Ferrari 312B Tamiya 1/12

[cor]

Hi all. Happy new year.

Ive started a new project for 2023. Been wanting to build this for 30 years, finally getting around to it.
Will add as much detail as I can. Started with the engine, making the ignition cables thinner using heat shrink tube and very thin wire. The kit tubing is way too thick.

Added some photo etch bolt heads here and there, especially on the transmission case, and a couple of extra wires. Made the dome air filters out of mesh for water filtration.

[digger303]

Your off to a flying start the motor is terrific.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Cool

[KalebB]

Already that engine looks absolutely stellar, love the added detail you gave to it

[BigWall]

It looks great1 The dome filters are perfect!

[MrBowcat]

Very nice so far, the engine is fantastic.

[cor]

Thanks everyone for stopping by and commenting.

Been plodding along with Tamiya's 1971 kit. Adding detail.

There is a 1/12 moto GP (bike) photo etch set of nut and bolt heads which is great for all kinds of kits and only about ten bucks.

Also adding wire for cables, and leather for the seat. The real car had a maroon coloured interior padding, but Im going with tan as it looks pretty nice, and not out of place in a Ferrari. It looks really good on the model. I've ordered a seatbelt from model factory Hiro, as the kit one is only good for the rubbish bin.

There is liberal use of the amazing aluminium foil, covering the rear radiators, brake discs, brace under the instruments, and I will coat the entire body with foil as it enlarges the rivets slightly, and the paint should rub off here and there to reveal the aluminium underneath, as shown in some photos of the rivets on the real cars. It will be, hopefully, easier than drilling the rivets and adding styrene rod for each one. I did that on the Tyrrell and it took a very long time and was a bit uneven.


Front brakes are almost totally hidden in the wheels, but I detailed them for a practice for the rear brakes which are fully exposed.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Excellent work
Boy those early F1 tubs looked really comfy…certainly not an uncomfortable coffin with a hell blaring v12 right behind your ears

[MrBowcat]

That's looking nice. Great idea to use the ali foil as a base coat for the paint.

[cor]

Your off to a flying start the motor is terrific.

That's looking nice. Great idea to use the ali foil as a base coat for the paint.

Excellent work
Boy those early F1 tubs looked really comfy…certainly not an uncomfortable coffin with a hell blaring v12 right behind your ears

Very nice so far, the engine is fantastic.

It looks great1 The dome filters are perfect!

Already that engine looks absolutely stellar, love the added detail you gave to it

Thanks guys for the comments.
Ive found myself with a couple days spare time so got the bodywork well under way.

The foil has made the rivetts ever so slightly larger, but has also wrinkled up a bit and required some work smoothing out. The jury's still out whether this technique was worth doing or not. It was a good learning experience for use on other models.

The body had to be painted and decaled then clear coated - essentially finished - before the front end is build, otherwise it cant be sprayed. I've used Tamiya Italian red rattle can, and will use Tamiya clear gloss rattle for sealing the decals and polishing it up before anymore construction.

I really like the look of these 70s F1 cars and can see myself building more this year. Maybe a futuristic flying steam punk mod for the sci fi build . . .

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh that is cool with the aluminum
What a great idea. Like to see how that turns out. SO far so good

[DRUMS01]

cool build subject, nice modeling...

Watching this one

[digger303]

[KalebB]

That's just turning out absolutely excellent

[cor]

Oh that is cool with the aluminum
What a great idea. Like to see how that turns out. SO far so good

Its an interesting concept. Would work well with warplanes I think.

That's just turning out absolutely excellent

Thanks man. It's a great model

cool build subject, nice modeling...

Watching this one

Thanks Ben. Ive seen some of your work from way back of a Nissin 381 1/18 'toy' with full scratch built detail. Really nice. Im bidding on one on ebay at the moment.



Clear coat of Vallejo clear gloss thinned a lot over the decals. I bought a can of Mr Color clear spray, but was worried it might eat the decals. I saw a post of TwoKids from 2018 where the same paint destroyed the decals on an almost finished f1 car and that sealed the deal for the Vellajo. It worked great with a nice smooth gloss finish.

Also more of the ubiquitous aluminum foil over the bulkhead at the rear, the thin bit between engine and body, and a test fit of the engine.

The imperfections from the aluminum foil undercoat give the body some character - at least that's what Im calling it... Theres lots of detail to add and clean up to do, however Im happy with the result so far.


pics of rivetts / foil process before clear coat:








The very rear part of car behind the roll bar did not recieve the foil treatment. I think the rivetts are a tad smaller. Im getting obsessed with rivetts...


After clear coat:








Bottom mount foiled

[DRUMS01]

Foiled again!

Sorry but I couldn't help myself

Super start to a wonderful kit. I've had this model for years still sitting in the "to be built" pile. I hope when I do mine it is but to the same quality as yours.

GREAT JOB SO FAR!

[cor]

Foiled again!

Sorry but I couldn't help myself

Super start to a wonderful kit. I've had this model for years still sitting in the "to be built" pile. I hope when I do mine it is but to the same quality as yours.

GREAT JOB SO FAR!

Thanks Ben.
You're a top notch modeller - your portfolio is simply awesome. And with your excellent scratchbuilding skills you could do a lot with this kit. Im finding it a very enjoyable build.

[cor]

After getting the body finished, I was lulled into thinking this was home and hosed, and so rushed it a bit. The body copped a dose of very humid weather and dirty fingers and spilled glue, which I think was the cars way of telling me it wanted a well-weathered look. Well, its got it. I needed to hide a bad glue mishap with some race damage and another decal. Overall Im liking it, the lived in look looks more real than a showroom condition car.

Also there are obvious pins for adding hoses but no mention of them in the instruction. So I added some tubing where I thought it would look good at the rear of the engine and coming off the oil tanks at the back.

And just for something different I pulled the oil tanks apart and applied foil to them for more of that aluminium look.

Also got the windscreen on, just sitting there at the moment, not glued, and a model factory hiro seatbelt installed. Its looking pretty good. Lot of work on the front end to do now. I need to slow down a bit and focus instead of rushing it.

[RangerNeil]

I must admit cars of any sort aren't my thing - but this one really impresses and, almost, tempts me to try one!!
The ali foil looks a good idea - what type did you use? Got something that flies in the stash that it could be used on.

[cor]

I must admit cars of any sort aren't my thing - but this one really impresses and, almost, tempts me to try one!!
The ali foil looks a good idea - what type did you use? Got something that flies in the stash that it could be used on.

Hi Neil

The 70s 1/12 F1 cars are great because they have lots of engine that is visible. I highly recommend them.

The foil is just a sticky tape, mainly used for sealing air conditioning ducts. It would work really well on planes as the paint comes off on the edges a bit and you see the silver metal under it - just superb. Got to use a good metal primer though. Also bare aluminium surfaces would be great with this stuff.

Got it from a dollar discount store for a few bucks. Also find it on AliExpress. You need to use it in small areas as it can wrinkle and thats no good. I mean large surfaces need to be carefully done by breaking them down into smaller areas - use a cotton earbud to smooth it out and very fine sponge backed sandpaper to take away the high polished shine. I cant see myself making another model without using this stuff on it somewhere.




A few more pics of the car.

[RangerNeil]

I must admit cars of any sort aren't my thing - but this one really impresses and, almost, tempts me to try one!!
The ali foil looks a good idea - what type did you use? Got something that flies in the stash that it could be used on.

Hi Neil

The 70s 1/12 F1 cars are great because they have lots of engine that is visible. I highly recommend them.

The foil is just a sticky tape, mainly used for sealing air conditioning ducts. It would work really well on planes as the paint comes off on the edges a bit and you see the silver metal under it - just superb. Got to use a good metal primer though. Also bare aluminium surfaces would be great with this stuff.

Got it from a dollar discount store for a few bucks. Also find it on AliExpress. You need to use it in small areas as it can wrinkle and thats no good. I mean large surfaces need to be carefully done by breaking them down into smaller areas - use a cotton earbud to smooth it out and very fine sponge backed sandpaper to take away the high polished shine. I cant see myself making another model without using this stuff on it somewhere.




A few more pics of the car.

Cheers sir!! I know the stuff you mean. I'll give it a whirl at some point in the future.
For me the actual F1 cars of the '70s and early '80s mark the pinnacle of F1 being the end of the era where it was down purely to the Drivers skill and not computers + wifi links to pit techs. For the models side - yes there is so much visible thats shrouded on later cars that would make a much more visually appealing display.

[cor]

Cheers sir!! I know the stuff you mean. I'll give it a whirl at some point in the future.
For me the actual F1 cars of the '70s and early '80s mark the pinnacle of F1 being the end of the era where it was down purely to the Drivers skill and not computers + wifi links to pit techs. For the models side - yes there is so much visible thats shrouded on later cars that would make a much more visually appealing display.

Me too. Also early 90s, those cars just looked sleek. And like my dad said recently - This car is from an era when Ferrari made cars that looked like cars.

Get into a decent size car model, they really pay off when you put the effort in.

[cor]

I should do this more often. Putting completed sub-assemblies into safe keeping, a shoe box, so I dont ruin them by playing around with them.

[cor]

The front end

Almost everything silver is aluminium foil.

[digger303]

Wow you are really working the ali foil and very well too. No creases that I can see.
I seem to end up with little rips along the cut edge and I'm trying not to be heavy handed about it and use a sharp blade.
The Ferrari is looking great.

[cor]

Wow you are really working the ali foil and very well too. No creases that I can see.
I seem to end up with little rips along the cut edge and I'm trying not to be heavy handed about it and use a sharp blade.
The Ferrari is looking great.

Some techniques Ive discovered - and Im still working out how to best use this stuff:

Try using a fine file to pull over the edge of the piece youre coating, and this cuts a perfect line you can pull the foil away and it stays on the other side of the edge you filed.

If its on a flat surface, like a panel, try using a cotton bud to push the foil onto the plastic so it grips, then cut it. Make sure there is no glue residue from the foil on the tip of the knife, this pulls it instead of cutting it. You dont have to push hard as the foil is so thin.

Once you work out the cutting, use these things to work it into the plastic detail, then sand with foam backed 800 -1500 grit sandpaper.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004 ... Hn9fuRsbY5



Practice makes perfect, you'll work out how to best use it.

[digger303]

Wow you are really working the ali foil and very well too. No creases that I can see.
I seem to end up with little rips along the cut edge and I'm trying not to be heavy handed about it and use a sharp blade.
The Ferrari is looking great.

Some techniques Ive discovered - and Im still working out how to best use this stuff:

Try using a fine file to pull over the edge of the piece youre coating, and this cuts a perfect line you can pull the foil away and it stays on the other side of the edge you filed.

If its on a flat surface, like a panel, try using a cotton bud to push the foil onto the plastic so it grips, then cut it. Make sure there is no glue residue from the foil on the tip of the knife, this pulls it instead of cutting it. You dont have to push hard as the foil is so thin.

Once you work out the cutting, use these things to work it into the plastic detail, then sand with foam backed 800 -1500 grit sandpaper.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004 ... Hn9fuRsbY5

Practice makes perfect, you'll work out how to best use it.

I was cutting pieces to size while still on the backing paper and I never thought to check the knife tip for glue residue.
Thanks mate

[MrBowcat]

Neil, you can get Ali tape on Amazon, it's about £6 a roll.

[cor]

Some better pics of the front end after a tidy up. The alu foil covering the radiator was polished with Tamiya polishing cream.

[RangerNeil]

Neil, you can get Ali tape on Amazon, it's about £6 a roll.

Thanks for the pointer sir

[Twokidsnosleep]

Absolutely love this thread
The aluminum foil under paint gives so much character very appropriate for this era of model
Super job

[cor]

Absolutely love this thread
The aluminum foil under paint gives so much character very appropriate for this era of model
Super job

Glad you're liking it Scott. I've seen some nice car builds of yours on this site. Character is a good word. Im not sure if I could do a showroom condition model, the marks cover up a lot of poor workmanship.



Have been working on the rear end mostly. Replaced the long silver rods with thick aluminium wire, and it looks better then covering with foil, which wrinkled up too much.
Added hoses to the the silver drum behind the drivers head. I thinks its the fuel take inlet.

Theres lots of clean up and detailing to be done, but heres some pics of the work.








added all the hoses and fittings




steering wheel attached




hex head bolts replacing the kits plastic round pins.




starting to look like a car

[digger303]

[cor]

Engine and rear end almost fully done except for detailing.
Used a fair bit of aluminium wire to replace the thick chrome connecting rods in the kit.

With the wheels screwed on it's starting to show its qualities. This is a very impressive model, and to think it came out in 1971.

[digger303]

Looks terrific definitely one for the display case.

[BigWall]

So very cool!

[Garion77]

Amazing build ! I don't know how I could have miss this thread...
great work !

[Engine95]

Amazing job! And quite a list of famous drivers in that car: Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, and Niki Lauda.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Fantastic!!!

[cor]

Ferrari complete.

Final photos here: Finished Model

[Scobell69]

Hi. I am just getting started on my 312B and found your build. Really nice work. I noticed you made some improvements to the ignition wires. How did you deal with the distributor cap to add the wires?

[cor]

Hi man. I used thinner wire than the kit supplied tubing, and drilled holes in the cap to poke the wire through. You can also add a bit of thicker tubing over the wire to look like a cap on the individual wires.
The cap is not highly visible, in fact you cant really see it at all on the finished model, so it doesnt have to be a perfect job.
Put some photos up, I'd like to see how you handle it. Great kit isnt it?

[Scobell69]

Thanks. I have various thinner wires that should work. I was just super nervous about drilling 12 little holes in that thing. I have done it for the 8 cylinder Fords. I’ll start a thread on it shortly. I have used that foil technique in previous builds too, though not on the body.

Cheers

Scott

[cor]

Thanks. I have various thinner wires that should work. I was just super nervous about drilling 12 little holes in that thing. I have done it for the 8 cylinder Fords. I’ll start a thread on it shortly. I have used that foil technique in previous builds too, though not on the body.

Cheers

Scott

another way is you can glue the tamiya provided tube to the little pins on the cap in short sections, then insert the thinner wire into these bits of tubing, that way you dont drill the holes.

[Scobell69]

I had that same idea. Kind of like plug connectors