Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa lives on. For me, it was not the prettiest Ferrari, but it always had an imposing presence.
The Testarossa is not just a 40 year old car, but this 1/18th scale model is also 40 years old. It was my first ever scale model (not counting Matchbox cars) and became the first of a small 5 model collection that was displayed for quite a few years, then spent years packed away in boxes until recently. This was probably one of the earliest models made by the company Bburago and this one was even made in Italy! At the time, I believe it only cost me $18-00. Now they are upwards of $120-00. Although these early models were a little rough in some areas, they were excellent in others, such as tyres which featured not only the brand name on the sidewalls, but all the rim sizing and cross section details! (Michelin 280/45 VR 415 on this model to be precise). I was shocked to see it looking pretty sad, dull and faded today when I picked it up to study it, so it has a thorough restoration job this afternoon, including being dismantled to repaint of some of the interior which differed from the original intended colour, and had a full wash and finally a polish with Turtle Wax. The windows were almost opaque and badly yellowed, and needed a lot of work, but are clear and shining now. Worthy of a special photo shoot tonight!
This was also a little lighting experiment, courtesy of a small cool white LED desk lamp held in various positions to bring out some of the Ferrari's more dramatic lines.
I think this will be the first of many restoration jobs, as the rest of the older models suddenly look a bit tired now! That'll keep me (and Dougie) busy for a while!
Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa lives on. For me, it was not the prettiest Ferrari, but it always had an imposing presence.
The Testarossa is not just a 40 year old car, but this 1/18th scale model is also 40 years old. It was my first ever scale model (not counting Matchbox cars) and became the first of a small 5 model collection that was displayed for quite a few years, then spent years packed away in boxes until recently. This was probably one of the earliest models made by the company Bburago and this one was even made in Italy! At the time, I believe it only cost me $18-00. Now they are upwards of $120-00. Although these early models were a little rough in some areas, they were excellent in others, such as tyres which featured not only the brand name on the sidewalls, but all the rim sizing and cross section details! (Michelin 280/45 VR 415 on this model to be precise). I was shocked to see it looking pretty sad, dull and faded today when I picked it up to study it, so it has a thorough restoration job this afternoon, including being dismantled to repaint of some of the interior which differed from the original intended colour, and had a full wash and finally a polish with Turtle Wax. The windows were almost opaque and badly yellowed, and needed a lot of work, but are clear and shining now. Worthy of a special photo shoot tonight!
This was also a little lighting experiment, courtesy of a small cool white LED desk lamp held in various positions to bring out some of the Ferrari's more dramatic lines.
I think this will be the first of many restoration jobs, as the rest of the older models suddenly look a bit tired now! That'll keep me (and Dougie) busy for a while!