Friday, January 11, 2019

Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta: Complete (#3 for 2019)

Yes, yes, I've said it before, but I'll say it again: What a pretty little car! And for a car it's pretty little, too.



Windows are the big issue as always, and especially here where they have to be cut from a vacuum-formed sheet. You are screwed if you cut too deep. Fortunately the vacuum-formed side windows worked out, and the others are cut from flat acetate (although the template for the front window was significantly too small -- fortunately there was excess acetate included in the kit).



Still not perfect but a lot better than the 908/03 just completed. The only real challenge remaining is the windshield wipers, which are made from 6 photo-etched bits each. I need to take a breath before tackling that job. Also missing is the Ferrari emblem on the hood, and the tie-down brackets for the leather hood strap, both of which will be rectified shortly.



The photo below shows what a part of my garage might look like if I were a gazillionnaire. What they have in common is an Italian approach to race cars: lots of little cylinders, big bores and short strokes, lots of camshafts and Weber carburettors, lots of aluminum castings, and a sense of passion. Alfa has been around for close to 100 years now and was mass-producing sedans by the time the TZ1 was built, but the Ferrari was made in the company's first decade when no two cars were ever really the same, and everything Abarth built was essentially a one-off.



I suspect that none of these (166 MM, Alfa TZ1, Abarth OT 1300) turn up at auction very often, so it's hard to say what they might go for, but a 166 MM Berlinetta of any description is surely going to fetch in the $30M to $40M range. I am saving a bundle here!



So what's next? Hard to say, but I've built a string of Model Factory Hiro kits lately and maybe it's time to get back to styrene, whether out of box or kitbashed. There is also a large stash of resin, ranging from a 1960 Ford Starliner wagon to a 1926 Renault 40 Land Speed Record car. Decisions, decisions. Stay tuned!

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