Grastens Builds the Tamiya Ferrari 312T3 (47374) with speedy_w_beans

[Grastens 2795]

Having speedy_w_beans on this build has really enhanced it! The proportions look spot-on with the rubber tires. I downloaded the isometric drawings just to look at them  so I am truly excited to see how they turn up with paint!

In the meantime, I have found inspiration in one truly special build of the original re-release Ferrari 312T3 for the F103RS - here is a German build that has been heavily modified to be much more accurate to the original car. It uses a lot of plastic-crafting and some metal skills, and is truly impressive! Modifications are detailed here.

A similar build using the Tyrrell P34 is also worth checking out!

Who knows if I will get to that level, especially after I recognized the fact that the F104W's wheelbase will make this 312T3 build a bit less authentic, but there can only be one (minimum) Grastens-built example! In any case, it does give some great ideas.

And if the links don't work, this is all you need to see from that builder:

It is definitely one of the finest builds I have ever seen of this car, even if I have some trouble with the driver:

Highly unlikely my build will reach this standard, especially as that modeller has a milling machine and more supplies than I can afford, but I still think there is potential to build something special!

[Grastens 2795]

On we continue with my own:

The servo saver and tie rods arrived today:

I now realize why the Hi-Torque Servo Saver is that much more expensive: that one uses actual metal springs instead of another moulded plastic part... I do believe I have the springs somewhere, though, from another servo saver.

The tie rods call for their proprietary ball ends to be attached to both the servo saver and the front knuckles. It is for this reason that I will wait to apply them, as speedy_w_beans might be working on a special front knuckle with integrated brake ducts. No rush by the way, @speedy_w_beans - the wheels have shown me that everything is well worth the wait! I will be taking my sweet precious time before and during bodywork, anyway.

But in the meantime, I put together as many parts as possible to install the driver in there:

I mostly did this to evaluate the rally driver helmet as part of the bodywork, since I noticed that helmet is a bit larger/taller than the kit-supplied one. This has implications if I am to use the kit-supplied decals for the helmet, though the backup plan will simply be paint for the markings. Nothing is glued or pressed firmly in place; anything that could be screwed in is, since that can always be undone for painting.

So far, everything looks good:

My attention is drawn to the wheelbase disparity between this F104W-mounted 312T3 and the actual car:

I remember when I was totally convinced the F104W was meant to be the chassis for this car... I still plan to keep it, since I do believe it to be superior to the F103RS, and look forward to seeing how it drives!

The helmet will require moderate modification - namely, filling in and resculpting the lower part of the opening - to be completely accurate, but I think I will instead take a cue from the German-built 312T3 and paint the balaclava on part of the face:

The future Gilles Villeneuve head looks the part, for the most part, in the interim:

Some minor carving/sculpting might give a greater resemblance to the great Canadian.

The German-built 312T3 used some styrene stock to close the gap behind the driver figure visible in the above photo, though I remain on the fence for my own build since my experience shows that dirt and dust tend to accumulate in those fully-enclosed sections. I do suppose this configuration just dumps it onto the rest of the chassis, but perhaps there is some motor cooling to be had like this?

Ironically, the stance of this barely-modified 312T3 is starting to grow on me:

But then I remember:

Yes, the car will look that much better with new wheels! Still excited as ever to see this build out, even if there is little I can do at the moment

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

I didn't do anything with the wheels today; the paint was still curing from yesterday.  I hope to work on them some more tomorrow.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Updates on my end:

1)  Tires and foams have been ordered; they should arrive in the next two weeks.  In the previous pictures I was borrowing the tires from my Wolf WR1 kit.

2)  I was researching brake discs on the 312T3 and discovered the rear brakes are inboard; there are no discs at the wheels.  So, the scope of the work was cut in half and I just printed discs for the front wheels.  A "AAA" battery with a few layers of cellophane tape made the perfect tool for painting.  I changed the settings in the Slic3r program for a concentric fill to emulate some wear on the discs.

3)  The wheels were still just barely tacky but I worked on the inner features of the wheels, painting everything but the lips with XF-1 Flat Black.  Then the inner lips were touched up with chrome aluminum.  The idea here is to blacken everything to reduce the distraction of some of the inner printing.

I hope to work on the faces of the wheels tomorrow and then think through the brake ducts.

[Grastens 2795]

Amazing as always! I am mulling over the inboard brake discs; modelling them on the motor pod, if at all (as on the original 312T3) seems best.

[geniusanthony 361]

@speedy_w_beans

Without hijacking the original thread,

I just got a 312 kit over the holidays and am blown away by your guys' work. After I get through a few other projects I will be taking some cues.

You did some very nice work on the wheels. Can I ask what material you printed in, printer? I know it has probably been mentioned elsewhere, just curious. I have been playing with a lot of materials on my prusa for car parts and would love to try your design or even mod the original file if you wouldn't mind. Maybe make them a two piece or... for finishing purposes. 

 

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

@geniusanthony 

No problem; happy to explain.  Thanks for the compliment.

I used PLA to make the wheels and brake discs.  The material tends to be stiffer than ABS but it can also be more brittle and prone to fracture.  I think my #1 concern at the moment is how much stress the thrust bearing in the ball diff will put in the face of one of the rear wheels.  These might be pretty display wheels, but I'm not sure how much abuse they can take from driving in the street.

As far as the printer is concerned, I'm using a TronXY X1.  The full kit was about $120 a year ago.  It was a pain to build and has limited capabilities, but it takes very little desk space and is relatively quiet.  What should have been a 4-5 hour build turned into a 16-hour build as several parts were drilled incorrectly and some fasteners were wrong or stripped.  It might be worth it to spend a little more for a higher-quality kit with more features.

For software tools I'm using FreeCAD for design and Slic3r for g-code generation.  The files are moved to the printer via microSD card so the machine can run on its own without a PC connected to it.

The printed parts tend to have visible texture to them from the path the extruder takes.  Primer/filler, sanding, multiple layers of primer and paint are required to get better results.  These are definitely not the same level of finish as an injection molded part.  Think of the 3D printer as another tool in a modeler's toolbox, but it is not the end-all, be-all answer to every situation.

I'm happy to share my files with you and chat with you directly about any detailed questions you might have.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Mr. Grastens, here are a few images for you to enjoy...  I'm going to let these sit until the tires show up to give the paint max opportunity to cure completely.

Also, I made a mistake about the rear motor pod spacer earlier.  @TurnipJF mentioned a one-piece T-bar vs. the two-piece T-bar and diffuser earlier.  I went back to the parts and took some more measurements, and it turns out the difference is negligible between the 312T3 and the WR1.  The 312T3 one-piece T-bar looks to be about 1.63 mm thick and the pod mounts directly to it; the T-bar for the WR1 is about 1.50 mm thick; it's actually coplanar with the bottom of the diffuser.  The diffuser itself is only 1.50 mm thick where the motor pod mounts.  So, in the end there is only a difference of about 0.13 mm between the WR1 and the 312T3 where the motor pod elevation is concerned.  The main difference is using S3 vs. S2 for the axle height.  If you're not happy with the rear ride height later we can always consider making appropriate spacers.

So, onward with brake ducts...

[Kevin_Mc 411]

Loving the work you guys are putting into this. Those wheels are a work of art Paul, very impressive!

i’m learning CAD at college just now and have the space on the workbench for a 3D printer, i’m seriously tempted now considering how cheap you say your’s was - i always thought they were all in the thousands. 

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Grastens expressed his enthusiasm for some brake ducts right at the beginning of this build thread, so there's only a *little* pressure to deliver!

The first thought I had was to design something from scratch and print a complete assembly. However, the more I thought about it the more it didn't seem like a wise idea.  In my RM01 Stratos build I cut some F103GT knuckles and printed the suspension arms; the arms don't carry much load as they simply guide the kingpin.  However, in this build printing knuckles and using the kit suspension arms means the knuckles are subjected to all sorts of stresses as a result of the cantilevered axle stub.  Not 100% comfortable with designing knuckles from scratch and using PLA, what really set the design direction for me was seeing how the kit axle stubs are actually threaded:

Now there isn't a lot of clearance between the inside of the axle stub and the support post connecting the lower and upper suspension arms, but then I remembered from TB03 and CR01 builds Tamiya has some M3x5 "flat" screws with really thin heads.  I ordered a pack of 5 immediately.

In terms of constraints and clearances, the posts next to the axle stubs and the slope of the upper arms are the biggest issues.  I found later I needed to shrink a projection from the knuckle to be sure it would clear these features when the front suspension is under compression and steering at the same time.

So here's the grand experiment.  The idea is the part in green rests against the kit steering knuckle and is held in place with a flat screw.  In looking at pictures of 312T3 brake ducts, I found at least five variations with a large hole, a small upper hole, a small lower hole, sometimes black, sometimes white, sometimes red.  In most of the images I found of Gilles' car, it seemed like a small upper hole and black construction was the norm.  That's the style I tried to copy here.

It was helpful to have tires, wheels, and brake discs already modeled.  Making them 80% transparent made it easy to look at hidden features and make sure there was plenty of clearance.  I spent half the time modeling the kit steering knuckle, and then spent the other half of the time building the brake duct.  You can see how the sections immediately in front of the knuckle shrink to clear the post and upper arm.

Time to fire up the printer and see what we get.  I have to admit I don't really like this design.  The reference photos make me want to design a duct that goes all the way to the axle stub, but the suspension arm parts get in the way.

[Grastens 2795]

And that is why I am blessed to have speedy working on these parts! Thanks so much 

I am re-evaluating both the driver and the rear wing stay. I hope to have some materials to try out in the coming month

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Well, we have raw brake ducts now.  It took a second attempt to get them right; I must have missed something while measuring earlier as one edge of the first parts was just barely striking the suspension post.  These second parts seem to clear everything ok.  Flat screws should arrive in the mail Saturday to complete the assembly.  In the meantime I can work on some prepping and painting with semi-gloss black.

@Grastens I'm not expecting the tires and foams to arrive until mid-January at the earliest.  Once I have those parts (and do a little test fit on my Lotus 79) I should be able to ship everything to you.

[Grastens 2795]

Amazing as always, speedy!

My own updates are smaller these days - today was the arrival of the Super Stock RZ motor:

It was a quick installation:

While I was at it, I reversed the differential plates to see if their pitting/grooving was the problem the rear end was experiencing. I still had the same issues, so the problem is either in the balls in the differential, or in the thrust bearing setup. New assemblies for each are both on their way, so I hope to get this amended soon.

Installed, the motor label is not entirely visible, but still enough:

I am looking to experiment with the bodywork and wing stay, pending even more parts - here we are going down the slippery slope!

Edit: but not as slippery as buying up the German-built Ferrari 312T3 that is on sale now!

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

I'm surprised he wants 2100 Euro for that car; it's a 49191, not a 58011 original, and while there are some nice details, not all of them are accurate.  The faces of the front wheels bother me, for example.  There are no brake ducts.  If I was using the rear facade plate, I'd paint it black first and then selectively paint features silver or gold so there isn't this massive silver block hanging off the back of the motor pod.  Just my opinion.

I did a little work on the brake ducts this morning and they look ready to go.  Some light sanding with 400 grit, a little Testors Contour Putty, and some TS-29 semi-gloss black and we're good to go.  I'll post a picture after the screws show up tomorrow.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Well, the postman read my entry above and surprised me by bringing the screws a day early.  I jumped on the next steps right away!

The 51211 screws are M3x5, but that's a little too long.  I needed to trim about 1 mm off the ends at a minimum so they don't bind on the kingpins, but ultimately trimmed 2 mm off to make them M3x3.  This was pretty easy to do with a vise, some blocks of wood, a Dremel, and a cutoff wheel.

The heads of the screws measured about 5.6 mm, and while I designed the mounting holes to match the 5 mm axle stubs, the holes were slightly larger to effect a good fit on the knuckles.  I wasn't comfortable with how little material was secured by the head of the screw, so some scrap 0.5 mm Lexan trimmed from a body became the raw material to make some washers.  This extended the heads of the screws making them about 7 to 7.5 mm.  I used a body reamer to make the 3 mm holes first, then used some body scissors to trim around the heads of the screws leaving some extra margin.

The test fit was a great success!  There's no load on these parts; they just float in front of the kingpins, so with 1-2 mm of overlap between the duct parts and the washer, I feel pretty good they won't fall off easily.

Just a temporary test fit.  The wheels and tires are from my Lotus 79.  Everything steers and moves freely.  I like them so much I might have to print some for my Lotus and WR1 to match the box art!

@Grastens I think you can install your steering links if you want; these parts can be added to the knuckles later.  By the way, your inspiration for this build is a famous Canadian driver; I'm surprised you don't have a Wolf WR1 kit as well... 

[Grastens 2795]

On 1/4/2019 at 4:29 PM, speedy_w_beans said:

@Grastens I think you can install your steering links if you want; these parts can be added to the knuckles later.  By the way, your inspiration for this build is a famous Canadian driver; I'm surprised you don't have a Wolf WR1 kit as well... 

Thanks! The brake ducts look excellent and quite sensibly designed.

As for that Wolf WR1: I reckon I'll miss that $300... 

In the meantime, some parts in the mail:

Of interest in this haul are the F104W tires and wheels. Also relevant are the F103 Thrust Bearing Set and the spare Z-parts.

Despite the lack of foam inserts (what inserts fit these tires?), I just had to mount them. I had to mount them with some of the original sponge tires, too, for the sake of comparison - rubber tires on the left, and sponge tires on the right:

I know which set I like better! The rear end's proportions improve, in my opinion:

The Goodyear script will not be painted - the 1978 312T3 ran Michelins - yet somehow I like the oddly-fuzzy feeling of knowing that tires like these featured on the very first Ferrari 312T3 by Tamiya. The gap between the tire and the rear of the sidepod still has me a bit disconcerted, though. I now see why the F103RS release is still relevant, but I intend to keep it on the F104W. I could pick up an inexpensive F103 if it bothers me that much

... and then stick a Wolf WR1 on this chassis But we are here to build the 312T3 on the F104W, so here it remains.

Whatever the case, I believe myself vindicated on my tire choice:

The shape of the sidewalls on the rubber tires really adds to the look, I find. The effect is interesting given that the size difference between the tires is not as noticeable as I had previously believed:

Sponge and rubber each have advantages in the right situation, so if I run the car like I want to, both sets are likely to see use!

The work of speedy_w_beans is inspiring me to go further - at present, I am waiting for the following in the mail:

The potential of a partial cockpit in the shell is certainly intriguing to me. I was inspired by both the static Ferrari 312T3 model in 1:20 and this example of the F103RS version:

The write-up explains that this figure's body was created using papier mache. I see no reason why a plastic 1:10 driver figure with some carving and trimming would not fit. It would not even need to be a full-body figure; the lack of lower legs would not be that noticeable, if the 1:20 model is any indication:

More importantly, there may be no room for a full-body driver figure, so the selected figure would be a good compromise.

As such, I think the 4 x 4 driver could work. I would re-sculpt the chest to model a done-up top if necessary, and apply the cut-and-shut method to manipulate the arms, legs, and neck to get a more authentic posture out of the figure. Posed in a shallow scratch-built cockpit with some aftermarket harnesses, the effect might be more convincing than the standard driver bust platform. It could also be a fun project while I wait for paint and painting weather!

I am taking a leap of faith by ordering the parts before any sort of test fit or serious thought exercise, such is my confidence in this step. Whether or not I have the skills to make it work is something I will worry about later!

The extra wing stay(s), meanwhile, are almost certainly going under the knife and assorted cutting tools to build a slightly more-accurate rear wing stay, using the unused parts from the chrome parts tree. It will not be perfect, but I hope to emulate the fashion of the original.

These are the details that I hope will set this

further apart from the regular model, and give the marvellous 3D-printed parts of speedy_w_beans a more-deserving example to adorn

[Grastens 2795]

It seems the mail carriers really are reading this thread (at least someone is!), because the driver figure and wing stays arrived today, mixed in with several other parts for other projects:

This allowed me to size up the driver figure for the cockpit, where it seems to be largely bad news:

The red markings on the driver figure are where I estimate I will be cutting and sectioning to get the driver to fit the cockpit! Yes, this is a narrow interior, and apparently, the Bruiser driver figure is one broad-shouldered specimen. The stock driver bust is there for reference; I will be measuring the cut-and-shut 4 x 4 driver figure against this one for ideas on general dimensions, since the stock part does not look too out of place in the car.

The chrome wheel is a leftover from an errant Lancia 037 wheel parts sprue, which happens to be the same diameter as the steering wheel bit issued with the stock driver. That 4 x 4 steering wheel is massive! Predictably, this makes it too massive to fit in the 312T3's interior.

 I figure I will be cutting much off the shoulders and legs to make this work:

It seems the figure can benefit from a cut out of the midsection, too, in order to fit the shallow interior space. Gilles was only 5' 6" in real life, so not the worst thing to do. The other side is much the same story:

Plenty of putty is foreseen for this guy!

I looked up seat options for the driver figure, but there may not even be room for a real interior, let alone an accurate bucket seat! Pictures show that the seat is small enough to be invisible under the driver, anyway:

I will deliberate on this one in the coming days. The bucket looks so diminutive and devoid of distinguishing features that it is possible a carefully-cut corner of the polycarbonate body excess can be used as the seat! Certainly, I feel that at least the sides of the interior should be present, but there will be precious little room for any sort of significant detailing...

Meanwhile, the plan for the rear wing stay takes shape:

The black wing holder part will be cut and reinforced to allow it to bolt onto the back of the motor pod in this way. Additional cutting of the rear engine facade is also required to make that compatible with the chassis; it looks like its slots will need to be widened and elongated, but I may do a deeper cut for simplicity.

There was a comment about the inaccuracy of painting this facade entirely in aluminum. Apparently, all the parts visible back there are in some shade of metal, but I hope to add some contrasts when I paint it up by varying the shades of metal, such as accents in aluminum, gun metal, silver, etc.. That will wait for my planned remodelling of the panel, again in the (dubious) interests of accuracy.

I also happened to find this even more accurate helmet:

However, that is not Tamiya putty, and is much harder to sand. It might not be worth the extra effort, especially if that protruding chin interferes with the visor decal...

I have to say, though, that I look forward to remodelling the driver! It seems this is an essential step before I consider anything else about plans for a semi-detailed cockpit. Having tried out my Dremel and its cutting wheel today with great success on a non-RC project, the alterations may prove less tedious than anticipated.

The real work may just be beginning!

[Grastens 2795]

... Ever get the sinking feeling that you are building the wrong car?  

This fabulous Ferrari 312T4 conversion comes courtesy of Masaki Yoshida:

Sure, it might not be completely accurate, but creativity abounds in this project, which makes great use of the polycarbonate body:

It looks like sections of the body were cut and reused to recreate the 312T4's different form:

Really, an ingenious use of extra plastic:

Using the 312T3 as a base accentuates the evolutionary nature of the Ferrari 312T series, and especially the T4:

So, let us appreciate the thought and execution of this 312T4 conversion:

In my opinion, anyway, this was worth sharing! I think I will press on with my 312T3 in any case

[Badcrumble 4203]

@Grastens, if the supplied driver is the right size for the car, would it be easier grafting the new body and legs on to what you already have? 

Would it mean less putty work? If you use the new driver but remove most of his shoulders, will the body look out of scale against the racer’s helmet? The new body looks big in the photos.

Old Workshop Willy says to ignore me and crack on!

Thank you and @speedy_w_beans for such a great build!

[Grastens 2795]

2 hours ago, Badcrumble said:

@Grastens, if the supplied driver is the right size for the car, would it be easier grafting the new body and legs on to what you already have? 

Would it mean less putty work? If you use the new driver but remove most of his shoulders, will the body look out of scale against the racer’s helmet? The new body looks big in the photos.

Actually a brilliant idea, although I am still looking at lots of reworking for the lower body. It would eliminate much of the work on the shoulders, however, which would indeed be reducing the amount of putty involved.

I will be thinking about this one - I had planned to use the arms from the 4 x 4 driver figure, too, so there would be little of the original driver figure left. If I can keep using the original arms, though, then I do stand to expedite the process quite a bit if I can get away with minimal modifications of the supplied driver, even if I have to fill in the lower parts of the arms with putty.

Thanks for the suggestion! I am glad for the alternate perspective it provides

Meanwhile, foam inserts have arrived:

I suppose I could not understand that 60D M-chassis tire foams are usable on F104W tires. As a result, I have more inserts than I need (at this moment ) with the large wide touring tire inserts on the left. At least I have them, though!

Also present are spare differential parts, which I will be building into the chassis once the custom wheels arrive. I still need paint...

[scollins 154]

Great work going on here guys (Grastens-Speedy),,,I've been away from this thread for a while but it had my interest in the beginning! I'm anxious to see the end result.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Tires and foams arrived yesterday, so today I started assembling everything and giving my parts a final check before shipping to Grastens.  My F104W Lotus 79 served as the test chassis.

The rear went together better than expected.  The left rear bolted into place perfectly; the right rear survived the stresses of the thrust bearing, disk springs, and spacer with no issues.  The diff itself spun smoothly.

The front took a little more effort.  The 850 ball bearings were just a touch loose in the wheels, and that meant the wheels had some slop in them leading to skewed rotation.  To fix this I wrapped the ball bearings in one layer of 3M blue painter's tape and trimmed the excess with a knife.  They pressed into place nicely and all the slop was gone.

I had already tested the brake ducts on the front knuckles before, so I didn't try them again.

The one last piece I hope to see in the mail today is a blinking red LED for the rear end; once that arrives a full kit of parts will be on its way.

Just a quick check below.  I'm sure these will look great with the chrome wings and details Grastens will put into his model.

[Grastens 2795]

Look at that, you just made me drool all over my desk  Thanks @speedy_w_beans! They are gorgeous 

[Grastens 2795]

A relatively significant day for the:

TC member @speedy_w_beans, in his enormous generosity, had sent me the 3D-printed parts he designed for use in my build. That package arrived yesterday, where I found everything packed with the same loving care that went into the parts themselves:

This, with more plastic pillows on top. The postal service could have air-dropped this without a parachute, and everything would still be intact! Thick layers of bubble wrap and other materials ensured everything made it safely to the destination:

He even labelled the wheels! That's service

Included with the wheels and brake ducts were a blinking LED (will see how it fits) and some thick front hexes that were generously included when I shared my sketchy Opel Ascona fix. Thanks to those hexes, I can take out my 3-bearing solution at each front wheel.

This thread is about the Ferrari 312T3 and those wonderful 3D-printed parts, though, so let us examine:

And examine I did - just look at those brake discs!

I am so thrilled by not just the kindness of speedy, but the talent, too! Witness the front brake ducts:

And now witness them a bit closer:

These are the parts around which I will strive to build a better Ferrari 312T3. I knew what I had to do after that:

In taking out the front suspension to install the ducts, I saw fit to replace the servo saver and tie rods. Not pictured are the differential balls that I intended to replace, as well.

Previously, I had felt that so much had gone wrong for me in this hobby. Thanks to the efforts and all-round goodness of speedy, I have the momentum to turn that around! What a great place to be, this forum

[Grastens 2795]

So, the small matter of rigging everything up means taking it down - the front end most extensively:

I figured out that I did not need to remove the front uprights to get the ducts on - after removing the C-clips at the bottom of each kingpin... If a front upright goes flying off the car someday, I will know!

And then, in true Gilles Villeneuve fashion, I will keep driving

They went on in hopefully the correct orientation:

It turns out that I had enough spares to build up another Hi-Torque Servo Saver, so my Directly-Connected Servo Saver is redundant:

And now I will have enough spares to build up the latter!

Since the connectors use larger ball ends (and thankfully supplies them), I had to swap out the stock ones from the uprights, too:

Smooth and largely slop-free - the precision steering I need to give myself the best chance at avoiding obstacles is here.

I did not replace the differential discs, instead turning them around for the non-grooved side to face the gear. New differential balls went in, and with the thrust bearing set from the previous F104W wheels on, I had the chassis back together:

Already, one can tell this is a Formula One Ferrari! Not quite as dramatic as Gilles Villeneuve driving a body-less Ferrari 312T5, but the best I can do with this chassis. Said 312T5 is below:

The point? What a difference these details make! A close-up of a front wheel assembly, with the brake disc:

speedy_w_beans mentioned that the discs were not that noticeable, but more offensive to his sensibilities would be to follow the brake duct detail to see it leading to nowhere!

Bodywork and front brake ducts on:

Overall, I feel the presence of the car has been greatly enhanced:

I have also taken some useful steps towards securing the funds to buy paint and other finishing supplies. I am not in a rush, given that conditions outside are unforgiving for paint. In the interim, I did find my Tamiya Modelling Putty, so I could ostensibly begin my plastic work on the driver figure - or at least chop it up! I believe I require more styrene panels to build the cockpit, and a proper hand drill set for the rear wing stay...

But until then, the build has already gotten that much better!