Background:

I'd bought this kit cheap to use its wheels on another build, and I thought I might as well build up the rest of it - in the end borrowing wheels from another unbuilt kit to do so (the F430 challenge). It is a nice looking Ferrari if not their best, and I use one in this colour scheme a lot in Gran Turismo 7. It makes a change from building a red one.

Kit review:

Pros:

It's a good shape and for the most part fits together perfectly. The wheels have a nice plating effect, the transparent parts very shiny and clear and on the whole it's a joy to build.

Cons:

Body moulded in red - ugh but understandable given how many will be painted that colour. Interior moulded in red - double ugh. I had a struggle with the body over the chassis at the end, once the interior was all in place, and while the front and everything from the engine backwards are OK, the chassis bulges downwards a little right behind the front wheels, although it's not visible in photos. The mountings for the door mirrors are pathetically small. The chassis/suspension has a low level of detail, although this does keep the kit simple.

Verdict:

It's a very very good kit and an easy and enjoyable build. Whenever this kit was engineered, it was when Fujimi had put their "it'll do" period behind them. As a kit, this Fujimi F430 is as good as Fujimi's F355 is bad.

Build notes:

Built over the course of about 4 weeks in January/February 2024. Changed the wheels for the ones from the F430 challenge kit (only difference is - these are centre lock). Added scratch-built B-pillars and some wiring to the engine, otherwise built as-is. Painted with Tamiya TS-50 Mica blue, with the interior painted in Hycote Vauxhall Mustard Yellow. For whatever reason, this particular build is a total dust magnet and proves quite stubborn to let all of it go.

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