Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Ferrari F40 LM (Le Mans)  


Fujimi 1/24 plastic scale model car, kit Nr. 126456- inbox review

Ferrari F40 LM - The history.

While Ferrari never originally intended for the F40 to go racing, a number of individuals with the wherewithal to put the car on the track quickly realized the F40’s racing potential. Daniel Marin, of Charles Pozzi SA, successfully lobbied Ferrari to authorize Michelotto to produce a series of racing examples that adhered to IMSA rules, giving the world’s fastest production car a chance to earn its keep on the race track.
  This limited-production Ferrari, dubbed the F40 LM, for Le Mans, would be much more radical, exclusive, and exciting than the already intense F40 in every way. The chassis had work done to it and it was fitted with a way more aggressive body kit as well as race inspired front and rear wings.
Brakes, suspension and gearbox as well as wider wheels and tires were all part of the LM treatment. If you can believe they even found a way to strip even more out of the already stripped our F40 interior. In a further effort to save weight, the F40’s distinctive flip-up headlights were replaced with fixed lamps behind Lexan covers. The Ferrari F40 LM weighed just 2,314 pounds (1050 kg.).
  Developed for competition by Michelotto of Padova on behalf of the factory, the LM sported a reinforced chassis, even more aggressive bodywork including a deeper front air dam and larger, cockpit adjustable rear wing, a racing interior, stiffer suspension, up-rated brakes, competition gearbox, wider wheels and a specially prepared engine producing between 850-900bhp.



Ferrari F40 LM – The kit

   The Ferrari F40 LM kit comes in medium, top opening box with bright red color and beautifully drawn F40 as box art.  On the side of the box, there is a color chart and a statement that this is Ferrari certifies product. NICE! The kit number is 126456. This kit is issued in 2016.
  Inside the box You will find the body of the car as a separate part, four solid plastic sprues, one transparent sprue, rubber tires, two photo etch frets, brass rod, two sets of poly caps, self-adhesive fabric sheet, paper masks, a decal sheet and the instructions. 


Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Ferrari F40 LM – The instructions

The instructions come in single sheet, folded to form 6 pages. On the first page, you will find decal/photo etch emblems placement guide and some stuff on Japanese. On the second page, there are the color callouts as well as the part tree schemes. The construction takes 12 steps, most of which are quite complex.

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Ferrari F40 LM – Closer inspection

The body
The body of the Ferrari F40 LM’s 1/24 scale model is molded in white plastic nicely capturing the lines of the actual hyper car. This body differs from the “normal” Ferrari F40 body in several aspects and they are all depicted very well. The front turn indicators are molded in the body as well as the hood release latches. The rear vents located behind the rear wheel and the lower sill intakes are blanked off but the should be opened, all other inlets or vents are open. The F40 letters engraved in the base of the rear wing are nicely reproduced. There is indentation in the nose of the F40 to accommodate the Ferrari badge and ensure correct alignment. Unfortunately, there is quite a lot of flash present almost everywhere.  

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Sprue A
On the first sprue is located the floor of the car with the lower suspension molded on it as well as some part of the differential. The brakes are also located on this sprue. The brake rotors and the calipers are molded together. All four rotors are drilled, the rear brakes have separate calipers for the parking brake. On the back side of the brakes there are four ejector pins on each piece. The suspension elements are quite nicely represented, but flash is everywhere. The two radiators on this sprue are a bit oversimplified with the front surface represented only as raised ribs. The seats are also located on this sprue. They are two but the instructions say only one should be used, although from what I can see on the internet most existing cars are with two seats. The harnesses are molded on the seats, which is very inconvenient as the kit provides with cloth and photo etch harnesses. The removal of the molded details won't be very easy task. The instrument panel is provided as separate part from the dashboard. What is awkward is the fact that the instrument panel is representing the one from the "regular" Ferrari F40, with analog dials. Where in this kit we should have digital "race" style instrument panel as in the real F40 LM. The facia of the digital instruments is provided on the decals, but the openings on the plastic part should be filled. On this sprue there are also the steering wheel, the gear lever, the exhaust system to the silencer (with the turbo), the interior portion of the steering column and some wheel nuts.

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review





Sprue B
On this sprue the most obvious part is the cockpit tub. Along with that here is the engine, or at least part of it, molded together with some of the chassis and part of the gearbox. That strange part is done like that probably because not much will be seen trough the rear glass. Also here are the door cards, the dashboard, the intake manifold together with the inter-cooler, the exhaust pipes, another turbine and the rear bumper/diffusor for the "normal" Ferrari F40.

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Sprue C
  Here the parts are specific for the Ferrari F40 LM kit. On the sprue you will find the electronics unit that goes onto the rear bulkhead, the fire extinguisher bottle, the F40 LM rear bumper/diffusor, the rear wing, cabin fresh air intake, a radiator and a rear view mirror (which have a pretty big sink mark). This sprue is molded in white plastic.
   
Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review    Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Rims and tires

  The rims are F40 LM specific, the rears are slightly wider than the fronts (that's true for the tires as well). The color of the plastic is pretty impressive, it looks much, much better than the usual high shine chrome. It is possible to use the rims as they are.
  The tires are slicks and there is no sidewall details. The tires look rather good.


Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review 

Sprue G
  This is the transparent parts sprue. The windshield is together with the side windows which have sliding openings molded in. The plastic is a bit thick and have quite a lot of distortion. The rear winow is slotted ( as it should be) but the slots are flashy and not big enough so some sanding will be necessary. The tranparent portion between the cockpit and the engine bay is also provided. The front light lenses and the lights are done quite well, as are the tail lights. Unfortunately for neither of those you will have any help for the alignment. The lenses will need polishing.

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review



Photo etch frets
  The first photo etched fret is the same for the whole Ferrari F40 kit range of Fujimi. Here are the Ferrari crests, the Pininfarina logo and Ferrari letters as well as parts for the seat belt, the net for the back end of the car and a general purpose net.  

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

  The second fret is Ferrari F40 LM specific. It contains mostly elements for the upgraded aero package of the F40 LM as well as racing style filler caps and a tow hook. 

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

The Decals
  There is one small decal sheet, provided with this kit, containing 9 decals in total. Several Ferrari badges, a few analog instruments, the digital instrument panel and a circuit backer board is what you will get as decals. They are with satin finish and generally have nice appearance.

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Other things
Further more you get paper masks, but they are not diecut, also two sets of poly caps and a metal rod to connect the rear wheels. A nice surprise for me was the self adhesive fabric piece that is to be used for the seat belts. The fabric looks true to scale ( or at least as close as possible).

Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox reviewFerrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review  Ferrari F40 LM, 1/24 Fujimi, kit nr. 126456 - inbox review

Conclusion

This 1/24 scale Ferrari F40 LM kit offers quite a lot of "bang for the buck" (I bought it from e-bay for less than 25 euro) and there are just a few, minor issues with it. I am really happy to have it in my stash and frankly can't wait to start building it. For sure this can be top quality scale model even done OOB.

Best regards and happy modelling.
Metodi Metodiev

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