Alan R Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) Hello All, This one has also been on the 'shelf of doom' for some time. Probably about 4 or 5 years... It's the Hasegawa Ferrari 348 tb. It'll go well with the other Ferraris that I have been working on. What with the 308 having been finished, and the 288 GTO nearly complete, I thought that I would clear the decks of old builds and add this one to the list of 'in progress'. The box. A pretty car, if not quite so beautiful as the 308 & 288... The sprues. It doesn't look a lot, but the engine is already built and almost ready to be put aside. ... and, the instructions. I'm hoping that this Hasegawa kit will be a bit more successful than a couple of others I tried... I tried to construct the 1/24th Ferrari F189, but it went completely pear-shaped on me and the body work would not fit. I binned it! I also tried the 1/24th Jaguar XJR8 (or was it the XJR9?, I can't remember). That was going well, then I managed to split the rather large wind-screen! That ended up as spare parts... On the other hand, the 1/32nd F-16 seems to going rather better. Anyway, more pictures... The body has been painted with Halfords acrylic spray paint. I can't remember the colour. But I don't need any more (unless I screw up with the cement!). If I do, I'm pretty certain that I can mix up the right cocktail of (Tamiya) colours to get a near enough match. The engine, not quite fully assembled. Again, I have added ignition leads. No engine looks right without ignition leads, except a Diesel. Actually, my wife's Meriva is a petrol, and the ignition leads are nowhere to be seen. Each spark-plug is fed by it's own coil in an ignition block that sits on top of them. Anyway, utterly irrelevant in this case, as the 348 has separate leads to each plug, and they go ... somewhere! (More on that later!) The wheels. Matt chrome seems to work on car kits. I always thing the the high-chrome finish looks too toy-like on 1/24th scale! (Actually, I built the Revell 1/8th scale Jag, and the chrome on that looked too bright and toy-like!) The windows, door-mirrors and the engine cover. That's it for the moment. Thanks for looking, Alan. Edited July 2, 2017 by Alan R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Another stunning Ferrari coming along here Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted April 28, 2017 Author Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) Hi Roger, I am hoping so. I also have a Fujimi 365 Daytona and 365 Daytona open top and a Ferrari 246 Dino to build. A right Ferrari-fest... Anyway, one small update to this. I mentioned above that the ignition leads went ... somewhere. I did the usual Google thing, and searched for Ferrari 348 Ignition images, and got a load of pictures. One shoed that the leads disappear behind the engine. Another showed that the leads connected to a four-way ignition 'coil' block attached to the back of the cylinder block, as far as I could tell. Another image showed what these blocks look like. They are square with four points where the leads go. I even found that you could buy new coils from Europarts for 91 quid... A bit of useless trivia, that. Anyway, here is where I have got with my scratch-built coil blocks... They don't look much, but consider each of those grid boxes is 1cm across... What they are made up of id a 3mmx3mm square of 30 thou card, with a 2mmx2mm square of 20 thou card cemented on the top. Underneath (I haven't got any pictures of the bottom) I have cemented two half rounds of 3/64th diameter rod, to simulate the coils. Then I have cut eight very short lengths of 3/64th rod (or was it 1/16th...), and drilled tiny holes in the ends of those shot segments of rod (Not without a huge attrition rate...), then glued them on to the corners of the coil blocks. Obviously, more work to be done. Some careful sanding and painting will make them look a bit better. Thanks for looking, Alan. Edited April 28, 2017 by Alan R 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted May 29, 2017 Author Share Posted May 29, 2017 (edited) Hi All, Some progress. I have managed to do some work on the engine. I decided that a wash to bring out the details was required. I mixed up a bit of dark brown Humbrol enamel and a bit of matt black Humbrol enamel (about 5 parts dark brown and one part black), 'watered' it down with about 5 times as much enamel thinners, and liberally washed over the various parts of the engine. It seems to have worked, as it both 'popped' out the detail and gave the engine a slightly 'used' appearance. Anyway, here are the pictures: All I need to do now is get the floor-pan and suspension worked on, so I can fit the engine. Then I think, progress will be a bit faster. Thanks for looking, Alan. Edited May 29, 2017 by Alan R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyChiken Posted May 29, 2017 Share Posted May 29, 2017 Looks like a great start, love this car. Did you do a wash on the engine, if so, how did you do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted May 29, 2017 Author Share Posted May 29, 2017 3 hours ago, FunkyChiken said: Did you do a wash on the engine I did indeed do a wash on the engine. I used a mix of dark brown with a touch of black enamel, heavily diluted with enamel thinners. I then just allowed the very thin paint mix to gather in all the crevasses around the engine. When it was dry, the detail popped out. Cheers, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted May 29, 2017 Author Share Posted May 29, 2017 (edited) A minor update for this. While I am waiting to around to paint the floor-pan, I have started on the rear suspension. So far I have primed the brake discs. I usually start with a grey primer coat, followed by a black coat over that. I learnt this trick from war-hammer modellers who paint their figures black, followed by the metallic colours. It seems to provide a good base for metallic. I did he same with the rear-strings and axles, thus: They haven't come out too bad. All I need to do is paint the disc-brakes and cement them to the stub axles. Thanks for looking, Alan. Edited May 29, 2017 by Alan R 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone1980 Posted May 29, 2017 Share Posted May 29, 2017 Really coming along nicely mate I'm of that age..... My Nan bought me a model of the 348 GTB is a kid, and as such is my favourite Ferrari, even if there are better ones lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyChiken Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 8 hours ago, Alan R said: I did indeed do a wash on the engine. I used a mix of dark brown with a touch of black enamel, heavily diluted with enamel thinners. I then just allowed the very thin paint mix to gather in all the crevasses around the engine. When it was dry, the detail popped out. Cheers, Alan. Thanks Alan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 16 months since the last post. How did I let that much time pass? Anyway, I have mode some progress on this little fellah. The engine and rear suspension were the first to be mounted on the chassis thus: Here is the engine in the chassis: I'm quite pleased with how the ignition leads worked out. The front end, minus the front suspension: and finally for this instalment, the front suspension partially made up: Please forgive the blurry image, hand held in low light, despite an ISO of 3200 (that's all my elderly EOS 30D can handle) More soon... Thanks for looking. All the best, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 Another minor update from the last one. I have managed to install the front suspension, but not steering. The front suspension sub-frame was not lacking a minor drama. The manner in which the upper wishbones are attached to the sub-frame looks a bit dicey to say the least, but after a little dry-fitting and careful cementing, they appeared to be properly set in place. I left them over night to allow the solvents to do their work and weld that parts properly. The following night, I wanted to install the sub-frame into the floor-pan. Easily done, and all appeared to go well. However, after a period of time, (about two hours later), I picked it up and the top wishbone on one side of the chassis fell out, followed by the axle king-pin... After much cussing and profanity, I did manage to wriggle it all back together and properly cement the wishbone in place and put the king-pin back in. All seems good... So, here we are now: I have also got the seats prepped for priming. Any sink-marks and open gaps in the joins have been filled and sanded back. More to come! Thanks for looking, Alan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Good work, particularly in getting the suspension put back together. I think one of the most annoying parts of the hobby is when something falls off which you thought you had fixed properly, especially when it's a fiddly piece as this sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 Hi Spiny, Yup! Just to make things worse, I tried to fit the steering rack and I discovered that it was about 1mm too short. Not much you would think, but enough to make the front wheels turn inwards, by quite a large degree (about 20°, to be precise-ish). It would have looked decidedly cross-legged! (not cross-eyed...) My usual solution is to cut the rack in the middle, then cut a length of tube as a sleeve and slip it over the two parts of the rack and carefully re-align the hubs so that they are parallel. Then I leave it to set. I'll post a picture tomorrow to show what I mean. However (!), the top wishbone decided that then was a particularly good time to part company again! This time, not only did I have the hub and the wishbone to realign, but half a steering rack attached to the king-pin as well. 🤬 Well, again after much cussing and profanity, I got it all aligned, the sleeve over the two separated parts of the rack and the hubs parallel, and all is peace and calm again My wife wonders why I do this hobby if it causes me such grief, and I sometimes wonder the same thing myself! However, when you solve a problem and beat the cussed thing into submission, you get a real sense of satisfaction. All the best, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoly Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 i built this kit a long time ago and don't remember having any issues with it. keep going, because it is a nice kit. i remember when i built mine that i couldn't be bothered sanding the roof to remove the mold line for the targa top, so i just painted that section black and used the TS badge instead of the TB badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted September 24, 2018 Author Share Posted September 24, 2018 Hi Spoly, It's not a show stopper, just a minor irritation. I have built far worse models over the years. Anyway, here are some more pictures highlighting the issue: This is the chassis with the front wheels adjusted to be parallel. They may seem a little out, but in reality, they aren't. Here's the corrected front suspension. Doesn't look too bad to me. Here's the solution. I split the steering rack in the middle, cleaned up the ends then slipped a styrene tube over the ends, adjusted the axles until they were parallel, then popped some cement down the tube, thus locking the rack at the correct length. I have used this trick to sort steering racks on models before. It's usually a permanent fix. That's all for the present. Thanks for looking, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Hoping I never need to use this, but good to know - it's not something I would have thought of. Thanks for sharing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted September 24, 2018 Author Share Posted September 24, 2018 Its something I kind of stumbled upon whilst trying to solve a similar problem some time ago. I'm glad that someone else might find it useful. Obviously, this fix only works here because it will be invisible when the car is fully assembled. All the best, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 (edited) Hi All, A small update. I have managed to prime the seats, ready for painting black leather colour (Tamiya X-18, probably). I do have a very large aerosol tin of Halfords' Satin Black which I may use, as it does produce a particularly good finish even from the can... Anyway, the picture: Now, the sharp eyed of you will notice that there are four seats and the 348 is a two-seater. That's because I did a batch priming session, and the cock-pit and the two seats at the front are for a Fujimi Ferrari 246 Dino I'm working on. The front valance is from the 348 though. Hopefully, I'll get all of these sprayed satin black soon. Edited October 10, 2018 by Alan R Speling... :) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR918 Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 Great job so far Alan, looking real good. Not really a Ferrari guy but for me, the 348 (along with the later 355) are the best looking modern classics. All the best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 Hi All, Another small update. The seats and the front valance have been painted. When I looked at them, I noticed that the filling I had done on the seats looked decidedly dodgy. So, I re-sanded the sides of the seats, and re-painted the seats. I think that the end result was worth the extra effort. Some pictures: These are ready to put in the cockpit. More soon. Thanks for looking, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted November 14, 2018 Author Share Posted November 14, 2018 Hi All, Another minor update on this one. I have managed to assemble the cockpit ready to attach to the floor pan. The two rectangular things on the right are the two radiators that have to be fitted at the same time as the cockpit. In this picture, you can see the gear stick between the seats. The shaft was given a coat of Molotow chrome, and the ball a touch of gloss black. You can't really tell that easily. However, I know it's there... The dash-board and steering column ready for installation. These have now been attached to the cockpit ready for installation on the floor pan. More soon. Thanks for looking, Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albatros Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 Very nice ignition leads indeed! And all the rest as well. Good repair works, when things do not go as planned. (happens more than once in this hobby!) Thanks for posting this here. Very useful! Carry on! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) Hi All, Sorry about the delay in updates. I'm not entirely sure why. Just time flying, I suppose. Anyway, some updates. The interior has moved forwards somewhat. All the gubbins is in the passenger tub: Well, missing the dashboard here... That little delicate thingy at the back, that is somewhat out of focus is … delicate! It broke whilst I cut it off the sprue! However, with a bit of care, I managed to fit it and get it looking the right shape. The dashboard: The window frames are semi-gloss black, and need to be painted on after the shell was painted. I did this by applying 6mm Tamiya masking tape, pressing it tightly onto the body with a cocktail stick, then cutting away the excess with a scalpel blade, thus: I then carefully applied the semi-gloss to the frames and gutters. When I peeled off the making tape, there was no bleed-through under it. Phew! While that was curing, I put the cockpit on to the floorpan, thus: So, this is where we are at this point: There is still an awful lot to do. None of the lights are fitted, there is more to do on the engine, and the glazing needs to be installed. Thanks for looking. Cheers, Alan. Edited February 23, 2019 by Alan R 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR2Don Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Well, just to drag my other main interest in it, we all know, don't we, that the 348 evolved into the 355 in 1994. The Mk2 MR2 pre-dates that by 5 years, yet the 355 looks more like an MR2 than the MR2 looks like the 348, which it was supposedly inspired by. A perverse way, I suppose, of wondering whether a 348 kit could be turned into an MR2 - nobody does models, of any size or type, of the MR2. Very disappointing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 Fujimi is offering the MK 1&2 in 1/24. https://hlj.com/search/go?ts=custom&w=Toyota MR2 1%2F24 this link is for your info. I found these models also at other places. Cheers Marco F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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