1/12 Maserati Birdcage
Model, Text and Photos by Dale King
This is a 1/12th scale model based on the Make Up resin kit from Japan. Although a curbside, it is, so far, the finest kit of its kind to come along (this was the fifth 1/12 resin kit I've finished - the rest all being Italian). Most of my time was spent adding details to the interior, as the outside was already almost perfect..
The wire wheels were fully spoked and all in beautifully machined brass - it was almost criminal to have to paint them.
I created a real wood steering wheel, added toggle switches to the dash along with 2 small decals (created on a Mac and printed on an Alps), quite a bit of extra detail to the back of the dash and lots of wiring.
The gear shift box is 90% scratch built (perhaps I had too much good reference as it barely shows).
I also removed the center 'hump' in the cockpit and built a more realistic one with a drive shaft inside. I made a small aluminum plaque for the Maserati decal on the front of the hood so that it would be slightly raised like the real one.
The exhaust pipes were cast in high quality white metal so I polished them and then blew on the 'heat stain colors' with a Tamiya (Iwata) fine airbrush.
This model was also painted with Tamiya chrome yellow right from the can and then gently rubbed out.
