FDS 1/43 1956 Lancia-Ferrari F.1
Kit Number: 10
Price: $15.00
Media: White Metal and rubber
Decals: None
Reviewer: Scott Van Aken
Date of Review:28 August 1997
The Lancia-Ferrari was the scourge of the 1956 Grand Prix Circuit. Powered by a 2.5 liter Ferrari engine, this car, with its distinctive side pods must have been a glorious sight to behold as it screamed around corners on its skinny tires.
The FDS kit is very typical of white metal kits, with minimal interior details and simple construction. The instructions consist of a photo of the built-up kit and an exploded diagram showing were the bits fit. Basic, but very useable. After proper preparation and priming, it makes into a wonderful replica. I found that this kit needed a bit more cleanup than others, primarily around the lower sections. I actually had to use a file to eliminate some of the rougher features. The interior detail is a bit more than other FDS kits I have built with pipes and some framework on the floorpan, but it still has the see through effect of other kits. Again the only interior parts are the seat, steering wheel and gearshift.
The suspension is glued to the floor pan and the wheels cemented to the
suspension. I think FDS did a great job with the wire wheels on this
kit. They look great and were left unpainted. The body was painted
Ferrari red (Testors paint) and the exterior bits added. These consist
of the exhaust on either side of the car, the fuel filler cap, mirrors and
the windscreen mount with windscreen. This last item has disappeared over the years so is not in the photo. All FDS kits come with a hole in the
bottom for a self-tapping screw should you wish to build the kit in this
manner. I chose superglue. The kit came with decals but they were brittle
and unusable although I did rescue the Ferrari emblems. Other
decals were scrounged from the spares box.
Another delightful kit from FDS. The photo is about twice normal size. A bit basic, but a fine introduction to the world of 1/43 car kits.
P.S. Not sure why all the speckling on the paint as the car was dusted prior to photographing it and it really is a solid red.