Introduction

The Ferrari F50 was introduced in 1995 and produced until 1997, in total 349 F50 Ferrari’s were produced. The engine is a 4.7 litre V12 that accelerated the car from 0 – 60 in 3.6 seconds and topped out at 194 miles per hour. This model from Revell of Germany of the Ferrari F50 has been released at least once previously as the year 1995 is present on the belly moulding of the model. So let’s see how this model is holding up.

Contents

This model is packaged in one of Revell of Germany’s medium sized end opening boxes. There is an artist’s impression of the vehicle on the front of the box and a sprue layout on the rear. Inside the box you will find;
1 red sprue
A red body moulding
2 black sprues
2 silver sprues
1 clear sprue
4 vinyl rubber tyres
A decal sheet
A loose leafed instruction booklet
An advisory sheet

Review

First Impressions
The moulding quality is good with no sink to contend with, but there are a few ejector pin marks that will need to be remedied. The moulds are starting to show their age as flash is very evident on the silver sprue and is also starting to show on the red sprue; that said the hobby is called model building and flash is part and parcel of older models that have been re-released.

The engine, gearbox and exhausts look quite good when compared to images online. If the modeller puts in some scratch work in these areas using online reference you could lift this area to quite a high standard; built from the box the area will be acceptable. One thing I did enjoy finding on this model is that the front wheels are moveable and I feel it adds quite a lot to the look of a model when the wheels are turned rather than pointing straight ahead. The vinyl rubber tyres are ok, but I know they are a love and hate area for modellers and so will leave that aspect to you all to decide.

The interior of the vehicle is fairly good, but does have a few odd details. The dashboard matches online reference very well and as you would expect Revell of Germany has supplied a decal for the instruments, the steering wheel and steering column also matches online reference, in the case of the steering wheel I found two designs, but this is a match for one of them. The seats are an area I have an issue with, my issue is that the seats have been moulded with lap belts present and all of my reference indicate that a three point harness was used. The seats themselves do match reference for the most part, but the side supports are vented rather than solid as in the model.

The body of the vehicle has been moulded accurately as fair as I can see and the very nice lines do look to be well replicated. The only downside for me on the exterior is that the doors cannot be depicted open and while this prevents dust getting where it will be difficult to clean, it is a feature I would like to see on car models generally of this scale. The mechanicals of the model can be viewed as the boot can be lifted to reveal this area of the model when complete.

The glazing for the model is of a reasonable thickness and this should prevent the clear parts causing strange visual effects when being looked through. The lights have fairly good detail for a 20 year old model, but could be lifted via the use of correctly coloured lenses from a company such as the Little Cars.

The decals for the model are pretty complete with Revell of Germany even providing a decal for the floor mats. The decals themselves can be felt on the carrier paper and this may make it difficult to get them to adhere to curves well, but I will not know for sure until the model is built.

The instruction booklet looks to do quite a good job of guiding you through the build as there are only 82 parts and 33 steps, you do the maths. I like that detail painting is called out during the build, but I wish that Revell of Germany used the colour name rather than a letter as a guide.

Conclusion

Despite being 20 years old the model looks to me to be holding up quite well all things considered, yes there is room for improvement however I am fairly happy with the model when considering the low prices that Revell of Germany charge for their kits. This being a Ferrari this is one of those models that may attract and hook a youngster to the hobby, plus the low cost means the bank of mum and dad is not fleeced in the process; I guess that comes later when he or she asks for a 1/16th scale truck model.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en, @RevellGermany or facebook.com/Revell