jaymcminn Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 I've been thinking about building a Ferrari 288 GTO for a while now, and decided to try the old Testors/Italeri kit. I scored a really good deal on a sealed original issue on Ebay ($20- I was the only bidder!) and felt like a kid in a candy store as I cracked open the 25-year-old cellophane. For those who are unfamiliar, here's the box. I built this when it came out and remember being pretty proud of it- it had a decent rattle-can red paint job and looked pretty good for being built by a 16-year-old in 1986. The GTO was pretty ambitious for Fujimi in the '80's- the engraving was pretty good and the level of molded-in detail is reminiscent of period Tamiya, if not as sharp. The only drawback to the kit is the enormous number of ejector pin marks which required a serious amount of cleanup- certainly that was the number-one chore while prepping this kit. One of the weird things about this kit is that the engine cover is molded in place- to display the engine the cover needs to be cut away and the edges cleaned up. This leaves huge gaps on either side of the cover. In order to fix this, I installed some thin sheet styrene, as well as braces for the engine cover to rest on. Next, I cut the front section of the rear deck away from the interior tub and attached it to the body assembly... Next, I brush-painted the red-and-black "Daytona" pattern on the seats. The engine was finished in several different metallics and received basic ignition wiring, which wound up being basically invisible on the finished model. Oh, well...
jaymcminn Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 The body received several coats of Model Master Italian Red lacquer followed by clear. After polishing, I masked the black trim off with foil and fired up the airbrush. After the masking was removed... And finally, some shots of the finished product...
jaymcminn Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) And a few more... Overall, I was really pleased with how this one turned out. A word of advice, though- the wheels are beautiful, but the mounts on the backs need to be trimmed back by about 1/8 inch, or the wheels will really protrude from the sides. Overall, this was a great trip down memory lane! Edited March 27, 2012 by jaymcminn
GeeBee Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Love it !! I have the very same model to build (One Day !) and if it's o.k with you, I think I will pinch your idea on the engine cover, looks so much better than how it's supposed to be built ...
Rob Hall Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Sharp build..have to build mine eventually also.
jaymcminn Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 Love it !! I have the very same model to build (One Day !) and if it's o.k with you, I think I will pinch your idea on the engine cover, looks so much better than how it's supposed to be built ... No problem, Geoff. I reinforced the joint with brass strip underneath to add some stability.
XJ6 Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Go....F E R R A R I ..... Out Standing Job!! The depth of detail really sets the Ferrari as a very nice show piece..after all it is a Ferrari !!!! Cheers,,,Don aka XJ6
cortinanut Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Hot!! That's a great build and a deserving subject.
The70judgeman Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 I'm not the biggest Ferrari fan, but you hit this one out of the park.
jaymcminn Posted March 28, 2012 Author Posted March 28, 2012 Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'm really pleased with how this simple build turned out- it's not perfect, but it does photograph well. I'm well under way on my next project- I'm going to start a WIP thread on it soon, as it's a bit of a rare kit. All I'm going to say now is that it's very weird, and very green...
crispy Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Beautiful 288! I have to agree with everyone, you nailed it. Opening the bonnet really adds to it. Your pics make it look easy. I was hoping you could add a little tutorial about it so when the time comes to build mine I have a better understanding. Again, fabulous! Chris
PBII Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 another nice Ferrari you really do have an eye for the italian Horse
mrm Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Nice GTO. Great job on one of the best looking cars to ever come from Maranello. Are you working on a Stratos?
jaymcminn Posted March 28, 2012 Author Posted March 28, 2012 Nice GTO. Great job on one of the best looking cars to ever come from Maranello. Are you working on a Stratos? Bingo- the Fujimi Enthusiast kit. I'm getting ready to post up a WIP thread on this one!
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