Hasegawa

1/24 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa "1958 Le Mans"

Kit Number: 20242

Reviewed by  Jack Kennedy, IPMS# 12511

MSRP: $51.00 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com I have been a Ferrari fan since early childhood. I have loved most of them but the 1958 250 Testa Rossa happens to be one of my favorite. This is the pontoon fendered one that scored many wins back in the late 1950s. Hasegawa has seen first to produce a kit of this wonderful car in 1/24 scale. This kit may be built as one of four that raced at Le Mans in 1958. The kit consists of 140 very well cast parts as is usual for Hasegawa. In addition to the plastic parts are rubber tires and a score of photo-etched parts. To begin with the Ferrari V-12 is a work of art and Hasegawa have reproduced it perfectly in about 20 parts. The distributors (2) even have the back cut out in case the modeler wishes to add the wiring. I painted the engine steel but the "Red Head" was painted with a semi matt red and dull coated to produce the Ferrari crackle finish as on all "Testa Rossas". I then dry brushed over the Ferrari name with MM silver acrylic.

The suspension came next. If the instructions are followed carefully, the wheels will turn and also steer. All of the parts fit perfectly even when pre painted. I sprayed the chassis semi gloss MM acrylic black and then added the suspension assemblies. I was thrilled to note that the tubular frame was included in this kit. I painted the seats with Andrea Napoleonic Red and then carefully painted the white piping on them. This was probably the most difficult part of building this kit. I painted the body with Duplicolor Light Gray Primer and then gave it several coats of Duplicolor Bright White lacquer. When I painted the body, I had attached the hood with Blue Tac from underneath to get a uniform color overall. I painted the interior of the car with MM Flat Black. I was hoping that the black would not show through the white but I guess I put enough coats of the white that this wasn't a problem. I thought that the headlight covers would be a problem so I gave them and the windshield a coat of Future Floor Wax and let them dry overnight. The final assembly was just a little tricky as inserting the chassis into the body was a tight fit. The exhaust system fit together nicely if the instructions are followed carefully. Once all the major parts were in place, I added the headlight covers and the windshield. The Future Floor Wax allowed me to use CA glue without fogging the parts. The decals went on like a dream. The only tricky part was the blue stripe over the carb hump. If I had any complaint about this kit, it would be that the wire wheels were too thick and chromed. The real wire wheels were thin wire and the whole wheel was a steel color. To get away from the chrome look, I coated the wheels with dullcoat and this seemed to make it look right. Overall, I really loved this kit. It was a pleasure to build. I am even planning to buy another one and paint it Ferrari Red. I built it straight out of the box but next time I will use the photo-etched parts and wire the ignition. I will also allow the hood to open to show off the beautiful engine. Would I recommend this kit to others? You bet. I already have praised it to other modelers. Now if Hasegawa would only make a Birdcage Maserati in this scale and with this much detail, I will be in heaven. Thanks to Dragon Models USA, Hasegawa and IPMS/USA for giving me this wonderful kit to build.