MFH 1/24th AC Cobra.

This is my next build, was planning another Ferrari but when MFH came out with a Cobra I had a change of mind as I’ve always wanted to build a V8 and this one looks very good.
I’ve checked and separated all the parts and there’s lovely Crisp castings, lots of detail, nicely machined parts and a good choice of decals for three different versions in this kit alone.
This is kit version C but I’m reliably told by Hiro that A,B & C are identical except decals and all include parts for a road car and several race versions.
I will be building mine as a generic race car and will use various options to create my dream Cobra but don’t expect a thriller with this WIP as some of you will know from my finished Ferrari 330 P4 in the gallery; I’m not in any rush.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0669.jpg

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I think I'm jealous. It's been a while since i built a MFH kit... After I built one I was amazed by the final weight of all that white metal. They really make a beautiful kit. Oh no, now I've got the itch. The wife is not going to be pleased.:eek:

I look forward to seeing your progress.

Awesome! I will be following this one closely!

Here’s the first update on my Cobra build.
I wanted to make this car look like it had been used and not just sat in an air conditioned garage, so I started with cleaning up all the engine parts as normal assembling various sub assemblies and painting and or polishing them. I then gave all the parts a very thin black wash before giving them a coat of satin lacquer. I’ve made fuel pipes & throttle linkage and will add plug leads later. I hope I’ve achieved the right look?
I’ve also built the wheels, added tyre valves & weathered them in the same way. I’m still waiting for a Goodyear stencil to finish the tyres & put them on the rims.
I hope to carry on the weathered theme with the chassis but would appreciate any advice anybody may have on this as I’ve never attempted anything like this before.

Hope you like it.

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more pics

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Love the engine, looking supurb, this is one kit I have been thinking of getting, I love the Cobras. When they bought this kit out I was very tempted, will watch this with great interest, great photos aswell.

Great progress! How's the fit/quality of the kit?

Really nice build till now!
engine looks great

Jamme

Stunning work, Lee :thumbsup:

You have achieved the look you were after and surpassed it IMO
The air intake assembly looks first class and so does the rest.
How well will that jewel of an engine be visible after final assembly?

Very interesting technique with the satin clear - thanks for sharing, What kind of clear did you use/

Thanks for the comments guys,

In answer to your questions: I used Humbrol enamel 135 satin and applied it with an airbrush 50/50 mix.

So far the fit has been better than any other MFH kit I've built and I've built a few. You pay alot of money for these kits but expect alot of work and compared to other makers, I still think these are the best.

The Chassis next!

Cheers, Lee

Sorry Klutz, Forgot to say that the kit has opening doors trunk and hood, so the engine can be displayed pretty well.

Fantastic jon and very interesting the tip of the satin clear: it would rend the "well used" look but also protect polished metal a bit from fingerprints.

Wow, this looks great. Nice engine-work.
Any comments on the body? Is it as crisp as all the other MFH-bodies? Good luck with the rest of this build. I will keep an eye on this thread, for sure.

Robert

The body work is molded in a lighter material than you normally see with MFH kits but has opening panels and is very clean & high quality.

thanks for looking, Lee

Well it's been a long time since an update. We had a fire at work and my PC was damaged along with the model and modelling tools.
As I've not had access to a computer I've finished all the parts and am in the process of assembly, so have taken pictures along the way and will now post as it comes together.

I've wheathered the interior using matt bare metal foil and overpainting with satin black and wheathering kits to try and achieve the worn look I was after.

More to follow in a few days.

Cheers.

Terrific start. Engine looks awesome!

Excellent progress, very realistic looking engine! :thumbsup:

I love what you are doing with this kit! Keep the updates coming! :thumbsup:

Great job. Knowing Hiro metal castings, you really had to do some heavy polishing to get that engine so nice.

Tom Tanner/Ferrari Expo 2009 model contest( includes Cobra's)

Sorry for the delay with the pictures, I ran out of time!

More soon.http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0831.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0824.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0822.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0833.jpghttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0816.jpg

More pictures.http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0833.jpg
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Excellent weathering techniques :thumbsup:
Extremely convincing, I particularly like the seats and foot wells :)

Impressive! Is the seat belt hardware from the kit or after market?

Hi Mark,
The seatbelt hardwear is all in the kit, however they don't give you any idea as to how it should look. Even the example on Hiro's site is wrong.
I searched the web and found pictures of what I needed to make the lap belts but there are parts to make a full harness but that wouldn't really suit this build.

Cheers,
Lee

Excellent weathering! I love how you did those foot wells. :thumbsup:

Awesome, keep the updates coming!

Here are a few more pictures. Progress slowed due to fit problems, in particular getting the body over the chassis is very tight and I wanted to make sure I could do it prior to painting the body.
The Viking blue paint has arrived from Zero paints in what can only be described as a brilliant service.
The tyres were stenciled and wheathered as the before after shot shows.

Thanks for looking.
Lee

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0837.jpg

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Fantastic!
I like the "almost abused" appeal in the interiors, and the contrast with the immaculate engine: very cool .

Very nice weathering! Interior looks quite used, I especially like the seats! magnificent work!

I agree with the guys, looks spectacular.

Very nice. I love the Tamiya weathering kit. You did a superb job.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2009 model contest

Your weathering techniques achieve a very realistic finish. I'm just finishing off my Revell Cobra and it's nice to see so much detail in your build. Looking forward to seeing the bodywork.

I’ve been working on the body for a while now and one or two other details.
The body was cleaned, primed with Alclad primer and microfiller painted with Zero Paints Viking Blue, decals applied and then topped with Zero pre thinned lacquer; all of which were supplied by Hiroboy and proved easy to use.
I’ve yet to polish the body but want to avoid a deep shine as I don’t think it looks realistic on a race car of this era, especially one that should look used.
Other decals will be added on top of the lacquer but I’m not yet sure about adding numbers to the roundels, any opinions on that would be welcome.
Cheers, Leehttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/IMG_0854.jpg
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You're right about the shine of the body. I think it looks correct and gorgeous as it is now.

About the numbers, It is a matter of taste, but if you are planning a "used" look, I would add them. The circles would look strange without them.

GREAT work! I can't wait to see this one finished!

What an absolutely gorgeous colour! I agree about putting numbers on. Plain circles look odd :p

i think it'll be ok with plain roundals.
usually the numbers aren't applied until race day so you do occasionally see cars with blank roundals running around.

http://www.inwestycjealternatywne.pl/UserFiles/image/Ac%20Cobra%201.jpg

http://www.fast-autos.net/potd/0523.jpg

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Lovely work, Lee.

I think the exhausts look pretty darn good!

TBH I think it works both with and without numbers in the roundels - you just need to make up your own "story" :)

Fantastic, Lee!
I like a lot plain roundels too on vintage sportcars.

Superb! That body is going to look sweet once you clear it!

Thanks for all your kind words guys, still not sure about numbers. Thanks also for the great photos!

Excellent work.
I like the no number look.
Chris

I must say that this thread is a great advert for the kit - because your making it look soooo good. Brilliant job on the weathering, just superb.

Inspirational and motivating. :worshippy

Thankyou all again for the comments........I think the no numbers look wins so I'll go with that.......unless I change my mind. :confused: :confused: :confused:

Cheers guys.

Lee

Finished! full pictures are in the gallery.

Cheers, Lee

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk305/fenshurst/032.jpg

Sweet!!! :worshippy