Record 1/43 Ferrari 330 GTS Spyder

The Ferrari 330 was a series of V12 powered automobiles produced by Ferrari in 2+2 GT Coupé, two-seat Berlinetta, spyder, and race car versions between 1963 and 1968.

The first, the 2+2 330 America, was a 250 GT/E with a larger 3.3 litre engine; the 330 GTC/GTS shared its chassis with the 275; the 330 GT 2+2 had its own chassis and bodywork; the mid-engined 330P racer was part of the Ferrari P series, produced in four models. Production ended in 1968 with the introduction of the Ferrari 365 series.

All 330 models used an evolution of the 400 Superamerica's 4.0 L Colombo V12 engine. It was substantially changed, with wider bore spacing and an alternator replacing a generator.

The 330 GTC and 330 GTS were more like their 275 counterparts than the 330 GT 2+2. They shared the short wheelbase of the 275 as well as its independent rear suspension. These models were more refined than earlier Ferraris, quieter and easier to drive. It has been stated that this "was probably the first Ferrari in which you could actually enjoy a radio".

The GTC berlinetta was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1966. It was a two-seater coupé with a Pininfarina-designed body. A 1967 GTC was given one-off bodywork by Zagato at the behest of American importer Luigi Chinetti in 1974. This car was called the "Zagato Convertibile", since it was of a targa-style.

The GTS spider followed at the Paris Motor Show. About 600 coupés and 100 spiders were produced before the 1968 introduction of the 365 GTC and GTS.

I will readily admit that I like 1/43 car kits. In fact, if I actually complete a car kit, odds are that it is in 1/43. They are generally simple to build, nicely detailed and take up very little space. Generally, I concentrate on racers, but I found some very nice street sports cars on e-paid at quite reasonable prices so I went for them.

This is one of them. It is a convertible, which is also something I generally don't build, but it looks particularly nice. Interestingly, many of the kit makers who switched from cast metal to resin many years back were based in France. I say were for I believe most of them have since gone out of business. This particular one is by Record and is quite typical of the genre.

The major components are in resin, it comes with metal wheels and detail bits, rubber tires and a vacuform windscreen. I have left all the small pieces in the bag to keep from losing them. Unusually, this kit came without any instructions. Normally they are included, but perhaps that is why this and the others I bought were so inexpensive.

The resin pieces usually have some flash, especially in the window openings, and they have pour stubs and mold seams that will need taken care of. The pour stubs are generally very small and included in the metal parts are bumpers, wheels, axles, screws to hold the underside to the body, exhaust pipes, and headlight bezels. Since this is a French company, the headlights are yellow clear plastic. A plastic steering wheel is included and there is a small photo etch fret with windscreen wipers. Additional resin pieces are wheel inserts and a cover for the folded top.

Finding interior and exterior color information is truly not an issue as there are lots of photos on the Internet to help out. As you can see, the casting on the resin is actually very good and based on other kits I've built from Record, this one should be rather trouble-free and make a nice model.  As you can see from the photo, Ferraris don't have to be red.

If you are interested in building a collection of exotic cars, would like to get involved in doing multi-media kits, don't want to spend a lot of money or take months to finish a kit, these would be well worth looking into.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_330#330_GTC.2FGTS

May 2017

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