1:20 Ferrari F310B - Grade Up Parts Set (for Tamiya Kits)

Ferrari F310B 1:20 — a Studio27 photo-etched set (for Tamiya kits)

Mind one essential difference: this set is intended for Tamiya kits, not Fujimi. And as with the other photo-etched sets it holds that you are buying neither a model nor a kit, but a set of additional parts from the Japanese maker Studio27 for a kit you already have at home. The photo-etched parts are cut for one particular kit — on a model from another maker they will not fit, neither the shapes nor the dimensions will line up. Please check before buying that your Ferrari F310B kit is from Tamiya.

The real subject

The Ferrari F310B is a Formula 1 single-seater from the 1997 season. It was driven by Michael Schumacher in his second season at Ferrari and he fought for the title with Jacques Villeneuve; in the final race at Jerez the two cars collided and Schumacher was subsequently excluded from the championship standings, with Villeneuve taking the title. The F310B is at the same time a car from the period when Ferrari was beginning to return to the top after a long unsuccessful era — Schumacher won five races of the season with it, and it was the last of the wide generation of Ferrari single-seaters. That is precisely why this car holds a special position among collectors: it is the prelude to the brand's most successful period.

What photo-etched parts will bring you

• The thinness that plastic will never give. A molded grille is only an engraving; photo-etched brass sheet matches the thickness of real sheet metal in scale — and at an exhibition that is the first thing a judge notices.
• A Formula 1 car is completely exposed. There is no hood and no bodywork to hide carelessness: belts, buckles, wires, radiator surrounds — everything is in plain sight.
• The fine grilled and trimmed areas on a car of the late nineties finally get the right thickness and a sharp outline.

Realistically, on the build

• Photo-etched parts have to be bent — get an etch bender, or make do with a razor blade and good tweezers.
• They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue, never with plastic cement.
• The original plastic detail usually has to be sanded away under the photo-etched part — and you will not get it back.
• It will not work without tweezers, a magnifier and patience; the set is for more experienced modelers.

Who the set is for

For the modeler who builds the Ferrari F310B from Tamiya and wants to give it detail matching the real car, whether for the cabinet or for a competition.

The package holds additional parts only, not a model. The kit, the glue, the paints and the tools are not included.