Hugh Jampton Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 This is my first post for a while, what with work and pottering about in the house I've not had anything to really contibute. Anyway before Christmas I was able to purchase MFH's 1/12 scale Ferrari 126C4 version A. I may have mention this before I'm not a Ferrari fan but I have to admit they do make a beautiful car,growing up in the 80's, I love the this era of f1 and have had a growing interest in the style of car which came out after ground effects were banned and love the cars with the reduced side pods, I had previously bought the 1/20 S27 Tyrrell 012 and also got the Brabham BT52 this Christmas but this kit tops the lot. I've never attempted a 1/12 scale kit before, cost, doubts on ability and display possibilities being the main reasons but this kit had been luring me in for a while so started saving in the summer. This is my second MFH kit (first is an uncompleted Ferrari 312 T4) so don't be overly scornful if I ask some blindingly obvious questions during this thread, any advice will be genuinely appreciated. On opening the box, parts and packaging wasn't that much of a surprise saying that it was still pretty impressive and the quality of resin casting was exceptional. Just a size comparison to my 1/20 Fujimi 126C2 The metal parts came rammed in 3 plastic bags, the only real issue with this was part of the rear suspension which snapped in transit, I'm thinking of upgrading these sections with a rod end set from RB Motion, but not sure if they have a UK/EU distributor as I don't want to get stung with customs duty again. Some of the smaller white metal parts Some of the main engine parts, polished and ready to prime of varnish. Broken rear suspension part, bit gutting but the only damaged metal part I've found so far. As usual I started on the engine block, the casting was pretty good and did dry fit a number of sections prior to the fixing priming. The whole gearbox rod thing is a surprise along with the 'cog thing' (did I say I know very little about cars) in the engine block, it suggests the gear box is detachable from the engine block. The engine block and gear box was built it was sprayed with Halfords grey primer, to be honest I was surprise how the main resin block was less defined than I expected, whether this is down to my experience with 1/20 engine blocks I'm not sure. The engine block was finished with 'Xtreme' Polished Aluminium and the gear box a 50/50 mix of 'Zero' Light Gold and Light Aluminium, I'm not overly sure on the block finish but still have to weather with a wash in the grooves and maybe a dry brush over the raised parts. That's it for know, I have started on some other areas so next post shouldn't be to long. Please, any advice would be welcome, be harsh if need be, I want this to look good. Regards John 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Great to see you've got on to this John. I'm not the most experienced with the multimedia side of the hobby but if you have any questions if I can answer I will. With the broken part send off an email to Mr hiro through the mfh website and he will replace it with out a worry if he can, his wife deals with the communication side of things and from what I hear she almost always gets the job done. Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 You've got me hooked, Hugh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev The Modeller Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 I'm seriously considering building one of these kits, at present I'm following quite a few builds across several forums. I plan on building a 1/20 and 1/12 Tamiya first, I'm currently looking at up grade kits and alike, as you mention the RB Motion products were on my list, sadly they or rather he (Rob) doesn't have a UK/EU distributor. Their stuff is really top notch if a little expensive but worth it I feel, the tubing for the rod ends links is easy to find I'm still looking for eyelets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 20 hours ago, shood23 said: Great to see you've got on to this John. I'm not the most experienced with the multimedia side of the hobby but if you have any questions if I can answer I will. With the broken part send off an email to Mr hiro through the mfh website and he will replace it with out a worry if he can, his wife deals with the communication side of things and from what I hear she almost always gets the job done. Shaun Cheers Shaun, I'll give Mrs Hiro an email. No doubt, I'll be on your case shortly, especially when it comes to polishing. 17 hours ago, PC2012 said: You've got me hooked, Hugh! Hope you enjoy! I just hope I do it Justice 16 hours ago, Kev The Modeller said: I'm seriously considering building one of these kits, at present I'm following quite a few builds across several forums. I plan on building a 1/20 and 1/12 Tamiya first, I'm currently looking at up grade kits and alike, as you mention the RB Motion products were on my list, sadly they or rather he (Rob) doesn't have a UK/EU distributor. Their stuff is really top notch if a little expensive but worth it I feel, the tubing for the rod ends links is easy to find I'm still looking for eyelets. Thanks Kev, its a great kit, I really should have started on a 1/12 plastic kit but I fell in love with this as soon as I first saw it. Your right about RB Motion, they really do produce some fantastic items, I especially like the F1 Upright Kit, It'll be worth buying a Lotus 49 just for using the upgrade. First of my little questions showing my inexperience, the manual indicates using 3 glass disc's for the instrument panel, I've checked a number of time but can't find these in the kit and there not mentioned on the parts list. Am I missing something or has anybody else had the same issue? I am expecting to look a bit of a tit when an obvious answer comes flying back. Thanks for looking! Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 love these kits but I dislike white metal, i am useless at using it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweeky Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Watching with interest as I've just ordered a 1:12 Dan Gurney Eagle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 You sure it's not in there? May be with the the plastic windscreen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 I too had a part missing in my 1/12 787B: emailed MFH with the part details and they sent it straight away by Airmail. Deeply impressed with this company all round. However I'd recommend having a good look because there are sooooo many bags and bits in these kits!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 4 hours ago, noeyedears said: love these kits but I dislike white metal, i am useless at using it. I know what you mean, I'm the same, it's out of your comfort zone. The cleanings still a bit of a pain, I'm still using a drimel and sued brush. Using etching primer has helped, nothing worse the the paint finish chipping easily. 1 hour ago, tweeky said: Watching with interest as I've just ordered a 1:12 Dan Gurney Eagle. The Eagle is gorgeous. I'll be looking forward to watching your thread in the future. PC2012 thread is inspiring. 1 hour ago, PC2012 said: You sure it's not in there? May be with the the plastic windscreen. Had another look, success! 52 minutes ago, Sabrejet said: I too had a part missing in my 1/12 787B: emailed MFH with the part details and they sent it straight away by Airmail. Deeply impressed with this company all round. However I'd recommend having a good look because there are sooooo many bags and bits in these kits!!! Found then in a small bag between a sheet of foil and seat covering. Told you, WHAT A TIT! Thank all! John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 😁😁😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fiat Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Bwahahahahaha. Congrats on a great build thus far- she is going to be a beaut! Darin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Hi Hugh, Here's a tip for you instead of using a sued brush try using a brass brush. You may find it a bit easier, you can get them on Amazon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 On 2/11/2018 at 2:16 AM, Dr. Fiat said: Bwahahahahaha. Congrats on a great build thus far- she is going to be a beaut! Darin Darin, she is. Just hope I can do her justice! On 2/11/2018 at 8:20 AM, PC2012 said: Hi Hugh, Here's a tip for you instead of using a sued brush try using a brass brush. You may find it a bit easier, you can get them on Amazon. Paul, do you mean the mini wire brushes? they do look like they will help and will be on order as shortly. A little progress an it's something mention in shood23's SF70-H thread a little while ago. I made a start on the wheel hubs a few weeks ago as they looked pretty impressive, the WM break ducts were stuck together, prepared and left ready for CF decaling and that's where it all started going pear shaped, I couldn't get the MFH end dacals to adhere probably no matter how much Micro Sol I doused it with a then started to peel when finally dried. I eventually decided to remove it all and start again with some S27 decals with a similar pattern, it was then I found the below photo (Hiroboy copyright, I hope they don't mind and I did buy the kit off them anyway) and there is very little weave pattern to be seen, so I decided to go down a well trodden path and colour wash to uneven the sheen and lightly dry brush with a mid grey mix. I don't think its that bad (I may tone down with another black colourwash) and in my opinion better without the CF decalling anyway. On to the wheel hubs, the arrangement was pretty simple, the caliper and disc were polished and varnished the resin front/rear hubs were painted gold/silver and polished aluminium respectively, I wasn't happy with the brightness of the rear hubs so toned them down with some Tamiya Smoke the other drum and plate parts were painted with a Tamiya Silver and the Gold/Silver mix again. All looked well so started glueing together with 'gay abandon' and as always didn't follow the instructions and only to late did I realize the rear break duct needed to be fitted between the hub and break disk, the fronts were fine but couldn't prise the parts off so late last night they went in to a tub of the wife's nail polish remover, which did the job and are now re-immersed in a tub of IPA to remove the rest of the paint. The front hubs don't look that bad and only wait on the final fix of calipers and break duct. Thanks for looking. Regards John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 On 11/02/2018 at 8:20 AM, PC2012 said: Hi Hugh, Here's a tip for you instead of using a sued brush try using a brass brush. You may find it a bit easier, you can get them on Amazon. Yes I do, Hugh. And they have the added advantage of not burning your fingers when holding really small parts! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 On 2/14/2018 at 1:53 PM, PC2012 said: Yes I do, Hugh. And they have the added advantage of not burning your fingers when holding really small parts! Many thanks Paul, there ordered and awaiting delivery. Wife's early morning shifts are a bit of a god send at the moment, she crashed at half seven last night so got the C4 out for a bit of a session. The rear hubs have been striped and repainted over the last couple of days and fixed back together last night this time with the break ducts installed. I didn't even think of using the CF decals as mentioned previously and lightly drybrushed instead. The only thing required now is fixing the break line and 90 degree coupler and ill do that just before final assembly. I've stalled a bit on the engine recently, mainly for the simple reason of sorting out the 20 or so different type of rivets that came with the kit, anyway I purchase a cheap craft 'organizer box and spent Thursday night sorting them out into individual sets and while doing this finally worked out the toggle switches and other pieces for the dashboard so due to this and the recently found dial glass pieces, thought I'd make a start on this last night. I had prepared the dash previously so gave it a coat of Halfords semi gloss black. The holes for the toggle switches and rivets had to be drilled out, decals applied then given a light drybrushing using a mid grey, this is a technique I enjoy doing as I feel it's an easy way to emphasize the raised parts of a surface, I can overdo it from time to time but this time I think I got it about right, to be honest the size of the picture doesn't help as it picks up detail hard to detect with the human eye. The dial glass for the 2 smaller dials needed a bit of a sand to fit but after that went in like a peach and using Micro Crystal Clear to adhere. I'm now making a start on the cockpit section, the instructions say to paint the main tub a dark green which to me sounds very un-ferrari but the only reference photo I have seems to back it up so will be making a start on this during the weekend with a bit of luck. Thanks for looking! Regards John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 very realistic looking dash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 John and all you MFH lot - fantastic work and advice all around found here. Very advanced model building going on. Three plus years ago I had hoped for a 'large scale' or 'Pocher' forum here on Brit. Now you bunch need your own 'MFH' forum - plenty of activity and contributions. And I would be a frequent spectator as would all who enjoy museum-quality models. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 On 2/20/2018 at 10:50 PM, Codger said: John and all you MFH lot - fantastic work and advice all around found here. Very advanced model building going on. Three plus years ago I had hoped for a 'large scale' or 'Pocher' forum here on Brit. Now you bunch need your own 'MFH' forum - plenty of activity and contributions. And I would be a frequent spectator as would all who enjoy museum-quality models. Thanks Codger, your quite right there's some really good MFH builds going on at the moment. On 2/20/2018 at 7:40 AM, noeyedears said: very realistic looking dash. Cheers, it getting there! Slowly! The build stumbled a bit since the last post, the weather was a pain as most of my spraying takes place in the garage or 'Summer' House so not a look of progress in the last fortnight. With the exception of the weather there were 3 other main issues with the build, the first was the replacement rear suspension part promptly came from Japan nicely packed between cardboard however the arms were twisted when squashed between the cardboard, I bent them back, started lightly cleaning and snapped the arm off again! I wasn't heavy handed at all, it's such a delicate part, I'm going to have a look at repairing the arm with coring out the arm and using wire, I need to get cracking on it this week. Second problem was found when I started preparing the side pods and notice a rear section missing, it looks like it was snapped off when taken off the sprue, I'm sure I wouldn't have done this, there were parts already separated when first opened but to be honest I cant remember if these were or not. Although 95% certain it wasn't me I'm going to give filling it with fine Milliput a go before getting back in touch with MFH. Thirdly, I still have an issue with the CF decailing, I admit working with large areas of decals is not my specialty but these decals are not adhering to the glossed varnished surfaces the way I expect it to. I made a start to the rear wing end plates , using Microsol, the first plate wet ok but the second ended up like the photo below, I ended up adhering the decals by lightly brushing clear varnish under the decals and after giving 2 layers of varnish it was left with light creasing only, It's on the inside so hope it won't be seen. Even the the decal began coming away when I bluetak'd it to varnished the other side and it was only the layers of varnish that stopped it coming off. I need to you tube some examples I think. I have made some more progress on the engine and cockpit and will be posting these shortly. Regards John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 John, have you tried a hairdryer to seal the decals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 On 3/10/2018 at 4:59 PM, PC2012 said: John, have you tried a hairdryer to seal the decals? Thanks PC, I was thinking the same, never tried it before and will Youtube it shortly for tips. I'm dubious about the CF decals though and will try with a couple of parts for the Version B rear wing. It's been a worry but will bore you with it later. General progression has been hit by work and the latest cold snap so will fill you in as best I can. I made some further work on the tub, not much but it's still taking shape as the pedals, gear stick and extinguishers were added along wit a couple of extra 0.4mm wires to the left hand side that I noticed on one of the very few reference photos I have looking into the tub. I just need to colour wash the little nooks of the metal parts to give it a bit more depth. Orange peeling is quite heavy to the base, whether this was due to the cold weather or not, I wouldn't know. However this will not been seen when the chassis fits over the tub so not that bothered. I went back on the engine, fitting the ignition wiring, I was at first wary of using the 0.6mm wire provided and was going to use 0.4mm that I use for my 1/20's but shouldn't have doubted MFH. All looks well until I noticed I was missing a PE part taking what I presume is some throttle springs, it was there on stage 1 of the instructions, the only problem was I had only adhered the rivets that should have been fitted after the PE plate. Obviously a few choice Anglo Saxon words were uttered then began the arduous task of cutting the rivets and drilling out the holes filled in half an hour before. You can see the offending part now fitted on the bottom of the Cam cover and with the first of the sections of exhaust fitted. Thanks for looking, I really need to get back onto this. Regards John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 John the reason I asked if you've used a hairdryer as I am coming to the stage now when I have to use some MFH cf decals, so don't think for a second that you would bore me with it. I really want to know!!! Bravo on the engine BTW it looks a gem 😀 Can't wait for your next update.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted May 21, 2018 Author Share Posted May 21, 2018 (edited) On 3/21/2018 at 6:07 PM, PC2012 said: John the reason I asked if you've used a hairdryer as I am coming to the stage now when I have to use some MFH cf decals, so don't think for a second that you would bore me with it. I really want to know!!! Bravo on the engine BTW it looks a gem 😀 Can't wait for your next update.... Sorry PC, had a bit of an impasse, work and family partly preventing me to get my teeth into progressing any further. I'm still dithering about the CF decals but with a bit of luck I'll make some headway onto the CF shortly. I have made some progress with the seat, the model comes with a self adhesive sheet but I wasn't keen on using this as I thought shaping into all areas would be an problem, there's also a similar tread on F1M where the modeler stretched and shaped a fine layer of leather over the seat which looks really good, it looked good but too much hassle for something I wasnt experienced in and wasn't sure I'd get the 'scale' of the finish right so I decided to experiment with a method I have used on 1/20 scale models previously and use a stipple paint finish. I primed using Halfords grey plastic primer then started using a number of shades of Tamiya browns, leaving until tacky the using an old Citadel flat brush stipple the paint, repeating each time with a slightly darker shade until using a dark grey/black the when dry a light grey/white dry brush to external edges. I think it came out pretty well, although thinking about it, using this method I should have tried to reduce the strap slot widths on the seat but I can live with it. Just a couple of snaps with the seat in place, I need to adjust the straps slightly, few more wires and weather some of the metalwork and it'll be done. Bear with me, I seem to be having an issue with attaching my Flickr images using the quick copy and paste method so am going back to the old method. Cross fingers and hope for the best. Thanks for looking! Regards John Edited May 21, 2018 by Hugh Jampton removing links 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROPELLER Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Realistic indeed! Congrats! Dan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo NZ Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Looks like an awesome kit of my favourite Ferrari (no I'm not a Ferrari nut!) I built the 1/43 Bosica version a long time ago, I don't think I could do it now. Here's a pic... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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