Tamiya Ferrari 360 spider - finally done!

I'm so happy to be done with this model, which if I remember correctly, I began in 2006/07, because it was a pain in the ass. And I haven't completed a model since 2012! I had every intention to build a replica of my friend's 360 spider that I drove in Miami (pictured with me in it), but had to make two concessions: 1) his has red stitching, not piping and 2) his has the optional 3 piece wheels. I found that red stitching would be hard to replicate, so I went with piping, and I couldn't get the 3 piece wheels, borrowed from the Revell Ferrari Superamerica, to fit right. On one side of the car, the wheels fit perfect, but on the other side, the wheels stuck out and I really had no room for various reasons to modify the wheel or the hub. Oh well. At least I was easily able to convert it to a 6-speed manual like his car.

t was a pain in the ass to build because this was my first 2k clear paint job and I ruined the first body by stripping it too many times and snapped both delicate side skirts, so I had to get replacement parts from Tamiya. I also found that the design of the 360 leads to many areas being susceptible to rubbing through the paint, like the edges of the engine hood and bumpers and the character line on the side. In addition, there are tight areas, like between the roll hoops, that are just plain hard to polish. Finally, never will I paint a model black again unless its metallic, which would hide flaws somewhat.

Detail sets used: some parts from Acustion and the shifter from Sakatsu.
Tamiya TS-14 black with Zero 2K clear.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/Bernard%20Ferrari%202_zpsqmqhxchi.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/Bernard%20Ferrari%202_zpsqmqhxchi.jpg.html)
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http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/IMG_3194_zpseiisahlv.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/IMG_3194_zpseiisahlv.jpg.html)
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http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/IMG_3174_zpspqffdwzw.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/IMG_3174_zpspqffdwzw.jpg.html)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/IMG_3171_zps5rybadh5.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/IMG_3171_zps5rybadh5.jpg.html)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/DSC_0412_zpscxj7usud.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/DSC_0412_zpscxj7usud.jpg.html)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x82/BVC500/IMG_3183_zpslkp3tplk.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/BVC500/media/IMG_3183_zpslkp3tplk.jpg.html)

Nice job. Great color and interior work.

I know what you mean about projects. I have a 360 Spyder sitting in the box at about 15% done for about 9 years. Always moved to something else.

That turned out really nice!

Look who has finished a model.
Looks great!

What a beauty! Congrats, Bernard!

Looks great! Nice work!

Great color, great shine, great model!
Should be one hell of a memory!

Looks great.
Respect for the effort to finish it after so many time!

Looks terrific. Very sharp in black. Can't tell that it fought you for a decade.

Feels good to finish something, doesn't it! What's next...?

What's next...?

Close to being finished are 3 Ferrari Californias and 2 Aston Martin DBS. After that, 2 Aventadors, a BMW Z8, a Ferrari 599 GTO and a Ferrari SA Aperta. I've also got to work on that BMW 850i!