Modeling diary >> Ferrari 156/85

I really wanted to finish up my contract with Model Graphix by featuring a Bosica model
kit. The Ferrari 156/85 was first released in 1987, but it vanished from the market for
more than a decade until it was finally re-issued in1998. I could have built it straight out
of the box out of respect for Mr. Bosica who is indeed a great master. However, it would
be more interesting to feature an article like "A Young Japanese Modeler Takes on
Bosica!" or "Taking Such Liberties with A 70,000 yen* Kit!" So I apologize in advance to all
the purists who may be offended with what I do!

*Approx. 500 USD

May 1, 1999

It is amazing that this was traded for more

than 150,000 yen among the collectors in
Japan before last year.

I would like to review the kit piece by piece

before I start.

The upper chassis is cast in white metal.

There are sanding marks indicating that
Mr. Bosica himself had machined each
piece.

The underbody trays were made with a

pressed photo-etched brass sheet. It was
already painted with a special metallic black
paint that is resistance to chipping.

The lower chassis, the front wings, and the

end plates are already soldered into one
piece!

1
 I assume that the front wings and the end
plates are made with nickel silver plate.
They were etched with the carbon texture
and then pressed into the shape.

The engine, the gearbox, and the rear

suspensions were already assembled.

They were put together with tiny screws

and rivets. Unfortunately, the suspension
parts were not assembled straight. I will
take everything apart and paint them again
before re-assembling them.

The rear wing was already assembled, too.

Its finish is similar to that of the front
wing. I was impressed by how carefully it
was packaged in foam.

The Goodyear logo on tire's side wall was

already sprayed on. A thread was cut on
the center hub of the wheel so the wheel
can be locked by a hex nut using a tiny
wrench.

2
 The leather driver seat feels good to my
finger when I touch it, although the texture
is too coarse for a model car in this scale.

The package was heat-sealed and all the

parts inside were well organized.

I almost hesitated to break the package...

May 3, 1999

The 156/85 has been a popular modeling subject, featured in many magazine articles. I
took a note while comparing the kit to the pictures of the real 156/85.

I. Complex yet neat

The complex engine compartment will be detailed neatly.

The underbody tray will be remade with a nickel silver sheet.
The recessed line for the brake inspection panel is too thick, so I will
fill it with solder.
The texture on the wings will be expressed with carbon fiber decals.
The front suspension will be modified according to the scale, but the
steering will be workable.
I will paint the seat after peeling the leatherette and drill holes for the
harnesses.

II. More accuracy in the overall shape of the car

The line from the nose to the cockpit will be modified.

The opening line of the cockpit will be corrected.
The side pods will be lower, yet longer on both directions.
The engine cover will be longer, too.

III. A tight fit between the elements

The engine cover and the side pods should fit tightly with minimum of
gaps.
I have to figure out how they will be fixed to the chassis.

3
May 4, 1999

I assembled the Protar's 156/85 so I can

grasp the layout of the engine and the
compartment.

All the parts could be just snapped on. This

kit was very well engineered in that regard.

May 5, 1999

I bought a set of the 156/85 pictures and the book Ferrari Formula 1 at Mr.Craft. I also
bought Fujiya's tire set.

May 7, 1999

I've been writing the article of the Daytona for Model Graphix, or more accurately, staring
at the computer screen for last three days. I finally finished it around noon today and I
sent it by e-mail.

Now, I am ready for the 156/85. I talked with Mr. Goto who is a modeler and an authority
on the 156/85.

May 8, 1999

I took a note about what I would do to improve the kit while I compared it with pictures of
the real one.

I decided to use Make-up's tires after I compared Fujiya's and Make-up's. Since I didn't
own the one, I put a wanted ad in my site. Just thirty minutes later, I received a phone call
from a friend saying that he could sell me four sets. Thanks a million!

4
May 9, 1999

Let's start modeling. Are you ready?

I started with the main chassis. The

recessed line for the brake inspection panel
was too thick, so I filled it with solder.

I opened the NACA duct and replaced the

edge with a 0.1-mm nickel silver plate.

I decided to leave the dividing line for the

nose cone. I only scraped it deeper.

I applied the decal to check the area that I

already fixed. I will use the decal from
Tameo's Ferrari kits for the finished model.

I cut the top of the cockpit where the blue

windshield would fit.

5
 Hey, what are you doing?

I use a saw to separate the side of the

chassis so I could modify the proportion.

I cut into the chassis diagonally, and I lifted

the rear upward so the line of the cockpit
was almost horizontal to the ground when
it is seen from the side.

I filled the gap with solder and sanded the

excess afterward.

May 10, 1999

There was a gap between the upper and

the lower chassis, so I filled the gap with a
1-mm brass rod.

6
 I was not satisfied with the placement,
specifically the balance, of the front tire
and the side pods.

I cut the underbody tray with 0.3-mm

nickel silver sheet, and I set the side pods
closer to the front tires.

I fixed the chassis and the underbody tray

with a screw. I extended the front edge of
the side pods forward by 3mm.

May 11, 1999

The part on the left in the picture is

original, and the one on the right has been
modified, as I made it a little lower.

I hope the model now is closer to the real

thing...

7
May 12, 1999

In order to determine the proportion, I had

to adjust and set the location of the engine
and the transmission.

I disassembled and stripped all the paint

off the engine and the transmission.

Although Mr. Bosica assembled each

engine and transmission, the parts were
not assembled to the standard I would like.
I sanded and fitted the parts together.

I checked the relationship between the

parts.

When compared with the real thing, the

turbochargers are located too far back.
Also, the ducts for the turbochargers are
too narrow, yet too high.

May 13, 1999

Each intercooler is made of three separate

parts. The top of the core (marked in red
in the picture) had to be sanded before I
fitted the cover.

It was instructed that the intercoolers are

fixed to the underbody tray with a screw,
but I feel that it is better to be glued in the
end.

I could not use the water radiators in the

kit, because I lowered the side pods. I
made the radiator with Tameo's photo-
etched sheet and a 1-mm brass sheet.

I set the ducts for the turbochargers

forward, and I made it a little wider. I
separated the part into two so I could
easily detach the side pods.

8
May 16, 1999

The work so far has been driving me nuts.

So for a change of the pace I started
working with the wheels.

I feel so refreshed while I was working with

the wheels...

The instruction said that a ring was to be

inserted into the wheel rim, but the ring is
much bigger than the rim!

I separated the rim into two separate

parts, and I sanded inside of the rim to
increase the diameter.

I sanded only on the edge of the rim, so

the ring would fit there.

I sandwiched the tire with the two rims.

To give you the detail of the Make-up tire

part, it is called MP-23 and it is perfect for
the Formula 1 cars in the eighties.

9
 I worked on the front wheels, too. I will
paint the big rivet black later.

* This original wheel is very fragile! Please

be very careful if you would ever want to
modify the wheel like I did.

I set the wheelbase at 64.2 mm. I cut the

underbody tray around the rear tires.

I annealed the rear end of the tray with a

gas burner, and I curved the part upward.

As you can see in the picture, the side

pods are obviously too short after I set the
side pods forward.

May 17, 1999

It is true that you are able to grasp the

truth of the matter in a moment after you
have been working with one object for a
couple of weeks. (You don't know what I
am talking about?)

If you have a soldering iron in your hand at

the moment of truth, this is what happens.
(Now you know!)

10
 I used the rotary tool to sand the solder.
The round bur in the picture is perfect to
cut soft metals because it doesn't clog up
with melted metal.

I increased the volume around the cockpit,

and then widened the side of the cockpit.

Fixing the shape of the chassis with

soldering is so convenient because I can
work immediately after soldering. It doesn't
shrink like putty, too. However, the fume is
highly toxic, and the air in the room has to
be circulated all the time. It is also better
to wear an air respirator, too.

May 18, 1999

I applied the decal to check the new nose

shape.

Compared with the original kit, as you can

see, it is more square on the shoulder so
there is a clear highlight.

I made a recess and drilled three holes for

the blue windshield.

11
May 20, 1999

It took courage to cut the side pod in two.

I've reached the point of no return!

The original is shown on the right in the

picture, and the extended one is on the
left.

I cut the parts into two, and then I fixed

the two with a styrene sheet. I filled the
gap with solder on the top first, and then
removed the sheet and filled the gap on the
side.

I ground off the excess solder with the

rotary tool first, and then with a metal file.

12
 The upper air vent is a thin brass photo-
etched part, so I carefully soldered it to the
side pod.

I extended the rear edge with solder. It is

the most difficult part of soldering,
because you could melt the metal with the
soldering iron and "condense" the part
instead!

This is the side pod after all the work. The

side pod is extended so its edge is close
with the rear suspension arm.

May 23, 1999

After I finished the modification of the side

pods, I began to work with the front wing.

I wanted to detach the wing from the lower

chassis part, but they were soldered
together so rigidly that I just couldn't
separate them.

So I did the unthinkable. I just used my

brute force to bend and separate the two!

I modified the tip of the nose with solder.

I closed the recess for the lower front

suspension arms with nickel silver rods
(pointed by the needle in the picture).

13
May 24, 1999

Instead of using the original part, I decided

to use the front wing assembly from the
Tameo kit.

I cut the gutter on the backside of the

front wing. Then I inserted a 1-mm brass
tube (0.8 mm inside) and covered it with
solder.

After I sanded off the excess solder, I cut

the front wing into two and removed the
tube. Now, you have the front wings with
the hole which is perfectly straight!

My plan is that the two front wings will be

fixed with a 0.8-mm nickel silver rod, and
the rod will be fixed to the chassis with the
1-mm brass tube.

As you can see picture on the left, my plan

worked perfectly .

I used a grid paper to locate the front

wing.

I temporarily fixed the front wing with

super glue. I turn the chassis upside down
and I carefully soldered the tube to the
chassis.

14
 After checking whether the tube was
attached rigidly to the chassis, I detached
the front wing and made the base for the
front wing.

May 25, 1999

The side plates for the front wing were

made with a 0.15-mm nickel silver sheet. I
transfered the shape and the location of
the rivets from the Bosica part.

I plan to apply the carbon fiber decal later.

I wished I could use a 0.1-mm sheet, but it
is too thin to be cut by a saw.

I remade the underbody tray with a new

dimension.

May 26, 1999

I annealed the rear end of the tray with a

gas burner, and I curved the part upward. I
soldered two 0.2-mm brass plates on the
side, and shaped them with the rotary tool.

Since I use this burr so often, it doesn't

cut it like it used to.

15
 I sanded the edges to round them off.

I soldered a 0.5-mm nickel silver rod to the

edge. It turned out to be better than I
expected!

I checked the engine and the transmission

to see the visual balance .

I moved the chrome-plated air chambers

on the top of the engine forward by 2mm. I
remade the connector between the
chambers and the intercoolers with a brass
tube instead of the rubber part in the kit.

May 27, 1999

I was asked by Model Graphix to have the progression of my work photographed for the
article. So I took the model and the tools into the studio in Waseda. I think the pictures for
the cover page will be chosen from this photo session.

I went to Yellow Submarine (the biggest hobby shop in Tokyo) and I purchased the
photo-etched detail parts.

May 28, 1999

There is a radiator cap behind the chassis.

I made the plumbing with brass tubes.

16
 I temporarily fixed the engine cover and the
chassis with super glue and checked
whether all the elements would form a
flowing line.

I sprayed the side pods primer and

checked with the rest of the parts.

It is difficult to tell from the picture, but

there was a little gap between the engine
covers and the rest of the parts.

I soldered a 0.5-mm brass rod to the edge

of the cover.

I used a 15W soldering iron so the heat

does not transmit too quickly.

If you use acid flux, you have to wash the

part immediately after work so it wouldn't
rust

May 29, 1999

Today is the last day for my model making class at Fujiya. Of four students, only one
could finish the project. I wanted to follow them up after the class, but I just don't have
time right now, so I gave them my contact information and wished them well.

There is only a month left until the deadline...

17
May 30, 1999

I continued with fitting the engine cover

and the side pods together more tightly.

The NACA ducts on the engine cover

seemed to be placed too far back.

I cut the bottom of the ducts, and I moved

the duct forward by 2 mm.

I replaced the edge of the duct with a

nickel silver sheet.

May 31, 1999

It's finally come - the slump. As I repeat the same things day in and day out, I fall into a
funk.

I usually move away from modeling for a couple of days and am automatically cured, but I
don't have the luxury of doing that, so I have to force myself to do the work.

There is an engine control box behind the

cockpit. I combined the photo-etched part
with the brass block.

I had to use a minimum amount of solder. I

prevented the overflowing of solder by
marking the area with a black marker.

18
 I found that making a perfect box out of
the brass sheet was a difficult task.

I will think about the wiring later on.

June 1, 1999

I sprayed primer to all the parts I had

finished. I sanded them with #600
sandpaper.

I didn't mind even if the metal surface was

exposed in this process, because it is more
important to have a smooth surface. Then I
sprayed the second coat of primer.

I glued the bottom of the NACA ducts on

the backside of the engine cover.

June 2, 1999

I couldn't use the suspension arm in the kit

because they are too thin. I had to remake
them from scratch.

I started with the rear lower suspension

arm. I used Make-up's suspension upgrade
kit. I inserted a 0.5-mm brass tube to the
end of the arm so I could fix the arm with
the transmission box rigidly.

19
 I pre-assembled the wheels and the hubs
using the original rear upper arms. I
adjusted the lower arms so that the wheels
will be placed correctly.

A friend told me that the 156/85's

underbody tray sloped higher toward the
rear.

I adjusted the ride height of the rear

wheels to be a little higher (0.7 mm) than
that of the front wheels.

I pre-assembled the side pods and the

engine cover to the underbody tray.

Then, I assembled the engine and the

transmission to see if the engine cover
would fit over the engine.

As expected, the cylindrical oil tank was

too high. I carefully sanded inside of the
engine cover instead.

20
June 3, 1999

I remade the front lower suspension arms

with the Make-up parts. It is a nickel silver
photo-etched part, and it is very useful to
update old Formula 1 kits.

I inserted a brass tube (0.7mm/0.5mm

inside) so it could be detachable.

June 4, 1999

I sanded off the parting line in the middle

of the tires. I rotated the tire slowly and
sanded it with #240 sandpaper while I
dipped the sandpaper in water.

After the tread is smoothed out, I used

#400 sandpaper to polish it out.

I assembled the wheels and tire to see how

the lower suspension arms would fit into
the main chassis.

A screw connects the arms and the

upright, but I shaved the head of the screw
so it would not intrude with the wheel.

21
 I check the balance between the lower
suspension arms and the rest of the
elements. There was no problem.

Now, I have to make the upper suspension

arm, the last major piece I have yet to
make, before I could prime the chassis.

June 5, 1999

The endplate of the front wing is very

close to the front tire, so it needs a precise
location of the both parts.

I calculated the distance between the tire

and the endplate on a grid.

I pre-assembled the major parts together

for the first time. Even though I modified
the chassis extensively, I don't see much
difference between the chassis now and
before.

I wish I could lower the side pods a little

and make the engine cover more rounded,
but I don't have enough time for any
additional modification. I think that the tire
conversion is very successful.

I really want to make the steering of the

front wheels to be workable.

22
June 6, 1999

I have to tackle the making of the front

suspension arms.

The part in the kit is shown on upper right

in the picture. The Tameo part is also
shown on lower right corner. I twisted a
nickel silver rod like the one on lower left,
but it was not the way to go.

I cut the rod into two pieces and soldered

them together.

I machined the arms to be tapered.

I fitted the arms to see the balance

between the front suspension and the front
tire.

I still have to tweak and fix the parts, but I

can now locate the arms to the main
chassis.

I filled all the holes on the chassis and

drilled new holes for the suspension parts.

I referred to the picture of the real car to

locate and drill the holes.

23
June 7, 1999

I drilled the holes for the rivets and the

side rearview mirror.

I polished the chassis with #320

sandpaper, and then washed with water. I
sprayed primer on the chassis, and dried it
in the dishdryer.

While I waited the chassis to be dried, I

made the driver seat. I peeled the
leatherette from the seat and drilled the
holes for the harness. I modified the shape
by adding the lateral support for the
shoulders.

I sanded off the texture on the inside of

the chassis and smoothed it out.

June 8, 1999

Like the front wing, I modified the rear

wing from the Tameo kit. I made the
endplates from scratch with a 0.15-mm
nickel silver sheet.

There are two main wings and a flap in the

rear wing assembly, but they are all cast
into one piece in the Tameo kit.

It is very difficult to sand and polish it, so I

separated the flap from the rest.

To be continued..

24
June 9, 1999

I adjusted the engine cover and the chassis

so that the thickness of the primer would
not affect the fit. What a tedious job!

The disk wheel was loosening from its hub,

so I made the center hole on the wheel
smaller. I soldered a 2.0-mm brass tube
inside of the hole and sanded it flat.

The rollover bar in the kit was too narrow

at the bottom, so I tried to stretch it
apart... and broke it.

I had no choice but remade it with a 0.9-

mm nickel silver rod, and then soldered it
the triangle pieces from the original part.

June 10, 1999

I sanded the part with various grades of

sandpaper (from #400 to #1500), and
then polished it with a buff.

It is too low!
I have to do it all over again...

I failed once more; as they say - three

times a charm.

I made the flap on the rear wing with a

brass sheet. I soldered a little handle on
the side so I can grab the wing during
painting.

25
June 11, 1999

There are little plates on each side of the

main chassis.

I soldered a rod to connect them together

so it will be easy to paint and install it
later.

There are two bulges on the engine cover.

When I made a Ferrari F310B last year, I
made similar bulges with a tip of toothpick,
but I made the bulges from the polyester
filler solid.

I used to struggle in making a part like this

a year ago. I am quite happy to notice the
progress in my skill.

I wish I could spray the undercoat paint of

pink today, but it was too dark outside
after I added the brass mount point for the
front suspension on the chassis.

Unfortunately, my paint booth is located

outside of the house, and I can't work
during night.

The mounting piece for the rear wing is a

tube. I soldered a 1.2-mm nickel silver rod
to the end sheet so I can insert the
mounted piece later for easy assembly.

However, the endplates deformed from the

heat of soldering. I must remake the
endplate with a little sturdier brass sheet.

26
June 12, 1999

I sprayed the chassis pink in the morning.

I dried it for half a day, and then polished

the chassis with #1500 sandpaper.

I painted the chassis Ferrari Red and

started the application of the decal in the
same night. I am moving at the speed of
light tonight!

I already noted this in my diary for the

Daytona, but it is important to wipe the
decal solution immediately afterward
because it could stain the red paint.

June 13, 1999

I was expecting the application of the decal

would be easy on this Ferrari. Not so!

There are various sponsor logos printed in

one strip, but the order of the logos on the
right side pod is reversed! I had to cut and
separate the logos in the strip, and then
applied each one individually.

I finished the application of all the decals

on the chassis.

I must note that I used the decals from

various Tameo Ferrari kits (the 156/85, the
187/88C, and the F92A).

27
June 14, 1999

I washed the chassis with a brush in soap

water. Are you fearful that it could damage
the paint and the decal? Actually, decals
that are applied properly should be tougher
than you think, and I can check whether
each decal can withstand clear coating by
this way.

I will not explain how to clear-coat because

I didn't do anything unusual.

I remade the endplates with a 0.2-mm

nickel silver sheet. There is only 0.05-mm
difference between the old one and the
new one, but it is so much sturdier now.

I primed the whole rear wing assembly, and

I applied it a carbon fiber texture decal and
the sponsor logos.

I also applied the decal to the front wing,

but soon I ran out of the decal.

By the way, this carbon decal is from a

Tameo Jordan 197 kit.

June 15, 1999

I had to remake the underbody tray once

again with a 0.3-mm nickel silver sheet.

This time, I had to make the rear end wider

to accommodate the Tameo rear wing
assembly.

28
 Before I rolled the rear end upward, I made
sure that it would fit around the exhaust
pipes and the turbochargers.

I remade the end piece of the exhaust

pipes with a 1.2-mm nickel silver rod.

June 16, 1999

I rolled the end of the underbody tray and

soldered the end sheets.

I checked the part with the rest of the car

and adjusted it until I was satisfied.

I made the air inlet duct for the

turbochargers with the Tameo part.

I scooped the inside with the rotary tool,

and I shaved the edge to be paper-thin. I
soldered a 0.15-mm nickel silver sheet on
the bottom.

29
June 17, 1999

I continued with the air inlet duct. I shaped

the part with the files and primed it.

I had to go to Make-up in Aohama to buy some supplies. I encountered the notorious

Japanese rush hour on the train in the afternoon, so I was exhausted when I got home.

June 18, 1999

I separated the mount and the duct so I

could attach the duct at the end.

I wish that I didn't have to spend the last

three days making such a small part...

June 19, 1999

The side rearview mirrors didn't require

any extensive sanding and polishing. As
usual, I made a mirror surface with a nickel
silver sheet and the stays with a brass
tube.

30
 There are numerous fasteners on the
chassis. I cut a brass tube, and then
sanded, polished, and chrome-plated the
piece individually.

The work really strained my eyes.

(Translator's comment: No wonder! I urge
you to just imagine how tiny each piece is
by comparing it with the tip of his finger in
the picture!)

June 20, 1999

I nearly gave up on making the upper front

suspension arms last week, but I tried it
again today. I soldered a 6-mm brass
square rod.

However, I couldn't make one I could be

satisfied with. I really wanted to make the
front steering workable, so the suspension
arm remains a major headache.

I decided to move on. I made a metal plate

on the chassis for the pull rod.

I aligned two 0.8-mm brass rods with a

little gap, and I soldered the two on the
spot.

I cut a part of the rods, and as you can

see in the picture (The silver part), I have a
metal plate with a long hole.

31
 I clear-coated the rear wings. I repeated
the process five times.

I planned to clear-coat the chassis

tomorrow. However, I have to come up
with a solution for the upper front
suspension arms quickly.

June 21, 1999

I polished the major parts painted in red

with #1500 sandpaper.

I handled the parts very carefully. I

attached a flat plate to the sandpaper so
each part could be polished evenly.

After polishing, I glued the rivets to the

body with epoxy glue.

I normally make a few spares for such tiny

parts, because you will surely lose one or
two.

After spraying the clear coat, I put the

parts on a clean area to be dried.

I am beginning to make progress on

painting too, as I am now able to observe
the movement of the spray gun and how
the paint is distributed by its "mist."

32
 After painting, I went back to making the
rear suspension parts, but nothing turned
out well. After I experienced a high
moment, I hit rock bottom.

June 22, 1999

I have to move away from the area I have

been working on. I decided to make a
seatbelt.

I modified a Tameo photo-etched part with

the harnesses from Hasagawa's 1/24th
rally car kits.

I sprayed the driver seat dark brown first,

and then Humbrol Leather (I somehow
dissolved the enamel paint by lacquer
thinner so it will dry out quicker!). I was
very impressed with the paint.

I sprayed the belt white first and then blue,

and the harnesses black (not silver!). The
buckle is clear blue. After all the painting is
done, I glue them together with epoxy glue
and applied the decals.

33
June 23, 1999

I must note that I also made the shift lever

and the steering wheel last night.

There is nothing wrong with the steering

wheel in the kit, but my old habit was hard
to break, so I rolled a brass rod and made
a new one. (Please refer to the diary of the
Stratos on the process)

I am now able to handle all the parts I

painted over the last few days, so I pre-
assembled the parts and made sure that
the steering would work.

The instrument panel was already painted

and very well done, so I only made the
upper part thicker with a styrene sheet
(the white part in the picture).

I have been failing to make the rear upper

suspension parts over last a few days.
Today, I came up with a solution of
soldering a 0.3-mm brass rod to the Make-
up's suspension photo-etched parts.

Finally, I was able to make the suspension

parts with appropriate thickness.

I only sanded the edges off the front of the

arms and left the rest of arms with shape
edges.

The toe link was made with a 0.5-mm

brass rod. It was soldered with the upper
suspension arm. The rear upright and link
in the kits were used after the tip (shaped
like a magnifying lens) was cut off so they
could be inserted into a tube.

34
June 24, 1999

Finally it is completed! I must note that the

drive shaft was made with a 0.7-mm brass
rod, and the pull-rod was made with 0.45-
mm brass rod. I drilled a hole to the gutter
on the photo-etched part which is the
support for the shock absorber, and
inserted the pull-rod. I cut the part longer
than necessary, and slowly adjusted the
length of the part after many tries.

The rear brake caliper in the kit seems to

be too big, so I used the Tameo parts.

Since I made the rear suspension arms

wider than before, the body had to be
sanded to have a proper clearance.

It is very tricky to sand the part which is

already painted. I used a Velove's #6 file,
but I was very careful not to move the file
back and forth. It should be moved in one
direction.

The underbody tray and the chassis were

pre-assembled now so I could take a
precise measurement of the tray. I couldn't
cut the panel until now because I couldn't
estimate how thickness of the paint would
affect the overall dimension.

I must make the upper front suspension

arms NOW!

The upper arm and the upright were

connected with a 0.5-mm pin underneath
the arm and the another pin which replaced
a screw hole after the little bulge on the
top was sanded off. The steering would be
workable this way.

35
June 25, 1999

I continued with the front suspension arms, but I made no progress today.

I used to commission a letter transfer to an art store, but it suddenly stopped the service.
I cannot find any other art store, so I begged the editor at Art Box to find a new store (he
located one in Minami-Aoyama) and deliver the letter transfer to my home.

Now, I got the Goodyear logo. Before I applied it to the tires, I have to fix a problem with
the tires, because the tread on the rear tire doesn't make contact fully with the road.

The reason for this is that the rim inside is

a little bigger than the one outside. (The
one of the right in the picture)

I decided to modify the tire this time, as I

shave the inside of the tire with the rotary
tool. (The one of the left).

June 26, 1999

After polishing the parts, I sprayed the final

coat of semi-gloss clear. I have a bad
feeling about it, but the pattern of the
carbon fiber decal is barely visible now.

It just looks like it was just painted in black.

This is something you learn with
experiences.

The cockpit in the early 156/85 is

supposed to be in yellowish beige, but I
didn't want to paint it in such a bright
color especially when the exterior color is
bright red. I painted it dark gray instead .

I had a plan to apply the kevler texture

decal inside, but I didn't think that it was
necessary.

36
 I pre-assembled the parts for the last time.
I was expecting to work on fitting each
part, but it went very smoothly. Can you
believe these covers are detachable when
you look at the picture?

June 27, 1999

The fuel cap was pre-assembled to the

chassis. The chrome-plated surface was
too shiny, so I will spray it clear silver to
tone it down later.

I made the fine details on the fuel cap with

various tubes. The clear hose was made
with a fishing line.

I made this wiring to install in the final

assembly, but I couldn't do it before the
deadline.

I shaved the head of a pin (#0) to the

minimum so it could barely catch the
windshield.

I annealed the head of the pin and glued it

to the chassis. This was the part that
turned out to be easier that I expected.

37
 At 10 in the evening, I finished the chassis.

I only have three more days to the

deadline.

I glued the "Magneti-Marelli" engine control

unit to the chassis. I was relieved to find
out that the engine cover would stay in
place except when it was upside down.

I finally made the upper front suspension

arms (The ones in gray)! As you can see,
there is a considerable difference.

June 28, 1999

I made a railing for the side pod on the

underbody tray by twisting a 0.8-mm
nickel silver rod to S-shape, and then
soldered it to the tray.

After soldering, I pre-assembled the side

pods and the tray. I had to sand the inside
of the side pod a little.

38
 I used a 0.8-mm soldering line for the
water hose between the engine and the
radiator.

I painted the engine head mat dark red.

After the paint had dried, I rubbed the
head with a wet Q-tip soaked in paint
thinner to expose the details in the bare
metal.

I painted the transmission case dark brown

first, and then sprayed it a thin coat of
Champagne Gold.

I made the ignition cords with Detail

Master's white cord. After measuring the
dimension, I cut each cord a little longer
than necessary, and I painted the tip of the
cords in different colors so I could identify
them.

I installed the ignition cord in front of the

transmission case, as well as the dampers
and the anti-sway bars.

It is important to pre-assemble the cord

and the oil reserve tank on the
transmission case. Otherwise you might
cry. (I did)

39
 The ignition coil cap was made with 0.5-
mm and 0.7-mm brass tubes. I spent a
considerable amount of time in always
thinking how the wires would look when
naturally laid out.

It is a tight fit after I installed the ignition

cords so I had to shave the inside of the
engine cover a little.

I located the ducts for the turbochargers

and the intercoolers. I am not sure how the
radiators and surrounding area will be
finished. I might have to just glue the items
directly to the tray.

I painted the underbody tray matt black

and scribed the location. After I set the
location for the items, I stripped all of the
paint on the tray with thinner.

40
June 29, 1999

I made the template for the heat resistant

shield for the underbody tray. The shield
itself was made with the paper found in a
cigarette pack.

I painted the flap on the rear wing matt

black green.

The rear wing is now ready to be

assembled. I used 5-minute epoxy glue for
the assembly. It is important to consider
how the summer temperature will affect
the epoxy glue's ability to harden quickly,
so you should assemble one piece at a
time. Otherwise you will fail as I did.

June 30, 1999

It is incredible to think that I am polishing

the underbody tray the day before the
deadline and recording by taking a picture
of the process, but that's the reality!

41
 After I surfaced the suspension arms, I
painted them purple black.

I applied the letter transfer to the tire (You

would see the negative on the right)

It is almost midnight now...

July 1, 1999

I painted the underbody tray a mixture of

black and blue gray. I attached the heat
shield with spray glue. After I put the tray
in the dishwasher so it would dry quickly, I
screwed the chassis and the engine
together and I glued the duct for the
turbocharger and the intercoolers.

The exhaust pipe was made with the nickel

silver tube. I annealed the tube on a stove.
By heating the metal pipe, I've got an
interesting effect of coloration.

I inserted the alloy rivets to the endplates

of the front wings.

After several days of working on such tiny

details, I am experiencing double vision.

42
 The bases for the front suspensions were
made with the Make-up's photo-etched
part.

I needed to screw the rear wing to the

mount, but I couldn't tell which way the
screw would turn because of my eyestrain.

Somehow I was able to screw the rear

wing into place. If the model looks like a
Formula 1 car, it would be acceptable for
the photo shoot. I selectively glued the
items such as the front wing endplates, the
tie-rods, the pull-rods, the side rearview
mirrors, the "silly" plates, the headrest, the
radiators and the brake lamp.

It is now less than an hour before I have to

leave my home to the studio...

July 25, 1999

I finally got the 156/85 back. I wanted to correct some of its shortcomings which were
caused by the extreme pressure to make the deadline.

I couldn't glue the side rearview mirrors

properly at the last moment because the
hole on the chassis was too small.

I increased the diameter of the hole with

the dentist's reamer so that I was able to
glue the mirrors.

43
 The air chamber on the engine was glued
temporarily, so I peeled it off.

I put a 0.5-mm styrene plate in between

the air chamber and the engine block so
the chamber would look higher.

July 26, 1999

I had to shave inside of the engine cover

very carefully so it would not interfere with
the air chamber.

I made the wiring around the ECU with

0.5-mm and 0.26-mm soldering lines. I
painted them semi mat black and glued
them to the ECU.

These parts are the connectors for

plumbing. I made a T-shape connector with
a 0.5-mm nickel silver rod and soldered it
with 0.5-mm brass tubes.

I inserted a 0.26-mm soldering line into the

tube. Can you guess where this part would
end up?

July 27, 1999

I installed a hose which connects the cam

cover and the oil reserve tank. I used the
hose which was included in the kit. (This is
one exquisite part with fine texture!)

After I installed the hose, I had to adjust

the location of the side pods again.

44
July 28, 1999

The injection nozzles on bottom of the air

chamber were made with Acsteon's 1/24th
scale air valve kit.

I had to install two nozzles to each

cylinder.

Each injection nozzle supposed to have two

cords, but I could only glue one each. I
again used the soldering line and I sprayed
them semi-matt black.

Well, the cords are not visible in this

picture.

The mysterious plumbing I made two days

ago was actually installed to the waste
gates on both sides of the turbochargers. I
made a heat shield at the bottom of the
camshaft covers.

July 29, 1999

I could not finish the wiring around the

cockpit before the deadline.

I have to make the triangle headrest, too.

45
July 30, 1999

The steering tie-rod was also temporary.

I now have time to make a proper one with

brass tubes and nickel silver rods.

July 31, 1999

There are three supporting rods for the

turbocharger on each side of the engine. I
used the #0 pin to make them.

I set the center rod first with epoxy glue,

and then set two other rods with super
glue.

I screwed the rear wing to the proper

position. It seems to be very simple now,
but I was so desperate a month ago that I
couldn't even complete the simplest of
tasks!

The brake tail lamp is made with the

aluminum ring and the plastic lens. It may
not be authentic, but it is just beautifully
made, so I decided not to remake it. I had
to glue it before installing the rear wing.

46
August 1, 1999

I made the headrest with a 0.3-mm nickel

silver plate. I soldered a little handle on the
bottom so I can grab the part during
painting.

I sprayed it a thick coat of primer, and I

painted it the same leather paint I used for
the seat. The brown Prancing Horse logo
was taken from the Tameo's F92A kit.

There is a connector for the rear flaps, but

it was not included in the kit. I made it with
the photo-etched part.

Well folks, this is the conclusion of the

diary. (It was one long ride!) I could add
more details around the radiators, but I will
do so only if I wish later. Frankly, I am very
satisfied with the model now.

47