jaymcminn

Ira, I really like how this is going so far. Have you thought about rounding off the rear edges of the side window opening to give it more of a Bugatti Atlantic feel? That might be pretty cool with this design. Can't wait to see where this goes next!

Great work, Raul. The BAT cars really were straight out of science fiction!

Absolutely fantastic. The turquoise interior against the orange pearl is amazing.

Don, that is Tamiya TS-54 Light Metallic Blue over a dark grey primer base (Duplicolor Hot Rod Grey). Glad I could help!

That is an interesting idea, really well executed. Very cool!

Man, that's nice. Love the white with the red interior.

Don, the word "issues" is a bit mild to describe the challenges in getting this model together. Don't get me wrong- it was a blast to build- but there is a lot of work that goes into the last few steps. First, as I mentioned earlier, you might want to section the wheel hubs by about 1/16 inch. This should narrow the track just enough to make it a little more realistic. That having been said, the look of my coupe with the wheels pushed out a little has grown on me- it's pretty aggressive-looking. Second, the interior sides seem to interfere with the one-piece window unit. I wound up trimming about 3/32 off of the bottom of the body sides to get the body to sit down properly. It's tough to get the interior centered properly as there is an annoying lack of positive locating tabs for the interior sides, which can lead to the body sitting lopsided on the frame. Finally, I would recommend that, unless you are opening the trunk, you leave off the fuel tank and spare tire detail at the rear of the chassis. You'll probably have the body off the frame a few times getting everything to fit right and it's a lot easier to maneuver the body off without the "saddlebag" fuel tanks at the back. It is in no way visible whatsoever once the kit is built. Don't let these niggles deter you at all- this kit is a challenge, but a fun one. It's one of the best-engineered of the Enthusiast kits and builds into a fantastic model if you're willing to put in the effort. I liked it so much that I ordered the Spyder when HLJ had them on sale a few weeks ago!

I'm gonna go with model here- probably 1:12 or 1:8 scale. There's just something about the diamond plate that looks a little... off.

I had a Custom Lacquer System blue pearl do exactly the same thing, but it was a fairly old can. Never had it happen with any of the One-Coat colors, though.

Great color combination on a spotless build... what more could you want?

Good work, Matt. I broke one of the door pillars just taking the parts out of the box!

Every year in Naples the Ferrari club puts on a fantastic car show. 5th Avenue South, which is considered Naples' "main street" is closed off and the various local car clubs are all invited for the show. There's a little of everything here, from multi-million-dollar Ferrari 250GT SWBs to rat rods. I posted some pics on the Photobucket link, but here are a few choice images... The aforementioned 250 SWB.. A fantastic '73 Daytona... The prettiest '32 Ford ever... Mr. Vader, your Morgan awaits... And one of my favorite pictures of the day... Follow this link http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/jaymcminn/Ferraris%20on%205th/ for more pics!

There was an SLS in Gulf blue at the annual "Ferraris on 5th" show here in Naples last weekend. It's just the right color for this car.

Matt, having just bought this kit I finally have a real appreciation for what you've done with it. Great work!

Nice work on that engine- you scored a great deal there.

Nice chop. That's a good line on the roof.

Matt, I was actually going to try blending the TS-22 with the TS-16 yellow if necessary and shooting it through the airbrush. I should be able to get pretty close. The color on your Lambo may not be true Verde Germoglio, but it's a fantastic color for that car nonetheless!

A "clean build" can be executed at just about any skill level- I'd rather see a snap kit assembled well than somebody sticking aftermarket bits all over a badly-painted, poorly-assembled model sitting on three wheels and being proud of the thing because he dumped fifty bucks worth of aftermarket stuff into the build. I've been told I have a "clean" building style and it's just about the highest compliment I can think of. It starts with the basics- learn how to build without leaving big ol' glue marks everywhere, clean up your parts, and lay down a smooth paint job before moving on to the other stuff. This goes for the weathered/rusty/crusty stuff too- for me this... is just as clean a build as this. Neither one of these builds happens without being able to build a good, clean model first. Doc didn't build his first model and put a killer weathering job on it right off the bat. (or gloss paint job, for that matter- he does both equally well) I would never attempt to tackle a Fujimi Enthusiast build until I had a LOT of experience under my belt. On this site, and on that "other" site too, we see at least a few builders who probably need to take a step back and just go back to the basics. Becoming a skilled model builder doesn't happen overnight. It can take a long time to develop all the skills you need to become really good at this hobby. Patience is one of those skills, as is the ability to look critically at your own work, determine what you need to improve, and take steps to make it better. Fortunately there are a LOT of talented builders out there now that are willing to help.

That's a beauty!

Great use of color on a super-clean build. Well-done!

Thanks, Geoff. This color worked out great- it's a pretty good match for the color on the Top Gear car. One tip for when you build yours- you might want to take about 1/16 inch off the wheel hub pieces, which will tuck the wheels up under the bodywork a little better. I'm going to try it on my Spyder. Thanks, Doc!

Matt, I'm REALLY going to ruffle some feathers with the Dino. I have a color picked out... And no Ferrari shields or badges. I already have the RMCoM etched Dino scripts, and the Hiro badge sheet has Dino badges on it!

Very cool build. I've never seen one of these kits!

Great save on a really unusual piece of modelling history. Well done!

Curse you, Peter, for making me go on the HLJ site. Now I have a Daytona Spyder and a Dino 246GTS on the way.