As promised, here is a review of the 1968 Ferrari 312F1 that Jacky Ickx got his first F1 victory in. This is my 11th Hiro kit and it is almost as good as all of the others. It lacks a little compared to the 1969 312F1, but it will turn out good nonetheless. I think this one is actually a little more detailed piece wise than the other F1 kit, but it lacks some of the overall details like the rivets on the tub.
First up is the decals. As in the 1969 kit, there is a square for the fabric pattern on the seat. There is also a huge sheet that covers the French, British, and Holland GP's from 1968. Everything is included, even the yellow striping. Markings for Chris Amon are also included.
The photoetch is not as impressive as the 1969 version, but it is still something to be excited about. There are pieces for the tub and even tire "Firestone" stencils.
As with the 1969 kit, there are seatbelt fabric pieces, spark plug wiring, and clear pieces to represent the tanks. The 1968 kit does not have fuel lines or the Ferrari emblem sheet.
The tub is very close to the 1969, but as mentioned lacks the rivet details. The nose is accurate for the 1968 version and has slots for the PE winglets.
Tires are a different size than the 1969, but just as good. Hiro makes the best tires of any aftermarket company.
The machined parts include shocks, exhaust outlets, and inlet trumpets. There is also a bag of rivets, tubes for inside the intakes, springs, and small springs for securing the tailpipes. The final bag has the mesh covers for the inlets that are prepunched and shaped. Really nice...
The final set of pics include all of the small resin bits. I'll let the pics do the talking, but these kits definitely don't lack any details.
Two things I did not photograph are the tubes used in the suspension and the machined wheel rims. Overall I would give this kit an 8.5 out of 10. The areas that it does lack are as mentioned the rivets on the tub, the wide use of white metal, lack of fuel line detail as in other kits, and overall complexity. I really like all of the Hiro kits that I have. If you have ever wondered about getting one, I would suggest you do get one as long as you do have some experience with white metal or resin.
Nic