jaymcminn

I recently finished a build of the Italeri Ferrari 250GT that absolutely fell into this category. It languished in the box for years because I couldn't decide between a racing or street car, what color combination, etc. I wanted to get it right because it's unlikely I'll get my grubby mitts on another one anytime soon! Finally I started getting into "preservation class" cars and everything clicked. I built it as a resurrected barn find "gentleman's racer" and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I'd rather wait for inspiration to hit than build something out of some obligation to get it on the shelf in a timely manner.

Dang Andrew, I somehow missed that this long strange trip had reached its conclusion. Every bit of the extra work you put into this replica shows!

Got mine on Saturday, placed the order right before I started this thread on November 2.

That duct technique is ingenious. Going to have to remember that... I might even try it with heat shrink tubing!

Great color and nicely applied!

Sorry, this pic was actually to point out the taillights...the body color is Tamiya Mica Red over pink primer. I masked the clear section of the taillights and then airbrushed the orange. Probably about 5 thin coats. I then let it dry for a couple of days, masked off the orange areas and then hit it with the red. The orange provided a nice base coat for the red to grab onto and it only took about 3 coats to get the color I wanted.

Tamiya LP lacquer clears thinned with Mr. Leveling Thinner are fantastic for airbrushing. It takes multiple coats to build up the color but the results are excellent.

Bodywork is done except for some fragile detail bits that will go on in final assembly. The headlight and taillight buckets were painted in Molotow chrome and the red and orange lighting elements were airbrushed with Tamiya LP clear red and orange. Tamiya did a great job of molding the deeply-louvered taillights, which is a mixed blessing as they were VERY tough to mask! BMF was used for the chrome trim, and the work I put in on the body prep paid off again as the lines are much sharper than they would otherwise have been. Still to be added are the headlight wipers and a PE three-pointed star for the boot lid. I used a mix of thinned red and black Revell acrylics for the panel lines. On to the pics... Next update will be wheels and chassis while I dither about exactly what to do with the interior. Stay tuned!

Thanks Justin! Agreed that it's a really good kit. I built one when I was 13 or so and was pretty pleased with it at the time. Like most of their 1/24 kits of the time it's an easy box-stock build and not difficult to detail up. The only fitment issue so far is a slightly wide rear track that was easily corrected. Thanks Bob! Not quite RS, the kit wheels are earlier "Mahle" wheels with exposed lug nuts and no bolts around the perimeter. I was toying with a set of 17" RG's I have in the stash but the kit's rolling stock is perfect for what I'm envisioning. More pics soon, foil work and lighting elements are done on the body and the aforementioned wheels have been detailed a bit with valve stems and paint!

Having built one of these beasts I can give you some insight... the fit issues are REAL. The backbone chassis will need some trimming at the top to bring the ride height down. I also had to move the front spindles up to get the nose level. You'll also want to add positive attachment points for the front and rear bumpers and side skirts as the kit's attachment points are vague and minimal.. These kits are complex and challenging and a nce replica can be built from them, but test fitting is necessary every step of the way!

Just what winds up under the sofa...

If you need carbon fiber decals, Wizard "O"s or any number of detail bits, Scale Motorsport is sadly shutting down with 50-75% off of their regular prices. There are some great deals over there while they last. I stocked up on carbon fiber and upholstery decals as well as Wizard Os and PE saw blades.

The German tuner scene in the 80s was a time of automotive insanity. While companies like bB and Gemballa made insane custom Porsches, other companies like AMG and Lorinser were designing customs from wild to mild on various Mercedes platforms, with taste being less of an object than the depth of the client's pockets. The most popular Mercedes to customize was the then-new W126 platform, especially the rakish coupe. Lorinser was a tuner that specialized mostly in relatively tasteful cosmetic and luxury modifications. Body kits, nice wheels, flashy paint and luxurious interior upgrades were their stock in trade as opposed to crazy gullwing doors and multiple turbochargers. This kit is Tamiya's venerable 500 SEC kit in the rare Lorinser version. According to Scalemates, it was only released once in 1982. I got this at a swap meet a few years ago complete except for instructions. The kit includes the "early style" Lorinser body kit, a very nice set of BBS "Mahle" wheels and interior upgrades including Recaro mesh-headrest seats and a Telefunken Autorad car phone. My plan for this build is to keep it tasteful but not to ignore the flashiness that went along with these cars. The paint is Tamiya Mica Red that I applied over their pink primer. I was skeptical about the pink primer but I really think it gives the red some extra pop. The paint turned out well enough that I went straight to polishing out the body with my usual Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Polish without wet sanding. I left the grille body color, but I will be adding the chrome beltline trim and window moldings. The interior will be light tan with Mr. Model upholstery decals for the door and seat inserts. The pattern is a multicolored Mexican blanket pattern, but I think it will work extremely well to represent the funky fabrics that were frequently used in these cars. First, pics of the body after polishing. My tendency is to start off with the bodywork which gives me the motivation for the rest of the build. Even if it is Tamiya, it's still an old kit. The body needed a lot of block sanding, rescribing of panel lines and sharpening of trim and details to get it to the primer stage but the results are worth it. I added the rear lip spoiler and side skirts before paint.

I actually have the stock kit as well, so I'm good for the instructions. Thanks though!

This is my current project. Getting ready to start a WIP thread. This kit is a modified reissue of the 500 SEC kit and was issued only once in 1982, complete with body kit and Telefunken car phone. I picked it up at a contest a couple years back complete except for instructions... vintage Tamiya at its best!

"Sir, why is your trenchcoat rattling while you walk?"

A couple of enjoyable hours with a heat gun and a wrench would make a world of difference to that car. I'm mostly concerned about the rear fender skirts without 100% knowing how they're attached.

My last two builds were pretty rare models... The Italeri Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta. As far as I can determine, it was issued once in the early 90s and never again. Revell was supposed to rebox it a while back but it never happened. Tamiya Aston Martin DBS. Released in 2010, limited 2012 rerelease with additional PE parts, never to be seen again.

Italeri released an update with some test shot pics. Looks like December availability. Starting to get pretty excited for this one! https://www.italeri.com/en/article/840

This is one of those cases where buying a kit when it came out worked out pretty well for me. It probably sat in the stash for 10 years before I got around to it. No WAY would I pay silly Ebay money for one now! Thanks Matt! My high-tech lighting setup spoiled because I forgot to turn off the light above the dining table!?

A few construction pics... build thread in WIP.

I started this kit a few years ago by painting the body in TS-40 Metallic Black. After clearing and polishing I put it back in the box while awaiting detail parts and carbon fiber decals from Scale Motorsports. I got busy on something else and promptly forgot about it... until now. The interior has been painted in a custom mix of Tamiya flats to represent Aston Martin's "Wimbledon Green" color. It's an unusual combination with the black. I wound up not using much of the Hobby Design detail set... brake disc faces, PE badges and interior bits and wheel centers. The PE mesh grilles were all kit parts. THe fit was the usual Tamiya perfection with a few exceptions... the window glass unit isn't as good as the current offerings and the rear diffuser didn't have good locating points to anchor it. Other than that it really came together beautifully. I sprayed the wheels with Tamiya Smoke and a semi-gloss topcoat. Valve stems are tiny USCP pieces. Overall I couldn't recommend this kit more, even though the market price these days is pretty eye-watering. It's a Tamiya classic! PIIIIIICS!

Is that Primrose Yellow? One of the best E-Type colors!

Looking forward to this. It's one of those "I'll pick it up someday" kits for me. Does it have the weird rubbery interior bits that Gunze likes so much?

Some finished shots... no surprises during final assembly whatsoever. Overall an incredibly enjoyable kit to build! Many more pics in "Under Glass" tomorrow... it's bedtime!