Hi fellow modelers. Some time ago I built the legendary Ford GT40 from the Le Man 1966 race. But in this video we will move on to next season. Ferrari P4 came in second and third. If you want this kit in 1/24 scale, you do not have many options. Only a 30-year-old Fujimi kit is available. Luckily, the new repackaged version from 2014 has at least some additions. The set itself is beautiful. Of course, he has a lot of inaccuracies, but I think I can work with that. At least it will be fun. The parts are made of soft white plastic with lots of mold lines and traces of the punch. So you have to spend some time cleaning them. I use a super thin glue for gluing, which is easy to apply. It was fast, if you like editing or improving the models, this video is full of them. So, for example, this front radiator. I'll make the whole part from scratch, because the plastic one looks weird. The hand drill is a very versatile tool and I can highly recommend it.
You can replace heads for cutting, drilling, engraving or even polishing. If you want to glue metal to plastic, you can use a two-component glue, but the easiest and fastest way is a regular instant glue. The radiator is not just a hidden detail inside the model, but it is very distinctive, so I think it's worth making a new one. I mentioned that the kit contains some accessories, but you won't see most of them after assembly, but a few are useful. So another modification. The kit lacks parts for the air and cooling air line cooling system. Just like here on the detailed kit from Model Factory Hiro. This time I need a fairly complex shape for the air duct, so I can't use a threaded rod, and instead I wind copper wire on a metal rod. This spring is flexible so you can bend it to the desired shape. If you need a smaller spring diameter, you can simply replace the rod with a smaller one.
That's much better. Now I'm filling the gaps with white paint. In my opinion, not all adjustments are necessary, but you can use them as inspiration for your future projects. The problem with old kits is that if you have proper photo documentation, you can detect any imperfections. So if you want to build the model quickly, simply build the model out of the box without modification. The Ferrari 330 p4 is probably the best looking car of all time. It's just my personal opinion, so please don't question it 😀 I'm trying to make it a little more detailed. That's why I also replaced these shock absorbers. I don't have a lathe, so I mainly use plastic profiles. This kit does not have an engine; It's quite a shame, but I don't think it's a big deal, because everything will be covered. So I'll just add a support frame and again a cooling system for the brakes. And that's interesting. I found that the shape of the rearview mirrors is partially wrong.
And when I started looking for the shape of the mirrors, I realized that there was something wrong with the whole kit. Mainly there are decals for number 26, which is not from the Le Mans race, but from 24h Daytona, and especially number 26 was not a Ferrari 330 p4, which is also on the box, but 412p, which was a modified version owned by the North American Racing Team. And the 412P had different shapes of air intake, rear window, engine and mirrors. I opted for the classic 330p4 number 21. That's why I ordered new decals from eBay. But first I have to make new mirrors. I use a two-component epoxy sealant for this purpose.
This is not a professional sculptural material, but I like it. Holds well on plastic. It starts to dry after 30 minutes, so you have plenty of time to process. You can even wipe it out with water. I use rubber tools for modeling and this tool with a metal ball is also useful. Thanks to this, you can nicely smooth the surface. After 10 hours, the material is solid and I make final adjustments to the shape using a micro drill. Above all, I try to keep the edges thin and smooth. I don't think the shapes are 100% accurate yet, but they're a little better than before, at least they're smaller. If you look at the car from the front, you should not see them. Thanks to references from Model Factory Hiro, I also realized that the whole instrument panel is wrong. The instrument panel is completely different. So I'm modeling a new one from epoxy putty. Okay, enough adjustments. I unify the whole model with a gray primer, because you don't see imperfections on the white plastic. If you are building a new set from Tamiya, you can paint the parts separately and glue them later, but this kit does not fit perfectly, so I prefer to glue everything and then paint, and when the work is done, I can finally paint the interior with silver.
You can also mask individual parts with masking tape, but it's easier to paint the details with a brush and water-based acrylic paint. All you have to do is dilute the color correctly and apply two or more coats. We enhance the details with dark wash. The parts sprayed with a pistol are durable, but I first fix the parts painted with a brush with clear varnish. Otherwise, you can simply peel off the paint on the base plastic. Now I'm painting a lightening. Seat belts are already part of the kit. I have to admit that assembling a belt in this 1/24 scale is much more comfortable than in 1/48 or 1/72 scale. PE brake discs are useful, but it is necessary to indicate scratches from braking. I glued them to the cutting disc and imitated the scratches with sandpaper. The interior and chassis are almost done. The last step that remains is the car's body. I replace the large air supply and try to create a smaller one.
Then I drill holes in the cockpit air outlets. I simply fill the joints, but also the depressions around the headlights with white primer. And as usual, I'll uniform the entire surface with a gray primer. I'll let everything dry properly for a few hours. Now I sand excess putty and remove imperfections. Let's hope I spray the final layer of primer because with each layer you can discover even more imperfections. You can glue the windshield usually after painting the model, but this is slightly inaccurate like something like a 2 mm gap on both sides. I tried to heat the plastic with a hair dryer and bend it to the required shape, but it didn't work very well. So before painting, I'll stick it with a thin glue. I let the glue dry properly for three days and then mask the windshield with yellow Tamiya masking tape. So finally coloring, which is my favorite part of the models.
For car models I use ordinary Mr color Laquer paint diluted using a leveling thinner thinner. I got a new airbrush for testing on a larger mod. with a 0.5 mm nozzle This is my first attempt with a new airbrush, so I was a little skeptical and scared, but it's very easy. So you only have to worry about color thinning and pressure. Do not try to spray the model with one thick coat. Instead, prefer more fine layers. Red doesn't have perfect coverage, so this time I sprayed 4 coats. If you spray a lot of paint on the surface at once, it will tend to thicken around the edges and run off smooth surfaces, similar to water.
The result will be an inconsistent and probably ugly layer of paint. After a few minutes you can spray another layer, because the drying time is relatively fast, Spraying is not perfect mainly due to the type of color and thickness of the layer. I had a brothel in color, so if I want to achieve this result, I have to smooth the surface or remove the imperfections using rough sandpaper with a grain size of 3000.
I told you that I bought new stickers so exactly these. The transparent base foil is on the entire sheet, so you need to cut them precisely with sharp scissors. I decided to use decals directly on the paint, because after sanding it is pretty smooth. I have had this set in my collection for two years and these shapes on the door were the scariest, but after the carbon stickers on my Kawasaki H2R. This was a "walk in the rose garden." Just use a micro-set decal chemical that makes the decals a little elastic and warm up with a hair dryer.
I am satisfied with the result. I tested different types of paints and 2K, but I was not excited about the result, so I use the same paint for planes, AFVs, boats and cars, which is super clear III from Mr color. The paint has a very thick consistency, so even for my new 0.5 mm nozzle I use a lot of diluted Something like 4 parts thinner to 1 part varnish. If you have a smaller nozzle, you can add even more. And again I spray 4 thin coats and let the varnish dry for 5 hours after each. After the last one, I let everything dry properly for two days.
That is the result. It's not bad, but this time it's just the beginning. The decals still protrude above the surface, and the varnish is not as smooth as I want. I sand the top two coats of paint and in this way unify the decals with the surface. You can see the reflections around the decals here. I tested some super smooth 12,000 grit papers, but I made even deeper scratches on the paint than with this 3,000 Tamiya sandpaper. I used this little block for the whole model, so you have the whole sheet for 20 or more models. I recommend sanding the varnish carefully, because even after 4 coats of highly diluted varnish, the final thickness is only a few microns. This way you clean the whole car. I simply remove the paint dust with water and high pressure. So it's time to polish, which is also time consuming but enjoyable. At least for me, it's a straightforward process and you can focus on TED podcasts or audiobooks. Mr color varnish is not very robust, so you cannot use a paper towel or cloth to polish. Instead, I use a cloth to clean the microfiber lenses.
Which is ideal for this purpose. Now you only need polishing paste. I think the most accessible for modelers is Tamiya, so I use them. There are three types, but I only use fine and finishing. You will immediately see the change under your fingers. The result after the first polishing looks much better, but only a super-fine mixture will polish most of the scratches. My fingers don't like this job anymore, so I make my life easier with an electric drill with a cotton polishing wheel.
Before each use, try to wash the bike with hot soapy water. A dirty tool can do even more scratches than you had before. This Proxxon Micromot has 5,000 rpm, so try not to stay in one position. The heat from the friction can burn the varnish. Ok, now I'm happy with the result. After polishing, you will probably see a white polishing compound in the cracks. don't let it dry. It could then be quite difficult to remove it.
So after polishing, try blowing the mixture with water. You can then clean the surface with a microfiber cloth. In my notes section, I got information about the ceramic coating. It works as protection against dust and UV radiation. It's not the cheapest product, but the whole bottle is back on many models, so I decided to give it a try. The application is easy. Spread a few drops on a microfiber cloth and spread the liquid on the surface. After 5 minutes, you can remove the excess fluid. You probably don't see the difference, but it pretty much made the surface even shinier. The primary windshield is now more transparent. anyway, we'll finish the remaining details now. I use common PVA glue (Hercules) to glue clear parts, which becomes transparent after drying. and PVA glue also has the advantage that you can wipe it off with water.
I have small rivets and bolt heads from the Kawasaki H2R mod you can also buy separately. I found a useful wax pencil for holding and moving small parts. Last but not least, the wheels I use the firestone logo, which you have to apply upside down. Now I'm trying to paint a thin gold line using Model Master enamel paint that adheres to the rubber surface better than acrylic. The original car had white handwritten marks on each wheel. This step completes the model. I'm glad I made a lot of adjustments and tried to refine this model a bit. Therefore, I am finally satisfied with the result, even if it is not perfect.
I hope that I did not discourage you with this model. You can easily put it right out of the box. In my opinion, the difference will be almost negligible. Thanks for watching again. Here is a presentation of the finished model..
