rmcclure Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Hi All, I'd planned to do a WIP but I build so slowly and time seems so limited that you'd have all lost interest so I've taken a few shots along the way to show how I got the end results. I decided to build this model as a break from planes and it's been a very enjoyable challenge. I've always been fascinated by the 250 GTO and it's such a beautiful car that it was a pretty easy choice to have a go at Fujimi's kit. I'd seen a few reviews, saying how much better the body shape is than Revell's version, and I was also swayed by the amount of PE upgrades available. On the whole, I'm pretty happy with the finished result although I do think the kit has a number of inaccuracies - especially in the length of wheelbase (I think it's a couple of mm too short and the rear wheel should be more centred in the arches) and the track is a bit on the wide side too. Given the quality of much of it, there were some surprising shortfalls - notably the side windows. You have to exercise the imagination to see the sliding perspex window that the real thing has, when the moulded item is on the indistinct side. In terms of the build, most of the kit was an extremely good fit and there was little remedial work needed. The body had a few moulding seams but nothing too drastic. In retrospect I'd have bought less PE as there was lots I didn't use. I think the wheels are things of beauty and are one of the things that made me choose this kit, and I'd recommend the intake trumpets and exhaust tips but I'd probably live without the rest of it, although it was a great learning experience to work out how to use it - especially the really tiny parts. I chose not to use the surrounds for headlamp covers and windscreen/side/rear windows but used Bare Metal Foil instead. I had a go with one of the PE frames and found the fit so approximate that I was glad I'd already decided to use BMF. I also covered the fuel filler with BMF as the chromed plastic was a bit too shiny. Anyway - a few pictures. No sprue shots but they can be found all over the Internet. Here's the PE: How the wheels start life: And how the build up (compared to the kit wheels): Seats and PE belts. The PE is steel and even though I softened it with heat as much as I could it still doesn't drape quite as realistically as annealed brass. Could just be me of course! Dash, wheel and pedals: The chassis and engine built up. I added HT leads and scratch built the sleeve that carries the leads along the block from aluminium tube: The cockpit added to the chassis and work starts on the body: The body was primered with Halfords white primer and then three mist coats, rubbed down prior to three wet coats. I used Halfords Ford Rosso Red and I found their rattle can to be excellent. Very forgiving, no drips, pretty quick to dry and gas out and a good colour. I actually liked it at this stage as it reminded me of a barn find. Maybe another project one day! My home made stand and a Carrera slot car case as a cover to keep the dust off: The finished article: As ever, close-up photography shows any number of things you miss in the flesh but as a bit of decor for the shelf, I'm pretty pleased. I hope you enjoy looking and I welcome any comments and critique. The Ferraristi among you will be wondering which of the GTOs PTF 95G was. An attack of vanity, I'm afraid. I have an old car and the reg goes on any model car I build! Thanks all, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macgregor Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Smashing build, the wheels make a huge difference. Great finish. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 That's absolutely beautiful. Well done! The paint job looks perfect - just the right level of sheen to look realistic. And those wheels are spot on... I tend to agree about the P/E detail sets -- I usually seem to find that half the bits are good in theory but are such a pain to work with that you end up not bothering! I guess they have to justify the price somehow... it'd be nice if some of the car set makers followed Eduard's "Zoom" example and made smaller, much cheaper sets that gave you the really useful bits! bestest, M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Roger that is a beauty - a great car and a great build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryUK Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Fantastic Ferrari, Great Build and Finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Beautiful build, lovely work on the gearbox and fuel tank. The KA wheels really add something to the finished car. well done and thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 What a cracking job you've done here Roger. One of the best looking cars ever built in my view. I wonder if the aftermarket sets that you have used will fit the Protar kit as the wheels in particular look stunning. Thanks for posting. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Hi All, Thanks a lot for the very kind comments. I did try to get a finish reminiscent of a 1962 racing car so I didn't use a clear coat but t-cutted and polished the paint so it has a lustre rather than a mirror finish. It did mean that I had to be very careful handling the car to avoid getting fingerprints on it, which made getting the last few pieces on very laborious. In fact I've just noticed in the photos that one of the bonnet clips has gone missing! Chris - the wheels I used were actually for the Revell kit and the Fujimi item has a different way of connecting wheels to hubs. I had to drill the hubs and use 1.2mm brass rod to attach the PE wheels. A bit nerve racking but it came off well. There's always a way isn't there?! As for the rest of the PE I'd actually look for 1/24 belt buckles (Little Cars have some, I believe) and make the straps from lead foil to get the right sort of drape. The PE door cards build up very nicely but I did feel like Donald Pleasance in The Great Escape once I'd finished drilling and adding the minuscule rivets! I forgot to add something in the photos to show the physical size of them but they are absolutely tiny and the carpet monster nabbed any number of them as they pinged off the tweezers. The intake trumpets and exhaust stubs are so nice you'll want to find some way to make them fit but the rest of the parts would be a lottery I think as all of the kits are slightly different shapes. I would certainly recommend BMF instead of PE window and light surrounds. Cheers all, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggers Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Is this the car that sold in auction for £4 million recently? Stunning build....just beautiful.....well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Is this the car that sold in auction for £4 million recently?Stunning build....just beautiful.....well done. Thanks very much for the kind words. It's been a long time since you could get a 250 GTO for the knock down price of £4m. The going rate now is north of £20m! 250 GTO auction sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lufbramatt Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Looks superb- those wheels are works of art, really set it all off- almost looks like photos of 1:1 wire wheels have been photoshopped very well onto photos of a model! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 5 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Very very nice , as the lads have already said the wheels look superb and really make a big difference , fantastic build . Cheers Red 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey58 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Lovely work there-a very classy build and a credit to your skills,one to be proud of. Yes,it's funny how photos show up bits that the eyes miss-and they often stand out too-well to the builder,not to us viewing. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmonk Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Superb build. Nice finish and as everyone else has said nice wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Thanks Roger. I'll have to do a bit more research by the look of things. Chris Chris - the wheels I used were actually for the Revell kit and the Fujimi item has a different way of connecting wheels to hubs. I had to drill the hubs and use 1.2mm brass rod to attach the PE wheels. A bit nerve racking but it came off well. There's always a way isn't there?! As for the rest of the PE I'd actually look for 1/24 belt buckles (Little Cars have some, I believe) and make the straps from lead foil to get the right sort of drape. The PE door cards build up very nicely but I did feel like Donald Pleasance in The Great Escape once I'd finished drilling and adding the minuscule rivets! I forgot to add something in the photos to show the physical size of them but they are absolutely tiny and the carpet monster nabbed any number of them as they pinged off the tweezers. The intake trumpets and exhaust stubs are so nice you'll want to find some way to make them fit but the rest of the parts would be a lottery I think as all of the kits are slightly different shapes. I would certainly recommend BMF instead of PE window and light surrounds.Cheers all, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rishi Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Hi, Beautiful build and finish. No matter how many WIP of 250GTO's on forum each time its lovely to see this car build. Cheers, Rishi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troffa Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Wow! what a cracking build! superb finish on a super looking model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Jawdroppingly gorgeous!! Oh, hang on... my spellcheckerthingy doesn't recognise 'Jawdroppingly' as a word, but as this is a family site and I cannot use expletives, can I just say that your Ferrari is very, very, very, very good indeed!! in fact it's the dog's man-vegetables! Oops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Absolutely gorgeous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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