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Hello model building enthusiasts! Today I’m starting the build report for my dream car, the Ferrari F40. First, here are some details about the car, the kit, and the transkits I will use. The Ferrari F40: The Ferrari F40 was introduced in 1987 as the successor to the legendary Ferrari 288 GTO. This vehicle was not only a milestone for Ferrari but also for the entire automotive industry. Developed to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, the F40 epitomized the ultimate pursuit of performance and engineering. It was commissioned by Enzo Ferrari himself to continue Ferrari’s tradition as a manufacturer of pure racing cars for the road. It was intended to be the fastest and most powerful road car of its time and embody Ferrari’s technology and heritage. The Ferrari F40 was a masterpiece of engineering. Beneath its carbon fiber and Kevlar bodywork lay a twin-turbo V8 engine with 2.9 liters of displacement, producing an impressive 478 horsepower and a maximum torque of 577 Nm. This engine was mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, giving the F40 a top speed of over 320 km/h. The lightweight construction of the F40 contributed to its impressive performance, with a dry weight of only about 1,100 kg. During its production run from 1987 to 1992, a total of approximately 1,315 Ferrari F40s were produced. Although there were no official variants, some special models, such as the F40 LM and the F40 Competizione, were produced for racing. These vehicles were even more powerful and rarer than the standard F40. I will be building the road car in the European specification. Furthermore, I have decided not to build the version for purists (with plexiglass side windows with small sliding windows, no air conditioning), but the slightly more comfortable version with inner door panels, crank windows, and air conditioning. The Pocher Model: In 1991, Pocher released a 1:8 scale kit of the F40. Similar to the Testarossa, Pocher decided to simplify the kit compared to earlier Pocher models. The reason for this decision was to appeal to a wider audience, as the model could be assembled very easily. All parts were simply snapped or screwed together. I found a relatively well-preserved and unmodified assembled F40 on eBay, which I completely disassembled and will rebuild from scratch. Transkits: Over time, several Transkits were released to improve the level of detail. The “holy grail” among the Transkits is the one from Autograph. The Transkit was released in a limited quantity. However, due to high demand, additional runs were made. The Transkit stands out especially for its many details on the suspension and frame. It consists of 8 A4 sheets with etched parts, numerous white metal cast parts, metal rims, decals for the cockpit, carbon fiber, and Kevlar surfaces. It also includes fabric for the dashboard and seats, as well as plenty of small parts like screws and nuts. The Transkit I’m using is from the last batch, featuring Speedline rims. So, I started the build in 2021. However, since Tommaso Iuele also announced a Transkit for the F40, I stopped the build until this Transkit becomes available. To bridge the time until then, I started building the 1:8 Testarossa by Pocher, for which Tommaso Iuele’s Transkit was already available. So, I spent the last 2 years building the Testarossa. Here is the link to the pics of the finished Testarossa. A few weeks ago, Tommaso Iuele’s F40 Transkit was completed as well. The Transkit features a highly detailed engine made of printed parts. It also includes the front hood, rear wing, and rims for the LM version, as well as many other printed parts. It contains 5 A4 sheets with etched parts and beautiful decals for the road and LM versions. After examining both Transkits, the further procedure is clear. I will continue building the road version and, like with the Testarossa, make the engine by Tommaso Iuele as a standalone model. Regarding the etched parts, I will make a “best of” selection. Later on, I will build the remaining parts into an LM version. Since I’ve learned a lot about model building in the last 2 years, I will now carefully inspect and improve the already built parts step by step if necessary. Additionally, the F40 will receive a fully functional lighting system with automatic popup headlights. Let’s start with the front axle and suspension. In the Pocher kit, the parts are assembled with large screws. The shock absorber suspension is a very loose interpretation of reality. The stabilizer and steering linkage are extremely bulky. For a model in 1:8 scale, it’s a complete disaster! Especially considering that the suspension of the F40 is fully visible when the hood is open. The same goes for the two tie rods that reinforce the front axle forward. Fortunately, this was taken into account in the Autograph Transkit. For this, there are etched parts in the Transkit that are soldered together, thus redesigning the mounting geometry. The Transkit also includes solder and soldering water. Soldering brass parts was new territory for me in 2021. After some practice soldering, I got the hang of it and finished the parts for the front axle suspension. The parts were then glued to the front axle with a 2K adhesive (Pattex Kraft Mix, extremely fast, 25 mg). For this, any protruding parts of the old mounting were sawed off beforehand. The adhesive hardens very quickly. That’s why I always mix a very small amount. After the adhesive had cured, the parts were additionally secured with small screws. The two tie rods and the mounting for the radiator were also separated from the frame and replaced with brass parts. Afterward, everything was painted black. Now it looks almost like the big brother. That’s the status as of 2021. As mentioned above, the F40, like the Testarossa, will receive a fully functional lighting system. The only problem is, there’s actually no room for all the boards I need for the control. After much consideration, I found a solution. In the area of the front axle below the spare tire well, the steering rack and the stabilizer run. In principle, there is enough space, and the area is not entirely visible. However, to accommodate the boards, I would have to remove the cover of the steering column along with the mounting geometry and the reinforcement wall between the left and right sides. After I was sure that this would provide enough space for the boards, I used a small handsaw to cut away the interfering parts. Here’s a comparison to make it clear which wall I’m referring to. In the front view, you can also see the cutaway areas of the steering column cover. Here’s the basic positioning of the boards. It’s important that all connectors are accessible and that no heat buildup occurs. To conclude, here are some pictures of the finished front axle. That's it for now. Next time it will be the turn of the remaining parts of the front axle (wishbone, brake disc, brake caliper, shock absorber, stabilizer and steering linkage). See you soon Your Ferrarifan

Since the Pintera build is on hold until I can get to the store for paint stripper, I decided to pull this one back off the shelf. You guys are a little late to the party here, as I started this build around twenty years ago. This is the Testors boxing of the Italeri kit. Bought it brand new at a lhs (sadly long since closed) back in 1988. It sat pretty much untouched until the early 2000’s. As you’ll see, a lot of progress was made back then, but it eventually got shelved for reasons I don’t remember. Might have been around the time we moved. What’s finished- The body is done! Shot in Model Master Italian red (what else!) and some clear, probably MM too, with an airbrush, back when I had a good place to do that. Interior is also done! And finally, the engine is mostly finished. What’s that leave? I still need to finish the turbos and exhaust system. Also all suspension needs done, and then it’ll be ready for final assembly. Let’s see if I can push this old Ferrari across the finish line finally.

Hi!, this is my Fujimi Ferrari F40LM. I wanted to change it to a barely street legal car, so I cut-off the front defuser, detailed the headlamp assemblies with indicators, filled-in the rocker vents, SB a stock wing, and ditched the LM wheels and tyres, for a set of Tamiya stock ones. The engine bay is detailed, as is the interior, with an added seat.

Fujimi Ferrari F40 in French blue Le Mans livery

Kia Ora folks - Been away from the forum for a while (apologies) so here's my last three finishes. Please feel free to ask any questions, Hurl any criticism or make any comments: AFN Ian.

The hard fought build of the F40 is done. I learned a lot of what not to do with PE parts (my first time). It’s not perfect but I’m happy overall. I gotta do another one of these, maybe yellow tho...

Hey everyone!, after a failed 2nd attempt at a Tamiya Ferrari F40, I decided to turn it into the accident aftermath on the famed Autobahn. It all went bad when I was accelerating to the end of the build....the body got stuck 3/4 of a mile down on the chassis.....I tried to separate the two, but it was no good.....thoughts were Zipping by me at high speeds!!….WHAT TO DO???!!!……..Then, as the finish line was in sight, my hand slipped!!…...CHIPS OF PAINT WENT FLYING!!!...…..THEN IT HIT THE WALL IN A SHOWER OF PLASTIC, AND BITS!!!......It was over, and I had lost. -This tragedy did eventually have a happy ending, I purchased a Fujimi kit instead, and actually liked it waaaay better than the Tamiya versions.

I know this is an old kit, a search did not find any threads, so here goes..... Has anyone built the Tamiya Ferrari F40, using aftermarket carbon-fiber decals? The real car pioneered c-f, some is yellow weave, some is not as black as most decals available. I built the Fujimi last century, tried painting the seat backs.

I started these two models a few months back, but ran out of paint and took a break from them. I wasn't originally going to do a workbench thread since I'm pretty new to this and it won't be that interesting, but I'm bored and planning to get back to them soon so I thought what the heck, why not. As my second and third models I decided that I definitely had to have an F40 in my collection, and I also wanted to build another Porsche. The 993 GT2 was perfect. Guts of the F40 I plan on painting the body of the F40 white. I think it'll contrast nice with the black wheels and red seats. As you can see below both cars are basically in opposite stages of their build I apologize for the quality of the pictures, I'll post better ones once I've started on them again.