Italeri Ferrari 275gtb... Grail Build!

[jaymcminn]

Several years ago my LHS got in a consignment of vintage car kits. I scored a Fujimi Enthusiast Dino, an Enthusiast Porsche 930, and this... the rare Italeri Ferrari 275gtb. This kit has been released twice as far as I know... once by Revell in 1991 and then a year later by Italeri. When these kits (rarely) show up on Ebay they tend to command some pretty high prices. My LHS had it priced at a whopping $29.99! 

This has been in the stash for a few years now waiting for the right time. I've got some experience with this kit having built the Spyder version already (paid $100ish on the 'bay for that one!) and it's a great little kit with a few caveats. The wheels and tires are Italeri's usual two-piece Borranis with Dunlop "truck tires". The headlights aren't great either. But the proportions are great and the detail is very good and the kit responds well to simple detailing.

I'm several hours into the build, pretty much body prep so far. The front and rear valances as well as the headlight buckets have been attached and minor divots and gaps were filled with Tamiya putty. Panel lines were rescribed and trim edges were sharpened up a little. The body was then block sanded. The kit headlight locating hole was drilled out for parts box headlights with actual reflectors. Primer is going on soon!

Wheels and tires are going to be Fujimi's excellent 3-piece Borranis with Michelin XWX tires from the Enthusiast Daytona kit. You used to be able to get these as a wheel set from Fujimi but that set has been OOP for a while. I have a Daytona parts kit that I'm going to use for these. I was tempted to order up a set of RMCM Campagnolo wheels but I used a set of these on the Spyder and wanted to go with something different on the Berlinetta.

Color is going to be Tamiya Light Gunmetal, which is a pretty good stand in for Ferrari Grigio Fumo. Interior will be navy blue over grey carpet. 

Here are some pics of the body so far...

Bandit obviously approves of my choice of subject matter!

A couple of pics of the Spyder below...

[Justin Porter]

You're making a great start on what definitely is one of those true grail kits. I'll be happy to see how this progresses. 

[Matt Bacon]

I’m looking forward to this! You probably know this already having done the spider, but it’s worth beefing up the joint between the rear panel and body shell. I used superglue and micro-balloons to backfill from the inside, but talc and superglue or epoxy putty would work just as well. The last thing you need is the seam popping open just after you’ve primed, painted and clear-coated!

best,

M.

[Exotics_Builder]

Looking good.  Still have mine to build.  Along with a few others.  This gives some inspiration to get at them.

 

[jaymcminn]

33 minutes ago, Matt Bacon said:

I’m looking forward to this! You probably know this already having done the spider, but it’s worth beefing up the joint between the rear panel and body shell. I used superglue and micro-balloons to backfill from the inside, but talc and superglue or epoxy putty would work just as well. The last thing you need is the seam popping open just after you’ve primed, painted and clear-coated!

best,

M.

Thanks Matt! Yup, there's no way that joint would hold up without reinforcement. I have a nice thick bead of gap-filling CA running all the way around. 

15 minutes ago, Exotics_Builder said:

Looking good.  Still have mine to build.  Along with a few others.  This gives some inspiration to get at them.

 

Thanks Gerry! I have the 250GT in the stash as well, that's another one I'm holding off on until I figure out exactly how I'm going to build it.

 

[Exotics_Builder]

3 hours ago, jaymcminn said:

 

Thanks Gerry! I have the 250GT in the stash as well, that's another one I'm holding off on until I figure out exactly how I'm going to build it.

 

That is always something that slows me down as well.  Plus amassing any aftermarket detail to enhance the build.

[kelson]

Looking forward to this one!,i just recently scored another Nart spyder off Ebay last week,just stuck on finding the right color.?

[Zoom Zoom]

20 hours ago, Exotics_Builder said:

Looking good.  Still have mine to build.  Along with a few others.  This gives some inspiration to get at them.

 

I have all three and an extra SWB because it's my favorite and the extra one kind of fell in my lap at a show for less than the price of a new Revell kit. I have the various correct wheel sets (Fujimi parts pack and MFH wires, HRM alloys) and tires. These are some of my favorite Ferraris ever, I need some inspiration seeing them built! 

[Exotics_Builder]

2 hours ago, Zoom Zoom said:

I have all three and an extra SWB because it's my favorite and the extra one kind of fell in my lap at a show for less than the price of a new Revell kit. I have the various correct wheel sets (Fujimi parts pack and MFH wires, HRM alloys) and tires. These are some of my favorite Ferraris ever, I need some inspiration seeing them built! 

Indeed!  As do I.

[jaymcminn]

Paint is on... Tamiya Light Gunmetal with TS-13 Clear top coat over Tamiya grey primer. My technique with TS paints is to apply two light coats of color followed by three wet coats 10 minutes apart. For metallics I'll then hit it with two fairly wet coats of clear after 30 minutes flash time. I'll give it a week or so to gas out before polishing with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Polish. Given the less-than-optimal painting conditions (90°, 79° dewpoint, 70% humidity) it turned out pretty good with minor orange peel and no blushing or junk in the paint. Next up will be the tedious part of any build... removing parts from sprues, pre-assembly and cleanup, then mounting to craft sticks for paint. 

 

[jaymcminn]

4 hours ago, Zoom Zoom said:

I have all three and an extra SWB because it's my favorite and the extra one kind of fell in my lap at a show for less than the price of a new Revell kit. I have the various correct wheel sets (Fujimi parts pack and MFH wires, HRM alloys) and tires. These are some of my favorite Ferraris ever, I need some inspiration seeing them built! 

I'm always keeping an eye out for more 250SWBs. I was all set to buy several a few years back when RoG announced they were rereleasing it. Of course that never quite happened!

[Zoom Zoom]

3 hours ago, jaymcminn said:

I'm always keeping an eye out for more 250SWBs. I was all set to buy several a few years back when RoG announced they were rereleasing it. Of course that never quite happened!

I think based on conversations w/Ed Sexton from Revell that Academy in Korea has the tooling for the Ferraris. They were hoping to get licensing to release the SWB, but it apparently never happened. I lucked into mine for sure, one I've had for many years, the second I found in the past 5 years. Intent is to build both of them, for some reason it's my favorite followed by 275 GTB, Lusso, and 250 GTO in that order. Someday...?

The Tamiya Lt. Gunmetal paint is a decent match for Ferrari's own Grigio Titanio. I'm slowly making the switch from TS colors as I run out of them into the LP paints as I prefer airbrushing and it's just so easy to mix and make my own color variations. Glad you aren't doing the obligatory "resale red" ? even if it does look great on 275's. Saw a Miata like mine (in True Red) parked next to a Rosso Corsa Ferrari and the color of my Miata is a little brighter and more vivid than Ferrari red! I call that a safety feature in such a tiny car... 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Zoom Zoom

[Matt Bacon]

Academy has released the 250 Spider as “Classic Italian Sports Car” or something equally generic, with all mention of Ferrari expunged (although the Cavallino is still rampant on the grille). That’s what I built mine from. You might have to order from a Korean hobby shop to get one, though. I too was hoping Revell would do the 250 SWB (I think it was actually announced…).

best,

M.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Matt Bacon

[Pierre Rivard]

Beautiful build so far Jason. The paint job looks excellent and will be awesome with added polishing. Great color and will be awesome with blue interior.

[jaymcminn]

17 hours ago, Zoom Zoom said:

I think based on conversations w/Ed Sexton from Revell that Academy in Korea has the tooling for the Ferraris. They were hoping to get licensing to release the SWB, but it apparently never happened. I lucked into mine for sure, one I've had for many years, the second I found in the past 5 years. Intent is to build both of them, for some reason it's my favorite followed by 275 GTB, Lusso, and 250 GTO in that order. Someday...?

The Tamiya Lt. Gunmetal paint is a decent match for Ferrari's own Grigio Titanio. I'm slowly making the switch from TS colors as I run out of them into the LP paints as I prefer airbrushing and it's just so easy to mix and make my own color variations. Glad you aren't doing the obligatory "resale red" ? even if it does look great on 275's. Saw a Miata like mine (in True Red) parked next to a Rosso Corsa Ferrari and the color of my Miata is a little brighter and more vivid than Ferrari red! I call that a safety feature in such a tiny car... 

I tend to stay away from red for 60's Ferraris as, outside of competition cars, red wasn't really as prevalent as it was from the 70's onward. There were so many great colors available for these cars that building a bunch of red ones just doesn't appeal to me. That being said, when I build my Fujimi 250GTO it will actually probably be in Rosso Corsa. Agreed the LP paints are fantastic, my LHS doesn't stock them yet so I have to stock up at the hobby shop in Port Charlotte about an hour away when I make it up there. 

4 hours ago, Matt Bacon said:

Academy has released the 250 Spider as “Classic Italian Sports Car” or something equally generic, with all mention of Ferrari expunged (although the Cavallino is still rampant on the grille). That’s what I built mine from. You might have to order from a Korean hobby shop to get one, though. I too was hoping Revell would do the 250 SWB (I think it was actually announced…).

best,

M.

My 250 Spider California was the Academy generic release as well. I'm not bothered about Ferrari losing out on the licensing... they already make almost as much off of selling branded tat as they do from cars anyway. 

[Bainford]

Looking good, Jason. I'll be watching this one come together. 

I also have the Academy 250 Spider, though I'm more of a coupe guy. I didn't realise until this thread that the Academy Ferraris were from actual Italeri tooling. I always assumed it was copied or reverse engineered tooling.

Oh, and I snagged the photo of Bandit for my collection of photos of 'cats on model benches'.

[Rich Chernosky]

Jason ...if this turns out as good as the Spyder then it is going to be a killer project.   Like the color (although I am kinda a red Ferrari guy) as it suits this car well.  My experience with TS13 over Tamiya silvers is that the clear has a tendency to eat into the base coat and pull it down in places. How have you solved this or doesn't it happen to you.

[jaymcminn]

1 hour ago, Bainford said:

Looking good, Jason. I'll be watching this one come together. 

I also have the Academy 250 Spider, though I'm more of a coupe guy. I didn't realise until this thread that the Academy Ferraris were from actual Italeri tooling. I always assumed it was copied or reverse engineered tooling.

Oh, and I snagged the photo of Bandit for my collection of photos of 'cats on model benches'.

Lol, the Big Guy is probably the most-photographed animal of all time. He even made it into the pages of MCM last year!

1 hour ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Jason ...if this turns out as good as the Spyder then it is going to be a killer project.   Like the color (although I am kinda a red Ferrari guy) as it suits this car well.  My experience with TS13 over Tamiya silvers is that the clear has a tendency to eat into the base coat and pull it down in places. How have you solved this or doesn't it happen to you.

Honestly my first time spraying TS13 over any of the Tamiya silvers. I've sprayed the old Testors Wet Look lacquer over them before without any bad effects. This was applied as normal, two wet coats after giving the color coats about 30 minutes to flash over. From what I understand TS13 was reformulated about 4 years ago since the old "hot" formula would dissolve decals. Maybe you were using the old formula?

Edited July 19, 2023 by jaymcminn

[jaymcminn]

Mini update... the chrome plating on the bumpers was full of dust specks and what I swear was a cat hair. There were also sinkmarks and highly visible attachment points to contend with. I stripped them with Easy Off and sprayed with airbrushed Molotow Chrome. I've had good luck with airbrushed Molotow in the past. The key to a relatively durable finish is to allow the maximum drying time possible. A week or two is generally sufficient before handling. Airbrushed Molotow isn't quite as "chromey" as brush painted, but still looks great. When Revell Chrome Spray starts to be a little more available in the US I'll give it a shot. 

[Rich Chernosky]

1 hour ago, jaymcminn said:

Lol, the Big Guy is probably the most-photographed animal of all time. He even made it into the pages of MCM last year!

Honestly my first time spraying TS13 over any of the Tamiya silvers. I've sprayed the old Testors Wet Look lacquer over them before without any bad effects. This was applied as normal, two wet coats after giving the color coats about 30 minutes to flash over. From what I understand TS13 was reformulated about 4 years ago since the old "hot" formula would dissolve decals. Maybe you were using the old formula?

Jason...thanks for the reply. I go through about 7-9 cans of TS-13 a year so its not the old formula.  I mostly de-cant and airbrush which means you get less paint solvent and more paint.  The airbrush atomizes the paint finer which makes it dry faster.  I use Mr Color leveling thinner a lot or Tamiya laquer thinner.  This only happens to me with Tamiya silvers which have a slight texture when dry.  I have had to resort to waterbase clears (Tamiya X-22 for example)  to avoid this.  I have the entire line of the new Tamiya LS   and that sprays  fantastic and the clear in that is great too although only available in those small bottles.   BTW do mix the LS with decanted TS spray.  They congeal up like cottage cheese.  I have both Ferrari GTBs done  but will follow your WIP. Thanks for putting it up

[Exotics_Builder]

On 7/19/2023 at 11:20 AM, Rich Chernosky said:

Jason...thanks for the reply. I go through about 7-9 cans of TS-13 a year so its not the old formula.  I mostly de-cant and airbrush which means you get less paint solvent and more paint.  The airbrush atomizes the paint finer which makes it dry faster.  I use Mr Color leveling thinner a lot or Tamiya laquer thinner.  This only happens to me with Tamiya silvers which have a slight texture when dry.  I have had to resort to waterbase clears (Tamiya X-22 for example)  to avoid this.  I have the entire line of the new Tamiya LS   and that sprays  fantastic and the clear in that is great too although only available in those small bottles.   BTW do mix the LS with decanted TS spray.  They congeal up like cottage cheese.  I have both Ferrari GTBs done  but will follow your WIP. Thanks for putting it up

Tamiya LS?  Or LP?

[jaymcminn]

Engine is ready to go into the chassis. The engine in this kit has excellent detail and looks really nice built up. I added ignition wire to dress it up a little. I tried to match it up as closely as possible to the engine in the Spyder I built previously. The textured finish on the air cleaner was just done with TS29 from the spray can held far enough away (about 18") that the paint started to dry before hitting the surface. After three or four coats a nice scale crackle finish built up. 

Rolling stock is assembled as well. The Fujimi Enthusiast Daytona Borranis are fantastic. They build up from three layers of spokes. The Michelin XWX tires are beautiful as well. The wheel diameter is maybe an inch too large to be correct but I'm not going to split hairs. I do still need to add valve stems before I mount them.

Next up will be the interior, stay tuned!

[250 Testa Rossa]

I can't wait to get going on mine. 

[Justin Porter]

Really looks like it's going in the right direction. Screwball as this may sound, I like the detail of the crossover pipe in particular.

[jaymcminn]

Lots to update today. Interior is completed. Paint is Tamiya XF8 with a Semi-Gloss clear topcoat. Accents are done in TS29 Semi-Gloss Black. Chrome is Molotow Chrome. Carpet is embossing powder that was painted with XF8 after the glue dried. 

Next, I polished out the body with Micro-Mesh polishing cloths starting from 6000 grit, followed by Meguiars Ultimate compound and polish. The trim was foiled and some of the exterior trim chrome was installed.

Finally the interior, engine and chassis were mated up waiting for the body. The wheels aren't permanently attached yet. They'll need to be epoxied in and the passenger front wheel doesn't quite touch... some adjustments are going to be in order.

Next pics will probably be under glass. As usual, I'll post some finished shots here and close out the thread!

Edited July 28, 2023 by jaymcminn