Ferrari 333SP, BBR, 1/24 scale

[Fastcat]

Well, yet another trip down Memory Lane!

 

I built this one a mere 15 years ago.

The 333 marked Ferrari's return to sports car racing after an absence of twenty years but, shock, horror, it wasn't really a Ferrari. After repeated requests by MOMO, an American car parts maker, the work on the car was put out to Dallara. What they came up with was a very successful, customer based sports car. The model represents the Daytona winner of Giampiero Moretti, Mauro Baldi, Arie Luyendyk and Didier Theys.

 

It started life as a resin BBR kit and I intended it to be an easy build - after all BBR claimed to be official suppliers of models to Ferrari - what could go wrong?

Firstly, BBR were well known and highly regarded for their 1/43 car models. But you can't just scale up a smaller kit. Any error will be almost doubled and that was to be the case with the 333.

The resin body was a beautiful casting but had a slightly flattened appearance, being neither swoopy nor curvy enough, there was no underbody detail and worse, the front axle, visible through the body vents was just a rod. But it was the only 333 in town, although Perry's Resin produced a different version in America.

So I started..........

 

   

 

I took every opportunity to round off all the edges of the body which I felt were too square and the hump over the dashboard was made more domed and extended a little more in line with what few photos I had. Right towards the end of the build, I had a problem with the Tamiya clear spray being too "hot" and blistering the decals on the front. Eventually after many clear coats with a Halford's spray can and much rubbing down in between, I managed to largely eliminate the defects.

Would I do the kit again - not a chance! I value my sanity too much!

 

Dave

[keefr22]

That is simply beautiful! Lovely build of my favourite ever Ferrari racecar!

 

Stunning! 

 

Keith

[SprueMan]

Whatever difficulty you had in building, it does not show. Very pretty model of a pretty car. I think you are well within your right to be proud of it!

[Toftdale]

You've really captured the brutality of the original machine, by that I mean it really looks like it would quickly punish any mistake made.  Its a lovely machine, but I wouldn't be brave enough to drive it!  Great work - Andy 

[Fastcat]

Many thanks.

Brutal is just the perfect word for it - or fearsome! But good looking in strange sort of way.

The Perry's Resin kit is of a very different car, not quite so uncompromising but the MOMO car just looks the part. I just wish that BBR had produced a real 1/24 car rather than an oversized 1/43 model. Rod axles  really don't suit models in this scale (unless they're completely hidden).

Still, it came out  OK in the end.

 

Dave

[klubman01]

Very nice indeed!  The 333SP is a great looking machine.

 

One of my earliest 1/43 models was the BBR kit of this car.  Trust me, that wasn't exactly "shake and bake" either.

 

Trevor

[Fastcat]

Thanks Trevor,

                         In a way it's comforting to know that BBR weren't always as good as made out. Our son made a Pilot F40 and that was by no means easy. Lovely model at the finish though. I suppose however much work it takes to get there, it's the end result that counts.

 

Dave

[Vesa Jussila]

Good looking car. You have built it very well. I remember these racing at period. I hope Ferrari will return to long distance racing.

[Bengalensis]

You've done great work on that one, it looks very nice!

I can understand it took a good deal of work to bring it to that level.

I built a couple 1/43 BBR F1 kits in the 90's and found them to have been quite over rated in reviews...

Well done! 👍

[Fastcat]

Thanks J ö r g e n, I suppose it comes from being Ferrari's sole model supplier - people think that they must be the best or else why would Ferrari choose them. Sometimes the reality can be a bit different. But still............they did kit the 333 when no one else did, and in 1/24 which at the time was unusual for 1/43 makers ...............................even if it was a bit short of perfection. So they at least got it partly right.

 

Dave

[JeroenS]

Well done, is what I say! I like that close up shot of the right rear, you did great on the wheels and tyres. 

[Fastcat]

Thank you Jeroen.

I seem to remember using the tyres from a Tamiya kit as they were very slightly bigger than the BBR tyres and had a slightly better shape than the kit tyres. Incidentally the seat belts are pre-printed from Eduard and are photo etched. The ink used cracked off a little when they were bent into shape but a little retouch followed by a matt spray took care of the problem. They ended up being much more realistic than home-made versions.

 

Dave

[Scarlet]

I built the 1/43 Le Mans Moretti car many years ago. The 333 SP is one of my favorite cars at Le Mans, watching them screaming down from the Dunlop bridge and lighting the brakes up as they braked hard for the Esses (in the days before the current track layout).

 

[Fastcat]

Hi Scarlet,

                         The MOMO cars certainly stand out from the crowd! Still, if you want to be conspicuous, red and yellow isn't a bad start................I used to like the Pilot and Olive Garden cars but the MOMO scheme seems much more suited to  the 333 SP.

 

Dave

[kapam]

Wow!  A total masterpiece!

The livery looks quite familiar but I don't think I ever picked it for a Ferrari. 🤪

They certainly produced some very cool sports prototype racing cars back in the day.

[Fastcat]

Thanks kapam,

                                 Because the 333 was a customer car it appeared in many un-Ferrari like colours - like blue (Pilot) and green (Olive Garden) as well as variations on red. Since the car was made on MOMO's request, I suppose it was appropriate that it was largely red. But I guess MOMO couldn't resist adding a personal touch. The MOMO livery got used on a number of cars but I like the Daytona version. I think it looks the part.

 

Dave

[Kitkent]

It’s just beautiful! I wish I had one,I couldn’t afford one when they were new…..My favourite racecar too,well one of my favourite Ferrari’s. Superb! Chris.

[Fastcat]

Thanks Chris.

 

The BBR kit was too much for me too. I managed to get mine second hand from a fellow modeller at a more reasonable price. The MOMO car wasn't my preferred choice - I originally wanted the blue Pilot car but the MOMO scheme grew on me.

 I soon learned why he didn't want to build it after the original "new kit" feeling had worn off. One of the headlight vac-formed covers had an inclusion and needed remaking and the fairly brittle resin body was damaged on the rear. BBR used a resin with a lot of filler which gave a lovely finish but was easily broken. I remember a friend had one of their 1/24 F1 cars which broke in half at the cockpit when he was working on it.

Whatever the difficulty getting there, the final result made up for it.

 

Dave

[desert falcon]

Very well done, looks brutal indeed 👍 

[Fastcat]

Thanks desert falcon,

                                       Capturing the spirit of the car is the hardest part of any build not just building what's in the box. Glad you think I managed to do that.

 

Dave 

[Bengalensis]

8 hours ago, Fastcat said:

Capturing the spirit of the car is the hardest part of any build not just building what's in the box.

 

That is so very true. "Capturing the spirit of the car" really boils down to the essential thing when I'm happy with a finished model. You clearly made that.