In Progress: Tamiya Ferrari Mythos

[MPWR]

I've started Tamiya's Ferrari/Pininfarina Mythos.



Well, really I've re-started it. I originally started this kit some years ago. I did a bit of work on the engine, painted the air intake plenums, didn't like the results, decided to strip them, and destroyed them. So, I shelved it. It got packed away a couple of years later for a move, and was recently unearthed as I started the F40. As I've been figuring out how to machine parts for the F40, I've been making trial parts for the Mythos, too. So, why not give it the same full light of day as it's stablemate? I stripped everything (safely this time) and am starting again from the ground up. This will be another full detail build, of course with machined extras and the like. As with the F50 and F40, I'll go into as much detail on my techniques as I can.

The car itself was a concept car built by Ferrari and Pininfarina for auto shows in 1989. Pininfarina has of course been designing bodywork for Ferrari's for decades. The Mythos was built in part as a celebration of their long collaboration, and also as a technology demonstrator for full CF bodywork. The car is mechanically an '88 Testarossa, with a shorter exhaust system- as the rear overhang of the Testarossa body was virtually eliminated. The bodywork seems to have been designed by someone at Pininfarina who believed the Testarossa was too luxuriously appointed, and not nearly wedge shaped enough. Unneccesary nicities such as rear view mirrors, turn signals, all storage space, and any form of roof were eliminated. Maybe it never rains in Maranello. It does at least have a windshield wiper. Aparently, two of these show cars were built, but there are rumors of one collector who simply could not take no for an answer, and commisioned for one to be built for himself. I wonder if that one had turn signals....

The Mythos is really Tamiya's forgotten Ferrari kit. Most parts are from the Testarossa kit (another Tamiya classic), as you would expect. It of course has the full Testarossa engine and suspension. This was always a rather inexpensive kit- while it was in production, it always seemed to be about 2/3 the price of the Testarossa kit. It was undoubtably cheap for Tamiya to produce. But, it seems that the strange, unfamiliar body styling kept sales down.

So, here's the strange, unfamiliar body being primed.



I must admit, I do like not having to mess with painting wing mirrors! As the bodywork slowly progresses, onto the engine.


The Testarossa's great big 5 liter, 12 cyl boxer,



painted, and...



...washed. If you're curious about the steps in between, check out my wash tutorial. Should look kinda familiar.


The cylinder heads are painted with the same red crackle finish that gave the Testarossa it's name. However, the heads each have two double 'chrome' stripes on them. The kit instructions helpfully point them out- but I wouldn't care to try painting them with X11. So, break out the BMF.



Here, matte aluminum strips of bare metal foil are applied to the unpainted part. I used a scalpel and sharpened toothpick to trim and burnish the BMF in place. Then, I painted them. Note the spark plugs are drilled out for ignition wire. To simulate the rough 'crackle' finish, I sprayed flat red MM acryl, thinned with 99% isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol evaporates in the spray stream, leaving a grainy finish. It's subtle (but so is the real finsh), and looks the part pretty well. Just remember to clean your airbrush thuroughly afterwards.




After the paint dries (I give it overnight), the BMF stripes are revealed by scraping the paint off of them with a toothpick soaked in MM Acryl cleaner (or 99% isopropyl). this is actually pretty similar to how the stripes are done on the actual engine. The sripes start out as raised ridges on the alloy castings, the castings are painted with the crackle finish, and their then mounted on a mill, which grinds the top of the ridges off, revealing the alloy below.




The camshaft ends are painted, and ignition wires are added- fine copper wire painted with red acrylic ink. The rubber spark plug boots are simulated with a bit of white glue, painted black.




The cylinder heads on the engine block.


Lots more to come (obviously).

Enjoy!

[tturbozx66]

Never liked the looks of the Mythos but it looks like another masterpiece in the making..

MPWR,

Where can I get the copper wire and acrylic ink from?

And is the F40 about finished?

[KTem]

Awesome, your detail work is amazing.

I don't like the Mythos though, for some reason it doesn't look like a Ferrari... I had that same opinion when I first saw the Enzo. Maybe they're both a bit too futuristic...

[g00eY]

great work! can't wait to see more! was/is this actually a real car?

[mickbench]

You really know how to wire an engine.. Looks great. I remember this kit from years ago, and I did have one. But, along with nearly all my older kits, it got lost..! I never built it, and I thought the car was very odd looking. Even more so considering the badge it wore.

But still, I'm sure you will do this model car a great justice, looks forward to seeing some more..

[blubaja]

Lookin fantastic! Keep up the great work!

Frank X.

[blackf40]

Haha, this car's an old fave of mine--glad to see someone building it (cuz i don't have the time)...and such a sweet build at that! Yeah, the proportions are a caricature of late 80's supercars, but i actually really like the design.

[g00eY]

i like the overall basic shape of the car, though i think it could use a few more lines and be made as a coupe.

[Samurai75007]

WOW Looking sexy...

[bigfrit]

Hey MPWR, as always, I m very keen on following your builds, lotsa interesting techniques in there for me to suck up like a sponge.
Great historic review too, love to read that stuff too, and superb progress.

IIRC, the mythos built for a collector is for the Sultan of Brunei.


Oli

[Lurchio]

You certainly like to have a few kits on the go at the same time!

[MPWR]

Thanks, guys!

tturbozx66- I got the enameled copper wire at an electronics supply store (Radio Shack). It came with two other spools of different diameter wire. These three sizes cover everything from ignition wire to damper spring coils to fire supression system plumbing for me. The ink I got in an artist supply store.

The F40 is still coming along, maybe half done. I'm going to build them both in parallel.



tturbozx66, KTem, mickbench- Yeah, I was never too sure about the aesthetics of this one- I've always thought it looked a bit too much like a Lamborghini to be a Ferrari. I never liked it in Rosso Corsa- but as this was the only color it was made in, I'm going to take some liberty with this build.

g00eY- Real car, at least as real as any concept car is. Not a production car.

bigfrit- Yeah, the Sultan of Brunei was my recollection, too, except I think it may have been his brother. A major Ferrari freak, apperently (at least I still seem to be able to satisfy myself with small plastic replicas, for the time being.... ).

[godfather23]

Looks like we see another masterpiece in the making. I´m curious about your experience with bare metal foil. Is it self adhesive, so you can put into place and then basically cut around it, let´s say... like masking tape??

[klutz_100]

bump!

great start! now where's the rest?

[MPWR]

Oh, all right. I've been pretty busy lately working to finish up my commercial license- but hopefully I will get some free time this weekend, and can post some more pics....