Building the MFH Testa Rossa

I thought it might be useful for my fellow modelers to provide a step by step overview of how to build a
Model Factory Hiro (MFH) kit. The 1/12th scale model car kits put out by MFH from Japan are the most
detailed models that I have ever seen (including those by Pocher and Tamiya). All the wiring, brake
lines, mesh, upholstery, etc are provided. The fit is typically very good. Like the old Pocher classic kits,
wire wheels are spoked individually—time consuming, but the resulting wheels look fantastic. And the
instructions are excellent, complete with accurate painting instructions. The kits are expensive, thus
limiting the number of folks that can afford them. That said, each model can take months to build—so if
you can afford it, you might be able to justify the price on a value per day basis.

These kits represent a significant modeling challenge. I suspect that many folks buy these kits, but they
end up in the closet increasing in value (since only a limited number are produced). These kits are not
for the beginner, but someone with experience at model building. Large numbers of pieces are cast
metal, while the bodies and large interior pieces are resin. These materials provide some challenges,
notably the extensive cleaning required to remove residual release agents. You must use superglue or
epoxy to glue the pieces together. You must drill many holes to fit rivets, screws, and the various metal
parts. The windshields in these kits are made of vacuform or clear sheet plastic, which have to be
carefully cut out and then glued into position.

The high level of detail also requires extensive planning about painting, assembly, and the like. You
must study the highly detailed directions very carefully and then begin part preparation, assembly, and
painting. Building these kits requires many hours, but the results are, in my opinion, the most
impressive car models ever available to the hobbyist. You must also work hard to ensure that pieces fit
tightly and accurately—this can require some filing and adjustment. If one part of the car is not
positioned correctly, it can ripple throughout the assembly.

With that as background, let me begin with the MFH Ferrari Testa Rossa, a famous race car from the
1950s. The kit comes in the traditional MFH bright red box—all the resin parts are carefully wrapped to
avoid breakage. The metal parts are wrapped in shrinkwrap and must be extracted carefully—I typically
use a hobby knife to carefully cut through the layers and pull out the parts. The kit includes detailed
instructions, literally hundreds of metal parts, a dozen or so resin castings, wires, mesh, photo-etch
parts, several sheets of simulated leather for the seats and tonneau cover, small screws, and decals.

I also purchased many drill bits through Amazon: 0.5mm, 0.6mm, 0.8mm, 1.0 mm , 1.2mm, 1.5mm, and
2.0mm. You need multiple bits, since the drill bits get dull after time or break. I went through eight 1.0
mm drill bits and several of the 0.5mm bits in doing this kit. The 1.2mm drill is particularly important.
The screws used for assembly are 1.4mm in diameter. So for the metal parts, you drill the 1.2mm hole
and then use the screw to “self tap” the hole. For the resin parts, which are softer, I used the 1.0mm
drill. The bits from Amazon are fitted with a 1/8 inch shank, which makes it easier to hold tight in a pin
vise. That said, you can use a 3/64 for 0.8mm and 1/16th drill for 1.5mm holes, and 5/64ths for 2.0mm
holes—but I prefer the exact diameter from Amazon. I have multiple pin vises which I fit with the
appropriate drill bits—this saves time, since you don’t need to fit a new drill bit for each sized hole.

Other tools are a Dremel Moto-tool (to help clean up metal parts and other duties), hobby knives (I use
a No.16 blade to remove the seams on metal parts), sandpaper (for seam removal), superglue and
accelerator, 5 minute epoxy, and various tweezers. I use microclips, toothpicks, and 3M dual sided tape
to hold parts for airbrushing. I also use an Optivisor when working with very small parts, since my eyes
have deteriorated over time. The Optivisor provides magnification that helps a lot.

The resin parts have residue from the mold release used in manufacture. You must get rid of this or
your paint will not stick. I use Dawn detergent and scrub the parts with a toothbrush under warm
water. I typically repeat this three times for the resin parts to make sure I have eliminated the mold
release agent. For larger metal parts, I also clean using the same technique and then apply a clear metal
primer to improve paint adhesion.

For the metal parts, I use a magnetic tumbler tool. This has a plastic bowl filled with small stainless steel
rods. You put the metal parts in the bowl, add water and a drop of dish liquid, and run it for about 15
minutes. It cleans off any reside on the parts and also makes them shiny. I do this before sorting the
parts.

I also have a spray booth. This is very important when working with the various paints and thinners,
which are toxic. The spray booth vents the fumes outside. I enjoy painting models and the spray booth
is a vital tool for modeling. I typically use laquer thinner to clean my airbrush.

The final and most critical ingredient is patience. It can take weeks or months to assemble one of these
kits.

One additional consideration. You have to decide “what is good enough.” I have to draw the line at
some point as to how much time I will spend on a model. I am constantly humbled by seeing the work
of fellow modelers that is far beyond what I am able to do, even after decades of experience. But I do
work hard to finish the model, flaws and all. Some folks make a mistake, or don’t think that their work is
good enough—and then put the kit in the model closet. All models will have mistakes or errors—you
need to decide what the level of effort you want to put into the model. To give you an example, I will
prepare a part, prime it, and paint it. I then discover that I missed removing a part of seam. I make a
decision—live with it (heck, nobody will see it anyway) or fix it. All my models have a mix of this
approach—some things are perfect, others have flaws. But I finish the model. My building of the Testa
Rossa illustrates this. I made mistakes and the model has some blemishes. But it sure looks good sitting
on the shelf!

I hope you find the following assembly and painting overview helpful. MFH can produce only a limited
number of kits each year—and the number of people that can afford them (and have the skills to build
them) are limited as well. But if you have the means, the MFH kits provide exceptional modeling
satisfaction!

Figure 1

There are hundreds of metal parts in these kits. MFH provides photos of the parts on their website for
each kit. I paste the photos into Powerpoint slides and print them. Or you can look at the photos
directly on your computer. I use parts bins in a chest of drawers to hold all the pieces. You can
purchase these chest of drawers from the Container Store. My typical procedure is to locate all the
parts for each section on the instructions (using the pictures provided on the MFH website) and put
them in individual bins for each section in the instructions. This takes a considerable amount of time,
but you also learn if you have all the parts! If not, e-mail MFH and the company will send you the
missing piece. I have found MFH to be very responsive to requests for parts.

I first started on the engine and transmission. The metal parts were washed in the tumbler and let to
dry. I then removed the various mold lines. I also spent quite a bit of time drilling out the various holes
so that the nibs from the joining piece would fit well. It is quite important to study the directions
carefully so that you drill out all the relevant holes. For example, on the front of the engine at a later
stage you need to attach some hoses. It is easier to drill out everything before you paint.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to ensure a close fit. I then glued together the various sub-assemblies
with super glue and accelerator, then airbrushed the metal parts with metal primer. I then applied
Alclad Aluminum to the silver parts. The heads were first painted with Tamiya white primer and then a
coat of Tamiya XF-7. The results are shown in Figure XX below.

Figure XX

You can see how I use popsicle sticks and double sided tape to hold the parts for painting. For some
parts I use microclips with a brass rod inserted to hold when painting.
Figure XX shows the heads in the process of buildup. I inserted in red wires (not the black wire provided
in the kit), polished the two silver balls with my Dremel fitted with a wire brush, and then used very fine
sandpaper to sand off the red paint over the Ferrari logo. On the real car, the logo is painted red and
the balls are painted black, but I took some liberties.
Figure XX

Figure XX shows the completed head. Note I have inserted the tiny bolts around the exterior of the
head. These were polished using my wirebrush on the sprue and then removed and glued into position.
The bolts are tiny and I used my Optivisor so I could position them. Time consuming, but the results are
impressive. The sparkplug wires have been inserted into the cone shaped part—separate wires from
the distributor will be inserted later into a wide section of the cone. All the holes for these parts were
drilled before painting.

Now on to the chassis. Figure XX shows the main parts of the chassis—a large resin piece that is mated
with metal components for the front and rear suspension frames. MFH provides a full size template for
the rear frame, which I needed to bend to get it to fit correctly. I spent quite a bit of time getting it to
align correctly, since it will affect the fit of the entire vehicle. The front metal parts were glued in using
superglue; the rear section was attached with superglue and screws. In retrospect, I should have used
epoxy, since that provides a stronger bond that is less brittle than superglue. I also test fitted the engine
and drilled out the holes for the engine mounting bolts. In a previous MFH kit (the Ferrari 250 GTO), I
had failed to do this before painting and it proved quite a challenge to drill the holes and mount the
engine.

Figure XX shows what is looks like after painting. After assembly, I sprayed the metal sections with
metal primer, then airbrushed the whole chassis with Tamiya TS-29 (semi-gloss black). I typically decant
the paint from the spray can and then spray it through my airbrush, which has much finer control.

More recently, I have switched to Mr. Color laquer paints, which come in bottles so I don’t need to
decant from the spraycan. I have been very happy using the Mr Color line—I also use the Mr Color
thinner.
Here are the main pieces of the rear suspension. The axles and drive shaft were composed of two parts,
which I superglued together. I then used superglue as a filler and sanded off the excess to get a
seamless joint. The differential was painted with Alclad Aluminum—all the rest with Tamiya TS-29.
Here is the rear suspension when assembled.
Here are the parts for the front suspension. Before painting, I spent quite a bit of time drilling out the
locating holes, which are quite numerous. I always attempt to dry-fit everything to make sure I know
what I am doing before gluing,
And after assembly. The steering linkages are assembled using 1.0mm X3mm screws and were difficult
to get into place. I need to do a little touchup painting as well!
I next prepared the engine for installation. One thing I learned from my MFH Ferrari GTO was the need
to drill holes in the exhaust manifold and glue in some brass rod. I drilled receiving holes in the engine
block—this way, the exhaust manifolds were held securely in place. I had problems with the GTO,
because the manifolds would break loose when I was attaching the remainder of the exhaust system.
Here are the Weber carburetors ready for install. I used copper-colored Baremetal foil for the trim on
the lower section—MFH provides the decals for the upper section.
Now a test fitting of the firewall and rear bulkhead.
Engine ready for installation. Note the sparkplug wires. An important construction tip. There are two
oil filler tubes that should be glued to the engine before installation into the chassis. I thought it would
be easier to put them in after getting the engine installed. This was a mistake, since it proved impossible
to fit them in position once the engine was installed. I ended up cutting them in half and installing them
with superglue.
Engine installed. I needed to drill out the holes for the engine mounting bolts a little larger in order to
get the bolts fitted. I used epoxy to install the bolts—this required holding everything together for five
minutes until the glue had set. But epoxy gives a stronger bond than superglue, which is more brittle.
The fuse box. This is a very tiny part and requires drilling tiny holes in the metal parts, gluing in wire,
and then pushing the wires through the holes in the mounting plate. This proved to be a difficult
assembly that consumed several hours of time. In reality, this will be covered by the tonneau cover, but
I built it.
Radiator and firewall installed. The model features the tube chassis of the real car. I glued the parts of
the chassis that were attached to the firewall, painted the assembly TS-29 semi-gloss black, and then
glued it into position (along with the steering mechanism).
Here is a closer view. I have also installed the exhaust manifold before attaching all the tubes associated
with the chassis. I have also installed the brake cylinders and associated tubing—and the wires from the
magneto to the distributors. The pedals are glued on the driver’s side of the firewall.
This picture shows the tube chassis installed. This required some bending and tweaking of the various
parts to get them to fit (sort of). But these add significantly to the realism of the model. I have also
installed the driveshaft tunnel—I had to do some adjustment to the part to get it to fit. I have only dry
fitted the rear bulkhead, since I am not sure how it will fit with the body. Test fitting indicates it will be a
challenge, since the body has a slight warp in it that does not match up to the bulkhead.
It was now time to tackle the seats. MFH gives you a pattern, which I taped over the sheet of sticky-
backed vinyl provided in the kit. I then used a sharp hobby knife to cut out each section. The
instructions show you where to put each section on the resin seats. Fit was quite good. MFH also
provides a sheet of cream colored vinyl, which you cut out using the pattern sheet and wrap around
solder wire. These provide the beading in the seats.
And here is the result. I think they look pretty good!
It was now time to get ready to paint the body parts. I had washed all the resin parts several times using
a toothbrush, Dawn detergent, and hot soapy water. I did this three times to make sure I would get rid
of the resin casting residue. I also drilled out all the required holes in the body parts—easier to do this
before painting than after. This required a careful study of the instructions to make sure I located all the
holes.

The main body is a large part and I needed to build a painting stand to hold it. I needed to be able to
rotate the body during painting so I could reach all the nooks and crannies on the underside. The photo
below shows the stand I developed. I used dual sided mounting tape to hold the body in position.
Here is the body after the first color coat. I used Tamiya white primer on the resin. For the metal hood
and trunk lid, I first applied a metal primer (Mr. Color) and then followed with Tamiya white primer. I
applied several coats, sanding down after each coat to get a smooth coat. I then applied Gravity Color
Ferrari yellow. I applied several coats to get an even color.
Before applying the decals, I painted the headlight area in Tamiya acrylic gloss silver, since I needed to
apply masking tape (which would pull up the decals).

After all the paint had dried for a day, I applied the decals. I used decals for the stripes except for the
hood, which I masked and sprayed with Tamiya acrylic gloss black. The big challenge was the number
roundel on the trunk, which had to be cut in a complex manner. I applied the decal, let it dry, and then
used a sharp hobby knife to cut along the seams. I then applied a coat of Microsol to get it to lie down.

After the decals were dry and all the bubbles eliminated with MicroSol, I applied Gravity Color two part
clear. You mix the paint with the hardening agent and thinner, then apply. It hardens up in an hour or
so. Clean your airbrush with laquer thinner. The gloss clear takes a few days to fully cure, but then you
have a rock hard glossy surface.

More recently, I have switched to Mr. Color Super Clear III, thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner at a
ratio of four parts thinner to one part paint. I apply about four coats, waiting about 30 minutes between
coats. It is less toxic and easier to work with than the 2K clear coats.

Here are the body parts after application of the Gravity Color two part clear and decals

The body is starting to look very good.

I also debated whether I should sand and polish the clear coat. My clear coat came out well, but there
are a few dust particles that show under close examination. But if I sand and polish, I run the risk of
burning through the paint. I decided on this model to not sand and polish.

On my more recent models, I have been doing the sand and polish routine. I first sand with 3M 2000
grit on a foam rubber pad. I then sand with Trizact 3000 grit followed by Trizact 5000 grit. I then polish
with the three grades of Tamiya polishing compound (coarse, fine, and finish). I typically polish using my
Dremel tool on low speed with a wool polishing brush.

Here is the instrument panel and steering wheel. Frankly, a little work of art! The instrument panel
required drilling holes in the panel to install the various switches. MFH provides decals for the
instrument panel dials and a separate clear plastic disk for each dial to represent the glass. I use Tamiya
acrylic gloss clear to glue these into position. I brush some clear around the rim and then move the clear
plastic disk into position with a toothpick.

To make the steering wheel, I first sanded off the excess resin trim and then airbrushed it with Tamiya
Desert Yellow. I then dry brushed some Tamiya dark brown on the pieces to represent graining. I then
airbrushed Tamiya Clear Orange over the pieces and the result looks remarkably like varnished wood. I
glued the pieces to the metal etched framing using Tacky white glue. The advantage of the white glue is
that you have some working time to get everything lined up. I then placed a heavy object on the
assembled steering wheel to make sure it lay flat as the glue dried. I polished the metal center hubs,
attached with super glue, and then added the center Ferrari decal.

The next step was to paint the interior of the body with Tamiya acrylic semi-gloss black. To avoid lots of
masking (which would be difficult due to the decals), I apply it free hand with the airbrush. Because I am
using acrylic paint, I can wipe off any overspray with Q-tips dipped in pure ammonia. The ammonia does
not affect the gloss clear.

Now on to the wire wheels. This may seem a daunting task at first, but it just takes patience and time. I
use an Optivsor when working with these very small parts.

Figure 28

First item of business is to drill out the wheel hubs. There are 72 holes per hub that must be drilled out.
MFH provides an indentation where the hole should go. Here you can see my 0.5mm bit and a drilled
out wheel hub. It takes about 15 minutes per hub.
Figure 29

Here are four hubs drilled out—one installed in the wire wheel jig.

Figure 30
Here is the jig with the hub in place and the turned aluminum wheel installed. I drilled 1.2mm holes in
the marked position and then screwed in the self-tapping screws to hold the wheel in position.

Figure 31

Here are the parts for the wire wheels—wheel and hub in jig, metal spokes, and the small connectors.
Figure 32

Here is the first layer of spokes installed. The instructions are very clear on which holes to use to get the
right pattern. The instructions say not to bend the spokes, but I did not think the spokes went in deeply
enough into the hub. So I put a small bend into the front of each spoke, pushed through the
appropriate hole in the aluminum wheel, and pushed into position on the hub. I then slid the connector
down the spoke so that it appeared on the outside of the wheel, and then applied superglue and
accelerator to get everything snugged down. When done, I used a wire cutter to snip off the extra
length of the rod. After you do this a few dozen times, you get into a rhythm. There are 72 spokes per
wheel.

I had built the MFH 1/12 Ferrari GTO and MFH Ferrari D50, which had a similar procedure for building
the wheels. It takes patience and time, but the results are miniature masterpieces!

Figure 33

Second row of spokes installed. I have clipped off the excess from the first row.
Figure 34

Third row installed. It takes about 15-20 minutes to put in each row. There are six rows total per wheel.

Figure 35

Fourth row installed.

Fifth row. Getting there!

Figure 38
Next is a tip I learned from my other MFH kits Test fit the wheel on the brake drum and mounting stub.
You will probably find that the center hole in the wheel is too small—or some of the spokes in the hub
interfere. I use my Dremel tool with a small bit to grind out the hole and sand off the excess spokes.
Keep going until the wheel fits easily on the brake assembly.

With the wheels complete, it was time to mount on the body on the chassis. The first step was to
mount the doors. This was fairly straightforward—I used superglue for the various pieces and
attempted to fit the door as closely as possible before the glue set.

The next step was to fit the spare tire and its mounting framework to the rear of the body. After several
hours of frustration, I gave up. I simply could not get the framework to fit without all the various parts
coming apart. I decided to simply place the spare tire in position after the body was fitted.

Next step was to mount the trunk—this went very smoothly. Then I test fitted the body to the chassis.
You are supposed to use six small screws that mount the body to the chassis, but the holes did not line
up. Something was wrong. After inspection, I found that the tube framing on the chassis was
interfering on one side with the body. After some grinding away of the tube framing with my Moto-
Tool, I was able to get the body to fit. I used the screws to mount. The model was now starting to come
together.

The next step was to fit the exhaust pipes that ran from the exhaust manifold to the rear. I had been
quite worried about this step, since the exhaust pipes ran alongside the exterior of the chassis without
any real support. The part leading from the engine was metal—the rest of the exhaust was resin. I
painted the parts with Alclad II steel, but decided to leave the turned metal exhaust tips in natural
aluminum, since they looked so nice.

I began test fitting. I glued on the mounting bracket at the rear of the chassis. I then glued all the
exhaust parts together. I then fitted the chassis mounting point into the hole underneath the door and
then fitted the forward part of the exhaust system to the manifold. I used superglue and accelerator to
fix this in position. I then hooked up the rear of the exhaust pipes to the mounting bracket, applied
superglue to the exhaust tips, and inserted them into the holes in the resin pieces. In the end, the
overall assembly was quite sturdy. I may still use a screw to fix the exhaust pipes where they contact
the chassis right in front of the rear wheels. The model is quite heavy, so if you pick it up by the front
and rear, it bends in the middle. So this drives you to pick it up via the exhaust pipes on the side.
In this photo, the exhaust pipes have been fitted to one side. The entire assembly for the other side is
glued together. Best sequence is to insert the mounting bracket through the hole beneath the door,
then insert the front of the exhaust pipe to the engine and superglue. Insert the rear of the pipes into
the mounting bracket and glue in the exhaust finishers. Getting there!

I still needed to build the windshield. I first used thin strips of Tamiya masking tape to highlight the
molding lines on the vacuum formed clear plastic. I then carefully cut out the windscreen. I then test
fitted the metal framing to the body and bent the metal structure so it would fit. I then test fitted the
clear plastic and cut some more of the clear plastic piece until I was happy with the fit. I then mixed up
some 5-minute epoxy and applied it using a toothpick to the inside of the metal framing. I then inserted
the clear plastic piece, using some microclips to hold it in position. I use Q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol
to remove any excess epoxy—a great tip I picked up from a great plastic modeler, the late Jerry
Wingfield. I then let the assembly dry overnight to make sure it was set.

The next step was to drill holes in the various locations for the rivets. I used a 0.6mm drill bit. After
drilling each hole, I inserted the aluminum rivet part way, then applied a little superglue to the shaft,
and then ran it home. Any excess superglue was wiped up with a Q-tip. After the glue had dried, I
clipped off the rivet shafts. A bit tedious, but the windshield came out looking great.
More recently, I have changed technique for the clear parts. I push a pin through the clear plastic on the
dimples marked on the part—I get a better hole than with the drill and have found they usually align
well with the holes drilled in the windshield. I then use a pin instead of a rivet and superglue into
position after inserting it through the metal and clear plastic. I then clip off the excess with my
wirecutters.

Before conducting final assembly, I added mounting blocks under the chassis. The soft metal used in
MFH kits will bend. So if you don’t put spacers under the cart, the heavy weight of the car will cause the
suspension parts to slowly bend. Once the windshield and other body parts were installed, it will be
difficult to access the underside of the car. So I figured it best to mount these now. I used two plastic
blocks cut to the right height using the metal spacer MFH provides.

Now on to the next kit!