align them... you could even add the front seats from outside afterwards, if needed... bestest, M. Edited March 2, 2013 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Sounds tricky inside the trunk (boot). There's the gasoline filler neck to deal with, and a separate door panel at the right rear fender for the battery (battery not included ) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Is this close to the color you described? Looks great. Breathlessly awaiting further progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 (edited) ...and as if by magic... Yep... that's the colour I'm aiming for. Sorry it's been a while since the last update -- I've been travelling away from the bench all week... Anyway... I finished a few details, and have got to the stage when I can try a first coat of primer to see how it looks (and what needs fixing...) There's obviously some filling, sanding and repriming to do here and there, but overall, I'm pretty happy. As you can see, I've fitted the rear valance. I figured out that you can get the interior in and then fit the chassis in at the front and finally join the two, which means that you don't need to put the whole thing in as a unit and fit the valance last. I think I can get a much better finish on the back end by doing it this way, with the valance seamlessly blended before painting. Not quite seamless yet, obviously, but getting there. The other main details are proper "scoops" over the engine bay vents, the windscreen trim, and fixing some odd damage at the rear lights. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I added a thin strip of plastic card to the moulded ridge, and then built up and blended it using superglue + micro balloons, because I thought it would be structurally tougher than plastic putty, but still easy to sand and shape. It'll need a smear of regular putty to deal with a few imperfections, but you can see that there's now a decent, and thin, lip for the grille to hide behind. Skip pointed out earlier that there's actually a gap between the windscreen and door chrome trim on the A-pillar, so I scribed and sanded one to give me something to work on with the BMF. I think that minimising the "weight" of the chrome on the kit will be key to achieving the elegant look of the real thing, especially on the door windows. And finally, an odd one. On my kit, the outside lower edge of the rear light "oval" was misshaped on both sides -- almost as though it was "torn" outward. It's near the worst mould seam on the kit, between the light clusters and the boot opening, so I suspect it's something to do with the way the mould opens to eject the body... Anyway, once again out with the microballoons and superglue. Still not perfect, but much improved. Next task is to hit those areas that these photos have highlighted as needing some more attention with the plastic putty, as well as a few more I haven't shown you (mostly front end seams...). I'm hopeful that she'll be shiny and red by the end of the weekend... bestest, M. Edited March 8, 2013 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 (edited) Awesome stuff, especially the louver at the side air vents. Perfect. And yes, the openings for the taillights are really nasty and take a lot of work, both on the Aurora and Monogram issues, which are identical except for molded body color. One note...would you kill me if I said the revised roof line at the windshield comes forward too much ( a bit too square at the front corners)? Maybe somewhere between this and the kit? Not a big deal, though. The revised nose and other alterations already make this head and shoulders beyond any other build of this kit -- and believe me, I have looked far and wide to find an accurate build. The best box-stock build I've found is impressive, but lacks this authenticity. Edited March 8, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Fun to watch this one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Matt, I'm really enjoying this build. This is one of my "someday" models and it's really interesting to see an accurized version taking shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeBee Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Your doing some fine work on this build, and it shows, beautiful work ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Thanks, guys! OK... not shiny and red. I decided it was definitely better to get everything fitting properly BEFORE I painted it! The bonnet and boot have some issues -- the boot at the sides, and the bonnet at the windscreen end. And there's some serious gappage around the doors at the "shoulder". I also decided that the rear lights as provided in the kit are pretty irredeemable. There's an entirely different style with a one-piece coloured plastic light unit which has a chrome "hood". It seems quite common, so I'll go for that instead -- I made a similar set-up for the DB4GT, so I know that it can be done, and how... Time to break out the plastic card. I think for problems like this, plastic card and liquid cement is the best answer -- any kind of filler will just fall off, and the styrene is exactly as hard as the plastic of the kit part for easier sanding. Some time later... I fixed the hinge parts to be a little more realistic (not perfect scale, but not a toy, either). In case you were wondering about the colour, here it is in sunlight: There 's a fine, light, metal flake in there, which isn't so obvious behind the dust and reflections in this pic, mind... And finally, here's where I am this evening: I have test fitted the doors, boot etc before committing to primer. There are a couple of bit son the boot and one door that will need cleaning up, filling, and re-priming, but I think that'll be about it. bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Rosso Brunello Micalizzato going on. Nice colour, eh? You can just about see the "mica" in it... definitely slightly pearlescent in the flesh. Time for the 2K clear now... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) Great color - can't wait to see it shine. All the work you put into the nose is really starting to pay off. PS: Are you going to paint the insides of the body? A lot will show inside the trunk and engine compartment (should be matte black). Edited March 12, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) ...certainly am. I just tend to do it with a brush and some Humbrol matt enamel after the outside is done. It's easier than masking against overspray, whichever way round you do it... bestest, M. Edited March 12, 2013 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr moto Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Wow! Great thread and a great looking build. I have an old Aurora kit (blue plastic version) of this car that I've been preparing to build so I'll study this with great interest. I think my solution for dealing with Aurora's horrible wire wheels will to be to replace them with a resin set of Minilites - not factory correct but the sort of thing a trendy owner might have done in the 60's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks! If you're going to buy resin wheels anyway, something like the Renaissance Campagnolos (for the Ferrari 275) with a dish hubcap would look pretty much like the factory options... ... and here we go with the shiny: There are a couple of areas on the body that'll need a bit of a polish, but that can wait a few days until this stuff has set thoroughly hard. You can see the brownish tint to the red here, though. Rectangular grille etch arrived today (along with a Nardi steering wheel) As you can see, the basic mesh turns out to be far too big. However, gluing two pieces together with an offset doesn't look too bad. I'll keep an eye open for something better, but if I can't find it, I think this looks OK... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalemodelworld Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Sadly, I've come in late on this build, but it looks fantastic. Love the attention to detail. Can't wait to see the finished product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Hey, Matt -- check your forum mail for PMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Here's something I have NOT been looking forward to... This Maserati is a GTi, it appears, with fuel injection. And two plugs per cylinder. And a duct for the wiring. So, armed with some more excellent reference material courtesy of Skip Jordan, we begin. No way can I drill a distributor cap for 12 wires, so I used a piece of electric flex with the insulation cut back to leave twelve wires (with some superglue at the bottom to hold them in). These are glued into the widened end of some aluminium tube, which I then drilled for the individual plug wires. Those wires are fixed into holes drilled into the the plug locations in the cylinder head. Then I drilled the fuel injection system for some more shiny wires for the injector tubes. The end result after some cursing. There's a whole lot of touch-up and detail painting to do, but this is as good as I can manage (no tiny hose clamps for this cack-handed modeller!). And yes, those injection tubes really are a mare's nest like that on the real thing... I wonder if it's something to do with having the same length for each tube, despite some cylinders being much closer to the unit than others. bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) Un-bloody-believable. I would never attempt the injector tubes, which you have totally nailed. This is 1/25 scale, and the engine is slightly underscale, so most watchers won't have a clue what's involved here. All of these parts are MUCH smaller than the photos would indicate. The engine block and valve covers, for example, are exactly 1" long. This is one for the ages. The distributor wiring is a work of great art and bravery, and everything here on the engine is better than has ever been done before. Stand in awe. This is the only kit of this car that exists, and so far you will never see a better build of it in your lifetime. Edited March 19, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Thanks, Skip... I'm a bit scared of living up to the billing, now! And today, I finally made it through the snow out to the workbench... Something else I haven't been looking forward to: Not the greatest pictures (the lighting seemed to confuse the camera), but you can see the effect. I've removed the trident from the original one-piece kit grille, which of course doesn't fit the reshaped nose. A combination of Humbrol polished chrome spray and BMF does the rest. The engine with that detail painting and the last bits attached. Citadel metallics blended in various proportions for those details... I think, looking out the window, that progress will be slow the next few days... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 It just gets better and better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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