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I picked this kit up at a swap meet in the greater Toronto area a few years ago. If I recall correctly, I think I paid $3 or $5.
First Impressions…
Kit body is detailed to about a 3 out of 5. The plastic is fair quality ABS – not too soft. There are no headlight cutouts – they are moulded in with no clear light covers, no details on the rear end and no true vent holes in front of the rear wheel wells. The only clear part is the one-piece window insert. The tires (on the unified tire/wheel parts) look like they are from an off-road pickup truck. I’m not even sure I will be able to easily use the wheels for inserts. They are fairly standard wire wheel Ferrari type. I will probably try to do one and if that goes well then I will use the rest. Otherwise I just may have to order some better quality ones from DArts Hobbies.
I was able to generate some very nice looking inserts using the kit wheels. Initially, I cut away the excess using a multi-tool with a cutoff disc, then trimmed and evened out the remaining piece using a hobby knife. Then I used the kit axle to hold the wheel in the chuck of my multi-tool and carefully, slowly sanded the wheel down to insert size. Then I cut the hub off using a hobby razor saw, sanded the backs so they fit true in the wheels and then painted them using a Molotow chrome silver paint pen.
Assembly…
Body is clamshell style. I trimmed away some of the flashing, glued the body top and bottom together and, once cured, cut away the floor using a multi-tool tool with a cutoff disc.
I assembled the chassis, testing for body fit to get the proper wheelbase. Cut a piece of previously scavenged plastic tube for the front single point mount. Cut a block from some high density material I have on hand for the rear two-point mount. Attached the front post to the chassis and checked for height, then cut post down. Drilled and screwed the rear mount to the chassis. Test fit to the body – all good. Mixed up some JB Weld epoxy, applied it to the post and block. Fit the chassis into the upturned body, then removed the chassis to add a couple dabs of epoxy so that there was sufficient. Refit the chassis into the body and taped in place once I had it aligned. Let sit overnight before doing anything more.
Finishing
I sanded some of the seam lines. Wiped the body down with a cloth and a bit of IPA (no, not beer, isopropyl alcohol). Then I sprayed a few light coats of Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red. To paint the front dash board matt black I used the windshield to draw a template on some painters masking tape. Then I cut out the curve with a hobby knife, transferred the tape to the car and applied two light coats of Testors matt black enamel. Once this was dry I installed the “glass” with a couple small dabs of model glue.
Decals were ordered from Pattos Place in Australia. I went with the generic Ferrari 250 LMs which includes the #21 car that won Le Mans in 1965, which is my target livery. Decals went on with no issues. The white roundels are opaque enough such that only one decal is needed to get a very good finish.
Once the decals were done I installed the driver and black foam “floor”. I wired up a 3D printed Slot.it screw guide copy with some Ninco copper braid and we are all set for some test laps.
Peter
First Impressions…
Kit body is detailed to about a 3 out of 5. The plastic is fair quality ABS – not too soft. There are no headlight cutouts – they are moulded in with no clear light covers, no details on the rear end and no true vent holes in front of the rear wheel wells. The only clear part is the one-piece window insert. The tires (on the unified tire/wheel parts) look like they are from an off-road pickup truck. I’m not even sure I will be able to easily use the wheels for inserts. They are fairly standard wire wheel Ferrari type. I will probably try to do one and if that goes well then I will use the rest. Otherwise I just may have to order some better quality ones from DArts Hobbies.
I was able to generate some very nice looking inserts using the kit wheels. Initially, I cut away the excess using a multi-tool with a cutoff disc, then trimmed and evened out the remaining piece using a hobby knife. Then I used the kit axle to hold the wheel in the chuck of my multi-tool and carefully, slowly sanded the wheel down to insert size. Then I cut the hub off using a hobby razor saw, sanded the backs so they fit true in the wheels and then painted them using a Molotow chrome silver paint pen.
Assembly…
Body is clamshell style. I trimmed away some of the flashing, glued the body top and bottom together and, once cured, cut away the floor using a multi-tool tool with a cutoff disc.
I assembled the chassis, testing for body fit to get the proper wheelbase. Cut a piece of previously scavenged plastic tube for the front single point mount. Cut a block from some high density material I have on hand for the rear two-point mount. Attached the front post to the chassis and checked for height, then cut post down. Drilled and screwed the rear mount to the chassis. Test fit to the body – all good. Mixed up some JB Weld epoxy, applied it to the post and block. Fit the chassis into the upturned body, then removed the chassis to add a couple dabs of epoxy so that there was sufficient. Refit the chassis into the body and taped in place once I had it aligned. Let sit overnight before doing anything more.
Finishing
I sanded some of the seam lines. Wiped the body down with a cloth and a bit of IPA (no, not beer, isopropyl alcohol). Then I sprayed a few light coats of Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red. To paint the front dash board matt black I used the windshield to draw a template on some painters masking tape. Then I cut out the curve with a hobby knife, transferred the tape to the car and applied two light coats of Testors matt black enamel. Once this was dry I installed the “glass” with a couple small dabs of model glue.
Decals were ordered from Pattos Place in Australia. I went with the generic Ferrari 250 LMs which includes the #21 car that won Le Mans in 1965, which is my target livery. Decals went on with no issues. The white roundels are opaque enough such that only one decal is needed to get a very good finish.
Once the decals were done I installed the driver and black foam “floor”. I wired up a 3D printed Slot.it screw guide copy with some Ninco copper braid and we are all set for some test laps.
Peter
...........the Lindberg 250LM is certainly not the best version of this car, but, as you have shown, with a bit of work. it can be made into a good looking car !!
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