Ferrari F310B, Eddie Irvine

1/20th Scale Ferrari F310B, Eddie Irvine


Modeling Descriptions and Photos

This is yet another beautifully engineered Tamiya's 1/20th scale Ferrari F310b kit which was released during late year of 1997. I hope to build this kit with a full of details and many scratch-built parts.

The Ferrari F310b raced during the 1997 Grand Prix season and Michael Schumacher drove it wonderfully almost winning the world championship title if he had not collide with Villeneuve's Renault powered Williams at the Portugal, Estoril track.

Eventually, Villeneuve finished the race and Schumacher was forced to retired due to a car damage and that was the championship title deciding incident for F310b and Schumacher.

At any rate, I am going to build it as the Eddie Irvine's car with "extra" down-force aerodynamics. This will make this model very rare and special since most of modelers out there will build Schumacher's version. ^_^


The Engine Detailing View

I start out the building process by assembling the engine parts; I am already adding electronic wires and oil pick up pipes. The silver headers were polished to bring out a bright shine.



Continuing the Engine Detailing View

I was lucky enough to find many reference photos of the engine, I built exhaust pipes and added more detailing parts. I did not cover the assembly of monocoque and the painting process of this car here. I am writing another article for this web site titled "How to build your own Ferrari" to cover everything in detail. ^_^



The Engine Mounting View #1

More wires, more pipes, and more painting!



The Engine Mounting View #2

The electronics and computers are mounted on the side. I added communication data cables to add a realism to the car. The wiring work is tedious and sometime tiring...



The Completed Engine View

I am happy with how the engine turned out now. It took me quite of time to get this far. I used colorful wires to make things stand out; otherwise most of these wires should have been black (that would be boring).



Scratch Building Aerodynamics

I cut out a 3/8th "Plastruct" sheet and scratch built side aerodynamic components. These side aerodynamics were used on G.P. tracks where higher down force was required for maximum grip. The scratch built side aerodynamics were measured carefully to fit correctly to the car.


Test Fitting Aerodynamics

I am testing fitting the side aerodynamics. I couldn't help notice that my cat was sleeping so peacefully, I had to take a snap! ^_^



Completing the Attachment of Side Aerodynamics

The both sides of aerodynamics were mounted. I think the side fins are bit higher than what I expected. I will come back and fix these later.



Ready for Clearcoat Application

At this time, I warm up the car with 60W light stand for about 20 minutes. The same goes for the clearcoat mixture paint itself as well. I noticed when things are warm, the paint applies much easier! It's cold during the winter months of Chicago, and this is what I do to help the painting process.



An Iniital Clearcoat View

The initial clearcoat came out the be satisfying. I will be applying two more coats in next two days.



The Toe-In Set Up?

I made my own steering rod because the Tamiya's part is bit long and it doesn't quite set up the car's front suspension correctly. I used a steel wire and scratch built the "C" clip. With my part, the car will have a slight toe-in set up. I will make sure I add a correct camber setting as well.



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