Hi model builders,

I recently finished a modified GT40 MK IV. I enjoyed the build but it required lots of cutting and heavy modification to a renaissance resin kit. In the end, I liked the results. I still had some parts, mainly a fujimi body and some other odds and ends for an MK II, so I decided I'd give a detailed MK II a shot.

This time starting with mostly Fujimi parts and some KA parts, and lots of scratch work. I saw a 1/12 scale model of a GT 40 and it gave me plenty of ideas.

For this project I want an opening hood and rear, and decided to avoid operable doors. I also decided to put more effort into detailing the front end, its pretty interesting in real life.
Please see below - I've made some decent progress:























And there you have it. Lots of cutting, sanding, etc etc, clearly not perfect, but not a disaster just yet.

So, thanks for having a look -

cheers
Nick

This could qualify for understatement of the year!
Looks pretty amazing to me.

cheers
Michael

Nothing else to add

Nick, not at all the same car but still a close relative:





2018 Keeneland Concours d'Elegance - Keeneland Racecourse; Lexington, Kentucky

Nick,
I'm nearly speechless. The level of added detail is so far beyond the Fujimi GT40 series, it's like comparing a Ferrari to a Fiat. Both are cars, both names start with F, but that's about it.

Joel

Hi Michael, Damian, Michael and Joel,

Thanks for dropping by and leaving some positive words! I appreciate them!

Michael and Damian, ya! Thanks - I’m not sure about an understatement just yet, as I have a while to go on this. My current obsession with cutting up perfectly good kits and hoping for the best is leading me down this path, which is pretty fun.

Michael - you have an incredible clollection of images! No matter the vintage, purpose or condition - thanks for posting! Maybe the next project??

Hi Joel - haha! And thanks! The Fujimi kit is pretty good as is - I used part of it as the donor for my MK IV, and had the body and assorted parts left - why not try the MK II? - and the use some of the KA detail set - I had parts of one of those left too, so I could cobble the remnant parts and scratch the rest!

The Fujimi kit doesn’t really address the complexity of the front end - nor should it as it is intended to be a curbside-side kit. As I was concocting this build I saw some pics of the front end - begging the question “why not build it??” It’s almost as interesting as what’s going on in the rear end, which I’m working on now. Instead of the two four barrels, this has the four paired down drafts wth some nice metal stacks. Honestly I’m not sure that all of the engine truly represents the MK II package - and I can live with that - it’s fun to try! I’ve read a few critiques of the KA engine which say it’s not correct - nonetheless I’m not stopping - I’ve found some nice pics of the real car that show some detail I hadn’t seen so I’m adding them - more mixing of parts and materials!

Ok, hopefully I’ll have an update in a few days

Happy model building

Nick

Hello -

I'm running short on time today, so will jump right into progress photos - this car is almost built:





















And there you have it - plenty going on. You'll see a mix of kit parts and scratch building. While the MK IV version might be a better representation of a kit conversion, with LOTS of cutting/adapting etc, this might be a better representation of generally accurate and plentiful detailing. In any event, it's been a fun build so far. A few odds and ends to go, then to the paint shop.

Thanks for having a look -

Nick

Superb detailing as always Nick, I look forward to every one of your updates to see what goodies you have thrown in to the mix!

This is going to look awesome with a drop or two of paint on it.

Cheers, D

Hi Damian,

Thanks for the words! I appreciate them - hopefully it comes together, tho I’m not decided what color to paint it? I’d like to prime it this weekend.

In the mean time, I’m adding bits and pieces here and there. I sort of like it’s looks right now - seems to represent a pretty interesting spectrum of metal/industry - with some: stainless, brass, white metal, aluminum, unknown rod, solder, lead foil, wire insulating, model kit, scrap box parts, photo etch, aluminum and brass mesh, evergreen and resin parts - perfect - haha.

Cheers
Nick

Hello model builders,

While only a few photos, I made big progress on the MK II - sorry about the poor quality of these images.

I mixed up my own shade of metallic blue using Vallejo model air acrylics, no not an official color, but I like it:





Haven't added clear coat yet, but already pretty shiny.

Anecdotally, I nearly ruined two airbrushes in the process of this - the long story is two (once incredibly reliable) badgers are/might be headed for the scrap heap and all of the photos posted today were done with...an Iwata Neo!! yes - the el-inexpensive-o version....that I once received as a "gift" for buying some big armor kit....clearly, it works fine!

Not to knock the Badgers - I gunked both of them up, and then ruined parts trying to disassemble them...perfect.....

And made progress on the interior:





The tape is there because I was painting the underside of the race car.

Finally, just for kicks - this place is about a dozen blocks from where I live....so, some day, when I get really big, I won't get an electric guitar (ala acoustic Neil Young), but I might go for one of these, when I get really big....



Happy model building -

Nick

I like the colour and it should look great under a clear coat.
As for the cars, it that a showroom or somebody's personal collection? I love the variety, an excellent collection of European classics.

cheers
Michael

Coming together very nicely Nick, and as Michael said, that blue will look great under a good clear.

Wouldn't it be great to wander out to your garage in the morning and have that collection in front of you, such a burden to have to choose one to drive to the shops

Cheers, D

Amazing detail work Nick. Love the color you've mixed.

Great collection, of cars. Is that a 1948 Chrysler town and country I spot?

Hi gents, thanks for taking a minute to leave a note

Michael and Damian, glad you like that blue mix - I'm optimistic that with some clear coat, it will look nice. I have a few imperfections in the paint job, but relative to what I usually do, it looks fantastic - lol! Hope to get some pics this weekend.

Hi Jesper, thanks - I enjoy trying to get the detail to at least look convincing! I've found with each build, I get a bit more confidence, and make a few less mistakes. Or, at least have figured out how to freak out less and fix what I've messed up, bent, broken off and so on....

Michael, Damian and Jesper, as to the cars - that is a dealer. I'm guessing it must operate on a commission basis, but don't know. Jesper, good eye for the non-European car! They seem to carry mostly sports cars, but have some variety too. They usually have one or two exceptional cars among the other really fantastic ones - fun to see in any case

One more pic from there:



Nice! I think as long as you don't babble on about how fantastic the cars are too much, or otherwise outlast your welcome, they don't mind you taking a look -

OK - on to the GT and interior shots - you'll see some fine particles on the headers - not to worry - I had to file down the length of one axle shaft a bit, and just forgot to dust off the filings. Please take a look:







Coming along - most of the problems you can see are self inflicted - a few have been cleaned up already and one or two, well, left to add character to the build! haha just want to start something new! Hope to take some pics of this car done over the weekend!

In the spirit of car pics, a few years ago I was in Geneva for work - turns out it was the right time to show off some pretty outrageous cars:











yeah....just like home...hahaha!! I was there for a week, as you can see, very sunny and nice, and cars all week!

OK - take it easy gents -

Nick

Hello model builders,

It turned out to be nice and sunny over the weekend, so I took the GT40 out for a spin, please take a look:

















And for fun, a few with the MK IV:







I think it's interesting how different the bodies are - when building both, the lineage is clear, but from the outside hard to tell. The MK IV has much more sweeping curves than the MK II.

And a few with the body opened:













and one parting shot, I like this pic:



So, I'm pleased - the blue worked out well, and I like the results in the front end, honestly better than I could have hoped, same for the rear.

Next build something different for me, a 917K. I'm going to try the same as the GT - adding some front and rear details.

Cheers

Nick

Great work Nick, the blue on the MKII has worked very well. Nice to see the two cars together and from that I think I like the early car better, slightly more brute force than svelte. Actually the MK IV looks a lot like a Porsche 910, I guess they copied the body shape a little.

cheers
Michael

Great work Nick, lovely finished product! The extra detailing and tidy up work that you put in definitely pays dividends in the result.
I prefer the Mk II as well, I think that the elongated tail on the Mk IV puts it off-balance and makes it look somehow sluggish. The short rear end on the Mk II makes it look more like the bullet that it is!

Looking forward to the next build mate.

Cheers, D

Great job Nick. The blue color works very well.

Nick,
The MKII is simply outstanding in build & scope. All that detailing is just amazing. Way past what I could do or even attempt. The Blue paint looks perfect, which at least for me is the hardest part of a car build.

The comparison to the GTIV clearly shows how the Ford engineers became more aware of the influences of air moving over the body. At speed there is way more down force generated, which was the name of the game at LeMans flying down the 3 mile long Mulsanne Straight.

Your next proposed build: the Porsche 917K has already grabbed my attention. Are you planning a long tail or short tail? I'm going to assume that you're going with one of the many Fujimi kits, so detailing is going to be a real challenge.

Joel

Hey guys, I’m glad the custom blue passed the “eye” test and received your positive feedback! Painting makes me nervous, and as I use acrylics l’m never sure if I will get a strong and clean enough base to get half the results you guys get...this time though, painting gods were on my side!

As to the next build, yes, it’s a Fujimi 917k that I’m trying to bring up to the level of the GT40s - I can’t remember the model right now; I’m having Sunday dinner at my nhood ramen place - so can’t check. I’m moving right along with it tho. While the detail is good and parts clean, the body plastic seems weirdly hard, like a kid’s toy. Not a big deal tho, as I haven’t cut much of it up and what I did is already covered up with scratch mods...

Happy model building and thanks for the positive feedback!

Cheers
Nick

Nick,
Looking forward to your official 1st update.

The After Market engine/trans upgrade has long been out of production, believe me I know as I've been looking for both the 289 and 427 engine upgrades. So what are your plans to add a engine/transmission?

Joel

Hi Joel,

Yes, ideally I’ll post some pics of the 917k later today.

As for the Ford, it’s done and to your point about the engine, be it the 289 or 427, parts are hard to find. I used parts of the KA kit for each of the GTs. I can’t say how accurate the portrayal of the block or heads is for either (ie nice crisp cast, but not sure if the parts are 100% correct). I can say the fit isn’t great, as the manifold, heads and valve covers don’t align that well. That said, it’s a pretty good starting point for a build up. Unless parts are poorly made or blatantly wrong, I’m good to go.

I made changes to the top end of each engine - like using a pair of after market 4 bl carbs on the MK IV, and on the MK II, building the shield around the 4/2 carbs and including the throttle linkage that enters on the left side - as you can clearly see the top of the engine, it should look generally right.

As to the 917k engine, I’m using the HRM kit - it’s resin, nicely detailed, and goes together pretty well. Again, hopefully I’ll post some pics today - let’s say there is a lot of wire and fuel line on that huge 12 cyl engine! enough to test your patience!

Ok - thanks for having a look -

Cheers
Nick

Nick,
Both engines were impressive builds from what I could see. As for the HRM engine kit, those are the ones I've been looking for. They're fantastic, but unfortunately, every engine is listed as out of stock. There's enough parts for each engine to qualify as a separate kit.

I've been thinking about doing another Fujimi 917K as Steve McQueen's ride in the movie LeMans. It's most likely the most famous 917K ever.

Joel

Nick, I'm speechless! I wonder why you buy kits at all, with your scratch building abilities. I absolutely loved the level of detail and yes, you managed a very good final painting. Congratulations on an amazing all-around job!

Gabriel