1/20 MFH Ferrari 312B1 - Clay Regazzoni - 1970 Italian GP

[edi956]

Hi all,
I'm new member of this forum but I'm following it for many years.
I'd like to begin 2012 posting this new wip, then followed by the other models I made during the last years.

I love particularly this car since I was living near Monza when I was young and 1970 Italian GP was the first F1 race "live" that I could watch.
Even if I was a B.R.M. fan, I was happy when Clay won this race because it was his first GP victory and, remember, after few years he became B.R.M. driver .

Before speaking about my kit, I have to say that MFH created two versions of the B1 (at the time it was called 312B only, while number 1 was added when Ferrari made the 312B2):

1970 version: Austrian GP (someone has to remember Hiro that once the AUSTRALIAN GP did not exist), Canadian GP and mine;


1971 version: for South African GP only...but I think 1970 Mexican GP could be done too.


As usual I begin to make a kit with the bodywork, due to the long time it need to dry after painting; meanwhile I make the other parts of the kit.

One important thing to underline is that one of the main features of the cars of that period was the rivets.
Therefore, insted of leaving all the holes that MFH make on the bodywork, which means about 1 cm hole on the real car, I preferred to put rivets.
I used 0.5 mm Scale Hardware or Calibre35.

[edi956]

Before painting some little improvements have to be made since MFH did not pay particular attention.

On the side of the front part of bodywork there are two little air-intakes (one for each side), which Hiro made closed:



Therefore they need to be opened:



In this pic which shows Clay at Glen in 1970 we can see another air-intake, just behind the decal "E-Emanuel", for the coil:


This is the one of the kit.
It is too tick, there is not space for the air and the border doesn't look toward behind:


Therefore a little work is needed: reducing the tickness, making a hole, cutting the border, making holes for rivets, putting rivets:

[edi956]

Here the body which covers the engine:




All rivets were added + the p/e parts which are the attachment of the upper arm of the rear suspension used at Monaco GP only but remained there all over the season.

Here Ickx's B1 at Monaco practice:


Here the same car at Spa:



These are the two pieces of the rear aileron:


...and this is what remained after having done all the holes for rivets:


I used 0.5 Scale Hardware brass rivets; not the stainless since they will be painted white.

Another part where I used the same rivets is the central part of the rear aileron, which will be painted Ferrari Red:

[edi956]

While body parts are drying, we can go on with the cockpit.

After having done mistakes in the past, probably due to lack of original documentation, Hiro did a good job this time with B1.
The only mistake is the brown tissue to cover the part behind the driver head, just down the roll-over bar: it was covered with the same tessue of the seat driver as shown in the following pictures.

Therefore, before proceeding with the mounting, I'd like to open a discussion on the cockpit and driver seat of Ferrari F1s and Sport/Prototypes of the time, being sure it could help other modelers.


From 1970 Ferrari began to cover its seat of all race cars with red tissue with dark grey diagonal lines.

312B 1970 (here Nederland):


312B 1971 (here Monaco):


312B2 1971 (Nederland):


312B2 1972 ('Ring):


and finally 312B "snowplough" or "spazzaneve" in Italian:


In the same period 512 S and M:



and 312PB from 1971 to 1973:





From 312B3 forward seat driver changed

Here 312B3 1973 at presentation:



BEFORE the B series seat driver was NOT covered by tessue but by LEATHER, and NOT red with dark grey diagonal lines, as Hiro instructions say for 312/69, 312/68 and 312/67.

Ferrari begin in the middle of '60s with Black + Red leather.

350 CanAm:


412P:


312/67 (here Bandini's car at Monaco: red in the centre and black on the side):


Pay attention: when leather has been used becames more shining and not, as I saw in another wip, as it was left under the rain and snow!

312/68 (the same of 312/67. Here Nederland, France and Belgium):




312/69 leather Black + Red again:



This is the seat of the kit:


It is white metal and has to be painted with matt red with matt black on the borders:



In the kit there is a good decal with dark grey lines and clear lines (on the left of the pic)
Before painting I had cut this decal in the dimension of the seat:


With a hard work of Micro-Sol, new cutter and toothpick, the decal was put on the red seat:




But the real seat was covered by TISSUE, so not so shining.
Two coat of matt clear was needed:


Moreover, since that tissue was applied on the chassis with some "buttons", I made holes for rivets to simulate them (green arrows):




Not yet happy, to simulate more depth among all the segments of the seat, I painted with smoke the lines between each segment:



It's time for the seat-belts...but before a bit of history.
Untill Spain GP Ferrari used a 6 points Willans:


From Monaco towards Ferrari adopted a 4 points Britax:



Hiro payed attention and made the appropriate harness and decals for those Britax, even if I didn't use both tessue and decals of the kit, but the harness only:


Unfortunately I ruined the left decal...but before the model will be finished it will be replaced!

This is a preview of the mounting of the whole cockpit:


...but this is another story....

[edi956]

Here the glueing of the main chassis.

I polished all the white metal but I opened holes for rivets only on the front of the chassis, since the rear part will be covered by the driver seat.
Rivets are 0.5 stainless Scale Hardware:






Here it has been mounted the support of the dashboard.
It was rivetted too, with the same rivets of the chassis:


Moreover I subsituted the level of the gear since that of the kit was squared:


Here the steering wheels, where painted satin white you can see the points were the leather is fixed:


Steering wheel, dashboard and its support.
As the real car, the dashboard had the two switches on the right painted metal with the end semigloss black, while the two red light have the background metalic:

[edi956]

Front suspension


As usually for a MFH kit a very hard job for the front suspension: polishing with metal parts to simulate aluminium; polishing until shinig for upper arms and triangles to simulate chrome; making and enlarging all the holes; painting and rivetting where needed; a lot of fitting tests.

Here the rear bulkhead with the two vertical panels which have the upper line painted semigloss black as the two side frames.
Frame and box for reservoir liquid in the centre:




Left suspension fitting-test: spring were painted semigloss black.





Mounting of the roll-bar was a little difficult since it was done by three pieces: the central one has to be cut from 1.0 mm nickel silver wire, while the side parts were white metal.
Instructions say to place them while glueing all the other parts mounted so far...but no human has 4 or 6 hands!

Therefore I made the holes; I mounted the left end; I put in place the central nickel wire passing through the right hole and finally I mounted the right end...but are we sure that the roll-bar positioning is correct?
So it is necessary a fitting-test with the upper arm where the ends of the roll-bar will be glued.

[edi956]

As you can see in the last pic, the air-intake for the front brakes were enlarged since those of the kit were "virtual":



and then painted Gunze Gun Metal. Brakes were polished only but with matt blake inside the "holes" to simulate depth. Calipers were painted Aluminium.


When the right suspension has been in place too, the front bulkhead and the front panel were added.
Both were rivetted where needed as the real car:




Hiro's instructions say to put the fire estinguisher under the front panel but...it is a MISTAKE!

Kit contains 2 kinds of fire-estinguisher (here already polished):


The big one is of the 1971 version so it doesn't be placed in the 1970 version; that of 1970 is the smallest on the background and it has to be painted yellow.

This is 1970 German GP. The pic is very small, but the yellow fire-estinguisher can be seen on the left of the pic:


This is the 1971 Questor GP with the big fire-estinguisher. It can be noted how the front panel is quite different from previous version. Moreover, in 1971 there is the little device with a button on the bottom which was used for manual activation of this fire-extinguisher. It is on the left of the pic, just in front of the bulckhead:



Here the box of the steering has been added.
It is aluminium with all the bolts gun metal.
Of the same color the end of each connection:



Hiro, to avoid that screw could be seen, made p/e rounded parts like the real car:


Before putting them, I enlarged a little the hole were there is the head of the screw, so it is more down.
Then I glued the p/e rounded part. I seem it is better:

[auw12]

Fantastic works!!! May I reply now or I should wait for you to finish uploading?

[edi956]

Hi auw12, mani thanks for your encouraging words.
No, I'm happy if you could replay soon: welcome to every suggestion to improve modeling!

[edi956]

The whole front suspension it's ready to be put together with the main body.







A little look to a part which nobody can see anymore since it will be under the body:



Due to the fact it will be invisible I didn't take too much care.

[edi956]

It's time to begin the Ferrari gearbox.

Here the white metal parts glued together:





At the time the Ferrari gearbox was magnesium gold.
The nearest color I found is TAM X-31 Titanium Gold:


Then a first coat o TAM smoke:


Like the original GB I painted semigloss black the bolts & nuts, while yellow the rear part:



Then all the ancillaries part have been glued + a second coat of TAM smoke:



The gearbox was completed with a final coat of very diluited semigloss black:

[auw12]

Very nice works all around! Love your control of colors and attention to details. Looking forward to the finished work!

[edi956]

Dear auw12, I seem you are the only one who appreciates my work

and I'm very happy for that even if I'm hoping my research and details could be usefull for other modelers who are going to make this kit.

Have a nice day.
Edgardo

[auw12]

Originally Posted by edi956

Dear auw12, I seem you are the only one who appreciates my work

and I'm very happy for that even if I'm hoping my research and details could be usefull for other modelers who are going to make this kit.

Have a nice day.
Edgardo

Hi Edi don't worry. Sometimes the responses come a bit slowly especially you've uploaded a bunch of pics and descriptions that might take people some time to digest. Your works are great and with all those reference pics and explanations, very helpful! Just keep up with it!

[allnie]

Originally Posted by edi956

Dear auw12, I seem you are the only one who appreciates my work

and I'm very happy for that even if I'm hoping my research and details could be usefull for other modelers who are going to make this kit.

Have a nice day.
Edgardo

Hello Edgardo.
I guess the "problem" is you run more or less the same WIP on two different forums - but many of the readers are typically "the same people". So if I praise your work on Forum X I would typically not repeat my praise on forum Y.