Brudda

A pic of the year long cobra

Thank you Bainford. When my friend Mark started me on model factory hiro kits I did not know if he was a friend or foe( just kidding) but meaning these kits can be so insane, you can spend hours on just one part, but this is why they turn out so well. If you spent that much time on a tamiya kit with aftermarket parts, it would turn out the same way. The only thing is tamiya kits fit so well it’s amazing. With a mfh kit you have to do some or most of the engineering. They give you the detail parts and if you open the box most modelers would say what the heck? It’s overwhelming to say the least . My first mfh kit was the Ferrari p4. Boy what a challenge. Just saying these kits are very very challenging. And do not be afraid to modify a part to fit. Because you usually do. My side pipes and body are extremely modified to fit. It drives you crazy. I’m insane so it fits my personality but it would drive a normal person to a psychologist. Chris Smith and I joke about it all the time. Oh and don’t get me started on the extra tools needed. Holy cow that was a whole new thing. I would have to borrow Marks tools when I first started. Now I have all of them but that was a expensive thing also. Anyway I do not want to discourage you but if you buy a kit, just expect it’s going to be a totally different experience. And you need a ALOT Of time. My one 1/12 cobra took a whole year to build. But it was worth it.

Ok of course i could not stay away. Scratch built the fuel lines. After several tries and several failures, I finally have an acceptable fuel lines. Now that my foot well boxes are fixed I can try to install a throttle linkage. I will also try to add some detail to the firewall. The sidepipes problem is solved but would not want to go over any speed bumps.

Ok a mfh problem has reared its ugly head. The side pipes interfered with the body. Those tortured me to near insanity. Have it figured out but I have the inner aprons and they are photoetch. That looks like a headache the side pipes are very close to the ground. No speed bumps for this car. Had to correct the footwells . Opened so many other challenges. Need to get away from this for a few.

More mocking up the body. Installed engine, drive shaft and headers and sidepipes. The sidepipes changed my ride height a little. Front sits a little higher because of the sidepipes clearance to the ground, it’s acceptable. Things always change on a mfh build. Have to shim up one side of the interior as it’s off a bit . Makes the car lean to one side. Another mfh surprise. The suprises never stop comming.

Thank you sir

Hello Bruce, that is a good question. My dad’s friend owned San Jose Honda motorcycles and had a silver one. I was lucky enough to drive it. It was silver with black interior. Oddly it drove heavy like a truck. But what a thrill for a 17 year old kid. So I’m leaning towards silver but other colors are an option.

The foot boxes off the firewall really bother me. They are supposed to have a little angle to them, not flat like a shelf. If I open that rabbit hole and modify them I know I will have to modify at least 5 more things. I need to think about this.,anyway here is a pic of the footwells. And my ferrari mock-up. Yes I’m insane.

Testors/italeri body with some pe wheels. Cannot remember where the tires came from. Just a thought.

I just keep looking at your model and it’s just stunning. Let’s see some more out of your garage.

This car has it all. Paint, stance, clean beautiful. Definitely a super build in all ways. A few years ago, I was the head judge in a bay area IPMS club. There was probably at least 150 car models. This one I would pick as “ best automotive subject” great job sir.

I also need to thank Mark Adams for the model and he is the original mfh master. He is the one that turned Chris Smith and I to mfh modelers

This trunk floor for the large gas tank was a challenge to fit. A lot of modifications had to be done. it was too big so it had to be cut down( fitted) to the body. If not , it messed with the wheel base of the body. So the tires and wheels did not fit the body. These are the model factory hiro challenges that one has to put into every piece. Chris Smith that builds mfh 1/12, is a master at mastering the challenges of the build.

More installed, shocks and rotors. Painted the side exhaust. Reamed out the exhaust hole in the sidepipes. Mocked the seats. As usual the rotor holes were too small for the knock off shafts. So had to drill them out. Every part on a mfh kit needs attention. Some people hate these kits. A club member built one and called it a time sucker. Now this guy is a IPMS champion at the nationals and said that is the last time I will build on of those. On the other hand , I really like them. I have learned how to adjust parts on mfh kits. I have had complaints that for the price they should build themselves. Not even the case. Just the opposite. Anyway here is the chassis, still work in progress and fit the body on the chassis again. Always checking fit on mfh kits.

Here is a pic of a fia cobra that is brand new. This pic is from their sales brochure. Looks at the wheel/ tire fit to the body, if I did that on a model it would look really bad. There are some things you do not copy on a model.

Thank you rv1963

Installed the suspension. Have to paint. It’s pretty nice fitting. Kind of surprised on a mfh kit. I am very pleased with this build so far. I am still figuring out the fuel line situation. But overall I like this kit. Brakes and other frame parts have to be installed. It’s out of box so far and it looks really good box stock. The stance is perfect.

Mock up of the suspension. Filing , sanding , fitting parts and drilling.

You need plenty of drill bits. A lot of drilling in mfh kits. They have the location mark but you have to finish drilling. A mfh kit IS NOT a shake and bake. Just because they are expensive you have to model the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH out of them. Each piece needs a lot of modeling. Meaning sanding, fitting and sanding again. They make you work for it. But the results are fantastic when finished.

Well tried to put fuel lines on the carbs. They just turned out bad. So I took them off. My old hands cannot do these 1/24-25 cars anymore. There are some problems on the kit I’m going to ignore. The shelves on the firewall should have a slant to them. I want to fix that but may open up a can of worms. Also the headers hit the firewall. That one I have to fix. Might put some wiring on the firewall. But if it turns out as bad as the fuel lines well there will not be any, I have spent so much time on big kits that I believe I lost a little skill on 1/24-25. Bummer. I’ll just keep plugging away at the cobra and hope it turns out nice. So far the fit is good. I keep putting the car in a mock up stage so I do not get any surprises. . But it’s a mfh kit so I’m expecting something weird.

Hello, this is where I fail or I need improvement on car models. I can paint but suspensions, engine’s are my weak spots. My interior’s are ok but engines and suspensions I struggle on. First of all I must be losing my sight. It was hard for me to install the venturis in the stacks. Had to make a few more as they turned into flying projectiles when the tweezers hit them. All of you guys amaze me at the level of detail you guys put on a model. Here is a pic of my struggle.

Hello Pierre. Thank you sir. The Lusso will be the next 1/24 on the table. The 60’s had some beautiful designs.