cooltoys1 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Anyones opinion on the 61 Ferarri 350 GT California? I just picked it up. I know it needs better wire wheels, so im after that, any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Jay, do you think the Academy kit is the same as the Italeri-Testors kit. If so then it is a pretty nice kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRM Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 It is identical, except that the Academy does not have any Ferrari decals. Its an easy problem to fix... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, cooltoys1 said: ... I know it needs better wire wheels, so im after that, any thoughts? 3D printed...I've seen 'em in person, and they're pretty damm fine. They even have the adjustment nuts on the rim-end of the spokes. Not even the best of the hand-laced wheels have that (other than some done by...I believe...Pico Elgin, that have printed rims including nuts, and actual wire spokes). Edited April 9, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djflyer Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 I built the Testors version of this a while back and now have the Academy re-box ("European Classic Car") which is unchanged, but the quality of molding seems better. Fit of the body parts that have to be attached (front/rear valence, headlight buckets) can be a bit fiddely but are ok if you do some test fitting. The kit shared parts with the 250 GTO so some aren't quite accurate for a California Spyder - door cards and seats are the most obvious in need of replacement. The carbs also if you plan to detail under the hood. Alex Kustov (a frequent poster here) has a great build-up on his Italian Horses website http://italianhorses.net/Gallery/Italeri/Ital250Cal/250CalSp.htm Bill - I cant wait to get my hands on some of those MBW wire wheels - where did you get them??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SfanGoch Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 14 minutes ago, djflyer said: Bill - I cant wait to get my hands on some of those MBW wire wheels - where did you get them??? It's right on the box in the phpto. Contact Randy Ditton for more information: (970)-817-4985 randyditton@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 << As you can see, I've built it! I used Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland seats and door panels, the kit seats really suck. I have a Herb Deeks photo-etch set, didn't like the cast metal rims, but used the tires (kit tires are horrible). Because it's for a diorama, I didn't detail the engine, but I have the R & M engine kit too. I corrected the side vents. I also vacuum-formed headlight covers and detailed with aluminum tape. Added mirrors from two different kits so had to modify to match. R & M steering wheel, that has real wood rim. I did a few other details. I picked up another kit last year at Desert Scale. I've bought K A Details p-e and turned aluminum rims for the 250 GTO, think they would look good on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: 3D printed...I've seen 'em in person, and they're pretty damm fine. They even have the adjustment nuts on the rim-end of the spokes. Not even the best of the hand-laced wheels have that (other than some done by...I believe...Pico Elgin, that have printed rims including nuts, and actual wire spokes). While without a doubt the overall fidelity of these wheels is amazing, every time I look at them, there is something off about them. I think the spokes seem a bit too chunky when compared to photoetched or metal wire wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, peteski said: While without a doubt the overall fidelity of these wheels is amazing, every time I look at them, there is something off about them. I think the spokes seem a bit too chunky when compared to photoetched or metal wire wheels. Yes, I believe the diameter of the wires may be a little thick. However, there are always trade-offs...almost always, at this point anyway. Most PE-center wheels have the wires sandwiched between the rim halves, which looks wrong to anyone familiar with real wire wheels. Likewise, most hand-laced wires that are built on a jig ultimately have the rims assembled around them as a sandwich too. The only way to get scale-correct individual wires, with the wires oriented correctly relative to the rims (at this time) is to hand-fit individual wire spokes into drilled rims, or into 3D printed rims that have .010" holes made into the rims as they're printed. I believe only Pico has done this type so far. He was certainly one of the first, several years ago. If you want to get REALLY technical, Ferrari Borranii wheels usually had polished alloy rims and chromed-steel spokes. Replicating the subtle but definitely noticeable difference between the appearance of the two materials is a challenge I'll leave to modelers far more ambitious than I'll likely ever be. Edited April 9, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Built from the Academy issue "Classic European Sports Car", with a couple of aftermarket Cavallino's. I think I fixed the door interiors by shaving hardware off something else and moving it all around. I think it's a great kit. especially at the £15 or so with postage that I paid for it from a Korean seller... ;-P I don't think the wheels are TOO bad, though the tires are a bit industrial.... I'd thoroughly recommend the kit, though, as the affordable route to California Spyder ownership... best, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exotics_Builder Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 I built the Italeri version over 20 years back, before a lot of goodies were available for it. The kit built well but had some corrections needed since it was based on their previously issued 250 GTO. There was a lot of the GTO DNA in it, particularly parts of the interior and the engine. I made the corrections using parts box items and scratch built a proper air cleaner. There were a few fitment issues, but overall a good kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 11 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Yes, I believe the diameter of the wires may be a little thick. However, there are always trade-offs...almost always, at this point anyway. Most PE-center wheels have the wires sandwiched between the rim halves, which looks wrong to anyone familiar with real wire wheels. Likewise, most hand-laced wires that are built on a jig ultimately have the rims assembled around them as a sandwich too. I agree 100%! The correct interleaving of the spokes cannot be done with photoetched spoke discs. That is something that the 3D printing handles well already. I think give it some time for the technology to improve and the printers will be able to print thinner (properly scaled) spokes. We're almost there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 9 hours ago, Matt Bacon said: Built from the Academy issue "Classic European Sports Car", with a couple of aftermarket Cavallino's. I think I fixed the door interiors by shaving hardware off something else and moving it all around. I think it's a great kit. especially at the £15 or so with postage that I paid for it from a Korean seller... ;-P I don't think the wheels are TOO bad, though the tires are a bit industrial.... I'd thoroughly recommend the kit, though, as the affordable route to California Spyder ownership... best, M. Yes, those tires would be at home on a Jeep or some other vehicle meant to be taken off-road. But there are so many tire options out there that it should be fairly easy to replace these with some more correct-looking tires. Otherwise, the model looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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