Matt Bacon Posted May 17, 2012 Posted May 17, 2012 I decided it might be a fun "compare and contrast" to build two of the Ferraris that have been in the stash for longer than they should have been: the Revell 458 Italia, and the Gunze Sangyo 250SWB Berlinetta. The 458 Italia is going to be in a yellow-ish colour scheme; the 250SWB, hopefully, in the dark blue Rob Walker racing colours driven by Stirling Moss. However, I might cheat and NOT try to switch the car from LH to RH drive, because unlike the GTO, the subtly curved dash of the 250 SWB will be pretty hard to flip! Here's the starting line! The 250SWB doesn't look TOO small by comparison... There is one thing I've been dreading with the 250SWB, which is one of the reasons why it has lingered in the stash for as long it has. The distinctive "egg-crate" grille is built up out of 17 individual interlocking pieces of photo-etch. It's a bit of a "make or break" element for this build, and since it's a standalone assembly, I thought I'd get it out of the way first, to face my demons and remove the scary influence it was having on me... I read a few online reviews and builds (few and far between, I must say) and one thing I took away was that the instructions are unhelpful and the slats don't fit in the sequence suggested. To hold the parts as I assembled them, I stuck some Tamiya masking tape tacky side up onto a piece of perspex with double sided tape. Then, I drew around the interior of the grille frame (a chromed part) so I could see the "square hole" that the "round peg" was going to have to fit into. I placed the central verticals either side of the centreline. BE WARNED: the places where you bend the slats at 90 degrees are marked at one end with a slot, and at the other with two holes. The "two-hole" ends MUST go at the BOTTOM of the grille. The folded ends also all fold toward the centreline. It's pretty clear looking at the shape, where the LONGEST slats need to fit. The fold-up ends on the slightly shorter one needed to be adjusted slightly so it fitted below the longer one. The etch-mate/hold n fold (I can't remember which one it is) doesn't come out very often these days, but when it does, it's invaluable. It'd be VERY hard to do all these 90 degree bends in pretty hard etch with out something like it. I'm glad I remembered I'd got one! The shortest slat is clearly at the bottom. Then it's a matter of trial and error with the other three to get as close as you can to the outline of the hole. I know already it's not going to fit first time, but, since I was stripping the chrome anyway, I'd rather slightly reshape the interior of the grille frame until it fits than mess around trying to trim and re-bend the metal parts. When all the horizontals were in place, I applied medium viscosity superglue to the joins with a pin, and once it had set, VERY carefully, lifting by the verticals (which are UNDER the horizontals at every join), I eased the whole thing up and flipped it over back onto the tape. Then I applied the rest of the verticals, a pair at a time, working outwards, and gluing each one as it was put in place. DON'T FORGET: the two hole bends go at the bottom and the bent tabs go toward the centre. (I'm saying it twice 'cos it's a pain in the **** if you get it wrong. If you look carefully at the photos above, you can see that I started with the centre verticals the wrong way up. Thank goodness for debonder). I did it by bending the first of each pair and putting it in the place where it fitted (the first one you bend will always go on one side or the other), and then working out carefully which way the second one would have to bend to go in the remaining slot... Finally, I eased the whole assemble gently off the tape with my flat Stanley-knife blade from the bending kit, and that horrible job is mostly done (I won't count it finished until I have adapted the frame and got the grille to sit nicely inside it...) Apologies for the length of this post, but I couldn't find any assembly sequence for this beastie online, so I hope it will help others. Thanks to the various people who offered advice before I started -- even if I didn't take it all on board, it was all helpful to get me thinking about how best to do it! bestest, M.
surfjunke Posted May 17, 2012 Posted May 17, 2012 Two very cool cars. The Gunze Sangyo Etched grill looks great! You did a fine job of it.
Matt Bacon Posted May 17, 2012 Author Posted May 17, 2012 Thanks, guys! @Dan, I'll be using the kit wheels but with some lower profile Pegasus tyres. To be honest, I think the SWB is going to be pretty challenging, so I don't want to make life more difficult for myself than I need to on the 458! Revell's "quirky" way of attaching the wheels means that replacing them with aftermarket designed for the Fujimi is more trouble than I want to go to... I think I will stick with using the kit wheels, stripping the chrome, and doing them with a "diamond turned" finish like the DBS (though I think Ferrari's version has dark grey rather than black base wheel colour. bestest, M.
philo426 Posted May 17, 2012 Posted May 17, 2012 Nice work!Apart from the missing prancing horse,what is wrong with the kit's grille?
Matt Bacon Posted May 17, 2012 Author Posted May 17, 2012 I didn't say there was anything wrong with the kit's grille, except that it's rather hard to put together! The prancing horse will go on later, just before I put the whole thing into the frame. Forgive me, Phil, but that looks like the Esci/AMT kit, rather than the Gunze one, unless you've cut open the bonnet and used different wheels... bestest, M.
simonr Posted May 17, 2012 Posted May 17, 2012 Wow Matt, it started to look great already. Believe me, this metal grills look much better and in scale that their plastic and almost thick counterparts...Go ahead, great build already! Simón P. Rivera Torres
sjordan2 Posted May 17, 2012 Posted May 17, 2012 Great grille work. I can tell this is going to be an outstanding build (I guess it has to be considering how rare and expensive the kit is!)
jaymcminn Posted May 18, 2012 Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) Excellent work on that etched grille, Matt. I thought the etched louvers on the hood of the AM Corvette Grand Sport were a PITA when I built that kit years ago- that was nothing compared with this! I'm going to be starting my Italia build soon- I actually did order a set of Fujimi 20" BBS wheels for it, as well as the Hobby Design PE set and window masks- and am looking forward to your buildup of this kit. I've been toying with something a little unusual for the color scheme... Edited May 18, 2012 by jaymcminn
jaydar Posted May 18, 2012 Posted May 18, 2012 Thank goodness for debonder Actually when working with photo etch if you need to debond set lit match to it. It will remove all instant bond glue and all parts will fall apart. BTW, you must want "all the parts to fall apart" otherwise you find this method a bit frustrating. joe.
Matt Bacon Posted May 18, 2012 Author Posted May 18, 2012 Thanks, gentlemen. I think I may be going to have some issues with clear parts: These 250 SWB windows have clearly been rattling about in the bag through several owners and international journeys! I have Micromesh and Novus polish, though, so I'm sure they are fixable! This, however, is going to be more of a challenge. I've spoken to a nice lady in Revell Germany's UK office, and she's taken my details and promised that a replacement clear tree will be with me in 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, on this kit, the 458 windscreen drops in from outside, late in the build, so it shouldn't stop me doing anything except attaching the windscreen wipers... Still, both things I could do without! bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted May 18, 2012 Author Posted May 18, 2012 This makes me feel a whole lot more comfortable with this build! Grille frame painted with Humbrol Acrylic spray Metalcote Polished Aluminium over Tamiya Fine Surface Primer. There's a little more tidying up to do, but I'm happy that the part that I was most worried about is now there or thereabouts. I'm sure there's lots of other things to mess up, but I'm reasonably confident that the grille won't derail the rest of the build now! bestest, M.
jaymcminn Posted May 18, 2012 Posted May 18, 2012 Matt, that grille turned out great. Good luck on those 250 windows- if all else fails, you can try Future! Does this kit come with the white metal suspension bits like a lot of the Gunze kits or is it more conventional?
philo426 Posted May 18, 2012 Posted May 18, 2012 I like that grille! Where can I find a photoetched prancing horse?
jbwelda Posted May 19, 2012 Posted May 19, 2012 that grille looks super and the whole thing, all both of em, are gonna look great together! that rear glass at least ought to polish right out or i wouldnt be surprised if a coat of Future doesnt clear it right up.
Matt Bacon Posted May 21, 2012 Author Posted May 21, 2012 Thanks! Windows cleaned up nicely: Light sanding with my finest grade sanding sponge, and then Novus polish, working through all three grades. Body sprayed with Tamiya Dark Blue. It's hard to see the colour clearly, but it IS blue, honest. I'll be leaving that to cure in the airing cupboard until next weekend before polishing it. You can probably just about see that I opened up the bonnet scoop - I can't find many pictures of 250SWBs with the mesh screen that Gunze provides, and lots, including the Rob Walker car, which just have an open intake. This is the dash in progress. It too is dark blue, with black leather on the top. The etched instruments are beautifully done - sprayed black and then lightly sanded to take the paint off the raised detail, and they look superb. Unfortunately, they are ever so slightly too big! Hence the blu-tak supporting them in their bezels. I'll use white glue to fix them and then Klear to add the "glass". One of the little swine has pinged into the distance, as well, which means I'll have to make one... And finally... I _have_ been working on the 458 as well. This has had the mould seam removed (and a broken A-pillar remedied - it hadn't cracked quite right through, but it clearly been crushed at the top. This box must be over-filled, with both this and the windscreen damaged..) This is in white primer. I'd hoped to get the yellow on this weekend, but ran out of time. bestest, M.
W-409 Posted May 21, 2012 Posted May 21, 2012 This may not be the most interesting subject for me, but you building skills are great! I always enjoy when watching your work, and actually, that Ferrari 250 is pretty nice car. Grille looks great and paint job turned out great. Can't wait to see more progress.
Matt Bacon Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 Thanks, Niko... It's been a long time... I've been travelling, but with a long weekend and half-term break in prospect, I can actually get back to the bench occasionally... Unfortunately, I've just discovered that my Zero 2K hardener has, well, hardened, so this bodyshell is going no further until urgent supplies arrive from Hiroboy! Time to crack on with the interior, I reckon... bestest, M.
simonr Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 Nice Matt, as I asked on the other thread, which yellow you used? Simón P. Rivera Torres
Matt Bacon Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 Hi, Simon... the yellow is Zero paints Giallo Modena... I made some more progress today... The 250 SWB wheels are cracking. The tyres, less so. I've replaced these with some spares from a Heller E-type (which, in turn, will be wearing Tamiya Jag MkII wire wheels and tyres). They are the same (and correct for a 250 SWB) 185/15s all round, unlike the GTO tyres which Gunze would have you use, which are noticeably bigger at the back... Dashboard is finally done. I lost one of the little dials, but I defy you to spot it in this shot, and it's not even inside yet! Making progress on the interior. Chassis is trimmed as needed (the GTO uses the same white metal piece, but is longer in the nose). Blue seats, blue carpets... In the background, I've also made the necessary alterations to the WM rear axle and brakes to get the narrower track vs the GTO (all in the instructions, but a DIY job), and progressed the 458s engine and wheels... bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 Moving on with the 458 in parallel... Three stages to a "carbon" diffuser. I've moved on from the ribbon, and now have a square metre of toile fabric and some tacky repositionable "Spray Mount" glue. Sprayed one side of the fabric and cut it up to fit the complex diffuser shape; sprayed Zero "Graphite Grey" over the satin black base; then Tamiya TS-13 Clear to finish. Rather that than decal something this shape, I'll tell you! Engine has few parts, but paints up nicely, especially when you near in mind how buried it is! The intake manifold and "carbon" airbox. The intake manifold has received a coat of Plastikote Velvet, then Tamiya Italian red, then finally matt varnish to get the "crackle" textured effect. This carbon is black over graphite grey, just for variety. I'll need to sharpen up the logos on the covers, but I'll do that when I stop handling it (the pipework between the air box and manifolds needs painting yet...) Now on with some modern wheels! bestest, M.
Matt Bacon Posted June 7, 2012 Author Posted June 7, 2012 Thanks, my friend... And here are those wheels: They're painted in Zero paints Graphite Grey, which is a good match for the Grigio Ferro Metallic option. Revell's wheel construction is strictly incorrect -- there's no interior "spider" at the back, but it's virtually invisible, and I've helped the effect along by painting the "spokes" matt black. They should be very hard to see once the wheels are inside the wheel wells. Ferrari badges are aftermarket as are the tyres -- Pegasus Sport pilots, which are a more realistic sidewall height than the thick offerings in the box. The brake disc detail is crude, but close-up photos like this exaggerate the effect. I'm sure it'll look OK as part of the overall "picture"... The first real "compare and contrast" moment. The outside diameter of the wheels is very similar, despite 15" rims on the 250SWB and 20" rims on the 458. The huge difference in width is apparent, too... bestest, M.
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