1956 Ferrari 290 MM (Mille Miglia) in 1/43 scale

[ismaelg]

Hello,

   A good friend of mine sent me this:
It is an all metal, 1/43 scale, 1956 Ferrari 290 MM. 
My understanding is that Ferrari built only 4 of these cars in 1956. It was designed to compete in the Italian Mille Miglia (1,000 miles) race.
Eugenio Castellotti won the race in one.  Juan Manuel Fangio finished 4th in another 290 MM.  All top five were Ferraris.

Back to the model: It is a F.D.S. Automodelli made in Napoli Italy.  No idea on when it was manufactured as there are no dates anywhere. By the look of the information sheet, it must be several decades old.  Could not find any info on this manufacturer but it seems it is no longer in business. 
No instructions needed as there are only 4 parts not counting wheels and tires: Body, chassis/interior, steering wheel and shifter.  That's it.
It is a humble simple kit. Perfect for a fun project. Not some contest contender or anything like that, which I don't like anyways.

Still debating whether to do Fangio's or Castellotti's car.

Thanks,
Ismael

[Gramps46]

Looks like a pretty well detailed casting.  Should be a fun build.

[Pierre Rivard]

And knowing Ismael is on this job for sure plenty of eye candy will be added to these 4 parts

[ismaelg]

Hello,

Thank you guys!

  Removed mold lines.  Turns out the metal is very soft.  Probably softer than plastic.  The panel lines are almost non existent. tried to deepen them but there is basically no groove to follow. 
Cleaned and lightly polished and sanded the body. This will be a bigger challenge than I thought. The casting is very porous and rough. This will take a lot of bodywork to fix.



















Thanks,
Ismael

Edited March 12, 2023 by ismaelg

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  Just as I suspected. A light mist coat of self etching primer and the panel lines are already disappearing while the porosity is yelling.


 

 

By now you should all be aware I'm not normal  
Repeat with me: PPSRQR
Putty
Primer
Sanding
Rescribing
Question your mental health state
Repeat

After 3 or 4 cycles we are here. A long way to go but going in the right direction.






Thanks,
Ismael

Edited March 12, 2023 by ismaelg

[Pierre Rivard]

Dedicated, resolved, resilient, committed, passionate, patient, stubborn.

Yup, this is not gonna be easy man!

 

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  Looking at references, there are a lot of little details that are wrong.  In their defense, this was probably mastered half a century ago with little access to reference material or the real car.

  Can you tell what has been eliminated, what has been re-scribed and what has been newly scribed?



Let me help you:  



Lost count but this is probably the 10th round.

Thanks,
Ismael

[Gramps46]

LOOKING GOOD

 

[Pierre Rivard]

REALLY GOOD!

[Belugawrx]

Wow you certainly are knocking those pitted areas down well?

[gbtr6]

Yeah, FDS are not really great quality. Same or worse with John Day. Great progress and they can be made to look great. A set of BBR wires would dress it up. 

Perry

[Smilesperhour]

These fifties racers are very pretty cars.

 

When I collected diecast I had a couple FDS kits that I bought built. They where charming and even with lower levels of accuracy and detail made me smile.

 

Will follow this for sure

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  The Primer Evaluation Committee has approved this project for next step and has been transferred to the Color Coat Committee for action and further evaluation.



Thanks,
Ismael

[ismaelg]

Hello,

I thought of fluorescent green with sky blue to purple color shift...

After a spectometrical evaluation I found that Corvette Torch Red is over 99% genetically compatible at the molecular level to Ferrari Rosso Corsa in the CMYK color spectrum of visible light under the Hue saturation and brightness characteristics.

Translation: I'm saving my Rosso Corsa for an upcoming Ferrari race car project and Corvette Torch Red is the closest I had.   ?






Let it dry a day or two before deciding if another coat is needed or go straight to masking and painting the yellow nose.

Thanks,
Ismael

[Pierre Rivard]

Amazing what you have done...starting with that porous lump of metal.

[1959scudetto]

This is going to be another spectacular racer, Ismael.

[Scale-Master]

That would have been cast in the early to mid 1980s. 

If you haven't figured it out yet, the material is White Metal.  An alloy of mostly lead with some tin and antimony.  FDS tended to use an alloy heavy on the lead and sometimes not the cleanest at that.  The porosity and dirt are the by products of that.

I used to cast white metal car kits starting in 1980.  FDS was in business then and while one of the early "mainstream" manufacturers, their quality was surpassed by many in that same era.

You're doing a great job with it! 

 

[Belugawrx]

Wow ..you made that lump of concrete into a beautiful body !!