aurfalien

Oh, it as a very constructive and positive message. Kind of like; one doesn't know the forest until they have walked past all the trees. Hind-sight is an essential component of fore-sight and is all part of the tree of knowledge.

Thank you for the kind and wise words Shaman Xingu, much appreciated.

Thank you! You are being kind and generous as many here are.

Hi, This project was both a lot of fun and a total nightmare. It was the latter for 3 reasons which I will never ever repeat again. In fact, I feel these ruined the true potential of this lovely kit. 1) I did not test fit or pre assemble anything. This led to MANY fit issues during and after final paint. Not to mention finger prints, rubbed off paint, glue spots etc... 2) I tried to fix a botched paint job. The Vallejo flat with there satin varnish hides a lot but next time if there is a questionable paint job, I will strip down to the plastic and start over. 3) I used a matte finish type of decal paper which looks great, but absorbs moisture. So when spraying satin clear coat, it darkened the decal in spots. Next time I'll use shiny Testors decal paper which seems less likely to absorb moisture. A few tips to those thinking about getting this particular kit being the Fujimi F40LM kit # 12105. It seems kinda hard to find and is worth the search. However very similar are kits #123080, #HR-19 and #RS-114. 1) The glass is persnickety so cut it in 3 sections; front and sides for easier placement. 2) I felt the 17" wheels where a bit under sized so look for 18" Work Meister S1 from Aoshima or Scale Production. The Fujimi 18" OZ Racing Futura also looks like a nice fit. 3) The kit wasn't well engineered in terms of certain parts simply being attached w/o any physical guides etc... so just be aware of this. At any rate I learned a hell of a lot and may leave it alone or strip down for a latter revisit. And lastly, I'm very happy that it's finished!

Hi, I went ahead and bought some very inexpensive aluminum shim stock at .005" thick. Soda cans seem to have a plastic coating on one side and while there are bare spots on the outside, graphics cover most of the can. The shim stock seemed a cleaner approach.

Hi monsignor AFX, That Lancia Beta kit would be entirely too nice to butcher. I would feel it a terrible sin in doing so.

Hi, I'm really happy with these although flawed by the very high standards here. The one by itself with the turbo is for an in progress prototype Chaparral 2D Spyder. The Porsche engine is very special to me as it was part of my very first build.

Hi, Good point monsignor Ace Seems as though my first thought about using a 935-77 may be a better one as its nose doesn't drop nearly as much.

Hi, So after much research and just plain staring at photos, I've come to the conclusion that a Tamiya 935-78 is the best candidate for this, of which I've a few in my stash. Even though it's a modded 308, seems like a Hasegawa 328 would be a better candidate. Plus the left over parts would be really nice for other tasks. I've looked at both the Testors and Revell 308 kits and they just don't seem very good. As for wheels, I was thinking these, but add some depth to the rears;

Hi and thank you sir!

Hi, Looks like only the 308 or 328 would do. I'll keep my eye out for a junker.

Hi, Very very true. There is this POS Revell 308 that I may scoop up. Good point on the Fujimi 288 as its real nice. However i do have this Fujimi Ferrari 512BB body lying around, Let me compare it's roof line to a Tilt 308GTB I just got. The Tilt kit is a killer body indeed.

Hi, I was looking a bit more at different angles and the roof line gives it away as being a Ferrari 308. Actually the Fujimi 288 looks like the best candidate as Revells 308 looks sorta bad. Swapping front end including front fenders and rear end including rear fenders with a Porsche 935-77 seems like the best option. I've an Italeri 935-77 for just such an episode. I also have an Aoshima 935-77 as well but will butcher the Italeri instead.

Hi and thank you sir.

Hi and MANY thanks for the input. That's very interesting about the 935 front end, would that be a 935/77 or 935/78? I'm thinking using the front end and fenders off a 935/77, sound better? That Celica looks hot, but I'm still a newbie and feel no matter what I do, it would still look like a Celica.

Hi, Your subject matter and builds are super cool. This one is very nice!

Hi all, Thinking of building this, what a beauty. Was thinking of using a Fujimi 288 or a Revell 308 as a base and scratch building the rest. However looking at the Monogram Motorsport IMSA Mustang, it seems like I can graft the fenders/front air dam and reshape them a bit. What are your thoughts?

Hi, Still no reviews? No love for the gofer?

Hi, Yes quite a fantastic gathering of ppl I might add. Unique in an age of RSS feed responses and rather rude and belligerent forums else where. Unsure if the members here know just how much they are valued and appreciated. I love it here.

Hi, Yes I have a pair of scissors and an old steak knife to test on. Not to mention some old Exactos. Will be fun.

Hi and thank you sir.

Hi and MANY thanks. I'm assuming the preferred method is to avoid burrs? And when you say into the edge, it would be like this;

Hi and thank you sir. I'll aim for > 1000 grit then.

Hi, Well, my tools are sort of expensive and I'm the kind of person that would rather not throw things out. Different strokes I suppose.

Hi, I'd like to touch up my various sprue cutters, small scissors etc... and was contemplating a small diamond based whetstone at 400 and 1000 grit. What do you all use to sharpen your various scale model building tools? Thoughts/opinions are very welcome.