My first Hiro model Factory kit assembly

Thank you!

1/12th is perfect. Is there a particular place to buy one that is preferred?

 

I wanted the 1/12 scale 917 - but I will buy a truescale model... way cheaper and from my MFH experience so far the kits are not worth the money. I don't mind working on the kits - I like the crafting part of model making... but when parts simply don't even come close to fitting... large resin parts... what do you do?

I've looked at the MHF un painted builds ... and I don't see how they got the fit right..... The instructions say to test build the kit with out glue first... but how do you do that with all the tiny parts that have to go on the engine etc.. the suspension pick up points are so poorly engineered for metal its sad. you have to drill the hole, for the screw, and champher the base so that you have some flexing - otherwise the metal will snap off. the easiest part has been painting the model ...

I'll post some pictures soon... its supposed to rain and be cold this weekend so I'll be back at the model. I guess from 1-2 ft it will look good. but sad about the poor fit. the wiring is the biggest next hurdle ....

 

As far as other places to buy, there are many sellers on eBay, which I don't like, but it does serve a purpose.... That said....my favorite model kit dealer is Island Collectibles in NY. www.islandcollectibles.net

I buy from the above two sources; and also sometimes direct from MFH, but that is only when I am placing a bulk wholesale order for clients, but you can also buy direct retail from MFH. They speak English, and are very responsive and efficient. www.modelfactoryhiro.com/new/en

 

Liking this thread as I have also been thinking about building one of these when my real car stops giving me something fix!!

Aside from paint, doe the kits come with everything you need? I notice that things like seat cover, rivets etc are sold separately, are these required to complete the kits or used as spares, when you fup!

Cheers
Adrian

 

Some more pics of the terrible fit Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login


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You could try spreading some modeling clay on the underside to see where the interference is.

 

I've done that with aluminum tape - you can see where the interference is... so the pop off valve has come of, that gave me some room, but the thing I noted the most is that the engine mounting is slightly skewed to the left when looking at the center line of the car from the front. its like the whole engine cover is slightly twisted to the right? not sure if I can heat it and "un twist it"... ? its warped for sure.

So I think what I'm going to do is affix the front side pods, and then leave the engine cover loose - to show detail, but its going to take a lot of time to detail it up. I just did one side's coil pack wiring- which took a hour just to get 3 leads attached. then there is the FI pumps that have two wires each, as well as all the "computers" wiring. the great thing is I have a ton of reference pics to use for routing the wires.

 

I'm building the Porsche 956L from MFH and yes even after test building the most parts as I could, the final fitting for the body parts is not perfect...
I will probably exposed it open, maybe with the TSM 956 closed next to it.
Now I've started the Jaguar XJR-12 and I've learned from my mistakes, and the test build is done. Final fitting seems much better tan the Porsche, but there are a lot of work the make the parts fit perfectly.
The next one will the 330 P4: you need the build almost the whole car with suspension arms and wheels to be sure everything is ok in the end...

 

Yep, the hard part is the white metal is really brittle so constant assembly / disassembly wears the parts out. the tiny rivets are really a PITA - the sanding and smoothing to make them fit... the kits are amazing for the detail they try to replicate, but the actual engineering is not very good as is the production of the parts.

if the kits cost $150 I would not complain so much - at $600...its a bit of a rip off. But now I can say I've done it.

 

You are not alone - there is a guy on one of the model forums who just disassembled his newly built 330P4 because the body work wouldn't fit. He's stripped it back to the frame and is currently sourcing replacements for broken parts from MFH.

 

These reports of MFH kits are really disappointing. I've wanted one for some time now.

 

Would like to try one of these; but I
Notice that mfh sell a lot of parts separately. Do the kits come with everything, other than paint, you need to complete it, or do you also need to buy some of these other parts such as seat covering, carbon decals, rivers etc etc

 

Their kits come complete. All you need to add are paints, glues, tools, many hours and patience!

 

Thank you for the review. I was thinking of buying a kit but now, not so much. Can't stand it when parts don't fit.

-F

 

I'm willing to,put in the work to make this fit but I just can't see how to make it work the instructions are ok but not really complete on a scale of 1-10 on difficulty I'd say it was a 7.5 but over all quality is 5




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That's a real shame about the quality rating. I've been tempted by these a few times but I know myself well enough to know that it is an odds-on favorite to never be anything more than a partially built box of bits. For the money I'd really rather keep buying TSM, Looksmart, and BBR and find some other hobby for any kind of relaxation. I don't need a frustrating pastime - not at these prices. Funny thing about that - I think for the prices they charge MFH should be engineered like Tamiya - where everything just FITS - but the model forum guys fall all over themselves worshiping this stuff and going on about how lucky they are to even have all these choices in 1:12 scale.

 

Thanks for that.

I couldn't figure it out from all the websites!! That said, the amount of work required and skill in paint, that I don't have...I think this will sit on the back burner until retirement. 500-600 is a lot for something that doesn't fit well, and I can easily spend that on my real Ferrari to better result at the moment.

But I still love seeing these threads; so thanks for posting.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I fear you have placed the MOMO decal upside down on the steering wheel by the looks of the close up photo. Otherwise the model is a stunner.

 

I do believe you're right. And "MOMO" upside down is "OWOW", which is probably the way Tom will feel when he reads your post!

 

lolo, i checked it too, so right...sorry Tom, better throw the whole thing in the gabage can!!!

 

These MFH kits are expensive, but all these small limited kits in resin with PE, white metal or other turned parts are expensive . 15 years before, MG Model 1/12 kits were in the same range of prices but much less accurate than MFH!! The amount of work to have a good model was phenomenal!
Sure they are tricky and only intended to very experienced modelers. You really must build most of the parts to try all the body parts before even starting to paint anything, the suspension and wheels also to be sure of the ride height...
Not comparable to plastic kits wich are made in 10000's ex.
Just look at the models built by Peter Wingfield , Frederic Suber: these are truly museum pieces, but these guys are pros!
I'm getting close to the last parts with my Jag XJR-12 and end fitting is good.

 

I completely agree. Very well said.
MB
CMA Models, Inc.

 

Already fixed!


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I'm not a professional but fairly experienced. This has been my experience with mfh the resin fit etc just is not there ... and if they are so detailed why are the wheel hubs and retaining nuts not fitting? I had higher expectations


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I have seen plastic model aircraft kits that looked superb in the box, but try and assemble them and you get a lot of tears. It looks like these MFH resins are much the same.