Projects I’m working on appear below. Completed projects get moved off this page into the Build Diaries list.
updated 14 June 2026
Ferrari 643 “Upgrade Parts” Version (Rosso, 1:8)
I’ve ended up with another of Rosso’s 1/8 scale Ferrari 643 F1 cars to build, but this one includes the hard-to-find ‘Upgrade Parts’ set that adds extra detail not included in the original kit.
As usual, I’ll document the build on this blog, however it will concentrate mostly on the ‘Upgrade’ parts rather than all the same detail that has already been addressed as part of the previous Ferrari 643 build (which can be viewed HERE, or watch the build video on the YouTube channel).
I’ve done an unboxing video of what comes in the “Grade Up Parts Set” box – see below.
These are the standard kit parts, building up the brake assemblies, steering etc. On the previous build, the owner had already started and had assembled the steering rack and various other parts. But with this kit, nothing had been started, so I’ve got the opportunity to experience the full build this time around.
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 will be fitted 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 much better than if it was out-of-box.
Brake and hub assemblies finished with the kit-supplied special tool for the wheel nuts.
Front and rear wings painted and assembled, ready for decoration.
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 inside 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 additional after market.
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!) will be 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.
Heat shielding glued to the inner faces of the rear bodywork.
Fire bottle decaled, fittings painted and metal foil added to the mounting straps.
There’s still more work to be done before the monocoque and engine can be screwed together, but it’s getting closer!
Due to work and other commitments, it’s been over a month since I last looked at this model. Unfortunately, in that time the kit’s adhesive backing on the belts has started to fail and will require another solution to keep them secure.
An extra fitting from the Upgrade Parts set has been painted and fixed 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’ll need priming and painting before fitting.
Part way through filling and sanding the 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 won’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.
But the casting has large bumps that need to be removed (left is stock, right is filed down) then separated.
A new purchase, 0.15mm thick blade saw, does the trick on the soft metal. But now they need cleaning up and porosity holes filled.
After careful filing, scraping, filling and sanding, these were then hit with SMS Black Surfacer, ready for installation.
All the apertures and edges of the metal body are masked off, ready to spray the underside without getting any overspray on the factory red paint.
SMS Surfacer Black with some added retarder does the trick.
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 has been lost at some point. I’ve used foil sticker offcuts to make new lenses. This is much thinner material than the original, so have had to leave the foil on the backing paper 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
The main body is done! Includes period correct tobacco markings.
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”. However, the main issue 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 has cured, black primer (SMS) is 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 very flexible and therefore 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 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 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 lines to the upper wishbone. The main brake line will be fitted to the T-piece once the engine is mated to the chassis.
To be continued…
1979 Lotus 80 (Factory TZ, 1:20)
This Lotus won a poll I ran on YouTube to decide which kit to build next. So…
It’s an obscure 1:20 scale resin and metal kit of the 1979 Lotus 80, which turned out to be a major flop for the then reigning Formula One world champions. Following the success of the Lotus 79 ground effect car, Lotus decided to go ‘next level’ with the 80, featuring almost full-length venturi tunnels, sealed to the ground with sliding skirts, and producing so much downforce the car would not require a front or rear wing.
Initial testing revealed it was aerodynamically unstable, resulting in major porpoising as the team struggled to control the downforce. The car soon sprouted traditional wings.
Mario Andretti looks on as Carlos Reutemann sits in the car on a wet and gloomy day of testing at Silverstone.
It was was raced by Mario Andretti in just three Grands Prix – Spain, where it finished 3rd, then Monaco and France where it retired from both races. It was, essentially, a failure. The team never raced the car again and reverted to using the previous year’s chassis.
Press launch, 1979. The Martini & Rossi livery looks great, but the kit does not include decals and I’ve not been able to source any in the correct scale.
I’m going to build this as the sponsorless test version in its original no-wings configuration, which I think will look pretty cool.
The box. I suspect this is not the original. The kit was purchased second-hand.
The contents of the box. Unfortunately, this is not a complete kit, as explained in the unboxing video below. It never included decals and has a couple of parts missing. Strangely, there is a fluro-orange plastic wing and one resin-cast front tyre. The rubber tyres look like they’re from a Tamiya kit.
Before prepping, gluing or painting anything, first step is to source or build the missing parts.
To be continued…
1978 Lotus 79 (Hasegawa, 1:20)
Instead of building another really old F1 kit from the stash, I decided to do this – a new release from Hasegawa, the Lotus 79 from the 1978 German Grand Prix, but this is the Detail Up version that includes extra parts and photo etch. Kit number 52298 (also listed as SP498), it’s 1:20 scale (same as the Tamiya Grand Prix series) in plastic with rubber tyres.
I plan to do this as an out-of-box build of Mario Andretti’s car #5 as he won the race on the way to becoming World Champion.
I did an unboxing video for this kit on YouTube – watch it HERE.
There are LOTS of parts in this kit!
Cosworth DFV engine block goes together quickly. I questioned why Hasegawa bothered to model the flywheel and clutch when it will not be visible once the bellhousing and gearbox go on. But I guess if you were doing a diorama, this could be really handy!
The engine appears quite well detailed, but the kit does not include any ignition leads. I’d like to add some, so need to drill out all the mounting points to glue leads in later in the build. First step is the distributor.
Nine tiny holes drilled. The entire part is only 5mm wide!
Distributor, coil pack and rocker cover (x2) all drilled.
