Rich Chernosky

Thank you David. That color just looked right for that car.

After my exhaustive 1/12 build I need a quickie project to return my sanity. This Nissan Fairlady 2000 that was painted January last proved just the ticket. Color was Tamiya TS-75 Champagne Gold with TS13 clear. Paint was very smooth and took little polishing. Kit was pretty straightforward and there were only minimal fit problems. Radiator hose proved to be the worst and making a new one out of soft tubing was a no brainer. I liked a lot of the little detail Fujimi provided. See picture captions. My Nissan collection was incomplete without this one. Finished kit on its wheels. They steered but finding a place to run the tie rod was troublesome. I have seen of few of these around and from talking to some of the owners i understand this was a zippy little sports car. It was also heavily raced in some fo the SCCA's lower classes. This pic with the top down and supplied boot. rear veiw with the optional convertible top in place. I liked all the little chrome doodads from this kit. Rear bumper fit was a little questionable. Side veiw with the optional hardtop. This kit has a lot of chrome so bare metal foiling was fun. The emblems were foiled before painting and then exposed with a hard Q-tip and thinner then clear coated. A cute trick I have been using quite awhile now. Yes this kit had an engine but some of it was molded in place. I added some wiring and detail painting and of course that pesky hose. Most of the engine chrome was coated with different combinations of flat clear and smoke. Interior ws well detailed and Fujimi supplied the seatbelt hardware. I made the belts out of silk thread. Carpet is embossing powder applied over flat black Testors. I like embossing powder but it doesn't come in as many colors as flocking. Gotta find me some more. Thanks for looking.

Nicely done 935 K3. The weathering and lighting are a great touch.

Really great collection, thanks for sharing Gary.

Well I just couldn't stand it. Had to remove the upper bodywork and get it into the right position. Not as much work as I though but it was still a pain. Now it fits correctly and I am much happier. Finished model on the bench. Car now appears in the Under Glass section and as per request from Ian and Mark here is a link to the post: 1/12 Ferrari 641/2 (F50) - Other Racing: Road Racing, Salt Flat Racers - Model Cars Magazine Forum. A little more info under the pictures. Body work all fitted and no more gap at the front. Kit decals went on no problem. Marlboro decals had to come from the spares. The metal plaque was part of the Perfect Parts package and I painted the red to match the body. There are 10 of these working Dzus fasteners holding the upper bodywork on. This is in addition to the 4 screws that go through the top of the body. These were made from small pins and machined down. Base plate for these were decals from the spares.

Been awhile since I did a 1/12 car. Although I have done a few and there are more in the stash aIl have avoided them due to all the work involved. This one occupied the better part of two months. This is Tamiya,s 1/12 hi detail kit of the Ferrari 641/2. I also purchased the Perfect Parts set when I bought this kit in late 1992. Color on this is Tamiya LP21 Italian red which is very similar to TS-8. There arte many working features on this kit and they include working steering, removable nose and engine cover, removable wheels/tires and all the cooling, electrical, oil and fuel lines and lots of tiny photo etch nuts and bolts. I have included some pictures from the WIP to show off some of the detail. Here is a link to the WIP: Tamiya 1/12 Ferrari 641/2 - WIP: Other Racing: Road Racing, Land Speed Racers - Model Cars Magazine Forum. More3 information below the photos. This kit went together very well. It would have been a joy to do if I had just wanted to finish it box stock. Kit had many working features and I enjoy making things work. Business end of the Ferrari and the view competitors got to see 6 times during the 1991 season. Wing is held on with two screws and made this assembly a joy. Not so much for the wire wing stays though. Wheels steer through the steering wheel...a kit feature and well engineered. Marboro decals were not included and came from the spares. A lot of the kit parts wound up as spares as I fabricated many of them. The WIP gives more info on this. Seat fabric was part of the kit...a very cool feature. Seatbelt hardware came from the Perfect parts packet. Some of the extra detail on the left side. All the wiring and boxes are hand made. Those hose clamps and connectors were fun. Steering wheel is covered in embossing powder. Note all the tiny PE fasteners. Detail of the working front suspension and steering. Those shock strut units comprised of some 30+ seperate pieces. Completed chassis temporarily on its wheels. This was a major milestone and i took a couple days break before fitting the upper body. Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed this post. There is lots more in WIP. Feels free to comment.

Bruce...have really been enjoying your WIP. Your brake fix was amazing. Like you I just want a model to look good and try not to get all mired down in it being accurate. That's just me. I want it done too. It just doesn't matter to the casual observer. I have taken many an F-1 car to a model show, only to have people say...nice Indy car. Aaaargghh!!

Welcome to the Forum Josiah. Luv that Muira

Bodywork is now complete. Didn't go exactly as planned but we all run into this from time to time. All that's left is decals and the mirrors. About a half days work. This will be my last post in this section as the next time you see this it will be in Under Glass. See captions. Upper bodywork wound up a little too far forward on the chassis. There are two screw holes on either side of the scoop and this is for some small screws to secure the body from the top. They missed the holes. Instead the body is secured with ten machined pins where the Dzus buttons on the real car are. Note the slight gap in the front of the nose. This can be fixed but I am not sure I want too . We'll see...?

John....I think this is a very cool project. Luv the wheels. Yah...there are some flaws but they are hard to spot and the average observer would never notice them. Don't be so hard on yourself....I think it turned out great. Now....when I get to mine.......???

Gary...that's a shame they missed all those important details. I have an Exoto MKIV ( the yellow Sebring version) so I would probably never bother getting a cheaper version. I got mine when the getting was good and was able to purchase it wholesale from my friends up in Vermont. Could never afford it now that I don't have a business. Hope you can fix some of those details.

Chassis and all the detail work (I'm gonna do) is done. Lots and lots of tiny PE fasteners electrical connections and a few parts to be made. Next step is fitting the upper bodywork and front wing. Then decals ands it is all done. This will be my first 1/12 kit in quite awhile. This has taken over a month of continous work so youi can see why I don't do too many. And i still have some 30+ 1/12 kits in the stash. On to the details. Check below the pictures for more information. Comments welcome. Here3 it is ready for the rest of the bodywork. Note the tiny stay wires on the rear wing. These took all day to do. Wheels and tires are for the picture only and are not fastened on. I will have to handle the chassis quite a bit and I don't want the risk of damaging the suspension. Did that once already. Had to fabricate these 3 electrical boxes from styrene. Connecters and tube form the perfect parts kit. Decals from the stash. Colored wires are thread coated with craft glue. Here are those three boxes installed. Hold down clamps are from the kit foil with very tiny PE screw heads. Where all those wires wind up at the front of the engine. Got a little crowded here. Some extra detailing done here. Those tiny electrical connecter are scratch built. Note the carb linkage. this was kit supplied. A nice touch you don't usually see in kits.

John.......Looks like a pretty straight forward resin kit. LeMans Minatures, from my experience, have been good quality. Once you get everything cleaned up and fitted it should be smooth sailing. As others have mentioned the decals will be you biggest challenge. A nice hi-gloss base will help them adhere . I find keeping the water warm greatly helps decals stick. What kind of shape are they in and how old are they. Never had a problem with their decals but my experience is limited. Hey....I am rooting for you on this one.

Thank you John for the compliment and the encouragement. I work about 6-7 hours a day on it. Some days it goes well (like today) and sometimes it is just tedious but I keep plugging away. I am retired and what else have I got to do. Your Matra WIP was one of the inspirations for mine. I am impressed with that too.

Good day on the bench. This model is nearing completion. Got more bodywork on, exhaust and water pipes. learned something with those hose clamps. Details below. Left side body, hoses and exhaust. Everything fit well with no fussing. Water pipes were very well engineered and fit like a charm. Not so much for the connecters and clamps. More info in the close up. Right side had more water pipes and the bodywork on this side was a little bit troublesome. Exhaust was done weeks ago and fit as advertised. The hose connectors are shrink tubing that came with the Perfect Parts pack. In the front it had to be slit down the middle and glued ion place, then heat (hair dryer) was applied to shrink it in place. The hose clamps were wrapped around a piece of rod to be formed. It bent easily but still sprung away a little. Just enough to be annoying. The trick here was to slip it over the connecter and glue half of it on. Then pull the rest of the clamp around and squeeze it in place with the two tabs. Took some time to figure this out but it finally worked. Left side detail. There are three electronic boxes that have to be scratbuilt and added in front of the radiator. Then wires run to the cockpit and along the sides. Don't know why Tamiya left out this detail. They pretty much thought of everything else.

Thankis Helmut. When this kit goes in the case all the bodywork will be on. But It can all be removed with screws and pins. Working on that now. If I ever take this to a show I will make a display with all the body work removed.

Watched these guys race in person. They were a dominate team at the time. Very nice model of their car. Nicely done.

Big step in this project. When the engine meets the chassis. Soo far everything major is lining up well. Got this and the electronics box done yesterday and today. Now its on to the water pipes. Also finished the floor pan with carbon fibre and photo etch. A lot of the sub assemblies are done and ready to be installed. So this project should see completion soon. Now its on to the water pipes..the last of the serious fabrication. More info below. Here it is..chassis and engine together. Engine is held to chassis at four points. There are two long screws on the bottom that fasten into a subframe (kit part) that is behind the firewall. On top two more pins with nuts attached insert into the upper portion of this subframe. It a good solid assembly. A closeup of the electronics boxes and upper engine mount. The rubber ends are shrink tubing over kit vinyl tube. The brass connecters were Perfect Parts items that replaced the molded on connecters from the kit. Note the large bolt through the metal engine mount.

Thanks Brett. You know you are always welcome. Think you will enjoy the new house and workshop. Just let us know what your plans are.

Masrk...thanks for doing this project and all the WIP work. It was most enjoyable to see the master at work. And you certainly did nail all three of them. Great job.

Thank you Pierre. The nose and upper bodywork will be removable and I will take a picture of the final details. If I ever take this to a show I can make a display like that. I am planning on being at NNL East this coming spring.