Bernard Kron

Brilliant modeling with a top-notch result! Perhaps my favorite contemporary type of race car, precisely because they are, as you say "The sort of cars ... where some very smart people are building very fast cars within some smart rules without multimillions of backing", encouraging creativity and originality - truly pure-bred race cars. Your build captures their essence beautifully. Bravo!

Thanks Dann! The interior is completed and additional decals were made and applied to the exterior which is now complete. I added numbers because I decided they add strength and emphasis to the overall look of the car. The numbers were scanned from the original kit decal sheet, which is too old and brittle to salvage. I used them because I like the style of the European font numeral “2” and had trouble sourcing a font to match. The “cavallino” Ferrari shields and the Ferrari badge on the nose are homemade decals assembled from web images. This is also the case for the “Shell” and “Magnetti Marelli” decals on the body sides. The decals applied over the red areas are all two layers, a white background layer and a color layer. This is to hold up against the strong dark body color. The “Dunlop Racing” lettering on the tires is from IndyCals. The interior is largely stock with additional details added. The door panels have been cut out as on the 1:1 cars, with blue wire latch pulls added. The decals for the gauges and the horn button were restored using the kit decals as guides and web images where needed. The racing harnesses are decals from IndyCals. I’m very close to final assembly with the lights, trim details, foiling and grill mesh left to tackle. Thanks for lookin’, B.

Thanks Dave. Couldn't have done it without you! Sorry I had to go the "as-raced" route, but the bare aluminum's fragility demanded it. The other set of wobblies should look better under the Lotus Eleven since I can leave the tires intact.

Thanks again, to you both!

Thanks Misha! After inputs from various followers of these posts I’ve decided to go with the competition look. Here it is with the roundels in place and some “Dunlop” script in front of the rear wheel. I’ve been working with some pretty dried out and brittle decals and finally had to stop until I get or make some replacements. The roundels are Gofer Racing decals and, because they are already in place, and I need to add some layers because they are so transparent, I’ve ordered more. I’ll be making my own period “Shell” and “Magnetti Marelli” logos for the bodywork, and also some Ferrari prancing horse shields because the kit decals are totally shot. Chances are there’ll be numbers, but I must say I like the blank, “ready to race” look. We’ll see… Thanx for lookin’, B.

A handsome car, indeed and some very fine modeling, too. What did it take to adapt the hood and grill to the earlier nody?

Here’s the body painted and unmasked. The trick is to remove the masking tape while the paint is still soft enough not to lift along the edges and yet hard enough to handle and not leave fingerprints. Lacquer paints like the Tamiya I used here harden up enough to handle pretty quickly so I was able tp paint and then unmask within a few hours. It’s always a tense moment because of the inevitable minor flaws which occur. Fortunately there were very few in this case. Now on to the interior and final assembly. I can’t decide whether to include racing numbers and rondels. For sure there will be Ferrari emblems on the fenders and badges, but I’m undecided on whether to go for a full-on competition look, Thoughts? Thanx for lookin’, B.

Superb! Huge respect for the discipline and skill it takes to build showroom stock at this level!

Thanks for the photo with the strips in progress and the specs on the stock you used. This will be enormously helpful for my project. I had despaired of doing the "Streamline" chrome moldings because, like you, I just thought the chrome tape wasn't convincing. Also, using the decals would have made matching the additional skirt moldings missing from the kit virtually impossible. Looking .back over your photos I realized that the kit chrome molding piece on the leading edge of the rear fenders is a handy guide to spacing the chrome strips. Again, many thanks for the info, it's the breakthrough I needed to get my project started. Mine will be an Old School "Bomb" lowrider in two tone paint, but I wanted to include as much of the original stock bodywork and trim as possible. Once I start it I'll post it up here.

Thanks guys. I tried to buy a set of the Fujimis ,but drew a total blank - worldwide. LOL. Here’s a brief update. The body prep and paint undercoating is complete: Duplicolor white primer and 3 coats of Duplicolor Universal White lacquer. The racing stripes and contrasting nose and rear panel have been masked. I’ll apply an additional coat of the white lacquer as a masking sealer and then apply the Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red main body color. The interior parts have been painted and I’ll work on that while the body paint cures. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Very nicely done indeed! This kit is in my queue as an upcoming project. You did a super job on the chrome trim, replacing the kit decals which allowed you to include the correct chrome strips on the skirts. I assume you applied half-round styrene strip and then foiled it. If so, do you remember what size strip you used? It looks just right!

This summer I got the Modelist Russian repack of the Academy Ferrari 250 LM kit off of eBay. It was well priced but actually came from Russia and so it took 6-7 weeks to get to me. According to the seller, due to Covid, there are currently no direct cargo flights between Russia and the USA. Things must be shipped via western Europe and , for ordinary parcel post, it has added a solid 4 weeks or more to shipping time. It’s a simple kit, a curbside with a well detailed interior and a nicely molded body. It comes with surprisingly convincing molded plastic wire wheels but the cover illustration on the Modelist release is of what appears to be a modern street version of a 250LM with contemporary rear view mirrors and the Drogo “long nose” conversion with the simpler, wider grill opening rather than the more blunt stock short nose with the brake cooling slots on either side of the more squared off grill opening found in the actual kit. The cover car also has silver “Cromodora” Campagnolo cast magnesium wheels. I liked the look of this combo but eventually decided against the considerable work involved in re-profiling and extending the Drogo nose. The modern rear view mirrors don’t float my boat either. But the solid stance and look of the mag wheels appealed to me, especially when I was able to find some reasonably priced and beautifully cast resin aftermarket 1/24th scale resin Ferrari P4 wheels and tires from eBay vendor jwhi7752. They come from the UK under the name Curbside MasterCasterS and, as I say, they are absolutely first rate. Communication was excellent and shipping time very fast so he is highly recommended. He masters and casts his own stuff and has quite a variety of cool automotive items. His eBay UK page has his completion line whereas, since he must pay a pre-item premium for his USA listing he lists fewer items there. Here’s a link to his UK page: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/jwhi7752/m.html?item=143706523517&hash=item217593877d%3Ag%3Ao64AAOSw9SVeIv7A&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 As an historical note, there were several 250 LMs run with the Campagnolo mags, their owners finding that the stiffer wheels improved the handling, especially as racing tires were rapidly getting wider and lower in profile at the time (1963-1965). So my indulgence in them isn’t totally off base. Below is a summary of the initial work I’ve done. As you can imagine the P4 wheels and tires are a bit oversized for the 250LM body so it took some minor fettling to get them to sit nicely under the fenders, especially since I decided to lower the stance about 2 scale inches. I also chose to finish the wheels in the traditional gold “Cromodora” finish as seen on the p3s and P4s/ It should go nicely with the Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red main body color. In the original kit the grill and vent openings are all molded shut with plastic “grills” filling them. These have all been opened up and will have 60-mesh grills inserted. Other than the Campag wheels the car will be largely stock so this project will be mainly about fit and finish. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Apologies for taking so long to reply! Thanks to you both. The delicate nature of the bare aluminum paint effect eventually necessitated a more "as raced" look to the project than I had initially intended, but I like the overall effect. I'm glad you dig it! B.

Lotus Super Seven Series 2 Club Racer This is a Lotus Super 7 with, in terms of Lotus subculture, “all the right stuff”. It’s based on the 1/24th scale Tamiya kit built pretty much straight out of the box with the exception of the Lotus “wobbly” magnesium wheels. Along with the bare metal aluminum body panels and the kit-supplied Cosworth-Ford motor with twin Webers, the wobblies complete the list of high-status details. Of course the fact that it’s a pukka Lotus S2 as opposed to a mere Caterham replica will get you respect on both track days and at the Concourse. The wobblies were cast by Dave Bantoft, a very fine modeler in Australia, who generously supplied me with them. Thanks Dave! The bare metal finish was achieved with a combination of Spaz Stix Ultimate Mirror Chrome and Kosutte Ginsan metalizing powder. The fiberglas body parts and the roll over bar are finished in Tamiya TS-43 Racing Green. In keeping with the club racer theme I deleted the rear spare tire. The interior surfaces are finished in Testors Acryl Signal Red. Chrome bits were picked out in Molotow Chrome paint. This was my first Tamiya kit and the precision fit and detail accuracy made the experience a genuine pleasure. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks guys! This project is now completed. Since this is a straightforward kit build there’s not much to comment on other than the fact that this is my first Tamiya kit and the fit and precision of the parts was a genuine pleasure, even if some of the subassemblies and detail parts were mighty small and fiddly. Tweezers are definitely in order! I think the accuracy and realism comes through in the final result. Below are a couple of photos. More “beauty shots” will be included tomorrow when I post this under Completed models. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks everyone! Danno, Holy Resurrected Thread, indeed. I was glad you dug it then, and glad you dig it now, LOL. But "Long Lost"? I've been here all along, posting away, building 6-8 models a year, I think...

I figured it was time for an update before this project is completely forgotten. It’s actually quite far along with all the subassemblies painted but this update will only show the bare metal aluminum surfaces painted, the completed wheels and tires, the completed nose piece, and the completed motor. The suspension is done and installed but not very visible in the photo below. The interior bits are all done and will go in next, along with the completion of the under-hood area. Then the windscreens, lights and final assembly. The next update should be the final one showing the completed details. The whole thing looks pretty ragged right now as I’m peeling back the masking only to the limit required for the assembly process. So far I’ve managed to keep the bare aluminum surfaces relatively unmolested, and the Tamiya masking tape has pulled up without lifting any paint. Thanks for lookin, B.

Sharp! As the saying goes, "It does the business"... One detail that caught my eye is the hood sides with the raised louver panel. They look great in keeping with older-style the '30 Coupe body. Source?

Yes. I tested the tape (Tamiya) on part of the painted fender. Of course you're right in referring to the fact that the tape will be on there a while. But I've done this before with minimum problems as long as the paint is well cured and the model isn't subjected to undue heat.

Thanks everyone! This is turning out to be a highly technical project. The idea of doing a polished aluminum body dictates a really strategic approach to masking. I didn’t mention it in my first post but this is actually my second try at painting the body. The first time around I wasn’t careful about handling the outer body surfaces. The Spaz Stix Ultimate Mirror Chrome wasn’t fully cured and I landed up wearing it away. So the body went into the purple pond and this time I am planning carefully exactly when I pant each area of the body. The fenders and nose have been painted with Tamiya TS-43 Racing Green Spray. The body is “zoned” into 4 distinct areas with separate masking for each – the fiberglass parts (nose and fenders), the “upholstered” interior surfaces (painted with Testors Acryl Insignia Red), the unpolished bare aluminum surfaces (interior, engine compartment and underpan), and the polished aluminum surfaces. In the composite photo below you can see that I’ve painted the fenders. The second panel shows the fully masked main body. The interior surfaces are left in bare styrene, as is the underside. These will be sprayed in Testors Buffable Aluminum Plate. After several days of cure time I’ll buff the surfaces. The outer body surfaces (under the fenders up to the nose, between the fenders and the rear fuel tank area) will get shot with mirror chrome immediately before final assembly. If possible I’ll attach detail parts that lend themselves to masking before shooting the polished aluminum areas. My hope is to minimize handling and to be disciplined enough to only grip the model by the fenders, which will still be masked. The fenders will only be un-masked after final assembly. In the composite photo you’ll also see the “wobblies” finished in Tamiya TS-34 Camel Yellow. Highlighting them in paint revealed that I need to do more work truing up the rim edges. A nose stripe was also applied in Camel Yellow. After the paint cures I’ll polish out the edge between the two colors. While the paint hardens I’ll work on the motor, drive train and suspension which will be the subject of the next update. Thanx for lookin’. B.

Thanks again guys. It did its job as a slump buster both because I managed to keep it simple and because it actually came out like I intended, LOL.

Beautifully executed. The strategic weathering makes it look astonishingly real despite it's small scale.

I like this. A straight-up no nonsense drag machine which takes full advantage of what I'm beginning to think is a vastly underrated kit from Revell. Very fine modeling, indeed.

Thanks to you all. I'm pleased the period look came across. The "slightly weathered" look was the result of applying a small amount of black wash to the .hood louvers and side vents so they would show up. I suppose the wash reside complements the dull paint finish to give it the "daily driver" vibe. I'm glad you all dig it! Thanx!

I will never forget seeing your work when you, Bob Downie and several other of your mates from the Grand Prix Modelers Association came and visited us at the NNL West in 2016. All the models you all presented were exceptional in both significance of subject matter and execution, Your models in particular, from the Miller Golden Submarine through your stunning streamline masterpieces (the Figoni et Falaschi Talbot Lago and the Saoutchik Bugatti), have stayed with me both because of their significance as automobiles and their uniqueness in 1/24th scale. At the time I believe you were just getting started in 3D modeling and most of your models had been created largely by sculpting their bodies or the molds to make them. Now 3D gives you the tools to model these important cars in full detail (ir you choose) with accurately rendered hollow bodies. But the skill to "see" the body in 3 dimensions has always been your gift, along with knowing whic the important cars to model. This lovely OSCA is no exception!