DB4 GT Zagato: Opening up the box

I have always loved the look of this car, and when I realised Model Factory Hiro made a kit of it in 1/24, I had to have it. It took me a few years to track one down, but I finally found one courtesy of a member of the Facebook page run by a group of Model Factory Hiro builders. This is full of world-class pro modellers building jewel-like 1/12 scale F1 cars; the skill levels are way out of my league, and the results can be depressing compared to my efforts, but it is a good place to lurk and quietly learn things.



At first glance it is among the simpler kits from MFH: A resin floor pan and body will ensure everything lines up, and there aren't any itsy-bitsy white metal chassis tubes to bend.



So it appears there are two levels of difficulty in MFH kits, at least at the 1/24 scale: Those with a solid floor pan and not much in the way of space frames are simpler to get straight (various 250 GTs and GTOs) while the complex ones involving lots of structural white metal framework (908, 917, the Lancia 037) need lots of trial fitting and care. The 250 LM, the Alfa TZ1, and presumably the TZ2, fall somewhere in the middle.

Some nice touches include a head gasket and six pistons which presumably fit nicely in the cast bores of the block. If I had a mini-lathe, I might be tempted to make a crank and six rods ...

This version (MFH stock #123) replicates the car that DNFed at Le Mans in 1961 (in typical British fashion, it was done in by the battery in the 24th hour). It was also run at a Japanese GP in 1963. The car was painted white for both events. I'll build it for the street, likely in a more appropriate BRG. And the aggressive fender lips may get shaved off if I can find online photos to show this was standard fare for the street versions.

So I'm not adding it to the WIP pile just yet, but contemplating my next move. Stay tuned!