Ferrari F40 1/8

[Ferrarifan]

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

 

Edited May 14 by Ferrarifan

[iamsuperdan]

I never realized how toy-like the Pocher kits could be. 

For the money they cost, that front suspension would be a huge disappointment to me.

Seeing what you did to the Testarossa, and what you've already should above, I have no doubts this will be a stunner when finished!

 

[Ferrarifan]

As announced, today we're continuing with the components of the front axle.

Step 1 - Brake Discs:

I have no idea what Pocher was thinking. Even models in much smaller scales have more realistic brake discs!

Luckily, the Autograph transkit provides worthy replacements. Here, the brake discs consist of etched parts supplemented with cast parts in white metal, metal rivets, and screws. Assembly is done with super glue.

Step 2 - Wishbones:

Existing parts have been optimized or adjusted here. Mounting pins have been replaced with actual screws, and the molded screw heads have also been replaced with real screws.

Step 3 - Shock Absorbers:

Except for the springs, the shock absorbers are completely new. The Autograph transkit provides beautiful metal parts. To achieve perfect ground clearance, these are adjusted to a precisely defined length and glued in place.

Step 4 - Brake Calipers:

Existing calipers have been upgraded here. Etched parts for the Brembo lettering, connecting lines between the two halves, vent valve, and screws. Brake pads were made from foam rubber.

Finally, I added clips with pins to secure the brake pads.

Then the steering linkage and stabilizer bar were revised and everything was assembled.

I made the brake lines from heat shrink tubing. The connection fittings and the distribution block are from Topstudio.

Here's a direct comparison before and after.

Finally, some pictures showing all the details.

That's it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[Ferrarifan]

Let’s continue with the seats.

Again, Pocher didn’t exactly cover himself in glory here.

In the Autograph Transkit, there are nice decals for the seat shell. Thanks to the templates, applying them is no problem.

However, compared to the many photos I collected during research, the decals seem a bit too light to me. Therefore, I darkened the areas with Smoke from Vallejo.

 

The next step was the seat cushion.

In the Autograph Transkit, pieces of ladies’ stockings are provided for this purpose, as well as for the areas on the dashboard, center console, and cabin rear wall!?!. The instructions also explain that you should work with spray adhesive.

I was very skeptical about this and considered painting in the old-fashioned way with a mixture of paint and microballs.

But I’m open to new things and wanted to give the stockings a chance.

Since I had no experience in this regard, I organized several types of spray adhesive and conducted adhesive tests. And I was more than positively surprised by the result. By the way, I achieved the best result with Tesa’s craft spray adhesive.

However, since there was relatively little fabric in the Transkit and I had used some fabric during the adhesive tests, I wasn’t sure if the remaining amount would be enough. So, I went to some ladies’ clothing stores and explained my concerns to the helpful saleswomen. But I’m not sure if they believed me that I needed the stockings for “crafting.”

The saleswomen initiated me into the secrets of stockings. The quality I needed is D80 - opaque.

Regarding gray for the dashboard, I was successful. For red, I had to realize that the color is not currently in fashion!!!!! Hopefully, this only applies to ladies’ stockings.

I then found what I needed at the largest online retailer and ordered a red pair of ladies’ stockings there.

The seat cushion is covered with a piece of fabric. I cut the fabric with plenty of excess, then stretched it over cardboard with pins and sprayed it generously with glue. Then the seat was sprayed. It is important to spray the back as well, as the fabric is pulled over the edges to the back to avoid wrinkles.

The fabric was stretched between the outer edges of the seat and then pressed into the seat recess. Then the fabric was carefully pressed into the grooves of the seams and the lettering.

Only then was the outer edge done.

Since the adhesive is a contact adhesive, processing is relatively easy because the adhesive has dried after about 1 minute and no longer sticks to the fingers. Two surfaces that have been moistened with the adhesive stick together like glue, but can still be detached for at least a few minutes.

The result is very satisfying.

However, I noticed differences compared to photos of the original seat. The original seats have a circumferential seam on the outer edge, and the fabric extends over the seat shell. This is also the case with the openings for the belts. And on the seat cushion, there is a “decorative bead” on the left and right that extends up to shoulder height.

That’s when my ambition kicked in again, as to how I can also create these details.

I then cut long strips of fabric, sprayed them with glue, and folded them together. Folding creates a nice edge that does not fray. Then the fabric strips were cut to the desired width.

The strips were then glued with super glue.

I am more than satisfied with the result.

Here’s the direct comparison before and after.

Finally, a few close-up shots.

That’s it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[iamsuperdan]

 

Amazing work!

[dino246gt]

Okay, I see that this will be another super amazing, ultra realistic, unbelievable replica of the fantastic F-40!

In fact, it already is! WOW.

[Ferrarifan]

As an engineer, I want to understand how things are built and function, and as a model builder with a borderline perfectionist streak, I aim to accurately replicate every tiny detail in the model.

I use Ferrari manuals available online (owner's manual, parts catalog, etc.) as sources, some of which are also included in the Autograph Transkits.

Most of my time is spent on Eurospares, a British company specializing in spare parts for sports cars (Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Porsche, etc.). There, I find official drawings for parts search, which provide me with information on the overall construction and component parts.

https://www.eurospares.co.uk/Ferrari/F40/F40/PartDiagrams

If I need more detailed information on specific appearances, I do a Google search using the part number listed in the parts catalog. For example, if I want to know exactly what the carbon door panel looks like, I search for "Ferrari 62499800."

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ferrari+…e&client=safari

This way, I gather sufficient information about individual components.

To get a better overview of the complete car, I go to Sotheby's, where numerous F40s are listed for sale or have already been sold. Unlike car sales platforms (e.g., Autoscout), there are many photos available there.

https://rmsothebys.com/search#/?SortBy=A…aN&FromYear=NaN

That's a brief overview of how I gather information.

Moving on to the cockpit.

The F40 is a mix of old and new technology. Its construction follows Ferrari's principle of using a steel tube frame, with the F40 featuring a progressively deformable front section to comply with global standards.

 

However, additional reinforcements were added, and composite materials were bonded to the frame with special adhesives to achieve even greater strength.

The cockpit, including the firewall, floor, and sidewalls, is entirely made of composite material and is fitted onto the frame.

 

The basic structure of the Pocher model's cockpit matches quite well.

After removing most of the covering from the rear wall, I painted the tub matte black. Then, I applied the carbon decals from the Autograph Transkit. Since there's a precise cutting pattern printed on the back of the decals, as with the seats, it was straightforward.

As described above, the original cockpit consists of multiple parts glued and screwed/riveted together. Ferrari applied the adhesive in such a way that the green adhesive bead is visible on the visible side. This indicates that the F40 was designed as a race car.

To represent the adhesive seams, green adhesive strips are included in the transkit. I searched for alternatives for a long time, but since I couldn't find a better solution, the adhesive seams were relocated from Autograph. Then the screws or rivets were added.

Next, the accelerator pedal and the footrests were installed. Both are photo-etched parts from the Autograph transkit. Since the color of the decals is too bright compared to my reference photos, I darkened them slightly, as I did with the seats.

 

Next up is the back wall to the engine.

 

During my research, I found that a part of the back wall can be removed to provide direct access to the engine. Additionally, covers are mounted on the left and right sides of the back wall. Under these covers are the ECUs for the injection system. Although they are indicated in the model, their size and position are incorrect.

All details that must not be missing in the model, of course. So, I simply sawed off the back wall.

In the original, the entire back wall is covered with gray felt. In the model, the fabric of a gray stocking is used. To make covering easier, I also separated the upper area where the rear window is located, which is also an additional part in the original. Furthermore, I removed the two incorrect covers.

Then I made a back wall from 0.1mm thick ABS, creating an overhang for the middle cover and simultaneously closing the openings of the incorrect ECU covers.

That's it for today.

Next time, the area will be completed.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[Ferrarifan]

Before I finish the rear panel for the engine, the center console is still on the agenda.

In the Pocher kit, the center console is one continuous piece. However, in the real F40, it's divided into two parts. To make applying the fabric easier, I split the center console just like the original. The Autograph transkit includes etched parts for the storage compartments between the gear lever and handbrake.

In the original, the parts are covered with a gray felt. As described in a previous post, I'm using an anthracite gray ladies' pantyhose that closely matches the real fabric color. The color may appear distorted in the photos, but it looks better in person.

After covering the parts, the storage compartment was mounted with super glue.

Then I mounted the gear shift mechanism and the side footrest. Both are etched parts from the Autograph transkit.

Next, I continued with the rear panel. Since the pantyhose is very flexible and tends to fray at the edges, it's not possible to cover the rear panel directly. To get a clean finish, I cut 0.1mm ABS, painted it black, and covered it with fabric. After the glue dried, I neatly trimmed the fabric at the edges with scissors. Then the covered parts were glued to the rear panel.

Next, the upper window trim was covered.

Before reattaching the window trim, the area underneath was directly covered.

Then I made the lower trim from 1mm ABS and covered it with fabric.

Next, the upper trim was made.

The parts were reattached with super glue.

To achieve a perfect finish, I enlarged the lid on the sides.

Next, the lid was covered with fabric or a textured metal foil was applied on the back.

Then the lid was screwed on with small watchmaker screws.

The next step was the ECUs for the injection and their corresponding covers.

I made the parts from ABS. I could have made the ECUs much more detailed with a 3D printer, but I'm very happy with the result. Especially considering that the parts are not visible when the covers are mounted.

After painting the ECUs with True Metal Color and adding simple connectors and cables, the ECUs were mounted on the rear panel.

Then the covers were painted black and covered with fabric. Afterwards, the covers were mounted. Similar to the original, the covers are only snapped at the bottom and screwed at the top.

The center console is not yet finally installed. I still need to make the handbrake with the leather trim and the gear lever.

Here's the before and after comparison.

That's it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[Ferrarifan]

Let's continue with the center console.
In the original, the handbrake is covered with a leather sleeve.

I recreated the sleeve from very thin leather by sewing two halves together. For this, I placed the visible sides together, sewed them, and then turned them inside out so that the visible side was outside again.

Next up was the gear stick. I replaced the plastic part with a metal rod. The rod is part of a transkit from Scaledetails.

The transkit also includes a metal ball for the gear knob, which replaces the bulky plastic gear knob.

In the Autograph transkit, there are decals for the gear knob labeling. However, these are not good because the print is not clean. Therefore, I used decals from Interdecal. They are of outstanding quality because they have no excess edges. I chose the font size 4pt to match the original as closely as possible.

The metal ball was painted black, then I applied the labeling. Finally, everything was sealed and polished with clear lacquer.

Next are the seat belts.

In the F40, the customer could choose between normal 3-point belts and sportier 4-point belts.

I opted for the sportier version.

The Autograph transkit includes beautiful etched and white metal parts for this purpose.

The parts were painted black to match the original.

For the belts, the Autograph transkit includes a red satin ribbon and yellow foam pieces for the padding in the area of the central lock.
However, the foam does not match the original at all, and the red satin ribbon is too coarse in texture.

I found suitable replacements on the internet.

The belt pieces were then cut to the appropriate lengths. To prevent the ends from fraying, they were sealed with a soldering iron.
Afterwards, the etched parts were threaded through and the belt ends were glued with superglue.

The fastening hooks have a movable part so that they can be hooked into the fastening loops.
In the original, these are riveted.
For this, I used rivets from Model Factory Hiro (Metal Rivets Series No. 05: Round socket hexagon-head rivets L No: P1012).

In the original, the belt ends or the red and yellow belt segments are sewn together.
I simulated the seams using a soldering iron. It is important to work with a lower temperature so that not everything melts, but just fuses together.
Unfortunately, the result is not very visible in the photos.

Here are all the belt segments.

What is still missing are the patches with the labels.
The Autograph transkit includes some decals for this. However, since the quality is not optimal, and some labels are missing, Photoshop was called for once again.

I then made my own labels and printed them on white decal paper.

In the original, the labels are sewn on.
To simulate the seams, I used the riveting tool from Trumpeter.

Afterwards, the labels were cut out and glued to the belts along with the backing paper using superglue. Then I punched out the labeling of the central lock with a punch and applied it.

Here are pictures of the finished belts.

What is still missing are the fastening loops and the floor rails. However, I am still waiting for a delivery.
Additionally, the belts and seats will be lightly aged or soiled since I am making the car in a slightly used condition.

That's it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[CabDriver]

This is incredible, inspiring work - on what looks like a somewhat disappointing kit.  Kudos to you on all the upgrades and details you’re adding!

[Bugatti Fan]

Interesting to see your improvements. That F40 kit has been around for quite a while.

The old Pochers were never the best kits and need quite experienced modellers to get the best from them.

Looking good so far. Will be following.

 

 

 

[Ferrarifan]

Let's continue with the seat rails and the belt attachment.

The F40 has a simple seat rail. This is completely missing in the Pocher model. In the Autograph Transkit, there is only a photo-etched part for the 3-point belt.

However, since the 4-point belts are attached to the seat rail on both sides of the seat, simple model building was required again. I made the seat rail from PSA L-profiles and strips.

The rail is then simply placed on the actual seat mounting. When the seats are locked in place, the seat rail is fixed.

Eye bolts are used to fasten the 4-point belts. Although the Autograph Transkit includes parts for this, they do not match the original dimensions. After a long search, I found suitable eye bolts at Knupfer.info 

After the seat rails were painted black, the eye bolts and the screws for fastening the rails were installed.

 

Another test fitting after painting.

Here you can already see how the seats are installed at an angle. This corresponds to the original. Since the footwell becomes very narrow due to the wheel arches, this is the only way to sit comfortably. However, it takes some getting used to, especially for the driver.

As previously described, the F40 was sold with either 3-point or 4-point belts. According to my research, the rear mounting plate for the 3-point belt was also factory-installed in vehicles with 4-point belts.

I made the plate again from ABS and fitted it with screws from Autograph.

After painting, the plates were mounted on the rear wall. Additionally, the rear eye bolts for the 4-point belts were installed.

Before clipping in the seats, the belts were placed on the rail and the belts were hooked in. This would not have been possible after seat installation due to space constraints.

Then the seats were mounted and the belts clipped in at the top.

The holes between the belt loops are for the steel tubes of the frame that run diagonally upward along the rear wall to the roof.

Since I am building the car in a slightly used condition, the seats, belts, and footwell were lightly soiled with pigments. Unfortunately, this does not come across well in the photos.

That's it for today. Next time, we'll continue with the dashboard.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

 

Edited May 19 by Ferrarifan

[Bugatti Fan]

More excellent progress on your F40 Thomas.

I see that you mentioned the Autograph company for extra detailing parts.

There is another company in the USA who makes upgrade parts for the old Pocher kits named Model Motorcars. I thought I would mention them as another upgrade source but possibly you may already know of them as they probably have some F40 upgrade parts too.

Edited May 20 by Bugatti Fan

[Ferrarifan]

2 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

More excellent progress on your F40 Thomas.

I see that you mentioned the Autograph company for extra detailing parts.

There is another company in the USA who makes upgrade parts for the old Pocher kits named Model Motorcars. I thought I would mention them as another upgrade source but possibly you may already know of them as they probably have some F40 upgrade parts too.

Thanks for the hint. I know them and will also use parts from them. They made excellent rubber tires for the F40. And I was lucky to get one pack before they were sold😁.

Best regards

Thomas

[Ferrarifan]

Here we go with the dashboard.

Here are two pictures of the starting point.

After removing all the attachments, the dashboard was divided into three parts, just like the original. This makes it easier to cover the parts with the pantyhose fabric.

Holes were also drilled into the instruments for the planned backlighting. Then the upper ventilation openings were drilled out because there are etched and white metal parts as replacements in the Autograph transkit.

After that, the parts were covered with the fabric.

Next were the instruments. The Autograph transkit includes improved decals for this.

However, since the decals only partially match the original, I created matching graphics in Photoshop. The graphic was then printed on white decal paper.

To increase the realism, pointers and screws were added.

The transkit includes beautiful etched parts to build up the instrument panel in layers.

The individual layers were then carefully assembled with a few drops of super glue.

The layered construction makes the instrument panel look very realistic.

I proceeded the same way with the middle instruments. First, create the graphics in Photoshop, then build them up in layers.

Thus, the instruments are finished. The backlighting will be done later.

That’s it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[Mattilacken]

Epic work! I enjoy seeing your progress and how you did it al!

[Ferrarifan]

Now, let's continue with the main board for the relays and fuses.

It is hidden behind the cover on the dashboard.

First, I made the sheet metal from thin ABS to which the cover is screwed.
After painting, it was glued to the inside of the opening in the dashboard.

On the inside of the cover, there is a sticker with a schematic representation of the board and the designation of the individual relays and fuses.

I created it in Photoshop based on original images and labeled it correctly in two languages. Unfortunately, the resolution of my inkjet printer is not sufficient, and it is no longer readable.

Afterward, the label was attached to the cover. I also added screws so the cover can be easily mounted and dismounted.

Then I started building the main board. As a base, I used 1mm ABS. I made the connectors for the fuses from parts of JST ZH 1.5 mm connectors, which I use for the lighting wiring.

The relays were made from pieces I cut from a 3mm rectangular profile. The fuses were made similarly from a transparent Vivak strip.

This is how the finished main board and cover look. The cables have a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm.

The board was then attached to the dashboard with hot glue.

Finally, here are some pictures of the finished area. Although more could have been done with 3D printing, I am more than satisfied with the overall impression.

That's it again!

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

[Ferrarifan]

Today we continue with the air conditioning system.

The air conditioning unit is located under the dashboard and has three outlet vents positioned side by side in the middle. Pocher only considered the three vents in the model, and the vents are not of exceptional quality.

However, the housing behind it is completely missing. Since it can be seen in the footwell, traditional model building was called for once again. I made the housing from 1mm ABS and pipes.

Then the vents were drilled out and the air guide vanes were removed.

To glue the vents to the housing, the cutouts on the back were filled with ABS.

The transkit from Tommaso Iuelle includes etched parts for the vents.

The etched parts were fixed with super glue. This is how the vents look with the installed etched parts.

Next, the housing and vents were glued together and then painted matte black.

Here are the pictures of the finished air conditioning system.

The air conditioning unit is then simply clipped into the dashboard.

That's it for today.

Next time, the dashboard will be completed.

Yours, Ferrarifan

Edited Saturday at 06:24 PM by Ferrarifan

[dietgilroy]

shocking amount of detail considering the base model being a less than detailed Pocher model.

anyways, have you considered the 993 model by them?

 

[Ferrarifan]

5 hours ago, dietgilroy said:

shocking amount of detail considering the base model being a less than detailed Pocher model.

anyways, have you considered the 993 model by them?

 

I haven’t built the 993 up to now, but it seams to be a bit more detailed but still far away from the old Pocher cars. 
The newer cars (Lamborghini, Lotus) are better.

[Mattilacken]

Great details! Epic.

[Ferrarifan]

In the area of the windshield, there are two ventilation flaps on the dashboard that bring fresh air inside. An interesting detail on the side: the airflow to these two flaps is purely due to ram pressure, meaning only when the car is moving. This is another clear feature indicating that the F40 is designed as a race car.

In the Pocher kit, the ventilation flaps are closed. The Autograph Transkit includes white metal parts and etched parts to depict the vents in more detail.

I made the flaps in the open position.

To adjust the air conditioning, there are two rotary knobs on the dashboard. One for the temperature and the other for the intensity. Since the decals from Autograph and Tommaso did not match the original, I made the decals myself in Photoshop. Additionally, I also made the decals for the start button.

Next, I made the rotary knobs and the start button from ABS.

Then, everything was assembled.

Here are the pictures of the finished dashboard.

In a direct comparison before and after, you can clearly see how the level of realism has been adjusted.

The next step was the lighting.
I use yellow SMED LEDs that are connected in series. As with the Testarossa, I stick the LEDs onto a transparent VIVAK plate.

To increase the brightness and minimize stray light, everything is covered with self-adhesive aluminum foil.

Then the lighting was mounted with hot glue.

Here is the finished lighting. The aluminum foil was partially darkened with matte black.

Finally, a picture with illuminated instruments.

The lighting is better seen in the video.

 

That's it for today.

See you soon,

Your Ferrarifan

 

Edited yesterday at 10:11 AM by Ferrarifan

[iamsuperdan]

I'm enjoying watching your build immensely!

 

 

[Ferrarifan]

38 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

I'm enjoying watching your build immensely!

 

 

Thanks for following!

Best regards

Thomas