JohnnyK

Update March 3, 2021 Nine headers installed so far. Just three more to go.

HI, Go here to purchase the bolts: https://model-motorcars.myshopify.com/collections/small-parts-hardware I use 1.2mm x 6mm and 1.0mm x 3mm stainless steel bolts. They are too long so I cut them with some old nippers. I put my hand into a plastic bag when I cut the bolt so that the bolt doesn't go flying into outer space, First I cut the plastic bolt heads off with the same nippers that I use to cut parts from a fret. Then I drill a hole to accept the metal bolt. I use super glue to hold the metal bolts in place. You mentioned that you have some concerns about starting this kit. Is this your first 1/12 scale kit? Building a 1/12 scale kit is way different than building a 1/24 scale kit. I am a retired architect so I tend to be obssessed with details which is why I like these big scale kits. I would think that if you have been building models for a while you shouldn't have any issues with this kit. Just keep in mind that these kits take a long time to complete.

The second set of headers has been installed. That needs to sit overnight.

The headers (red arrow) have noticeable mold lines that need to be removed. The exhaust pipes are not round in cross section. The exhaust pipe tips are too thick. After removing the mold lines on the headers I placed them in small containers marked with the part numbers to prevent them from getting mixed up. I substituted aluminum tubing for the plastic exhaust pipes. I turned the tube around the end of a small pliers to form the flared tips. Installing the headers, collector and exhaust pipe is no easy task. A third hand, or prehensile tail, would be of great help. The trick is to use a slow setting, sticky glue. This allows you to jiggle the three headers and the collector around in order to get them in the correct alignment. I used red label Testors' glue and put a blob of glue into the flange hole and some glue on the tips of the headers. After a minute or so the plastic became soft and sticky. After I assemble the parts, the sticky glue provided me the time to move the parts around until they were correctly aligned. The glue needs to cure overnight.

First I painted the rear brake housings with Model Master Metallizer Aluminum Plate. After the paint dried I painted it with a clear flat (left ). I didn't like the way that looked so I used Testors' Createfx Acrylic Wash to highlight the molded details. I also replaced the plastic bold heads with metal bolt heads. The transmission, brakes and cooling ducts were added to the engine block. I replaced as many plastic bolt heads with metal bolt heads as possible. All of detailed moldings in the plastic parts were highlighted with a combination of Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color and a thin black wash. The sharp edges of the moldings were highlighted by rubbing them with a lead pencil. Next up is installing the 12 exhaust headers😵

Did they play Tom Sawyer? Gotta' love that drummer!

The spark plug cables and fuel lines have been installed. The tubing used for the fuel lines was soft enough so that there was no kinking. I cut the insulation from a mouse cable into thin rings. The rings were used to organize the cables and fuel lines. Nice and tidy. Instead of a rubber hose I installed a braided oil line that I found in my extra box. I also used photo etched hose clamps.

The fuel lines were attached to the fuel injection distributor using Gator Glue. The tubing is very flexible and tinted a slight yellow. Maybe this is due to it's age.

The engine block was painted with Model Master Metallizer Aluminum Plate. After the paint dried I painted it with a flat clear topcoat. I made a decision early on that this build will look like it has just finished a race. In other words, it will look dirty. I used a combination of a mud colored wash and Testors' Acrylic Wash on the engine block. The bottom of the engine block is dirtier than the top. The washes nicely highlight the molded details.

Those are great tips. I'll keep those in mind.

Note the colors of the fuel injector bodies on the 1:1 car. I used two shades of tan to duplicate the 1:1 car's fuel injector bodies. As Chris mentioned, the fuel injection fuel line nipples are very small and easy to break. The Kit's fuel injector horn are chrome plated. I gave them a wipe with 0000 steel wool to simulate the look of aluminum. The kit includes wires for the the twelve spark plug cables. The result looks like a mess. I cut the insulation from a mouse cable into thin rings. The rings helped to organize the cables.

The engine and transmission have almost 120 parts. This should be fun, so I'll start with the transmission. The transmission is painted a gold color on the 1:1 car. I did a test using Tamiya gold that was over sprayed with a clear flat. I did a test fit and noticed that the joint was open and looked bad. After a few strokes with the sanding stick the joint was nice and tight. A light wash brought out the details of the ribs. I replaced the plastic bolts with stainless steel bolts.

Paper stumps are made from compressed paper. I use them for burnishing Bare Metal Foil and polishing painted surfaces. IMHO, they are superior for burnishing BMF. You can find then at Hobby Lobby in the artist paint section.

Thanks for the info on the brittle plastic parts. I'll keep that in mind during the build.

Stamps????? I didn't mention stamps.

I really like Tamiya's series of 1/12 scale models. Tamiya does an excellent job of engineering and detailing the parts of these kits. It is unfortunate that Tamiya no longer makes these kits. I am sure that the cost of doing the engineering and making the molds for these kits makes these kits unprofitable. The best place to find these kits is on eBay. Here are two of my recent 1/12 scale builds, a Lotus and an Elf six wheeler. The Elf was a challenging build to say the least. This time I'm building the Ferrari 312T. The kit was manufactured in 1975 and it has over 400 beautifully detailed parts. The engine alone has almost 200 parts. I bought the kit on eBay. When I opened the box all the parts were in their original bags. I took a look at the instructions and noticed a slight problem. The instructions are printed in Japanese!! I'll have to look for a set of English instructions on the Internet. This an old kit and the white decals had turned yellow. I'll need to find a set of replacement decals in the Internet. There are a lot of frets in this kit so I marked each fret with masking tape and a black marker. This saves a lot of time searching for the applicable fret while building. Now, onto the build.🙂 I'm going to start with the wheels and tires. The wheels in the kit are grey plastic. On the 1:1 car the wheels came in three styles: the rims and spokes were painted gold, the rims were chrome plates and the spokes were painted gold, the rims were polished aluminum and the spokes were panted gold. I'm going to do the polished rims and gold spokes. The tires that come with the kit are really nice. Soft vinyl with embossed "Goodyear". However, the tires are very shiny, which is not typical of the real thing. I am going to use a brown mud by aqualine. This is a reactivatable acrylic wash. After the wash dries it can be reactivated, or removed, with water. First I dipped my brush into water then into the mud wash. I painted the tread and sidewalls with the wash and then rubbed the wash off using a paper towel. If the wash dries it can be reactivated with water. I do not know if this procedure can be achieved with any other wash, so be careful. The rims were painted with Testors' Model Master Metallizer Aluminum Plate and polished with a paper stump. The spokes were painted with Testors' gold. Note the dirty sidewalls on the tire. I added tire pressure valves; left side, right side marks; and wheel weights. For the wheel weights I glued a small piece of plastic to the rim and covered it in Bare Metal Foil to simulate duct tape. Dust tape is used to secure the weights to the rims on the 1:1 cars.

Great job on the interior. Those pedals look fantastic.

I just did some research and you are correct. I never knew that the 289 Cobras had transverse leaf springs. Very strange type of suspension for a modern car. The Model T had a transverse leaf spring front suspension.

Why were transverse leaf springs used in the coupes instead of the coil springs that were used in the roadsters?

I agree. I would leave the scuff mark alone. IMHO, the finish on your model looks too clean. Race cars get dirty, especially when they they run on a course like Le Mans.

Those decals are crazy good. The overall finish is off the chart.

Those lights are just fantastic. Super job!

I continue to get notifications from this forum without a problem.. There is a similar notification problem on the FSM website. I stopped getting notifications from that forum about a year ago. There are other members that continue to get notifications without a problem.

Good luck. IT problems are never easy to fix. Maybe after you find the solution you could share it with the FSM IT staff. I have not received notifications from their website in over a year.