jaymcminn

Thanks, Monty. I went back and forth on the molded wires- they do look a bit thick, but I wanted to try something different. You'll see another Hasegawa kit pretty soon, thought- I just received the Ferrari 348tb. Thanks for all the positive words, guys... I really appreciate the input!

The only drawback at all on this kit is that the engine cover is removable instead of being hinged. The cover can be glued in the opened position with an accurate set of scale hinges, however. The texture on the airbox is Make-It-Suede paint coated with semi-gloss black. And finally, a pic with its "big brother"... the 288 GTO.

The fit on this kit is fantastic... assembly is a little fiddly in spots like the rear suspension, but the end result is really worth it.

I didn't do a WIP thread for this build, which has been an on-again, off-again build for the last four months or so. I recently got a wild hair and decided to just finish the thing already. This actually turned out to be one of my cleanest builds ever. The kit is the Hasegawa kit, which is fantastic. The detail is excellent right from the box. There is a nice photoetched fret which includes badges, mirror faces, mesh for the engine cover, and a 9-piece front grille that replaces the kit's plastic grille. The engine and exhaust are all satin-plated (although I stripped the satin plating from the engine in favor of a cast-aluminum color) as are the excellent wheels. The only non- kit details on the whole model are flocking and a piece of textured-foil heat shielding between the passenger compartment and engine bay. I went with Tamiya light gunmetal for the paint color, which is a pretty close match for the Grigio metallic that was available on the 328. To keep the grey from looking too dull, I decided to go with a bright red interior. The red/black combo I went with was a factory combination that looks great against the gunmetal. Anyway, on to the pics...

Aww, maaan... Dennis was the first online vendor I ever bought from, and definitely the one I bought most consistently from. It always amazed me how quick he got stuff to Florida from the Great White North!

Wheeler Dealers is the second-best English motoring show, right after Top Gear. It's unfailingly entertaining and informative. Edd and Mike are the best!

In terms of 1:1 cars, I would take drivability over originality any day... I'd rather have a '78 Trans Am with a modern crate motor or a '67 Mustang with four-wheel disc brakes. It doesn't compromise the character of these cars to make them drive better. Rare or exotic cars are another thing, however... there's an old Ferrari 330 on Ebay with a small-block crate motor installed. That's a bit over the line for me!

Who would have thought that Aoshima would become the Japanese model company to beat these days... just look at those crazy door hinge pins!

Just... wow.

Building old kits is... a great way to expand your horizons as a modeler. If a builder limits himself to the stuff that's come out over the last decade or so, he's cutting himself off from a lot of great modeling. The Fujimi Enthusiast kits were all tooled around 25 years ago now and are absolutely fascinating (as well as frustrating) to build. The Monogram and Italeri/Heller classics, Italeri Ferrari 250/275 kits, Aurora/Monogram Aston DB4 and Maserati 3500, and most of the great Tamiya F1 kits are all vintage models that build into great replicas, with varying degrees of massaging. I remember building that 1/20 Lambo kit in Jota form when I was a kid, and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I painted mine in Testors clear blue over silver base with gold rocker panels. Build it up, do your best with it, and enjoy that you don't have to worry about putting as much time in on it as that Tamiya Enzo!

Hmmm, I'm in on this one. I've actually been thinking about building this one in bare plastic for a while...

All of these will wind up in large car collections- mostly in the middle east, some in Indonesia, some in Russia, etc. The kind of person who will buy this car will pretty much have his own racetrack to drive it on...or is in a position to not worry about getting pulled over.

Excellent work on this one, Matt. Great use of a not-so-great kit!

A very incomplete list of groups which the Top Gear presenters (mainly Jeremy) have singled out for ridicule over the years: Australians, Germans, the French, Russians, Albanians, Italians, Greeks, Americans, Mexicans, Koreans, Yorkshiremen, the Swiss, the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish, people from Essex, fat people, short people, old people, women, BMW drivers, Audi drivers, Vauxhall drivers, Prius drivers, caravan owners, footballers... and above all, themselves. Great job on May's Caddy- now get to work on Jezza's Camaro! (and I vote for cow!)

Here's a finished shot, as well as a link to the "under glass" thread of this build... http://www.modelcars...topic=50576&hl=

That's really sharp. On one hand, I wish this kit wasn't a curbside, but on the other hand there's not too much to see in a 911's engine bay either. Those wheels and tires are gorgeous.

Alriiight- I can't wait to see how this one turns out! The Pocher does look pretty toylike out of the box, but I'm guessing that's nothing that an expert builder and a few thousand dollars worth of fine German aftermarket parts can't fix. So, Romell, do you give this project one week or two?

That looks pretty close to Tamiya Light Gunmetal to me- I'm painting a Ferrari 328 in that color now. I'll snap a pic when I get time.

Building these two together really illustrates the difference fifty years has made in the automotive world- the 458 looks like something out of science fiction when put next to the 250. Great job on both builds- I built that GTO many years ago (wish I still had it now!) and can definitely relate to the difficulties involved. Your 458 build has me chomping at the bit to start on mine!

Can't wait for the GTO. Less enthused about the Aperta, however...

It doesn't hurt to have several colors of posterboard on hand to create different "moods" and to accent your builds. For WIPs I'll usually just take pictures on my messy workbench.

If you didn't clear over the Phoenician Yellow, it will react badly to any sort of compound or polish you try to use on it. The Custom Lacquer colors are VERY soft and are not meant to be polished, or even handled, without clearcoat. It will never achieve the hard finish of a Tamiya or Testors One-Coat lacquer because it isn't meant to. Any oils from your skin will soak into the porous surface and cause it to come off on your hands as well. Not priming the surface might make this even more noticeable.

It's my go-to for any sort of Alcantara/suede application these days. The trick is to overcoat it with a good dead-flat paint, such as the Tamiya. Thanks!

You could do a replica of Chris Evans' F40- white with a blue interior...

Aaand a few more... I couldn't resist a few shots with "big brother"... This was a blast to build- it's been a while since I've tackled a Tamiya kit, and this just makes me want to tear into that CLK-GTR that I've had sitting around for a decade or so! The hardest part of this build was the photography- it's not easy to get good detail pictures of a white car.