1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Finished models...
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whatisdeletrazdoing
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1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by whatisdeletrazdoing »

Hello all,
Here is a build I finished up a couple months ago but neglected to take photos of. This is the lovely Ferrari D50, as raced by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1956 Italian Grand Prix. The Lancia D50 with the separate sidepods is my absolute favorite F1 car, and the Ferrari D50 with blended sidepods is not far off. So when modellwerke on this forum posted an old build of the Merit kit on the sale thread, I had to get it.

Here is what I started with:

Image

It was a bit of a glue bomb, but it was bare plastic and I didn't need to strip any paint. I got the car back apart and added some details. The first order of business was to build an interior. Since the cockpit opening is large, there's a lot to see. I replicated the spaceframe with some extra sprue using the MFH 1/12 release as a guide. I then added some interior siding/shielding using a Coke can. I broke the windshield, and it was rather thick to begin with, so I built a new one using the thin, clear plastic for the portholes of the Tamiya 1/20 P34. Once I got the car back together, I painted the car with Tamiya lacquer and used the a set of lovely IndyCals. After that, the car sat for over a year while I contemplated what to do about the crummy clear disk wheels. I decided to sent Fernando Pinto an email and purchase as set of his wonderful wire wheels. These are from his D50 kit, so they're exactly right. To finish it off, I mounted the wheels to the car using the original Merit knock-offs.

Here is the finished product:
Image

Here is a photo which shows some of the interior detail, including the gear shift I scratchbuilt from a paper clip and a glob of super glue. Also visible in this photo are the fuel tank welds around the rear of the bodywork that I made using a bead of C/A glue before painting.
Image

This photo shows the rear suspension I had to scratchbuild using a set of brass rods to replicate the rocker arms. It's not 100% accurate, but it's close enough for me.
Image

I also rebuilt the exhaust with some plastic rod, but I'm not super happy with it. In the future I may replace it with metal rods.
Image

The front end. The nosecone originally had the radiator molded solid in the opening. I cut it out and replaced with a reshaped radiator from the spares box.
Image

Thanks for looking!
Jake
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smirkoff
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by smirkoff »

Great job in this very simple model! Your idea to use Fernando Pinto's lovely wheels really made the kit come to life. I would only recommend you to scratchbuild the mirrors, they're a important part of the overall look of the car. Love this car, too. I must go back to my work in my Revival D50, which was so close to finish...
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whatisdeletrazdoing
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by whatisdeletrazdoing »

smirkoff wrote:Great job in this very simple model! Your idea to use Fernando Pinto's lovely wheels really made the kit come to life. I would only recommend you to scratchbuild the mirrors, they're a important part of the overall look of the car. Love this car, too. I must go back to my work in my Revival D50, which was so close to finish...
Oh dang, I completely forgot about the mirrors! I'll build some this weekend.
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by Daryl_Huhtala »

Nicely done!. I'm nearly finished with my D50. I also have the Pinto wheels. Just need the wheels windscreen and mirrors installed.
SUMUS QUOD SUMUS
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marlborored
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by marlborored »

Very nice job...a huge improvement over what it was!
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by vekkuli »

Veryv exciting Build :) .
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by Indy1977TX »

It looks great and the MFH instructions as a guide was a smart move. Nice job with the detail work, it adds a lot to this looking so good.

Jordan
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Re: 1/24 Merit Ferrari D50 - 1956 Italian Grand Prix

Post by Teles »

Very nice work!
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