This is another build of a 1/8 scale Rosso Ferrari 643, but this one uses the hard-to-find ‘Upgrade Parts’ set for extra detail not included in the original kit.
This post concentrates on aspects relating to the Upgrade Parts set, plus the extra detail I added to this build. A more general overview of building a Rosso Ferrari is covered via a previous build, which can be read HERE, or watch the build video on the YouTube channel HERE.
Below is the unboxing video of what comes in the “Grade Up Parts Set” box:
Unfortunately, due to the age of the kit, all the tubing provided in the Upgrade Parts set had perished and was unusable.
These are the standard kit parts, building up the brake assemblies, steering etc as per the instructions, thought I have added “Titanium” colour to the calipers and brake hats, plus darkened the disc surfaces.
Master cylinders for the brakes and clutch are part of the Upgrade set, cast in white metal. As you can see, the reservoir on the left was damaged and had to be straightened (thankfully, without breaking!) before the flash and mould lines were cleaned up.
All three parts fit to the front bulkhead, but the bulkhead requires three mounting holes to be drilled first (the three 2mm holes around the bottom of the big hole). This is a metal part.
Test fitting.
Holes were drilled for the brake lines to fit later in the build
Hydraulic reservoirs and fittings painted, then fitted to the bulkhead. The steering rack, bulkhead and some other metal bracings were added to the monocoque prior.
Metal wires are added to simulate the high pressure pipes from each pump.
The original kit uses one large sticker that has all the dashboard markings printed on it, then this part (which is actually clear) is supposed to go over the top. But since we have high quality after market decals for this build, I’ve painted this clear part (which has switches moulded into it) and applied the decals directly to it.
The effect is far better than if it was built as per the instructions.
Brake and hub assemblies finished with some panel line wash, here with the kit-supplied special tool to fit the wheel nuts. Brembo decals are after market (original kit does not include them).
Front and rear wings painted and assembled, ready for decoration. Red nose cone comes pre-painted.
Another couple of items that are different on this build to the previous one – flocking has been added to the steering wheel to simulate the suede used in real life. This has produced a more authentic finish than what flat black paint can achieve. Also, what I assume is the brake bias adjuster supplied in the Upgrade Parts set has been fixed to the inner right of the cockpit.
As per previous build, all the water pipes had moulding lines removed then cleaned up and re-painted, firstly in gloss black (Tamiya), then polished aluminium (Alclad).
A couple of pipes and this catch tank have to be fitted prior to the engine. I’ve added the temp sensor to the pipe (which is not part of the Upgrade kit) plus heat shielding to the tank (also not part of the Upgrade kit). Remaining pipes, radiators etc cannot go on until the engine is in.
With the uprights in place, the remaining front suspension can be fitted.
I added 1mm black cable to represent the brake lines. One end is glued into the caliper, then run along and tied to the lower wishbone before entering the tub.
The master cylinders are Upgrade kit parts, but all the added brakes lines and pipes are further after market pieces.
All the man engine components were painted a metallic black (eye-balled mix of SMS’ Chassis Black and Steel), then start coming together, initially with the upper and lower suspension arms.
The engine mostly together. Exhausts (big job!) get added later. In addition to some detail painting, reflective heat foil has been added to the exterior of the induction box.
Some of the fittings added to the gearbox, still more to go. Wires have been added to the control box in front of the oil cooler.
Rear spring/shock/bell-crank/push-rod assemblies. The springs are real, but the suspension does not operate. These are standard kit parts.
Heat shielding (actually foil from a tub of butter!) glued to the inner faces of the rear bodywork.
Fire bottle decaled, fittings painted and metal foil (Hasegawa Mirror Finish) added to the mounting straps.
More work to be done before the monocoque and engine can be screwed together, but it’s looking good!
I had to pause this build for over a month, and when I got back to it, the seat belts had started to unravel due to the adhesive backing failing (the kit is, after all, almost 35 years old…)
An extra fitting from the Upgrade Parts set fixes to the oil tank, which has been sprayed gloss black.
Multi-piece metal photo etch pieces replace the kit originals (the black parts, rear of photo). These are internal air deflectors and the upgraded parts version is far more accurate and closer to photos of the real car than the kit parts. They need priming and painting before fitting.
Filling and sanding ejection pin marks in the floor. In the previous build, these holes were still visible once the reflective heat shielding was applied over the top (despite the material being quite thick). So, that’s being addressed on this second build.
Making a mess, cutting and trimming the kit foil, plus the offcuts. The main heat shield piece has been laid down (far left of pic) and I decided to utilise some of these offcuts…
I trimmed some metal foil strips, then used the photo-etch bender to create 90-degree channel.
This channel was then burnished into the intersection between the horizontal and vertical foils on these floor edges. The extra heat shielding on the floor side is additional detail beyond what the kit offers.
Extra heat shields for directly under the exhaust pipes are photo etch pieces from the Upgrade kit. The sheet is very thin; the parts cut off with ease and minimal filing required to remove evidence of the fret.
They’re then CA glued to the kit’s big foil floor tray sticker.
The photo-etch air deflectors have been painted and are just sitting in place in this photo. They can’t be fixed permanently until the engine/gearbox is in place.
This white metal casting from the Upgrade Parts set is to replicate two cable-collector conduits that will route electrical wires into the cockpit.
The casting is very poor – it had large bumps that had to be removed (left is stock, right is filed down).
They then have to be separated. A 0.15mm thick blade saw does the trick on the soft metal.
After careful filing, scraping, filling and sanding, these were then hit with SMS Black Surfacer, ready for installation.
SMS Surfacer Black with some added retarder was used on the entire underside of the body.
All the apertures and edges were masked so no overspray could get on the factory red paint.
No bleeds or over sprays! This is looking up to the airbox inlet from inside the cockpit.
The air outlet blockers had casting flash on the edges that had to be filed off so they would fit.
Instead of the (very old) double-sided adhesive stickers provided in the kit, I used a bead of Kristal Klear to hold the blockers in place.
Unfortunately, the kit’s original pre-cut mirror material had been lost at some point. I used foil sticker offcuts to make new lenses. This is much thinner material than the original, so the backing paper was left in place to prevent it from deforming.
Body panels prior to decoration
Front and rear wings decaled, ready for when it’s time to do the final assembly
Main body done and includes period correct tobacco markings. The red chevrons of the after market decals are the correct fluro red (which the photo does not pick up) whereas the kit Marlboros just use a standard non-fluro red.
Head rest felt is original kit material – and terrible to work with!
This set of after market decals was brilliant to work with and superior to the set we had for the first Rosso build (same supplier, so go figure?). These ones were more opaque and had a glossy finish.
Upgrade Parts included a couple of photo-etch Dzus fasteners
Mirrors have threaded stalks, a small locking nut secures them from underneath.
Fine wind deflector fixes to the inner radius of the black ‘wind screen’
The plating on the exhausts is very good, but too bright and “chrome-like”. The main issue, however, is these heavy moulding lines. Lots of scraping and sanding (plus the occasional hand-cramp!) cleaned them up.
The Lambda mounts in each collector were drilled ready to accept a wire later in the build.
Just some of the material removed from the exhaust parts…
Test fitting and gluing the exhausts together, using the locating holes in the engine block to brace all the pieces.
After the cement cured, black primer (SMS) was applied to each assembly. The numbers on the foam block refer to part numbers. There are 9 pieces (plus 2 screws) for each bank of exhausts, so to eliminate the risk of getting them all mixed up, each piece had its own position during preparation.
Instead of filling the mismatch between the collector and the tailpipe with putty, I cut small strips of Evergreen and glued them around the join, making for a much more professional look. The metallic colour is SMS Stainless Steel.
All four tyres had this strange pale spotted impurity on the tread and sidewalls. This is the worst of the four, fresh out of its packaging. I gently wiped them with grease/wax remover, and they cleaned up fine. Hopefully these spots do not come back!
One-piece cast rims have nice deep channels to position the bead of the tyre.
The rubber tyres are not stiff enough to support the weight of the model. Various size strips of high-density foam are supplied. These have to be cut and two layers inserted into the cavity of each tyre before the tyre can go on the rim.
Exhaust assemblies ready to fit to the engine, plus tyres and wheels, ready for decoration.
Instead of using water slide decals for the tyre branding, I decided to do as they did in real life and spray the Goodyear markings through a stencil. I mixed a special “Tyre White” concoction using Tamiya Flat White, Smoke and thinner.
The Upgrade Parts kit included photo etch Goodyear and Eagle stencils in two sizes (front and rear). These had to be taped in place, then downward pressure applied while spraying to ensure the stencil sealed against the convex tyre sidewall.
After spraying, this all has to be removed and re-applied to the other side.
Two stencils per side per tyre, I reckon I went through a couple of meters of tape!
Overall, I think it gives a quite authentic finish.
Quite a bit of putty is needed on the airbox.
Once the putty had been smoothed out, a thin coat of primer, then semi-gloss black.
I decided to increase the brake detail for this build, fabricating a T-piece for the rear brake line by drilling out and CA gluing some pieces of 1.6mm diameter solder.
Testing fitting the brake lines (1mm solder) in the T-piece.
Miniature zip ties from MFH hold the brake lines to the upper wishbone. The main brake line is fitted to the T-piece once the engine is mated to the chassis.
To allow more appropriate sized tubing to fit this piece, the moulded nubs were cut off, holes drilled and metal pins added for the tubes to attach.
Glued to the cam cover, the hoses then route back into the V of the engine and will be held in place once the injectors (in the background) are re-fitted.
Tubing added to this part. Most of this will be invisible once assembled, but it’s there!
Wiring added to the rain light before it’s fitted to the gearbox.
I decided to fit the left bank of exhaust headers before attaching the engine to the monocoque because they required quite a bit of force to align and insert into the engine block.
Teetering on the edge of disaster! I had to hang the model over the edge of the bench to access the bottom engine mount screws. On a previous build of this kit, I was able to stand the model on its nose to access those screws, but not with this build – it has brake components from the Upgrade Parts set sticking out the front!
No exhaust on this side. You might also notice the ignition module has fallen off the back of the fuel tank/roll hoop after the kit’s self-adhesive pad failed – such are the joys of working with 30+ year old kits!
Two small pins 2.4mm long x 0.8mm dia are used to attach and align the heat shields to the cam covers.
The problem is, these pins are underneath the shield, out of view and difficult to access.
While pushing a pin into place, it took off, ricocheted off my face and into the clutches of the Carpet Monster…
I cannot believe I found it! But there are more of these to fit later in the build…
With all engine screws now tight, it’s safe to turn the model upside down to fit the heat shields and remaining exhaust assembly.
Inspection of the underside prior to the bottom of the monocoque and radiators being fitted.
Coolers in place, plus the seat added to the cockpit.
A bit more wiring to add, then the main floor can go on.
A ‘false floor’ that holds the coolers screws to the bottom of the monocoque
Nuts will be held captive in the bottom of the model – one in the chassis (above), one in the engine block (below) – for the supplied screws to mount the model to a display base if required.
Then the floor proper screws on. I use foam blocks to support the chassis upside down without causing damage.
Upgrade parts need to be plumbed/wired and painted ready for attaching
Photo etch mounting brackets for the floor supports have to be bent up. Each of these parts are only a couple of millimetres wide
The holes are too small for the supplied rivets to fit, so need to be filed a fraction larger
Pins and CA glue hold the bracket to the strap itself. Two are made, one for each side.
Holes are drilled into the model to accept the small metal pins, plus a little CA glue to hold it in place. These proved a real pain to get right and very time consuming.
In addition to the floor strap, note the added temperature sensor in the upper coolant hose (partially hidden by the strap) plus the lambda sensor lines from the exhaust headers.
To simulate a breakout in the wiring loom, I inserted a couple of smaller diametre wires up the guts of a piece of plastic tube. These are all scrap and aftermarket pieces as the kit originals were unusable.
It makes up part of the wiring detail on the left side of the chassis. Also, the ignition box has been re-attached behind the roll hoop and wires added.
The airbox decals were causing trouble, so I masked and sprayed the yellow band instead (SMS Yellow with a drop of semi-gloss black)
Airbox attaches to intake plenum with 4 screws. This is now ready for wheels, wings and main body!
Four cap screws hold the nose box in place. Unfortunately, this hides all that nice brake and bulkhead detail!
Fitted with ‘sticker tyres’, ready for a qualifying run 🙂
Just when you think you’re done… I went to prepare the model for the owner to collect – but the body did not fit! The front suspension was fouling on the inside of the body casting – note the scratches in the black paint.
This is the culprit, the serrated edge of the brass bell-crank screws.
I could have just filed the edge off the brass screw, but that would look weird and be wrong. To fix the problem, I mounted the body upside down on foam blocks and fired up the Dremel.
Fitted with an aluminium oxide grinding stone at 10,000rpm, I carefully (very carefully!) scalloped out a recess on each side to create enough clearance.
The wheels have to be off the model to access all the screws to fit (or remove) the main body – which now fits 🙂
New Goodyears, ready to go on the Ferrari
The Upgrade Parts set includes Ferrari’s transportation/setup wheels, modelled in diecast metal.
But they do look very strange when fitted to the model
Interior – seat belts as per original kit, better dash and detail parts courtesy of market decals and the upgrade parts set, plus flocking on the steering wheel.
Alain Prost #27. He may have compared the handling to that of a truck, but the 643 is still a beautifully shaped F1 car
These 1/8 scale models do not fit in my photo booth!
The Upgrade Parts set includes a driver figure, moulded in four parts – the body/legs, each arm, plus crash helmet in white. I’d hoped the helmet was removable, but it wasn’t – at least, not with the force I was prepared to apply!
Tested some lacquer primers on his stumps as the material feels quite different to the styrene found in standard plastic kits. Despite being fragile a few hours after application (notice the scratch marks), after a couple of days the paint had finally becomes stable. Hopefully it will stay that way.
After sanding the helmet smooth (the surface of the plastic looked like fine orange peel), a decent coat of SMS Grey Surfacer was applied.
Primer was wet-sanded smooth, then the entire figure given a coat of Tamiya White Primer, concentrating on good coverage for the helmet. That’s the 35-year-old decals (still sealed) in the background.
Blu-tac fills the face aperture to retain the white primer surface for face painting later.
Everything masked off to spray the gloves Tamiya “Desert Yellow”, which is a close match to the material (leather?) used in their construction.
Helmet and gloves masked to restore the driver suit to Italian Red.
A lot of effort just to get the helmet and suit back to their original colour! But they’re now ready to take decoration. The suit gets a flat varnish later to take the shine off.
The protective paper had stuck to the decals, so had to be carefully pried off, leaving some of the paper behind. Unfortunately, there are lots of logos missing – no Prost driver name (possibly a licensing issue?), not enough Marlboros, and no Agip, Goodyear or Ferrari logos for the driving suit or Sparco for the gloves.
Oh dear. These decals do not like uneven surfaces and they do not have good adhesive. Despite plenty of softener, this Marlboro decal tore while trying to get it to follow the contour of the race suit. Unsure whether this is an age issue, or they’re just not very good decals.
All the blue components of Alain Prost’s helmet are supplied as decal, but they have strange dimples in the ink. Due to the issue with the driver suit decal (above), I applied a coat of Microscale Liquid Decal Film to all the remaining pieces to help hold them together.
The helmet side decals do not have a cutout for the visor pivot, so I had to cut a hole to clear the pin.
But just like the suit decal, this still broke up once on the helmet.
It also cracked at the front, but as can be seen here, the decals are not the right shape for a perfect fit anyway. So…
Out with the 0.7mm masking tape (yes, less than 1mm!) to try and replicate Prost’s design. I didn’t realise the curved surface of the helmet makes this such a difficult job to get even and symmetrical curves!
Also, because of the rounded surface, only tiny pieces of tape can be laid down, bit, by bit, by bit. It took ages to fill in all the ‘non-blue’ areas.
A very light mist coat applied to seal the edges of the masking. The paint is an eye-balled mix of Tamiya Blue and SMS Bright Blue.
After a couple more light coats to deepen the colour, off comes all that masking.
Revealing the base design of Mr Prost’s helmet.
The two red stripes around the top of the helmet come as one big decal with a band of clear between the red lines. There is no way a fragile decal of that width would work over a spherical shape, so I cut the red strips off and hoped I could work with them individually before they fell apart.
Amazingly, they didn’t disintegrate! I was conscious that continued movement would ruin them, so unfortunately they are not perfectly parallel.
The Marlboro signage is the wrong size and a bit wonky. It did tear (through the ‘r’) and it wrinkled. I’m hoping clear coat will hold it together.
Considering the problems, I’m amazed we have a helmet that looks somewhat like Prost’s!
SMS Super clear on the helmet. I can only hope this will hold all the decals from falling off for years to come! I’m not game to buff or polish for fear of damaging the decoration, which is a pity I was hoping to create a smooth glossy finish.
The Blu-Tac in the face aperture went a bit gooey (perhaps from the paint/solvents?) and was a pain to remove, but it was eventually cleaned out fully.
Masking tape was used to define the edges for painting the gloves flat red.
Figures are not my forte… the beginning of brush painting Prost’s face, including balaclava and helmet padding. It’s only after I took this close-up I realised his left eye has a bit of toe-out! Some Vallejo black wash has been applied to the front vents.
Masking removed from the gloves. Each finger was painted individually to represent the fireproof material.
Hand painting the rubber edges of the face aperture and bottom rim was challenging.
I didn’t want to handle the visor film with bare fingers, so made a paper template which allows test fitting and checks. The visor is too big and when tilted into the closed position, protrudes way out front of the helmet itself, so best to leave it cracked open like this.
Using reverse-action tweezers to hold photo-etch visor pivots in place while the CA glue dries. Unfortunately, the glue failed when fitting the visor to the helmet, so these pieces ended up being fixed in place with Kristal Klear.
Holding the visor in double-tweezers to keep it steady while spraying Tamiya Smoke Clear. Just one coat has been applied here. All up, four coats were applied.
Done. Race suit received a mist coat of flat clear to take some of the shine off. Miraculously, the blue visor strip decal remained in one piece!
Mr Prost is already rather short, so missing feet can’t help!
Face detail was all brush painted by hand – very fiddley and not my strong point.
With this project finally wrapped up and final photos taken in the booth, the better lighting revealed cracks forming in some of the paint! These look like they’re right down in the base coat/primer, so I’m wondering if the helmet material itself is shrinking or expanding? Very disappointing.
Conclusion
The Upgrade Parts set does add more detail to the stock Rosso kit. The transport wheels would be great for a diorama, as too the driver figure – despite its challenges!
I wasn’t able to get a photo of the driver in the cockpit as the finished car was collected prior to me starting on the figure. The photoshopped version below will have to do.
Anyway, it’s another great looking model of a beautiful race car, and the extra parts make it extra special.
