34 replies to this topic

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, Marcos! Another quickie, while I wait for decent daylight to take some more progress pictures. It IS possible to get the bonnet/hood on the 599 to close properly. The first thing to do, before painting, is to check the fit, and if it's like mine, heat briefly in the steam from a kettle and flex the left hand front corner downward a little. YMMV, obviously, so keep test fitting until it closes into the recess properly. Then, when the time comes to fit the thing permanently, I've found that first thinning the pins by removing the upper 1/3 or so and then rounding them again with some scraping, and secondly fully rounding the upper ends of the pivot arms, gives enough room for maneouvre when the bonnet is down for it to drop properly in place while still holding it in position...

 

HTH somebody else!

 

bestest,

M.

[Matt Bacon]

Some progress to report tonight:

 

 

The headliner positioned, and painted in matching colours for the interior (it was great to see an internal cabin photo that showed it clearly in Evo.) If you look closely you can also see the trimmed ends of the bonnet supports.

 

 

I'm using the mesh for the grilles, stuck in place with "Serious Glue", which holds them in position from the off, and then if you press them finally into position after a couple of minutes, "persuades" the springy mesh to conform to the curves.... The headlights are painted to replicate the ones on the 599 GTE I spotted in London last week. The lenses are grey shades with a "catch light" as figure painters use for eyeballs... those Xenon's are weird-looking, as I know from my own car.

 

 

I've gone for carbon mirrors, and this is probably the best bit of fake carbon detailing on the whole car, though I say so myself...

 

 

The bonnet doesn't stay UP by itself yet, but you can see that the engine sits in place nicely.

 

 

..and finally a couple on the bench where we are tonight. People may complain that the detailing on this kit is a bit soft or coarse, but the fit and engineering is superb. I think Revell have got their priorities right!

 

bestest,

M.

[Duntov]

Nice work and some very worthwhile techniques to consider...... I like the rubber cement used to mask / build / re-assemble the chassis....  inventive approach for sure...

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, Bill!

 

I'm calling this one done, and will try to do some decent pictures tomorrow, if it's dry enough outside to take them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

bestest,

M.

[Matt Bacon]

Back to the bench now, and continuing with the Daytona...

 

 

The engine is rather nice, and I wish I could wire it better! 0.3mm brass tube for the spark plugs works nicely, but I really need some wire that's a bit tougher but just as flexible as the lead I've used here. Does anyone make 0.25mm PVC or elastic thread in black, red and white?

 

 

Fits in place OK, though getting the engine mounts into position under the exhaust manifolds is a pain!

 

 

Rubber is a bit "tractor tyre", but the wire wheels are pretty good for plastic, and the whole thing fits together very well, with the aid of some silicone "plastic parts" grease (intended for mountain bikes) to stop the wrong bits sticking permanently.

 

 

Engine in situ. The yellow fans are my own idea (instructions say silver), but they liven things up a bit.

 

 

Stance is a bit "nose down". but I think that it's probably prototypical. Let's see how it looks with the body on...

 

 

The underside looks nicely "busy". There's a small (broken) tie rod to put in place on the front suspension, which kinda sums the whole thing up... a nice compromise between detail, scale accuracy and ease of assembly, generally, but it really should have been made in tougher plastic! The distributors have been off a couple of times on each side, because they are just not tough enough when the kit nearly (but not quite) fits perfectly...

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 29 December 2012 - 01:02 PM.

[TimJ]

Great job on the GTO Matt. The Daytona is coming along well too. I have the same kit in an Airfix box so I'll be watching your progress with interest. 

[acmiaz]

Awesome builds!

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, guys!

 

The cabin is well under way, in all its 1970s glory!

 

 

This is just a test fit... much more to do.

 

 

I've started BMFing... the new sheet I have is much harder to handle than the old one -- far more "springy" with a tendency to roll up as your remove it from the backing. A bit at a time, and doing it in several sessions over time is the recipe for keeping your sanity, I find...

 

 

With The Hobbit so see tomorrow afternoon, I doubt I'll quite get this one finished in 2012, but it's heading toward the finishing line now...

 

bestest,

M.

[Matt Bacon]

 

The dash is completely OOB. The dial decals are really good... Revell in particular could learn a lesson here about not leaving wide carrier film borders around their dials so that the don't in fact fit onto the bezels... these went in beautifully!

 

 

A couple of the cabin being assembled. It all fits very nicely.

 

 

Could it be more 1970s? The close-up is a bit unforgiving, especially the painting on the Daytona inserts in the seats, but it looks OK in real life, honest...

 

 

...and finally. Just the brake master cylinder to add before I can fix the chassis together finally. Off camera, work on the BMF continues, as well...

 

bestest,

M.

[Matt Bacon]

Chassis and body finally brought together. This was not easy!

 

 

The reservoir on the brake master cylinder gets in between the front left wheel well liner on the chassis and the top part inside the bonnet area, the drivers side exhaust manifold fouls somewhere I couldn't see, and the fit front and back is dubious to say the best. Anyway, 'tis done now!

 

bestest,

M.

[CJ1971]

Matt, I don't know where you find the time to do all this great work you do?! Your builds are ALWAYS cleanly built, well detailed & executed very sharply! Great work mate.. Seriously!
Your subjects/builds always gain my interest because I have most of these kits ( waiting for me to pull my finger out!! ). My only hope to finish more than 2-3 a year is early retirement?! Besides Mopars, I only like the exotics/Supercars & take keen interest in your WIPs because of the detailing & observations you make while building them, therefore helping the rest of us slow-hands out. Thanks mate, really appreciate that too!
I have a couple of questions...
I have the 599GTO & the Fujimi Daytona ( 365 ) Spyder & I'm wondering whether the 365 coupe is worth shelling out for?? On another note, you don't happen to have the Fujimi 250 GTO ( road car ) do you? I'm looking at getting that too & wondering whether to get it or wait for the, rumored, ROG 250 GTO?? Any help would be grateful.
Cheers Cliff

[johnwitzke]

Cliff, Fujimi has two different Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona kits.  One is the regular Daytona coupe and the other is the Daytona Speciale coupe.  Both are enthusiast kits and are very well detailed.   I have both.  I highly recommend the Fujimi 250 GTO kit.  

I have attached my Fujimi 250 GTO that I have under construction now.  I am building chassis 3505 

Attached Files

•  3505 in primer.jpg   31.92K   1 downloads

Edited by johnwitzke, 04 January 2013 - 04:26 PM.

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks, Cliff and John. This Daytona is actually the Italeri kit (which may once have been a Protar, like some of their other Ferraris. But it may not have been -- it just seems to have a lot in common in terms of design and engineering with a couple of Revell boxes that I have which I'm sure originated with Protar). I'd certainly buy the Fujimi 250 GTO with confidence. I'd also like one of their Daytonas, but be prepared for some work if they are "Enthusiast Model" kits -- my 288 GTO was one of the most fiendish builds I've ever done. It was worth it in the end, but it's SOOO scale-correct that buildability has taken a serious hit...

 

Anyway, last update for this one!

 

 

Here she is on the bench last night. The BMF is punched out for the door locks.

 

 

The bonnet is a PITA. I've had to refix the hinge three times now! If you look closely, you can also see that I've had to shave the pivot end of both the wipers back pretty hard to have a HOPE of the bonnet closing properly. It's not the engine, in this case, it's the wiper arms!

 

 

But it kinda stands up...

 

And finally... to draw this "TwoFer" thread to a close, here are both of the "pair of Ferraris" of the title:

 

 

...more in the Under Glass thread...

 

Thank you for your interest, folks -- it's been a pleasure sharing this build with you all!

 

bestest,

M.

[CJ1971]

Thanks for all the info' Matt! Didn't realize the Daytona was an italeri kit. Either way I'll probably be getting the Fujimi kit to match the Spyder kit I have. Beautiful builds mate. Your attention to detail speaks for itself. Well worth ALL the effort you put in :-)
Cheers Cliff

[lanesteele240]

thanks. im glad u did this build. im about to start my 599 build. u gave me some ideas as to what im getting into and how to fix it.

they both look sweet