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Before I start, a confession is in order. I am not a Ferrari
fan. So what on earth am I doing building a model Ferrari
let alone writing about one then?
Well it’s
easy to explain for two reasons.
Whilst the
driver’s championship is very important, it’s the
technology that has always interested me and, by and large,
is more important. Therefore, I tend to build models of F1
cars that have mostly won the constructors championship, or
have some interest to me, but have not necessarily won races
e.g. Matra 120, or the odd works March.
The turbo
era in particular fascinated me. The cars however were not
generally speaking particularly aesthetically pleasing to
my eyes. However, there was one exception. The Ferrari 126C2.
Not only was it designed by one of the most innovative designers
there has ever been, it was also a damn fine car. If it had
not been for the most terrible and unfortunate circumstances,
Ferrari would have walked the Driver’s Dhampionship not
just the Constructor’s Championship in 1982.
The second
reason is that my partner is a Ferrari fan and she is constantly
giving me grief for not building more Ferrari’s. That
alone is just cause!
And so to the Tameo model (TMK320). Out of all the 126C2 versions
available, only one really interested me, the Long Beach GP
car with the staggered rear wing. I have waited for years
for this model. I missed out on the Meri superkit (MKS002)
when it was first released and if truth were known, I personally
prefer Tameo kits anyway.
The Long Beach
version of the 126C2 may not quite be the prettiest but there’s
no denying that it’s different.
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The
whole build process is very typically Tameo, easy to follow,
generally easy to build and quite robust (apart from the rear
wing assembly). Because this car, like so many that preceded
it, was built primarily of aluminium, I have always been a
little disappointed when trying to replicate the finish of
an aluminium tub. Well that is now a problem of the past.
Enter Alclad.
I started
using Alclad as soon as it became available a long while ago
and now in its latest mark II form, it’s better than
ever. I’ve tried many different types of metallic paints;
Metalcote, Metalizer, Rub’n’buff, Testors Model
Master, SnJ products and Floquil Railcolors, none come close
to just how good Alclad II is. It is particularly effective
in reproducing chromed suspension components. I used to travel
extensively so always took the opportunity to visit model
shops particularly when in the USA. Some of the products mentioned
above are only available in the States.
For those
of you who have not used Alclad II yet, it’s very important
to follow exactly the manufacturers instructions in the application
of the correct undercoat and air pressure.
For all components
that are aluminium, I first sprayed them with Halford’s
Satin Black. I did not want a very bright finish on the main
tub parts 53 and 57. After the black has hardened, I airbrushed
on Alclad standard aluminium. Words of advice, after the black
has hardened, rub it down with some 12000 micromesh (SKU1107
or DM9009). I didn’t, so after handling during finally
assembly the Alclad has started to wear off. Fortunately this
cannot be seen as it’s hidden by the main bodywork.
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Various
other elements were also airbrushed using Alclad II; the engine
and gearbox with a 50/50 mix of aluminium (ALC001) and white
aluminium (ALC004), and the rear wing support with a 50/50
mix of aluminium (ALC001) and steel (ALC011).
The front
wings are the worst aspect of this kit. Looking at photographs
of the actual car, the front wings look highly polished. That
is not difficult to achieve, but the kit parts themselves
required a little remedial work.
The supplied
parts have a recess all the way along the trailing edge that
is not correct for the Long Beach race. I believe the recess
is there for the addition of a Gurney flap that was used for
other races. In addition, the top surface of the wing should
also be of convex aerofoil shape. I filled the recess with
Plastic Padding car body filler and started filing to shape.
When happy with the shape, I sprayed on Halford’s gloss
black. Almost straight away a line could be seen between the
metal and where the filler had been applied. After much effort
with filler, filing, grey primer and gloss black, an accectable
result was obtained. I then airbrushed on Polished aluminium
(ALC005).
The suspension
uprights and rear suspension arms received much the same treatment.
I chose not
to paint the rear wing assembly at all, preferring to leave
it as it was to create a contrast with all other bare metal
surfaces.
I sprayed
the main body Halford’s Ford Radiant Red and then applied
the decals using Microsol (MSSOL) after three days.
I have never
been a fan of lacquering earlier cars. Most decals on the
real cars were self-adhesive vinyl, so have an entirely different
finish to the main body colour. After some deliberation, I
did lacquer (make sure the surface is thoroughly washed before
hand otherwise the lacquering process will not give satisfactory
results). I left the body alone for three more days; and then
I rubbed the body down, again using 12000 grit micromesh.
This gave an acceptable result without the bright shine of
unpolished lacquer and means the decals are sealed.
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The
sidepod end-plates were sprayed with Halford’s Satin
black and left un-lacquered. Decals were applied in the usual
manner using Solvaset (SS). This made the decals adhere to
semi-gloss surface much better.
When all components were painted, final assembly is exactly
per the instructions. I did deviate slightly from the instructions
in as much as I used the excellent templates to get the ride
height adjusted. I then fixed the wheels onto their locations.
When the glue had set, the side pod end plates were glued
to the main body. By doing this I could make sure that there
would be a very small gap between the skirts and a flat surface
(I use a small piece of Granite about 100mm square). The
instructions suggest fitting the skirts while the model is
on the templates and then adding the wheels. Ed.
No problems
of any note were encountered along the way. The only area
that I was not happy with was the brake ducts. On the real
car they are translucent fibreglass, if anyone has a technique
to replicate this, I would love to know how.
There are
a few minor omissions. On the rear wings, there should be
a Gurney flap on the trailing edge of each one. There should
also be small flat ‘U’ shape on the centre rear
of each wing. I assume these are some type of wing angle adjustment.
It’s strange that these items should be omitted when
the Gurney flaps are included for other versions with more
conventional rear wings and they are clearly shown on three
of the real car photographs included in the excellent instructions.
I added mine from the ‘spares’ box using these pictures
for reference.
I am very
happy with the end result. For some reason, building this
model just hit ‘the sweet spot’- where I will display
it is quite another matter. All my existing display cases
are now full. It looks very much like I shall have to buy
another, or start to rotate my racing Jags into storage......
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| ALC001
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Aluminium paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC002
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Dural paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC003
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Dark Aluminium paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC004
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White Aluminium paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC005
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Polished Aluminium paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC006
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Burnt metal paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC007
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Chrome paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC008
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Copper paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC009
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Pale Gold paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC010
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Magnesium paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC011
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Steel paint 30ml
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£4.00
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| ALC012
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Jet Exhaust paint 30ml
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£4.00
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