Testors Ferrari F40 LeMans WIP

[atomicholiday]

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.

Edited April 18, 2023 by atomicholiday

[SpikeSchumacher]

Looking really good Jeremy! Can't wait to see it finished 😉

[atomicholiday]

4 hours ago, SpikeSchumacher said:

Looking really good Jeremy! Can't wait to see it finished 😉

Thanks man!

 

I started working on the rear suspension parts first.  This may have been why I shelved it originally.  These parts are all pretty delicate and a bit brittle, and I found three of the pieces broken.  One of the lower control arms was broken off and both upper control arms were broken.

Starting with the uppers first, I plugged the holes in the frame, and then drilled .033” holes through the plugs.  Then I drilled holes in both upper control arm supports.  Once this was done, I cut pieces of rod from a paper clip and inserted the pieces into each upper support post.  The steel rod should be much stronger than the original design.  This was then all glued together and allowed to fully dry.

Next, I glued the broken lower control arm back on.  There isn’t much land there for glue to hold, so after it’s cured I’ll probably put a bead of ca glue around the seams for support.  It’ll be in an area that won’t easily be seen anyway.