Ferrari 550 Maranello

[Lucky13]

Well, this project is well on its way, but better later than never, right?

It started almost by coincidence. I was looking for something else and then I found the box, which I had forgotten I have. Inside was the started body, with the front and rear bumpers glued to it and the headlight buckets also attached. It had some primer on and chassis (not much for it) started. 

 

 

 

 

These Fujimi kits are super simple. They a re curbside, which means there is no engine detail and nothing opens on the car. The interior is super simple and lacking in terms of detail. So I figured this could be a very quick and simple build to take a brake from some more involving projects. 

First I recraped all the body panels. I don't like using panel liner, so I always make all panel lines deeper before paint. In this case it was absolutely necessary, as Fujimi did not even mold any gaps for some of the hoods. 

 

 

I big pep peeve is when manufacturers design their models in a way forcing you to build it with ugly license plate holders. I mean, include them, offer them as an option and let me decide if I want to use them. I don't belie a single Ferrari 550 came from the factory with two big holes in its front bumper, so I filled them with some sprue. 

 

 

For some reason I am missing the rear view mirrors of the model. However I found some mirrors in my parts box, that are a pretty close match to the original ones, altho I have no idea what did they come from. I drilled them and added some brass pins to make mounting them easier and more secure. 

 

 

 

 

The seats in the model have a strange look to them. They are not necessarily wrong, but look like they are carved out of slab of granite or something. Just not very realistic. So I pirated the seats from one of the F430 kits that I discovered I had, when I found this one. 

 

 

 

I love the 550 Maranello and IMO it is one of the best looking cars of the firm ever. Its looks have aged very well, but what keeps it planted square in the '90s are its undersized and plain wheels. I have a set of timeless BBS LM wheels from a long gone Tamiya Porsche 911 GT2, which should bring some attitude to this Maranello.

 

 

 

The interior door panels are completely wrong as they represent the ones from 575M, but even in that case they are very poorly detailed. So I'll be addressing these too. 

[Lucky13]

I forgot the mock up picture. 

 

 

 

[keefr22]

Does look good on those wheels!

 

K

[Neddy]

Agreed!

[Spiny]

Looks like you've made a good start on this one, but dare I say I prefer it on the original wheels? But in the end, your build, your choice and based on your previous models I fully expect another good looking car.

[johnlambert]

It looks really good, the grey (primer?) really emphasizes the 550's shark-like shape.