Chris Smith

Pierre , thank you so much! Don’t worry I have had my moments of chaos 🤣 Bruce, as always appreciate your support and kind words. Tim, as always your support is very appreciated. I took the picture about an hour after laying down my last coat, I’m going to let it cure a few days before I start the decals. I would like to let you all know, I do appreciate every single one of your comments and for following along on all of my projects. Oh by the way It was Tim that helped decide to share this build with all of you. Thanks again Tim 😁

For those of you who think I have been slacking 🤣

Tim, just some awesome stuff. So glad you’re enjoying your time at the mill, it shows in your pursuit of realism. As usual looking forward to your next update.

After a few hours 😆 the wheels are finished!

Thanks Bruce for the pics👍 here’s a couple more pics

Well, since the weather is crappy and the chassis is pretty much done. I thought I would start on the wheels. For you guys that know, wire wheels are a bit of a challenge, but I personally don’t mind assembling them. Now for those of you that haven’t had the joy of lacing up a set, I thought I would share, the best way I can. Model Factory Hiro gives you a jig to center the hub and hoop. The first step is to drill all the holes into the hubs for the spokes. The hoops are machined aluminum that has been pre drilled from the factory. The spokes are .4mm stainless steel rod and the nipples are .6mm stainless steel tubes that have been cut into 4mm lengths. You have to look over the instructions to make sure you follow precisely, the pictures in the manual seem somewhat vague. So I take my time and double check before I glue. hopefully it kind of helps, but like all of you , practice and patience make it look easy.

To be honest, most of the parts aren’t too bad that some Tamiya primer will take care of it with some light sanding, the deeper gouge’s are filled in with either CA or putty. If it’s really bad, I have had to request a replacement part from Hiro. That has only happened once 😁

Pierre, Good to hear from you! Fortunately I did not have to install all those rivets on the tanks. As for the finish, it’s quite simple Alclad aluminum and Tamiya brown panel liner. I just dab the panel liner in the low spots and let it sit for a minute then rub it down with a cotton buds, I like the effect.

I have been hesitant about starting a thread about my latest project. But a good friend of mine kind of suggested that I should. So here goes. I am building the Model Factory Hiro 1951 Alfa Romeo 158/59 in 1/12 driven by one the most iconic race car drivers of the 20th century, Juan Manuel Fangio. This is the 159 version and to let you all know I started this in early December. so with a large number of photos I will share with you where I am at after 2 and a half months of work. thanks for looking Chris

Tim… it’s always a treat to see what you are doing. As per usual you don’t disappoint 😁

I am planning on going.

This is the press release version for the 1976 season. It never raced. It was the test car and they made some changes to use in the race car, which also had a different paint scheme. The driver was Carlos Reutemann. Im glad you like the model😁

Thank you so much! I do like the history some of these car have.

Just finished this, about 6 months of work. Very enjoyable. Hope you like 😁

Well, a few little details left.

Absolutely love this!!

Should be a great adventure, I’m in

Thank you very much Tim !!

It seems like I’m on a roll ?

I have not cut out the windscreen, it’s vacuum formed. I does take some finesse to get it right and you usually have only one shot to get it right.

I have spent some time on completing the wheels and the rear wing. I will have to say the wing presented quite a challenge. I’ve had to re do it 3 times ?? I was spraying the last coat of clear and then it decided to commit suicide and exploded into pieces on the garage floor. The end plates that are PE bent so I had to order all new parts from Hiro.. I am grateful to them for their help and service, I got the parts in 3 days!! so hope you like my progress ?

Tim, by the time you get all those little things out of the way. It’s going to be a great looking piece. I still envy your patience and ability. Chris

Should be a good looking car when you’re done, hopefully it doesn’t have those plastic links that snap into place.

Tim, so glad you found your way back to the bench ? looks like you’re nailing the tin work. A lot of us are waiting for your next update ?

I thought I would share some detail shots of the engine. It’s all complete