Scale Ferrari

Building a Grandson’s Formula 1 Ferrari

By John White of Fife, Scotland

When the first grandson arrives, any grandfather knows he now has the chance to fulfill the dreams he had as a boy. A Formula 1 racing car would do for starters. A small model purchased for £4 was the starting point. The car will be ready for his third birthday so plenty of time (or so I thought).

To mold the body parts, a plug was made from large lumps of wood. This took many hours of careful carving, sanding, and finishing to achieve a shape I was finally happy with. Once the plug was shaped, I faired it using WEST SYSTEM® 105/205 thickened with 410 Microlight. Then I coated the plug with several coats of WEST SYSTEM 105/205 to seal the wood and create a gloss finish.

Due to the shape of the plug, it was designed so that it could be separated into various sections. Separate lay-ups or moldings were made over the plug’s various body parts, which were then joined together into one final molding and faired to a suitable finish prior to painting. These body moldings were made using WEST SYSTEM epoxy and WEST SYSTEM Episize™ Glass Fabrics. The finished moldings were faired with WEST SYSTEM 105/205 thickened with 410 Microlight.

Over the course of the project, the building of a scale model Formula 1 Ferrari quickly changed from just making a child’s toy. The design and construction of all the mechanical parts became increasingly complex as did the fitting of them into such a small space. Therefore, the one piece of advice I can offer is that this model should have been to a much larger scale suitable for say a 6- to 10-year-old, which would have created much more space inside the moldings for all the electrical and mechanical components.

Many thanks must go to Richard Mace at Marine & Industrial LLP and Hamish Cook and David Johnston at Wessex Resins & Adhesives Limited.

The Ferrari's completed chassis prior to receiving its fiberglass body.

The Ferrari’s completed chassis prior to receiving its fiberglass body.

The scale model Ferrari's plug was designed to come apart in sections. Epoxy/fiberglass body parts were laid up directly on the plug sections, then assembled and faired

The scale model Ferrari’s plug was designed to come apart in sections. Epoxy/fiberglass body parts were laid up directly on the plug sections, then assembled and faired