Making of Le Mans Thoroughbred - '64 Ferrari 250 GTO

..let me just pick up my chin up off the floor...:eek2:

Great job, at least perfect fitting.

Another update on the bodywork - fixed the front brake ducts (not finished yet though), added thin styrene strip to the rear bodywork to simulate rear panel.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00001.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00002.jpg

I also re-did the hinges - plastic hinges were not very sturdy, so I re-did them in brass. Here you can see them completed and epoxied to the body.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00003.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00004.jpg

Chassis part of the trunk was cut to fit, and puttied - still more work to do.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00005.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00006.jpg

I also soldered hinges to the hood. Let me tell you - soldering brass to white metal is no fun! White metal is about the same melting temperature as solder!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00007.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/new00008.jpg

Till next time!

ok let me be like doctor Phil here and say you have a problem with incredible model building skills over and over for an hour. the show will be doctor andrew. incredible work.

Thank you for this thread! It is fantastic. :)

She progesses :)

Looking good Alex.

Mike.

Great job, I know this steps are very time-consuming, but at least the best satisfaction is when all work well. I guess I'll steal something for my gto :D

impressive...

you rock,man...

Thanks! I really hope I can put some color on this one over the weekend!

I love the work your doing just awe inspiring.

Stunning work.....

I'm still looking for my chin....:eek2:

Well, I really wanted to put some color on this one this weekend, but the weather was not cooperating. It was snowing on Saturday, and really cold today. I managed to put finishing touches on all body parts though. Body was sanded, cleaned, sanded one more time, and finally, two coats of Tamiya gray primer were sprayed on it. I opened up hood scoop, and made trunk lid frame. Both were cleaned and primed w/ Tamiya gray.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body01.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body02.jpg

Door frames were made from plastic sheet, glued to the doors, and doors were sprayed in primer. there is a little bit final cleanup still needed, but other than that, they look good.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body03.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body04.jpg

Everything was mounted on the body, and checked for panel gaps, etc. Work of all hinges and all little interferences were checked and adjustments made. Here is the body with all open panels:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body05.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body06.jpg

Finally, couple of shots with panels closed. Doors still need door locks in place in order to keep them from opening freely and keep the door frames aligned. Some bigger panel gaps were made intentionally to allow for more primer and paint coats.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body07.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/body08.jpg

Paint is next!!!!

That is pretty impressive body work you've done there Alex! I can't wait to see the body with paint on it! How's the weather today?

I agree: full opened test pics is really impressive: damn great job, and at least the fitting at closed panels is perfect: bravo!

The body work you've done is simply outstanding, can't wait to see it painted.

Nice work, Alex!

Stunning work when the paint gose on it's really going to be something can't wait.

Looks great, Alex, This project is coming along nicely!

Thanks!

Even in primer it looks fantastic! Such a beautiful car.

Another update: since weather is still not suitable for painting, I decided to tackle front suspension. Hiro got this all wrong - frame should be attached to the front cross member at an angle, and kit part had to be broken and soldered at a different angle - original angle indicated by red lines. I also added a little bit of solder to the engine mounts to beef them up a little.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest01.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest02.jpg

Few months ago I've bought some different diameter brass bolts and nuts on sale from a local hobby shop. I had no idea what to use them for, but the price was too good to pass! Along with the bolts, I have bought different size taps. I decided to finally put them to use and make wheels on this model removable, and as close to original mechanism as possible at the same time. the axles were removed and replaced with the bolts on both ends.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest03.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest04.jpg

Entire front frame was cleaned and pre-drilled for parts to follow. Then I had to make a thread inside the wheel center-piece, so I could just screw the wheel onto the axle. I drilled the parts first, then used my tap and a little of machine oil to make new threads in the wheels centers.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest05.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest06.jpg

Then I test fitted the rotor, wheel center-piece, and secured everything with the nut - looks good so far! I still need to add a piece of alu tubing as a spacer between the hub and the rotor.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest07.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest08.jpg

Then I added upper and lower A-arms to the frame. the biggest problem however, was with the knockoffs. I wanted them to be functional - like on the real car - i.e secure the wheel on the axle. So I needed to somehow incorporate a nut in the knock-off....Hmmm... original Hiro knockoffs were too small for this. So, I had to look in my parts box, and found some Tecnomodel knockoffs that were the right size and depth to accept the nut. So, on the picture you see: original Tecnomodel knock off, then drilled out knock off, put the nut in it, secured it with some epoxy, and stripped the chrome off the knock-off. Done! Now repeat 4 times... :-)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest09.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest10.jpg

Finally, I made a set of wheels (gorgeous pieces btw), and all was left to do is to thread them on the axle, and secure it with the knock off!
Its funny how this thread is on its fourth page now, and I have been working on this model for couple of months now, but not many parts have been even painted yet.... :-)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest11.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOnewest12.jpg

Thanks for looking!

:worshippy :worshippy :worshippy

I'm so glad you posted on AF again... this is a wonderful thread! a 6 page thread :wink:

Sensational !!!

Wow. i have no other word for it. just... wow.

God, those knock-offs are AMAZING. I am in AWE

Sensational !!!


:1: , shows, that a good kit can be improved

Excellent!



BTW, did you remember to make sure that the hubs are threaded in the correct direction?!
If not, your wheel could un-thread themselves and drop off during driving!

Thanks guys.

Nice job ! This thread makes me wanna buy one of those Hiro Ferraris everytime i read it....and i shouldn't!

But why did you make threads in the wheel centers? Aren't they fixed ( not moving anymore ) like that? If i'm not missing something here there should only be the thread in the knock-offs to hold the wheels on the axles?!

There you go my friend..... steping to another level... working knock offs..... incredible!!!!

DaveT

Really nice Job you did on this kit, Alex.

:iceslolan :iceslolan :iceslolan

Cheers,

Jamme

As I said before, it is a great job; I just can wait to see the body painted and the interiors.
And the job on the spinners/knockoffs is awesome!

A question: with the change in the frame position, will the engine go a little upwards? This may become a concern because the car has a very low profile at the front, which almost doesn’t give room for the carb-funnels, which is the reason of the bump/scoop in the hood.

Congratulations on a fabulous work and keep us posted.

A question: with the change in the frame position, will the engine go a little upwards? This may become a concern because the car has a very low profile at the front, which almost doesn’t give room for the carb-funnels, which is the reason of the bump/scoop in the hood.

I like the way modelers think Ramon. I have thought EXACTLY the same thing while modifying the frame. Thankfully, its just HIRO screw up, and original Climax kit was designed to accept frame bent at an angle (correct way) Engine fits just fine. But great remark, thanks!

But why did you make threads in the wheel centers? Aren't they fixed ( not moving anymore ) like that? If i'm not missing something here there should only be the thread in the knock-offs to hold the wheels on the axles?!

Well, I wanted them to be fixed! I hate rolling wheels on models, and threading wheels centers was one of the ways to make the wheels fixed but removable at the same time. Moreover, if I made a hole instead of thread, the wheels would be a little bit wobbly on a threaded axle, and I wanted to avoid that.

Thanks!

You're really showing what's the master's level of making models Alex. And what exhaustive research you've done on the project, that really deserves highly respect!:worshippy :worshippy :worshippy

Well, its that time again - update time!
Finally I managed to paint the body.... Here is the process:
After a coat of white primer, I carefully sprayed all "hard to reach" places with Italian red - sort of pre-shading of the panel lines, etc. After the paint was dry, I sprayed my 3 mist coats and one wet coat and let the paint to cure. Next day I sprayed second wet-coat.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted01.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted02.jpg

Doors, hood and trunk lid were also painted using the same scenario. After the paint has cured for a few days, I have polished it with Tamiya polishing compounds.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted03.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted04.jpg

The body was carefully waxed with Treatment model wax.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted05.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted06.jpg

At this point, I have invested about 25 hours in this paintjob, but I was satisfied with the results.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted07.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted08.jpg

Next, the body was decaled, window trim was foiled with BMF, and few body details added.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted09.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted10.jpg

There are still few decals missing, but I'm waiting to put on permanent hinges for trunk lid and hood so I could allign decals properly.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted11.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted12.jpg

I'm quite satisfied with the results.
Wheels were assembled and painted blue. I think the shade is a bit dark... so I'm still contemplating stripping them and re-painting - we'll see.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted13.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted14.jpg

Seats were cleaned and upholstered with Model Factory Hiro adhesive cloth. I also painted front suspension and started working on the rear.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted15.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted16.jpg

Chassis was cleaned and painted flat black. And finally, I did a mock-up to see how everything fits together - check the stance and ride heights, etc.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted17.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted18.jpg

Looks good to me!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted19.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted20.jpg

Thanks!

Very nice:popcorn:

Superb!!!!!!!

Oh god...

Wow! This is going to be a stunning model!

Looks good to me!


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/jter/GTOPainted20.jpg

Thanks!

Not only to you, I'm with you all the way. It's a gorgeous build of a gorgeous car.....


Niclas

Body and engine look great. Those opening doors really add something to the model.

But, as you said, the wheels are too dark. The wheels on the real car look more like anodized so maybe using acoat of clear blue would give a look that you are after? One more thing, that i normally wouldn't even mention, but since this is really looking perfect otherwise: The chrome trim around door glass is wrong. It should be on the door frame, not on body trim.

http://www.barchetta.cc/Common/Images/SN/4399GT/XLarge/4399GT.250GTO.011.jpg

-Niko

Hello Alex,
Beautiful paintjob you did there!
I also think, like others, that the blue of the wheels is too dark.

I like the opening doors and trunck!

Cheers,

Jamme

Opening parts fitting is of another world, Alex, really, never seen something so neat when you try to close doors. Superb finishing too. Great.

Absolutly georgeus, I am alway amazed with paint job you make Alex and like Gio said, fit is wow.

Terrific job on everything :thumbsup:

I agree with Gio that the fit you have achieved is quite simply exemplary.

The body looks just awesome with just the paint and with the decals added even better just a fantastic job.

Thanks guys!
Niko, yes, the wheels are dark indeed (like I said already) but I'm thinking of leaving them as is. I have tried spraying clear blue on the steel, and it doesn't look like the finish on the real car. Moreover, some of the pictures I have show them darker, some lighter, so I'm not really sure what color they were painted afterall. Plus, I think I LIKE them the way they are right now, and I think I will allow myself a little deviation here. Or maybe not - we'll see. :-)
Now, on the side window trim - I'm really confused here.... Some of the cars have chromed trim on the body, some show chromed door frame....I guess I've just seen too many pictures of the car lately... thanks for pointing this out.
Thanks you all for the comments.

amazing, simply amazing! The fit of all the parts looks just perfect and the paintjob looks flawless as always..

I am so glad you decided to post here again and share this wonderful build with us :popcorn:

I'm in total awe.

I'm in total awe.

yep, me too, While I know this level of finesse is not possible by me now, your build inspires me to try harder. I think the wheels look fine compared to the pic shown. The paint is flawless, and overall it just has "The Look" of the 1/1 car down perfect. Great job so far on this..


Gray

i've been a fan of your site for quite some time, and i think you've outdone yourself here alex. this model is beautiful.

Thanks guys.
I like your sig CeeElle :-)

Excellent finish! As usual!

Congrats!

Another one with just saying what everybody is saying: Fantastic. But hey, what else can I say looking at this fine work. This model looks awesome!

I can´t agree more, it´s really awesome!:smokin:

Looks good Alex. One question, you said you gave it a light wax with The Treatment before decalling, do you have trouble getting the decals to stay on after the waxing? Will you wax over the decals? Thanks.

Mike

Thanks once again for the compliments!
Mike, I do wax pretty extensively before applying decals, but I remove most of the was before decaling. Wax is slightly abrasive and helps remove tiny scratches. After decals are completely dry, I wax again, over decals too - that seals them and eliminates the need for clearcoat.

Thanks once again for the compliments!
Mike, I do wax pretty extensively before applying decals, but I remove most of the was before decaling. Wax is slightly abrasive and helps remove tiny scratches. After decals are completely dry, I wax again, over decals too - that seals them and eliminates the need for clearcoat.

What do you use to remove the wax without affecting the shine? When you re-wax, the decals do not rip or scratch, etc?!?!?!