Ferrari 333 SP - Le Mans 24 Hrs 1995

This is a very old picture of where I put the project 'on hold' back in 1996. I'll upload a new one as soon as it's available.

I decided to replace the sorry excuse for rear shocks by scratchbuilt parts, because they look ridiculous in comparison with the front shocks.

Good reference pics allowed me to replicate the tiny shocks to the detail. Don't forget you are looking at a 1:43 model.

I used aluminium tube, metal wire, copper wire, some photo-etched leftovers and a lot of imagination 😉

Now the rear shocks look ok to me. I'm afraid though that I created a new problem: the front shocks now look kinda ridiculous in comparison to the rear ones...

Here you see why: the front shocks are still one-piece casted resin, impossible to turn them into realistic looking parts by merely painting them. They will probably have to go as well...

But first let's look at the rest of the Ferrari. The bodywork has been sprayed as well.

I also added some extra wiring in the rear and I replaced the pop-off valve on top of the engine by a scratchbuilt part.

View from the left hand side.

Also, I decided to put this Ferrari in a diorama setting. This is the most logic configuration where the car stands inside the box while being worked on, while the bodyparts are put in front of the pit.

The side walls of the box are made of mesh, so even when they are in place you still could see a lot of the detail.

But this configuration would allow me to show off a lot more detail of course. The car is outside and the parts are inside. But this is not a very logic or common setting in my opinion. What to do? Any suggestions anyone?

Steve Wilson
...
It stems back to Railway modelling Chop'. Railway modelling used HO, OO, OOO and loads of others like that...
And when those scales were converted for the kit producers, who saw a market for making vehicle kits too suit modellers making scenery for their railways... And those wierd scales stuck!!!

14 October 2014, 23:29

Choppa Nutta
ah ok that makes some sense at least, but even so the HOOOOey scales are bonkers, did the old school decide how big the model was going to be and then work out what scale it is ?

14 October 2014, 23:45

Steve Wilson
...
Not quite!!! The old school set the precedent for Railway modelling scales... The kit makers who saw the market had to fall in line, or go their own way!!! Don't forget Train Sets started out as childrens toys, it was adult Train enthusiasts that changed the market. The enthusiasts started their own companies making their own products. It's an interesting subject...
But not on Guys Thread!!!

15 October 2014, 06:57

Guy Golsteyn
The reason why this project has been on hold since 1996 is the lack of information. I spraypainted the body parts with the wrong kind of yellow, something I only found out later on, when I found some good reference pictures. Unfortunately, by that time I had already applied all the decals and I could not find any replacement decals. Until now, when I came across a decal sheet by BBR on Ebay. I didn't hesitate and bought it right away (for 5 euro I can't complain). So that is the re-starting shot for this project. The only picture I have so far is the one you see above, and which is also taken back in 1996...
A word on the 1/43 scale: I read somewhere that the scale was 'invented' by using a child's hand as the standard, into which a model car had to fit nicely (remember the old Dinky Toys models). By the way, in the book about Mr Tamiya he describes how the scale 1/35 was invented: his very first model of a Panther tank was designed with an electric engine, and the dimensions of the hull of the tank were chosen to fit exactly 4 1.5volt batteries in... Afterwards they measured the dimensions of the tank and decided it was 1/35!

15 October 2014, 09:53

Steve Wilson
...
Yes that's right Guy!!! as I said Railway Trains were made as toys originally, the cars Dinky UK and Shuco in Germany made their cars to the same scale for children to play along with the Trains. Then the entusiasts carried on, on along the same lines, (excuse the pun) keeping the scales the same, and it stuck.
Modelling became more and more popular and some none Railway fans entered the scene, creating a furore for new scales to be invented... Hence what we have today a mixture of strange and sensible scales to play, sorry MODEL with😄😄😄

15 October 2014, 11:40

Choppa Nutta
Model then play with 🙂

15 October 2014, 11:54

Guy Golsteyn
As promised, I updated this thread with state-of-the-art pictures, showing you better in which stage I am able to pick up this build again after 18 years😉

26 October 2014, 19:22

Jan Hazes
Must have taken ages to photoshop color into the old b&w images😉

26 October 2014, 19:28

Kerry COX
That's just so nice to look at, a real treat. Thanks for posting it. 🙂

29 October 2014, 22:37

Guy Golsteyn
Ok, I added this project which has been on hold for almost 20 years now to the The Neglected Kit Resurrection Groupbuild to force myseld to finish it at last😉
In the meantime I decided to create a pitbox diorama of this Ferrari, so I can leave the bodywork off and show the nice details of the chassis and engine.

21 August 2015, 08:22

Choppa Nutta
yay ! TNKR forever !! 😄

21 August 2015, 13:35

Guy Golsteyn
I made some progress and I added some new pics.

23 August 2015, 09:43