Tamiya LaFerrari 1/24

I started this at the beginning of this year, and I really wanted to wrap this up by the end of the year. Hopefully with a WIP thread, it will give me more motivation to complete it. It will be out of the box build with Tamiya's carbon decals. It is red exterior with black side mirrors and gunmetal wheels. Thanks for checking it out. Here are some photos.

Initial test fit.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1447/24141242731_746aa1cbaa_b.jpg

Filling gaps on door, it was a bit difficult.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1449/23596997503_6c2361d9a5_b.jpg

Primed with Tamiya's fine gray primer.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1535/24350651695_21a0ca960b_b.jpg

Primed door.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1648/23982872829_e0391e4143_b.jpg

Base color on. I made a mistake on the rear hatch, there are 2 more pieces that supposed to be glued on and gap filled, oh well...
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1650/23793246804_ab71762a62_b.jpg

Wheels done. Mistake here is I didn't strip the original chrome paint on the wheels, even after primer, the paint could easy chipped.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1654/23841544074_e0d061e225_b.jpg

Seats done. It was sprayed with same red Tamiya spray paint as the exterior, and then flat cleared with Testors spray can lacquer. I will try adding seat belts later.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1689/24269974770_7e9caece4d_b.jpg

Test fitting doors with chassis.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1565/24381772743_9cd8db21a4_b.jpg

Door interior, no carbon decals since no one can really see it.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1641/24890573992_eafe92c5d1_b.jpg

Exterior parts decals applied and cleared.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1598/25835687840_50883b2407_b.jpg

Doors completed.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1687/25835688720_1d39099a8e_b.jpg

Rear hatch completed.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1510/25835690950_9da2a60294_b.jpg

Test fitting after exterior parts almost completed.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5716/30284476772_0bfdcf6165_b.jpg

Rear is not done.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5664/30284477082_85496eaea7_b.jpg

Tamiya carbon decals for LaFerrari.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/30206656560_2b016e64c2_b.jpg

Started working on interior parts.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5497/30418482751_0424e3912f_b.jpg

Engine almost complete.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5640/30206660470_53cbc8f437_b.jpg

Test fitting engine on chassis.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5704/30505097975_51c41586c0_b.jpg

Front with carbon lip and mesh grill installed. Messed up here where I glued the carbon lip on the body, too much glue.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5328/30553461830_e0a04b8587_b.jpg

Another view of the front.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5590/30218983723_840ee48160_b.jpg

Engine part test fit but not glued.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5349/30553464140_42207b9de0_b.jpg

Different carbon decal patterns on the fender.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5532/30553465190_dbc0bd5f2b_b.jpg

Carbon decals half applied in interior. Need to clear after decals... lots of work :(
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5337/30218981743_4b4aef3dcb_b.jpg

This part divides the engine bay and interior is done with carbon decals and cleared.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5513/30553466320_e9acbb5bb8_b.jpg

Still need to finish applying carbon decals and clear the carbon tub and dash pieces. The rear needs to apply carbon decals and clear as well. Still more work to be done, hopefully it will be completed soon.

Wow, that looks great. Excellent wip as well, nicely showing the progression.

Small update. Done with carbon fiber decal on the carbon tub. I should have cut out the parts so that I can glue the 2 pieces that make the carbon tub first before adding on the engine. Oh well, masked and ready for clear.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5658/30608509110_8e35be0fb6_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5466/30608509520_c81ebc8bba_b.jpg

Awesome progress :thumbsup:

Wow - that is absolutely gorgeous! Really impressive work. Is the body color paint TS-8 Italian Red?

Update. Carbon tub cleared and polished, happy how it turned out. Still need to work on the details in the tub, and also thinking of trying to use flocking for the 2 floor mats in front of the seats.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5591/30948505595_9a326d3530_b.jpg

Used kitchen aluminum foil and kids' school glue to simulate heat shield under the engine. The size could be a bit bigger.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5750/25312373649_aaa1409a3b_b.jpg

This is how it looks like, can't really see it, but just feels better that I know it's there, have never done it, just wanted to try.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5343/22770756128_3e7b914cf8_b.jpg

Wow - that is absolutely gorgeous! Really impressive work. Is the body color paint TS-8 Italian Red?

Thanks. It's actually TS-86 Pure Red, which is what the manual calls for. I have been using Tamiya spray cans for everything because I don't own a spray gun, hoping to get one in the future.

Very nice!!

modellmaker.

Very nice !

Quick update. Completed the dash, still need to work on the paddle shifters and steering wheel.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5650/31028410576_8039b27a64_b.jpg

Managed to break the "LaFerrari" decal into 2 pieces, that's the best I can fix it. Getting old, can't see too well.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5338/30950014851_9af6816830_b.jpg

This is the best solution I can think of to simulate alcantara on the top part of the dash and the instrument cluster. I sprayed flat black first then a light mist of flat grey, it looked ok but doesn't look like alcantara. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5783/31028406446_3f8c9e4f40_b.jpg

The carbon fiber decals were cleared by hand brushing Tamiya clear from a bottle, and I did polished the horizontal trim.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5729/30921852592_bbdbe9db67_b.jpg

Small update. Completed the steering wheel. I pretty much messed up the paddle shifters as I was putting on the carbon decals. There were no templates from the Tamiya carbon decals for the shifters, so I had to cut out my own. I was having hard time making the decal to stay on the small shifters, so I tried using a hair dryer, but I melted the plastic on the left side because it was too close to the dryer :( I finally abandoned the carbon fiber decals on the shifters, made the left and the right side some what balanced (had to trim the right side shorter), and simply sprayed with black and gray paint then cleared.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5537/31126781595_e25ab02dbc_b.jpg

By the way, can someone suggest a brand for the seat belt with photoetch parts? It will be good if you have some sample photos how it looks like. I tried something from crazymodeler but wanted better seat belt material. Thanks.

Great progress!
About Alcantara, have you ever used Microballs? You paint a part black, spray another layer of black paint, dip it into the Microballs while the paint is still soaking wet, let it dry, and spray another thin layer of black. Gives a very fine and good texture.
Works just as well with other colors of course.
Maybe I can find and post an example picture.

Great progress!
About Alcantara, have you ever used Microballs? You paint a part black, spray another layer of black paint, dip it into the Microballs while the paint is still soaking wet, let it dry, and spray another thin layer of black. Gives a very fine and good texture.
Works just as well with other colors of course.
Maybe I can find and post an example picture.

Thanks, never heard of microballs. I will check it out.

This is really incredible

Terrific work! I sense an airbrush in your future, but you are doing great without one.


This is the best solution I can think of to simulate alcantara on the top part of the dash and the instrument cluster. I sprayed flat black first then a light mist of flat grey, it looked ok but doesn't look like alcantara. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Alacantara is a challenging surface to simulate. It has hardly any surface texture whatsoever (it is very smooth), but still has a mottled, uneven appearance. Adding texture with microballons always looks very strange to me.

The best way I have found to simulate it is to paint the surface in a suitable flat color. Then take a light grey or white pastel chalk and grind a bit on some fine sandpaper. Pick up some of the pigment dust with an old paint brush, and brush it onto the painted surface. Give special attention to outside curves and corners, as Alacantara shows these highlights very well. A nice thing about pastel chalk dust is that you can adjust it until you are happy with it- and brush it off if you are not.

You might think that white would be too much contrast (or at least I originally thought so)- but I have found that white dust works very well, regardless of the color of the Alacantara that I'm trying to simulate (red, blue, dark grey, whatever). It doesn't take much, and if you are unhappy with the results brush it off and try again.

Most important, look at pics as you go- don't try to do it by memory or imagination.

nice progress so far !

Great progress!
About Alcantara, have you ever used Microballs? You paint a part black, spray another layer of black paint, dip it into the Microballs while the paint is still soaking wet, let it dry, and spray another thin layer of black. Gives a very fine and good texture.
Works just as well with other colors of course.
Maybe I can find and post an example picture.

Just to show what it can look like, to see if this is what you had in mind or rather some different result, 2 pics of my current WIP. Quality is not too good I'm afraid, I can't capture the look 100 % right.

On the FXX-K, the sides on the dash are microballed and painted black. The steering wheel is microballed and not covered with paint again.

The baby seat is covered in microballs and painted red plus flat clear. In comparison the floor and rear cover are flocked.

Maybe it helps.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/kjenjak/P1110172__zpsurx21mvo.jpg

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/kjenjak/P1110170__zpshvban6fi.jpg

Just to show what it can look like, to see if this is what you had in mind or rather some different result, 2 pics of my current WIP. Quality is not too good I'm afraid, I can't capture the look 100 % right.

On the FXX-K, the sides on the dash are microballed and painted black. The steering wheel is microballed and not covered with paint again.

The baby seat is covered in microballs and painted red plus flat clear. In comparison the floor and rear cover are flocked.

Maybe it helps.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/kjenjak/P1110172__zpsurx21mvo.jpg

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/kjenjak/P1110170__zpshvban6fi.jpg

Thanks, that's the result I am looking for, looks really good, I love the baby car seat. Where can I buy microballs?

I bought mine on conrad.de, but if you google for micro-balloons you will find several online shops that sell them.

Thanks for the tips guys. Small update. After waited weeks for my flocking order to arrive, I set out to work with flockings for the first time. I went cheap and ordered some nail flocking from ebay. I ordered red and black, but I will only use the red on this LaFerrari.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/483/31394742622_fd2d5f2113_b.jpg

I basically just want to put flocking to create the 2 floor mats. Here is the before.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/546/30732137003_de07c00477_b.jpg

Here is the result. I hand painted 2 coats of red first, then applied the flocking on the 3 coats. LOL, after I applied it and I noticed the red flocking had sparkles in them... oh shoot, but good enough for the first time. What do you think? Ha ha...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/736/31541256075_660e6db676_b.jpg

Other updates you see are wheels are on, and the fire wall divider window is up.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/330/31541255385_1876121932_b.jpg

I haven't ordered black seatbelts yet which I will do, and couple more things then I am done with the interior. I still need to fix the roof which I polished through the black paint. Still need to apply carbon fiber decals on the side mirror supports and clear, and also the rear need to be detailed as well. Here is another test fit with wheels on which are not being shown in the photo.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5594/30703084284_bdbf217ac1_b.jpg

Somehow, the progress is really slow. Not much motivation, maybe it's because I got this kit as a gift, and I never really like the LaFerrari, I like the P1 much better out of the 3 hypercar holy trinity. Anyway, Christmas came early for me, cause I got this. Now, this motivates me. I like cars with soul, the E30 M3 race car definitely has soul. :)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/401/31394070162_c334a01369_b.jpg

Another update, it's almost there. Completed the mirrors by applying carbon fiber decals from Tamiya, and then cleared with Mr. Super Clear.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/382/30968850124_13e42ee321_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5820/30968850994_d2f403cdde_b.jpg

The rear is almost complete, just missing the exhaust tips and the rear fog(?). I used photo etched parts from Tamiya for the rear mesh because I don't want to use the clear parts with mesh decals that came with the kit.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/82/31394743902_e152f65f80_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/288/31437008770_b4f10bb296_b.jpg

Just stripped the chrome off the exhaust tips using Windex, not sure if other countries have Windex, it's basically a window/glass cleaner available in the US.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/502/30968855994_e5c525e97a_b.jpg

This interior piece needs clear and detailing.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5622/30968857374_108dd90ae3_b.jpg

And I haven't done the batteries which will be hidden 100% of the time.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/605/31809596105_99e77d9874_b.jpg

This is the current state now.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5740/30968854744_c492413e94_b.jpg

Still waiting for seatbelt material to come. In the meantime, made a road for photographs with markings using sandpaper, masked with masking tape, and sprayed with white primer for the markings. Need to make another one to extend it so I can use it for wider shots. Here are couple test shots.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/486/31601942550_fbef7df4c8_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5715/31601943530_07fbc7df97_b.jpg

Wow it looks great !!!

Wow it looks great !!!

Thanks. Let's consider it done. Will post more photos in the completed forum once I finish the seat belts. Here are few photos after more polishing done on the hood. Happy new year everyone!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5523/31981101136_84bcb8b166_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5607/31178670634_084818bfe0_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/553/31902295091_30b041b33a_b.jpg

Really looks amazing!

Finally have time to work on the seatbelts after all the required parts were received last week. Putting seatbelts together is pain in the bottom, took a lot of patience. This is my second time and as I was putting them together, I told myself I would never do one again! But then after seeing the result, I think it does make a difference. I also added the Ferrari logo printed from my printer to the seatbelts. It should be on a pad, but oh well, I just directly added to the seatbelts.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/551/31633559073_2ed41ba35f_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5540/32324193041_8fbce38228_b.jpg

I can finally glued the top in place. Will take more photos for the completed gallery. Anyone had this kit having trouble making the doors stayed open? I couldn't figure it out even after reading the manual multiple times. Wanted the door to stay open for the finishing photos. Any tips?

Looks fantastic!

The doors on mine wouldn't stay open as well, I had to put in small rods to hold them in place.

For complete photos, here is the completed thread -> http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1149857

Thanks for checking it out.