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Next up on my hobby bench is Fujimi's Ferrari F355 Berlinetta. I picked this kit up at a model contest a year or so ago. The kit does not get rave reviews. I am no expert on these cars but from what I have read Fujimi used many parts from their prior kit, the Ferrari 348. Indeed, several of the sprues are labeled "Ferrari 348"...lol. As I understand it the interior in this F355 kit is really the 348's interior. The chassis may be shared as well. Don't put any of this in stone but I believe I am pretty close with my statements. All of this is quite OK with me as I am really just wanting a nice shelf model. Let's start with some of the basic information regarding the build. I wanted this F355 to be done in a dark blue and I wanted to paint it with some fingernail polish that I had on hand, (no pun intended). I was going to build it box stock but when I looked over the kit I found that the decals were shot. Also, you cannot beat PE scripts and badges for realism. I had a buddy who was willing to part with an Acu-Stion PE set and some rare T2M badges. The only problem is that both sets are designed for the Challenge car so some of the items will not work on the Berlinetta. Let's look at what I have to work with. This is the color that I aim shooting for. I know that I can probably buy an exact match but I really wanted to paint it with the OPI fingernail polish that I have. I started with the body work. I highlight seam lines with a Sharpie. I also rescribed all panel lines. The side scoops are separate pieces and a real PITA to install and make look good. Honestly, I got them to about 90-95% and finally gave up. Big seams in a tiny space. Filling and sanding were a nightmare. I seriously doubt that anyone will even notice the less than 100% perfect finish on them. Along with the side scoops, the rear spoiler piece did not fit even remotely properly. More big gaps. I really questioned whether or not I wanted to build this thing. Next update will be covering the thinning and shooting the beautiful OPI fingernail polish.

Good morning, Sharing my thoughts on this Fujimi kit. It was painted with Tamiya LP-42 Mica Red over Tamiya Pink Primer and clear coated with TS-13. The interior is Zero Paints Ferrari Cuoio Leather clear coated with Tamiya X-35 Semi Gloss and Tamiya TS-29 Semi Gloss Black. In hindsight, I wished I'd added a little more back to the interior - which I would have done if the doors could be opened and closed. I left the wheels their original chrome but gave them 3 coats of Tamiya X-19 Smoke. The kit contains some photo etch parts and window masks. Most of the kit went together quite well, however I noted a few exception below. What I learned: 1. Mica Red required multiple coats before it started looking red and not orange over the pink primer. 2. First time using decanted TS-29 Semi Gloss Black - it seemed to go on like their LP-5 and looks identical to my eyes once dry. 3. First time using Zero Paints. It can be sprayed between 15 to 40 psi. I would lean more towards 15 next time - especially for the interior as the paint dried very quickly. 4. It's probably just me, but the plastic seemed more brittle than other kits I've built. I broke a wiper and the small front spoiler. 5. Fitment issues: When dropping in the engine, make sure the headers are tight to the engine as it is a snug fit inside the engine compartment (they can't be seen anyway). The nose/mustache did not fit flush against the left and right quarter panels so I used CA glue + accelerator to hold them down. The headlights are attached from below but there is no way they can be attached to the pins on the nose/mustache. I had to cut the mounting holes on the headlights into semicircles (kinda hard to explain, but picture horseshoe vs. ring toss). The side mirrors and the small front spoiler gave me nightmares. The contact points are too small and I popped the mirrors off a couple times and made a glue mess of the (broken) spoiler. And finally, perhaps this is a Fujimi characteristic (had the same problem with a GT40), the body to chassis fit takes a little patience while you enjoy all the creaking and scraping sounds. I'm not bashing the kit, however I don't think I'd build another Berlinetta. Thanks for reading :^)

I'm building this for a friend as a birthday gift. The kit looks quite awesome, it contains a lot of PE parts, doors open etc. I started with building the brake discs and sanded them to give them more realistic look as they are carbon ceramic on real car.