1/8 Pocher 1986 Ferrari Testarossa

[Blackthornone]

I thought I would post pics of my model, since Atheris wanted to see it.

 

[Blackthornone]

Re: 1/8 Pocher 1984 Ferrari Testarossa

This is one of the best color reds there is. This is a non clear coat paint by the way.

 

[Atheris]

Dude, that looks freaken sweet! In some of those shots it looks like the real car is sitting in your driveway lol
How long did it take you to assemble and paint?

Chris

 

[Blackthornone]

Dude, that looks freaken sweet! In some of those shots it looks like the real car is sitting in your driveway lol
How long did it take you to assemble and paint?

Chris

Well, I had to special order the model from my local hobby shop. After a few weeks, it came in and I brought it home, and after inspection, it had a lot of defects I couldn't accept, especially at the nose of the car, where the sprue of the casting must have been, and there was 1/16 of an inch deep metal missing and it was painted over, so I brought it back to show them. They told me to hang on to it while the replacement was being shipped. Then that one came in, and even IT had paint defects, only different paint defects. I swapped out different parts of the two kits to have the best kit possible. Honestly, the two kits weren't painted EXACTLY the same color red. One was slightly brighter than the other, but it's hardly noticeable. For example, at least one of the doors is different. I used polishing compound, and rubbed out all of the body pieces by hand, and then used finer polishes and glazes, and finally put a few coats of wax on it before assembly. The polishing/waxing probably took 7 hours. Most of the time spent on the model was research, as in looking at books, magazines, and going to Newport Imports to see the cars in person, to know how to paint it right. I selected the red carpet with black floor mats and black dash color scheme for the interior, preserving the creme colored seats, which were molded in color. I painted the metal headrest posts and other parts chrome silver for detail. The doorjamb area is painted flat black, like on the real car, whereas of course it was painted gloss red along with the rest of the body. It gives the car much more realism when you have the doors open that way. ( I misplaced the key, lol, so I could not take pics of the jambs. ) I honestly cannot recall how many cumulative hours it took me, but between working and everything else, it was about 7 weeks.
It comes with little keys that unlock the doors, by the way. The locking mechanism is simple, so once you close the doors, they lock automatically, and you need the key to open them again.
All of the engine parts were molded in color, as the whole kit was meant to just be assembled and thus finished. The plastic color didn't look quite right, so I painted everything. I used aluminum paint for the block, red for the head covers, a different silver for the exhaust, brass, chrome silver, or aluminum for the fasteners, and maybe some copper as well. The tube frame piece that surrounds the engine compartment with the little tank on it was all molded in one piece, so I first masked off the tank, and then sprayed the frame flat black, and after a few days, I masked off the frame, and painted the tank gloss black, being careful to mask off the little tabs of the tank that mount to the frame perfectly, so it looks like they are two pieces and the paint margins are perfect. I painted the cap silver(which was separate), painted the fasteners, and applied the decal, and I was done. I am very proud of that part of the car. I spray painted the cap, by the way, as I did with even the smallest parts of the model, except for the little nuts and bolts, which I used a brush on.
The headlights go up, too, but I forgot to raise them for the pics. They stay up by themselves, but the bonnet and engine cover do not. They must be held or propped up. The body is die cast, which is quite heavy, and any load bearing plastic parts are fiber reinforced plastic. Of course, I painted all of the suspension parts with perfect detail as well, even though they cannot be seen in the pics. I painted the brake rotors steel, ect. The car weighs quite a bit.


I bought this when these kits first came out, when they were all coupes, and all painted red, in 1988. I built this in 1988, before all of the upgraded parts were made available aftermarket. Now you can get metal engines, brake rotors, and other parts, however, I'm pleased enough with how this turned out that I see no need to upgrade, although an upgraded engine would be nice. The engine always looked a little toylike to me. Later, they came out with a Spyder, which was available in black, white, or red. I believe the coupe may also have been available in all three colors, as I have seen a black coupe.

 

[Blackthornone]

Here is a photo of the engine compartment of a model that someone else built and didn't paint, to give you an idea of the difference that my painting made over the stock model look. The other model is white.

 

[Atheris]

Wow dude, you went through some serious time and trouble to make this thing perfect...and it shows! The detail you put into this is amazing! If I could shake your hand right now I would. I was offered to get the spyder in white by my supplier. Fully assembled and even came with its own display case. But I declined because I ended up getting amalgams 1:8 Gallardo instead. The Testarossa has always been one of my favs from ferrari growing up. I use to work for Ferrari of Ontario for 2 years (years ago) and then went on to work for Lamborghini of Toronto later on. I've driven many testas in my time in the car business. And I must say....I hated them all. They drove like trucks and they were pretty dam slow (despite being 12 bangers). BUT, they were very pretty cars to look at and always impressed the ladies when I pulled up to a club with them lol. I may consider getting one of these to add to the collection in the future. However, my allegiance lies with Lamborghini. I've always been a Lambo nut...since I was a kid. Most of my car collection is nothing but Lamborghini. But the Testa holds a special place for me. When I was 12 years old a black Testarossa was the first exotic car I ever got a ride in by a friend of my dad. The experience is something I'll never forget. Which is why I love this car so much.
But then I got a ride in a Countach.....after that.....I was a changed man forever lol

Chris

 

[Blackthornone]

Wow dude, you went through some serious time and trouble to make this thing perfect...and it shows! The detail you put into this is amazing! If I could shake your hand right now I would. I was offered to get the spyder in white by my supplier. Fully assembled and even came with its own display case. But I declined because I ended up getting amalgams 1:8 Gallardo instead. The Testarossa has always been one of my favs from ferrari growing up. I use to work for Ferrari of Ontario for 2 years (years ago) and then went on to work for Lamborghini of Toronto later on. I've driven many testas in my time in the car business. And I must say....I hated them all. They drove like trucks and they were pretty dam slow (despite being 12 bangers). BUT, they were very pretty cars to look at and always impressed the ladies when I pulled up to a club with them lol. I may consider getting one of these to add to the collection in the future. However, my allegiance lies with Lamborghini. I've always been a Lambo nut...since I was a kid. Most of my car collection is nothing but Lamborghini. But the Testa holds a special place for me. When I was 12 years old a black Testarossa was the first exotic car I ever got a ride in by a friend of my dad. The experience is something I'll never forget. Which is why I love this car so much.
But then I got a ride in a Countach.....after that.....I was a changed man forever lol

Chris

Thanks, Chris! I really haven't met anyone who appreciates the model as much as I do other than you, so I am very gratified that you do. I did not always like the Testarossa so much. When I first saw the car, I thought it a bit boxy, and a little gaudy with the big cheese cutter grilles running down the side, but eventually, the car really grew on me.
I have to admit, Miami Vice is largely responsible for that.
I too, love the Countach, as it was my first favorite dream car, other than the 1966 Batmobile and the 57 Chevy. When I saw the Cannonball Run for the first time, I was very impressed with the black Countach streaking through the desert, and the wonderful sound of the V12 it had. However, my father got a chance to see these cars apart before, and he told me that the build quality was horrible, and the amount of body filler they used from the factory was atrocious. Fit and finish was really really bad. Apparently if you want a show quality Countach, you must have the body redone at considerable cost. I saw one at a car show and the area around the windows, particularly the door windows, looks like it was made by a 6th grader in his father's garage. It's really rough there. Now, if those little areas were improved, then that would really bring the car back up. Overall, the shape of the car is awesome, but I saw how "roomy" the interior was, with the doors open, and it didn't look like I would be able to fit in the car. I'm 6 feet, and the guy who owned the car was like 5'7, so I knew he fit, but me?? Mike Tyson had a white Countach that I saw at the Beverly Hills car show, back in 1990, I think, and he sold it because he couldn't fit.
Back to the Testarossa, I've never driven one, so I can't speak to it's feel other than in TDU, but I'll take your word for how it handles. In books I've read, it is explained that this Testarossa (as distinct from the 50's Testarossas, which were race cars) is not a sports car, but is actually a grand touring car. It is a car designed to basically take you some little cabin you have that is a few hours away for the weekend, with your significant other, and just enough luggage space for the weekend, and get you there quickly. It has to be warmed up for 15-20 minutes before driving, so it is impractical for a daily driver, and it is too heavy to compete with real sports cars of similar price, however, I like the car, and I think it would make a nice weekend cruiser, and look gorgeous doing it. The worst thing about the car IMO, is that the engine must be removed from the car every 35,000 miles for maintenance, at a cost of at least $5,000. I believe it is something to do with the silicon/aluminum alloy used for the cylinder walls.
Have you ever driven a 512 TR or a 512 M, and if so, how do they compare to the TR?

My favorite Ferraris are the 1957 Testarossa, the 1962 250 GTO, the 1984 Testarossa, the 1986 288 GTO, and the 1987 F40, particularly the Ferrari F40 LM. I also like the 1970 Daytona coupe. In my opinion, they stopped making real Ferraris when Mr. Ferrari passed away.