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Airfix Maserati Indy


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Someone implied that I must be a glutton for punishment taking on these Airfix car kits and there may be a grain of truth in that assertion.  While I was waiting for the filler to set on my Aston Martin DB5 build I thought I'd have a look at the Airfix Maserati Indy that's been on my shelf for a few weeks.

 

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It's a starter set, but I'm not sure I'll bother with the paint or glue although the brushes might be useful.

 

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Slightly inaccurate paint guide on the back, the sills on every Indy I've seen are finished in stainless steel so should at least be painted silver.

 

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The two largest parts are the upper and lower halves of the body, which on first inspection are quite nicely moulded.  The lower part of the body, thanks to it's shape, feels impressively stiff (not sure why that impresses me as it's of no practical value to the kit).

 

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However, the first dry fit suggests that this might be a bit more of a challenge than it first looks.

 

More to come soon.

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19 minutes ago, johnlambert said:

Someone implied that I must be a glutton for punishment taking on these Airfix car kits and there may be a grain of truth in that assertion

 

Three on the go at once? More than a grain I'd say....!!  :)

 

This one looks like it might be the best moulded of them all?

 

Keith

 

 

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1 hour ago, keefr22 said:

 

Three on the go at once? More than a grain I'd say....!!  :)

 

This one looks like it might be the best moulded of them all?

 

Keith

 

 

I think it might be.  It probably helps that it hasn't been endlessly churned out for the last forty or fifty years.

 

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Rear view of the Maserati, the rear valance is a separate piece.  The detail goes a bit soft just on the ends of the rear quarters of the car, but it's not bad really.

 

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Other parts

 

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Yet more parts, but not much flash or nastiness.

 

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Possibly the best AIrfix car wheels and tyres I've encountered.  With the centres separate from the tyres there won't be any masking issues.  Of course I'm not discounting the possibility that the alloys won't fit in the tyres.

 

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The steering wheel is pretty nice.

 

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You get a choice to represent raised or lowered headlamps and the dashboard is very crisp with decals supplied for all the dials.

 

What are the issues?

 

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If this were a real car, that hole in the sill would be a bit of a worry.  Apparently real Indys had a reputation for rust and the model was the first Maserati not to have a separate chassis.

 

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Tiny bit of flash on the window and the wheel arch lip.

 

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More of the rear quarter.

 

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Other side is worse.

 

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A bit of scraping and sanding has restored the wing line.

 

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And the other side again.  The fuel filler (or whatever that panel is) will need the dust clearing out.

 

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Rear valance isn't a great fit out of the box.

 

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Gently sand down the edges of the valance to get it fitting snugly.

 

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I've added some styrene and filler to help strengthen the join.

 

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At least I didn't have to cut out the rot and weld in a new panel.  Sanded down and filled.

 

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Trial fitting the open headlamps, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to build this configuration.

 

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Concealed headlamps are the way forward.

 

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Another dry fit, this time with part of the interior in place.

 

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Other side, you can also see that the rear valance sits a little proud.

 

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Generally it's quite crisp.

 

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Just needs a little shaving down.

 

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Part of the body fit problem is the inner wheel arch on the right of the picture.  It just throws the body out of alignment a little.  The wing has since been trimmed back a little.

 

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I spotted a tiny sink mark on the front wing (parking damage?), which has been filled.

 

Once the filler has set, there's some sanding to do, but not much really.  Then primer and at some point I need to decide on a colour; my first thought was a metallic mid blue but I think a copper or bronze would have the right sort look for the car.  The kit gives you matt white as an undercoat for a gloss yellow top coat.  The kit also supplies matt and gloss black for the interior but I think cream or brown would be better.

 

After this and my other Airfix builds, I think I'll need to build a few Tamiya kits as therapy.

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It's not that bad as they go though. Minor fettling and I'm sure a man of your abilities will turn out a cracker.

The main challenge, as I see it, is to produce a wood effect steering wheel rim. :poke:

Is that the same driver as in the Escort? What an upgrade!

Folded headlights show off the shape better I think.

 

I watched the latest Car SOS the other day. Jensen Intercepter. What a car. What a rot box.

But, the finished result, in original Pistachio green. Wow!

 

BTW, I wonder if anyone has ever tried using two Heralds to create an Estate version. No, I'm too busy.

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Fair play, that looks a lot tidier than the other ancient Airfix kits, much better moulding and detail. I have it in my head that this might have been the last of the original 1/32 range? If it is, and as you say it's been re-released far less often, that might explain the better quality?

 

Personally speaking, it's just a shame I have no interest in building one as it does look nice!

 

Keith

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1 minute ago, Pete in Lincs said:

I watched the latest Car SOS the other day

 

Did you see the Metro 6R4 episode Pete? That was a stunning rebuild too!

 

Now back to pre-historic Airfix plastic!

 

Keith

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3 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

Did you see the Metro 6R4 episode Pete? That was a stunning rebuild too!

It was. And at least they went to an expert for help. I like the lateral thinking for a front Diff' BMW X5!

A monster of a car. I just hope some of the people they build them for are able to enjoy driving them for some time to come.

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I snapped up one of these, too; it’s a lot better than the glue bomb I bought cheap for salvage before Airfix announced the reissue. It does look in good shape, though I wonder if the driver fits this any better than he does the Escort. As for the headlights, I’m going to see if I can use some of my teeny-tiny magnets so I can have them swoppable.

best,

M.

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3 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

It's not that bad as they go though. Minor fettling and I'm sure a man of your abilities will turn out a cracker.

The main challenge, as I see it, is to produce a wood effect steering wheel rim. :poke:

Is that the same driver as in the Escort? What an upgrade!

Folded headlights show off the shape better I think.

 

I watched the latest Car SOS the other day. Jensen Intercepter. What a car. What a rot box.

But, the finished result, in original Pistachio green. Wow!

 

BTW, I wonder if anyone has ever tried using two Heralds to create an Estate version. No, I'm too busy.

I've not built the Escort kit, or seen what it includes, so I don't know if it's the same bloke.  I'm not going to include him as none of my other car builds to date have a driver figure.

 

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Fair play, that looks a lot tidier than the other ancient Airfix kits, much better moulding and detail. I have it in my head that this might have been the last of the original 1/32 range? If it is, and as you say it's been re-released far less often, that might explain the better quality?

 

Personally speaking, it's just a shame I have no interest in building one as it does look nice!

 

Keith

It certainly feels more modern.  The Maserati Indy was introduced in 1969 so the kit is potentially the best part of a decade newer than the E-type.  The Indy feels like an odd subject for a kit, being Maserati's 2+2 coupe, so less glamourous than the Bora or Ghibli and it doesn't feel like an obvious fit with the other, mostly British, cars in the Airfix range.  If only Airfix had done an Aston Martin DBS and maybe a Jensen Interceptor to the same scale and standard...

 

3 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

Wow. I did say you're a glutton for punishment and it seems I was only scratching the surface! Still, it looks like a better start in terms of your basic kit. 👌

I think it might be the best Airfix car kit I've seen.  Although once again it doesn't have any sides for the interior.  For some reason Airfix had a real blind spot when it came to tooling up door cards.

 

3 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

I snapped up one of these, too; it’s a lot better than the glue bomb I bought cheap for salvage before Airfix announced the reissue. It does look in good shape, though I wonder if the driver fits this any better than he does the Escort. As for the headlights, I’m going to see if I can use some of my teeny-tiny magnets so I can have them swoppable.

best,

M.

Magnets to secure the pop-up lights, wish I'd thought of that.  I'd probably go for a magnet in the body and a staple or something in the light but I look forward to seeing your take on it, when the time comes.

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1 hour ago, johnlambert said:

Magnets to secure the pop-up lights, wish I'd thought of that.  I'd probably go for a magnet in the body and a staple or something in the light but I look forward to seeing your take on it, when the time comes.

 

So does @cmatthewbacon as that was my idea 😜

 

MaseratiIndy-31.jpg

 

I found the fit of the glazing a mixed bag. The boot is perfect. The side windows thick and required the inside of the body shell to be trimmed. The windscreen two narrow and used it to crash mould a new one.

Edited by JamesP
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@JamesP I can see what you meant about the windscreen.

 

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Hmm this is going to need some creativity.

 

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Side windows don't look too bad although I may just use the rear glass and quarterlight, so the interior is more visible.  The headlamp lenses look like they might be a useful addition to the spares box.

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5 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

I agree! What is it James?

 

Keith

 

Thanks guys. It's a Candy green or specifically a mix of Tamiya Clear Green and Yellow over a silver base coat. That was @cmatthewbacon idea, he sent me some inspiration https://www.tominiclassics.com/featcar/maserati-indy/  for my build https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=19021

Edited by JamesP
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Well, where have we got with the little Maserati?

 

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I tried making a replacement windscreen but gave up.  Shaping and even more so cutting clear plastic to fit a curved piece of plastic is a skill beyond me.

 

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Anyway, I've removed the moulded on windscreen wipers and given the plastic a polish with abrasives then finer and finer polishing compounds.

 

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How it looks in the car.  The fit still sucks but I can't do any better.

 

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Yesterday I chucked some primer over most of the parts.  Today I did a quick dry assembly to check there were no horrors with the ride height.  I think it's OK.

 

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Colour is Tamiya X-13 which I'll airbrush on.

 

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I thing that was the right choice, I just hope I've got a decent finish.

 

The front valance was sprayed at the same time.  I'll leave it to dry for a day or two and see how it looks.

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Hi John,  the colour looks great, really suit the car.  You are definitely braver than me to even attempt removing the molded in wipers from the glass.  I think you underestimate your skils and have another go at the windshield.   Have you thought about using a sheet of acetate?  - Andy 

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There is a bit going on with the Maserati but it doesn't feel like significant progress because it's mostly concerned with painting.

 

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The bodywork was wet sanded, it's been painted again, sanded and needs another coat of paint.

 

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The part for the underside with the engine and gearbox detail is a separate piece, which got a coat of Halfords Satin Black.

 

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The engine piece and alloy wheels have been sprayed Valejo flat aluminium.

 

Although I'm pretty much decided on flat brown for the seats and dashboard I'm not sure what to do about the carpet.  I don't want to go with the same brown but do I go for matt black or a different shade of brown?

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