Fiat 806: research and scratchbuilds

[Totally Mad Olivier]

My Fiat 806 exposed in my round showcase. On the first photo, the Led lights are off :

 

Led lights on, lateral rear view:

 

The model is on a motorized tray, turning slowly, allowing to see it on all angles. Finally, I am not sure I will represent a mechanic. Maybe not necessary...

 

The 806 is on the 2nd shelf of my round showcase. I could have set it on the 3rd one too, instead of the Dassault Rafale. I will try. 

The books behind creates are in relation with the model but they are useful too to avoid reflection of the led lights on the rear part of the round glass showcase.

I could open the Sebastien book on the page with the car on the start line. I will try this too...

 

P.S: all my models have labels, I have to do the 806 one, not had the time up to now. 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

The 2 first steps of my OOB are now done. The frame was painted X18 Tamiya acrylic (the instructions don't give any color reference but on the box art, the frame is so, satin black).

A primer was applied on the underbody with XF 19 (sky grey) Tamiya, and I keep the X7 Tamiya but in acrylic instead of enamel.

[Roy vd M.]

Feel free to share pictures in this thread Olivier, I'm sure all would love to see your OOB progress (I know I do). Technically it's still a scratchbuild-related thing you're doing (creating a visual comparison). Perhaps if you have time you could put the newly finished pieces next to the finished model. 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

It is funny for me to do these first steps again, as I did more than 1 year ago, before beginning to realize all or nearly all what to reconsider.

Ok Roy, I will post photos of my OOB build from time to time, for my comments to be more lively. But I won't be able to make comparisons with my model over, as this one is now in my cabinet and I will avoid carrying it, too complicated and risky...

But I promise I will do plenty of photos at the end explaining all the differences (there will be many labels )

 

 

 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

The kit suggests that the floor was made of wood. As you know, we consider this as very improbable for a race car as the 806. None of the main rivals of the Fiat had such a wooden floor, and this car was supposed to show the best of Fiat in terms of modernity. Protar, in the lack of photo of the inside cockpit, has imho extrapolated the Mef floor (the only fast Fiat car of that period still existing).

To represent the wooden floor for my OOB build, I begin to apply a base coat made of the mix below (yellow, red, white and brown all flat)

 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

On the base coat, I have traced separation lineswith a fine marker (0,1 mm) and then, I have applied the brown Panel line accent color Tamiya, without trying to have something regular (some areas got more thinned wash than others, giving a natural wood finish.

[Roy vd M.]

Not at all bad, I didn't have much faith in that piece of photo etch but you seem to have gotten the best out of it.

 

It does seem like heavy robust oak wood though... 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Yes, the wash technique is here very appropriate here. I was inspired by the Mef floor. I don't think it is necessary to post again the photo of the Mef inside cockpit... 

The bright aspect is due to the fact that I had just applied my wash.

Now that it is dry, it is more flat. I am gonna apply a satin varnish on it

[Black Knight]

7 hours ago, Olivier de St Raph said:

 

 

That is a really beauty. A real museum-quality build and presentation

Your picture shows you with a smile, but I reckon you should be allowed a big Cheshire Cat grin, from ear to ear. You can be justly proud of this accomplishment

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thank you so much Fred, I don't understand the "Cheshire Cat grin" but your very kind comment moves me.

I will never thank enough all of you, and especially Hannes, who always pushed me to give the best of myself.

All the best

Olivier

[sharknose156]

Very well done Olivier ! after all the struggling your efforts pay off to a superb and unique model. Totally worth every effort you put in.

 

regarding the mechanic, i think you are right that you may not need it.

you know my opinion on the Bordino representation in the car. 

 

IMHumbleO i believe it reduces the credibility, authenticity and precision impact your car creates.

 

Rightly or wrongly, to justify its presence, your plastic driver should either come out of the same level of modelling and be as precise as your car or it should not be there at all. 

 

Look at what great modellers like Kurt, Little Andy and Codger, anything besides the car itself is of such great precision and realism ... it never dilutes the beauty of the car... weathered architecture at scale, yes but a human or animal figure, i doubt.

 

That being said you ARE TRULY a GREAT MODELLER indeed, with or without the Bordino replica.

 

Sam

 

[Black Knight]

I too say a mechanic is not needed.

I like the Bordino driver figure; to me he gives the car scale and life

[Roy vd M.]

Regarding Bordino I believe you did a very good job. It doesn't disturb me that the figure is in there and I'm with Fred where he says the figure gives the car scale. The quality level of the figure is good. 

 

However I tend towards Sam's opinion that the technical marvel that is this car would be even more emphasised if its driver was left out. 

 

In my opinion, if Bordino were removed from the model that would give an end result of a 9,5 out of 10. Now, to me, it is a 9,2 out of 10. But this is just an opinion of course. 

 

I also agree with Sam and Fred that a technician figure isn't needed. The only added value such a figure would give, as far as I can see now, is to make clear how very low the car was. But in those days Italian technicians averagely wouldn't have been the tallest of people to ever have walked the earth, so the lowness wouldn't really become obvious. I don't think it would be worth the trouble of making the technician. 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thank you Sam, Fred and Roy for your kind comments. I won't add the mechanic, despite that indeed, as says Roy, it would show how low was the car. We can see that on photos 7, 9, 10 (compare on the latter with the 2 cars close), 13, 14, 21, 23 and 25, and so even if indeed Italian people at this period were generally not particularly tall.

Regarding the figure of P. Bordino, no question obviously to remove it. As Fred and Hannes (and I hope others), I like it even if it is  certainly possible to do better, as I am not at all a specialist of figures. But turning the figure of Sir Lawrence stand up on his motorbike, cap on the head, with very different hinges into P. Bordino sat in his 806, with his driver hat, his goggles, the right hand holding the steering wheel, the left one on his left knee, the right foot on the accelerator pedal was a real challenge for me and I personally don't think, even if the facial expression, the depiction of his dress tissues could be better, it affects so much the global result. 

[Roy vd M.]

Olivier you have proven more than once that you're willing to amend things that were (thought to be) incorrect, even if you worked very hard to accomplish the original results. So I'm sure that if for any reason you thought the figure was wrong overall, you'd remove it despite all the trouble incurred to create it.

 

In my opinion the figure is not at all 'wrong' and it is more a matter of taste whether to prefer it installed or not. I understand very well why you'll leave Bordino in situ and as said it doesn't lead me to value your (combined) model as less than excellent.

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Step 3 over.

Notice that I have not removed the very badly placed round ejection marks for my OOB, but removed the other ejection marks, classical, on all parts.. Not painted 107D (no indication on the instructions). Not cemented the wooden floor as the instruction don't say to do it. More, even if I ever opened a bit the window for the crankcase, I will have probably to open it more and this will be easier if the floor is not glued. I have used the thick copper wire provided. 

The satin varnish was applied on the wooden floor, it is the very good Marabu enamel one.

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Step 4 of my OOB over. Notice the very wrong and huge 02 screws and leaf springs supports. And also the wrong 109 and 110D rods, hooked wrongly to the wrong too legs (especially the front one). 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Steps 5- 6- 7 over. I couldn't leave the gearbox ball with marks and defect at the top. I have used my cyano to get a round ball (sorry, this part is blur). Only the parts with indications of color were painted: leather and flat black. Obviously, I followed the instructions but Robin Lous has suggested and we agreed with him that the base of the gearbox was certainly not made of leather but metal, as we can see on all the 806 rivals. 

P.S: of course, the round ejections marks on the crankcase have not been erased. Please, don't "like" 

[Roy vd M.]

That was too easy 

[harveyb258]

Dear Olivier, CONGRATULATIONS on a STUNNING result, my friend!!!!!!

 

Cheers, H

[s.e.charles]

I forgot: why are we leaving the molding marks?

[Totally Mad Olivier]

10 hours ago, harveyb258 said:

Dear Olivier, CONGRATULATIONS on a STUNNING result, my friend!!!!!!

 

Thanks so much, Harvey, I am sure your build, as Hannes one, will be at least as stunning as mine.

You will need definitely patience and an iron will.

 

Cheers, O 

 

I got congratulations of Sebastien too by email, very kind. 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

10 hours ago, southpier said:

why are we leaving the molding marks?

I am building the kit OOB, really OOB, following just the instruction sheet. The goal is to enhance the amazing work it has been to get a convincing model, not only in terms of shape, but also to correct the poor quality of the kit. I bring some improvements sometimes, as for example for the floor (the kit suggests to just apply a "wood color") or for the ball on top of the gearbox (not round in the kit), I remove the classic molding marks, but I leave the ones that should not be present if the conceptors (Protar in this case) had taken more care. It is not normal to have these big round marks on the tanks (part 18E, p. 8), for example. Ok, the kit is old, but Italeri announces on the box a "unique model in terms of technology and accuracy"! They would have been more inspired, to be honest, to announce that it is a reissue of an old Protar kit, what means the kit is quite poor and there will be a lot of work to get a good result.

My intention is not to burden Italeri, whose today production has nothing to see with that, and I thank them for this reissue, but you'll admit it is spicy meatball to announce a unique model etc. when you see how wrong is the kit (let's not forget the tyres provided are the Mef's ones!), how the quality is far from actual standards.

In the same order of idea, and also because I want this build to be over as fast as possible, I won't paint parts when the instruction sheet give no indication of color, authorizing me a little initiative from time to time.

Best regards

Olivier

[Totally Mad Olivier]

P.S: the kit is also full of such shift problems:

 

Here, no choice, I will do the correction. If I don't, impossible to put the "connectors"... " " because the latter are in addition thick and wrong, as we know.

[s.e.charles]

how odd