1/12th Scale Fiat 806 Grand Prix

Started 6 August 2022 Completed 10 January 2023

Description According to Italeri 

(https://www.italeri.com/en/product/2460)

 

"This model, which is unique in terms of technology and accuracy, contains pieces to be assembled partially with screws. The bonnet can be opened to view the highly detailed engine. Working steering.

 

The Fiat 806 Grand Prix adopted significant innovations for its time. The Fiat 806 was, in fact,  the “progenitor” of the modern Formula One racing cars. Developed and produced by FIAT, the Italian automobiles  manufacturer, in 1927, it could be considered the first Grand Prix car ever built before.  Thanks to its 180 HP 12 cylinders engine, the Fiat 806 was able to reach and even exceed the speed of 240 Km/h.

 

However, the most important innovations were made in the development of the chassis, mechanics and bodywork. The engine and gearbox unit was, in fact, located between the two chassis bars in order to optimize the performance and the drivability". 

 

This car was produced once, raced only once and at that, driven to victory at Monza by Pietro Bordino in 1927. It was then destroyed. 

 

This model is based on that one vehicle.

This seems to have the potential of being a really interesting model to build and I am sincerely honoured to have been asked to do the job and, as such, and more so than usual, I will try my best to make it look as real as possible. The Client has given carte blanche so, I will definitely not be making a shiny model!

 

Watch this space....

(Thankfully for me: there are no originals left, so nobody will be able to tell me that my renditon is incorrect!) 

This kit has some serious ejector pin marks in the wrong places! Also, the chrome paint was super tough to remove, but I eventually overcame both challenges. 

The kit has started fighting me from the onset. The frame did not fit together nicely at all and required much superglue. I don't like the screws. My gap-filling skills will also be tested and developed. 

As is my custom, I separated and packaged all the parts into their respective build sequence.  Note the thickness of the sprue gate joiners! These will require careful removal! This might not be an easy-fit kit. Also, a lot of it is assembled using screws, nuts and bolts.

So ja.. this is different..... I love a challenge.

I eventually succeeded in filling the ejector pin marks and, as the chrome was too stubborn for oxytol, I had a lot of scraping and sanding to do in order to get the other (smaller) parts cleaned for priming and painting.

The floorboard is photo etch.

I have read a review that says that the parts on this kit do not fit properly. I have not gone far enough to have been able to experience that yet, so am glad that I have foreknowledge and will be diligent in dry-fitting!

 

I am currently struggling with the engine. The ejector pin marks are wicked and difficult to get to. Also, the chrome parts simply don't want to be stripped! 
I therefore decided to do a quick deviaton from the instructions and assemble the wheels.  

 

Each wheel is made up of 4 parts (excluding the tyre). This went quite quickly but I can't say I am a fan of all the screws used in the assembly of this kit. It was not easy to get all the rings flush using the screws as the plastic is very soft. I therefore added some Tamiya extra thin glue and clamped the parts together after I had screwed them together (just to be sure nothing decides to "slip" later on).  

I totally dig the tyres on these wheels! They are of a softer silicon compound to what I have ever encountered and an absolute joy to work with. 

 

I have been busy with the engine and have experienced quite a few issues regarding oarts that do not fit as they should. 

 

Firstly: the engine mountings on the side: totally did not align. I made a template from which I cut and fitted a piece of styrene prior gluing it in place. I was left with the holes and join line, so I covered the whole piece with a piece of normal paper and applied superglue to make it solid.  

This was a challenging build! The feeling of satisfaction at having completed it is great!

 

A later note: I am happy to say the this model won the "Popular Vote" at the IPMS Cape Town Model of the Year competition on 14 January 2023.

The next issue arose (soon after the previous one!) The supplied 44e was not wide enough. I scratch built a new part. Then however, when I tried to fit part 32e, I found that 44e was in the way. I tried different things to make it work, but finally conceded, stripped it all down, and then refitted the entire lot. To assist, I inserted a pin into 32e, which I then superglued to the engine block.

 

I have never had to use this much superglue on a plastic kit model before!  

Secondly the engine gap in the floor was not the right size, so I had to cut and file this to fit.

The next issue was that the ignition wires were too thick! I made new ones using string from a ship model kit. The lugs were fashioned using copper wire. I think the result looks better.

I glued the ends together

It's been a busy time since my last post. After having chatted to someone who works on old vintage cars, and him telling me to use artist licence as all cars were different and the pedals were not exactly positioned or designed for drivers' comfort, I decided to do what could be done to make the steering rod and pedals all look "useable".

After having done many test fits, I lengthened the steering rod, cut the kit-provided securing rod, and narrowed the gearbox. Having measured, lengthened and re-positioned the placement of the steering rod gear box, I inserted a brass pin, and drilled a fitting hole into the engine. Result: Steering rod sorted out!

NOTE: the reason I went to all this hassle was because it will all be visible once the model is completed.

I then added an extra shaft to the left pedal so that it fitted between the gearbox and right pedal and looked practical. 
Many test fits later, and having checked and double checked that everything indeed fitted and aligned, I glued the various parts into place.  

using wood glue. I also designed and 3D printed suitable distributors.

 

 

 

 

The next challenge: 

Upon closer scrutiny.....

I decided that, because it won't be visible anyway... I simply routed it below the obstruction. Easy. 

I have finished with the engine. 

Firstly, I finished the ignition wiring after having designed and 3D printed the distributors (at least that is what I think they are!) Then I drilled the kit spark plus out because they were of varying diameters and inserted my own simple, but effective, ones.

From left to right:
1. Man, I hate these screws!! The fit is so tight that I end up breaking parts whilst trying to turn them in. Lesson learnt though: make sure that the screws easily fit before assembling the parts.
 2. And of course things on this kit don't align! Thankfully that will not really be visible after completion.

3. Overall, I am pleased with the result to this point. 

I spoke too soon.
And of course another fit problem.

Thankfully, I cut my teeth learning from the miss-fits on the other side of the engine. Still, considering that the floor is photo etched and already glued onto the plastic base, followed by painting and weathering... this is most annoying.

Unfortunately, one cannot plan this far ahead, so I will take it in stride and fix any mishaps.  

Pedals / steering rod issue.....

I was happpy to get the engine assembly done as posted before. However, that all changed when I tried to fit the steering column and realised that there is no way that the pedals would be operable in a 1:1 vehicle, if fitted the way the kit design shows.  

The steering column had not yet been fitted when the photo on the above left was taken. I should already have seen that the pedals were not really practical, but I did not think much on it. However, when I dry-fitted the steering column, I could no longer ignore the obvious.  This can be seen on the two photos on right.. 

Mechanically I cannot even see how the steering column gets to the front wheels and I have no idea what I'm going to do. Looking at other builds on the internet did not offer a solution either. 

Accuracy to the original car has to be tossed out the window at a certain point and in the absense of any original Fiat 806 Grand Prix (or anything close) being left on the planet (apparently), and with no solutions to be found, I have no alternative but to simply make it look right. No-one will know. but  it will very well be frowned upon if pedals don't look functional.

I dry-fitted the engine to the body and floorboard to make sure it was not an alignment problem.

I now know that the alignment is ok and will use that as a starting point. 

If only I knew how the steering connects to the front axle. 

The next challenge was the fuel mixture linkage for the control on the steering wheel. As can be seen below, this was oversized and as such, the gear lever would not look operable.
Also, the joints were not moulded neatly and were at odds with each other and it clearly did not touch the place where the bush would be on the steering axle (between the two rings).

I did contemplate leaving it off completely because it would not be visible after I had fitted the body, but decided against that because I would know that it was not there. 

Once again, because there are no references, I decided to use artist licence. 
First I extended the linkage rod to the fuel control rod at the engine so that the mixture control could be tilted and thereby be higher at the back - and give some clearance for the gear lever. 

Then I cut the side connectors from the mixture control becaue they were now offset and glued them where I wanted them to be. I made a sleeve using masking tape to cover the horrible joint between the two halves. Not the best job, but it will not be easily visible. 

The gear lever was still a bit high (the driver would bump his hand against the fuel mixture linkage) but at least it could be positioned as gears changed. I decided to unglue it, and reposition it with a bit of a more downward angle.  

I realise that it might seem that I am complaining about this kit all the time (and yes, it feels like that to me too!) but, truth be told, I am sharing the ups and downs of this build so that others can learn and see how I overcame the shortcomings of this kit.

Believe it or not..... I am indeed having fun with this build!

 

Right. On with the build. 

I really hate these threaded parts. Not only do they not fit but, because the parts are a soft plastic, the threaded parts seem to break off before you can say showmethemoney!
Below is a case in point: The back of the frame.

I remedied this by cutting the threaded part off (after it had broken of course!) and drilled a hole into which I glued a styrene tube and into which I shoved a piece if solid tube. I will eventually glue the nut in place. 

Later on, I learnt to simply file the threaded part down, until a nut could easily be screwed on. 

Finished off the wheels. (Remember, these guys used to race on dirt tracks). 
Starting on the tyres (which I separated from the rim) and working fast, I applied Tamiya Buff acrylic by brush - getting it into all the cracks - and then 

rubbed it off using my fingers, which I dipped in water as I proceeded.  

I then gave the rims/spokes a light dusting using the airbrush.

Once dry, I assembled the tyres and rims again. Done.

 

Now on with the front section. 

That finishes off the back section of the undercarriage. The trickiest part was the issue caused by breakage caused by ill-fitting nuts.

 

On with something less taxing: Weathering the wheels. 

It's been three weeks since my last update, but that does not mean that I have been idle. I have been constantly busy with this build. Here are some progress points:

 

The lever that attaches to the rear brake ended up being in the way when I wanted to fit the exhausts. I ended up fixing this by adding small spacers between the exhaust and body, plus also moving the lever a bit abd positione dth espring 2mm lower. This is not opbvious once the exhaust was fitted as it is behind the exhaust. I then added a bit of brute force (ok, not that severe!) and clamped the exhaust in place whilst the glue set - I left it for 24hrs to allow the glue to set properly! All's well that ends well. 

That went well.

 

By this time, I no longer trusted the alignment and fit of the parts on this build, so I did a dry fit to see whether the engine was correctly aligned - the alignment to the exaust was my guide.

It was not aligned.   

 

The alignment holes simply did not align, but I was able to get the manifolds and exhaust to align by repositioning the engine. I decided to glue/secure any parts from here on out - at least until I have, at minimum,  tested and measured for three steps ahead!
I have decided that I will not be using the nuts and bolts to secure the engine, but will instead use model glue and make my own attaching pins.

  

Here are some photos of the dry fit.

During the dry fit, I noticed that the engine and radiator did not align. There is a rubber sleeve that joins the two, and I would not be able to fit this with the current alignment!

Also, the holes where the engine hand crank goes through the radiator, on its way to the engine, did not align.

 

After some dry fitting, I decided to modify the radiator as this change would by and large not be visible.

I did this by cutting the pipe from the top of the dadiator and repositioning it. Then, to align the holes, I had to lower the positon of the radiator.

 

To accommodate this, I built up the top of the radiator until I had the perfect fit.

 

For once I was happy that there are no remaining Fiat 806 Grand Prix cars left to reference! 

With that sorted out: a sign that the end of this project is approaching..... I have started priming the body parts.

After I had fixed the radiator issue, I positioned the engine (dryfitting the body and and aligning the engine to the exhausts). I then glued all the spots where the body touched the chassis. This is due to the fact that the screw holes are not aligned. I will see what I can do to make it more secure once the model glue has set (I'll leave it to stand for about 24 hours).

So far so good. After a few days, the glue has dried properly and the engine is secure.

 

I did say that I had aligned it to the exhausts. What I did not say was that this alignment was only when viewed from the side. From the top, the left exhaust is offset from the manifold and both have wicked gaps between exhaust and manifold. I remedied this by building up the gaps with styrene - a simple process. The exhausts themselves are poorly moulded and are not perfectly square. This is not a serious problem though, because I intend wrapping them in exhaust tape anyway. 

(I have not yet smooothed the styrene additions in the photos above)

Did I really expect that the instrument panel would fit? No surprises there! It was way too big and I had to carefully whittle it to size because I had not checked the fit prior to painting. In the end, all's well that ends well.

The parts that are supposed to go at the end of the exhausts were to too big, and also the walls were too thick to be realistic, so I modified the exhaust ends a bit using paper and masking tape, which I then solidified using superglue.

Zinc oxide adhesive medical tape has the perfect texture for exhaust wrap, so I cut strips of 5mm wide and wrapped the exhausts. These I then weathered using pigments and a bit of oil paints to give the required grimy finish.

All body parts painted and another irresitable dry fit after having fitted the fuel tank!

Having had a heads-up from an onbline build blog I read, I was not surprised thatthe engine covers came down too low for the exhausts to fit, so I sanded these to size prior to painting.

Not a big deal to sort out

The next issue arose when I fitted the steering wheel, which was way too close to the body to be realistic (no, this was not due to the mods I had made when making the shaft it past the pedals).

The tip of the steering column has a square end. I drilled the square hole on the steering wheel to accomodate this square, whilst being able to rotate it on the square. I then made a bush to attach to the shaft but as I did not have a tube having the exact inner and outer diameters, I found one with the correct outer diameter to fit into the hole I had made on the steering wheel side and shoved another thinnner tube into that, which would fit over the steering column thread and sit against the square end.   

Again... all is well that ends well. (It looks skew on the final photo but it is infact straight).

After much procrastination, I knuckled down, took a deep breath and did the overall dust coating.

The reason for having procrastinated is because it is very easy to mess up an entire build when doing a full dust coat. (I use acrylic airbrushed at very high pressure). 

At this stage, I honestly cannot say that I was in the least but surprised that the plastic "glass" did not fit. Nonetheless, it was easy to fix. 

 

I have now fitted the last of the small bits and am ready to start the final weathering (I weathered individual parts as I built them, but now the overall weathering can begin).

I still have a few minor touchups that the photos show need doing, as well having to make the the base, but here is a photo at this stage.

Total Build Time=138hrs. 

With the dust-coating behind me as a base, I set about applying the mud splatters, scratches and other finer weathering using a combionation of oil paints, pigments and acrylics.

An update: 

Wanting to simulate the car standing at Broadlands Racetrack as in 1927, I cast cement blocks using real cement. How I do this is as follows:

My ratio of sand to cement is 5:3, which is strong but does not result in a brittle result.

I make a wooden frame to the required dimensions and put a piece of sandpaper down for adhesion.

Cement is poured in and levelled.

Once firm, I cut between the cement and the slab to loosen the cement from the wood.

To make the cracks frequently seen on aged concrete slabs, I bend the slabs before they have completely drfied. 

I mist spray the cement frequently until the slab has fully dried.

The above process took three days to be complete. However, I messed it up by putting a layer of fine grey gravel around the  sides, which I ended up not liking and subsequently set about remaking the slabs.

 

In the meantime, I have made a wooden base that I am satisfied with. (The client had supplied a piece of solid oak, which was a pleasure to work with!) I added 10mm grommets in the corners to not only protect any table that the model case might be placed upon, but also to facilitate easy lifting should it need to be moved.

Photo source unknown. (Internet but I cannot recall the page!) 

A typcial 1927 racetrack.