Model Factory Hiro 1/12 Tipo 158 Alfetta Build

Time to build some wheels. Each wheel is made up of 146 pieces .
MFH supply a turned aluminum rim with 72 pre drilled holes in two bands - an inboard band of 24 holes and an outboard band of 48 .

The hub is supplied in cast white metal with dimples marking the location of 72 holes which must be drilled while in the building fixture using the rim as a guide. Also supplied are 72 wire spokes and 72 pieces of tiny tubing to represent the nipples .
The building fixture is cast white metal with dimples around the perimeter 90 degrees apart which must be drilled for 4 tiny screws which clamp the rim in place .
There is a reference line scribed on the fixture that the valve stem hole aligns with and a key which corresponds with a slot in the back of the hub. This is to assure that the hub is indexed properly with the holes in the rim .
A piece of clear Teflon tube is inserted in the outboard end of the hub to prevent the spokes from protruding into the axle area . This tube is removed after the wheel is assembled. The hub is held in place on the fixture by a screw / washer.


The hub has an inboard large diameter section with 12 groups of 4 dimples . In each group of 4 the dimples are staggered outward . In the small diameter outer portion there are two bands of twelve dimples.

I turned a mandrel out of a piece of bronze rod to hold the hubs in the lathe to clean up the castings with 800 grit silicone carbide before polishing with Blue Magic .

After polishing the hubs we’re given a coat of clear gloss lacquer.
Very clear instructions ( pictures really ) but requires study and attention.

With all in the fixture the drilling begins for the inboard most set of 12 spokes .

The first row of spokes in place , inboard ends fastened to the hub with CA. Rim ends insert in the inboard band of holes

The tiny tubes that represent the nipples are slid on over the ends of the spokes and cemented with CA . There is no positive stop on these for the amount protruding from the rim so I just eyeballed it . In hindsight I suppose a jig could be made . The holes in the rim then had a drop of epoxy placed at each spoke . After curing the excess spokes were trimmed off with an abrasive cutoff wheel in the Dremel.
Second row…


Note that the succeeding row spokes lead in the opposite direction and also enter the rim from the outboard band of holes. This provides triangulation both radially and axially for stability. Another thing to note - in wheel building terms the pairs are said to cross once . Look at the hub ends and it can be seen . When we get to the last two rows at the small end of the hub the pattern will cross twice .

Third row and back to the inboard band of holes in the rim … this will fill all 24 holes in the inboard band of holes . All succeeding rows will now use the outboard band of holes in the rim .


Fourth row … this will complete the spokes that enter the large diameter portion of the hub.

Fifth row and the first of the spokes leading to the small diameter portion of the hub.

And the final sixth row …

Here it can be seen that each of these outer spokes cross two others .
Here is the back side …

Just like the real thing , all this spindly stuff becomes an amazingly strong and rigid structure.
As anyone may surmise , the drilling gets a bit tedious.
I have one more row to go on my second wheel so nearly halfway home . I purchased a dozen # 78 bits figuring 3 per wheel but I may need more . They tend to fail at the chuck and for some of the holes the full length of the bit is needed for reach .
Thanks for looking and as always, all comments welcome.
Cheers- Richard

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Great work Richard. I know what it is drill all those holes and I only had two wheels for the Ducati and 40 spokes per wheel but had to drill holes in both the rim and hub. Interesting for the Ducati the aluminium tubes where t-shaped so they could only be oushed in so far ensuring uniformity of length. I wonder why they took a different approach. Maybe it how the finished wheel is meant to look.They certainly do look like the real thing which is a testament to your patience.

cheers
Michael

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Richard,
Thanks so much for the super detailed build process as each step was clear to what had to be done, and the pictures really made it that much clearer. Exacting work for sure, but you and Michael really have proved that both of you are up to the task.

joel

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Extraordinary work.

The fuel cell is a little piece of art, in it’s own right. What a difference, from what it looked like OOB and now.

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Thanks Jesper - I should have set up before and after pics …
image

image

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Truly awe inspiring work!

Thank you for sharing. :vulcan_salute:t2:

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Richard,
You make those corrections look so easy, while many are certainly not.

joel

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Big milestone today - up on it’s landing gear ( oops … I mean wheels - aircraft modeler in me coming out)
Wheels actually mount with knock offs , just like the real thing . The pedantic me would note that they are all right hand thread when in reality the left side would be left hand thread but I’ll take it the way it is any day.
Glad to see the wheels done - they were a lot of work but worth it.

Waiting for replacement bodywork from MFH so next up is the steering wheel.
Thanks all for the interest.
Cheers- RT

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Looks amazing. While waiting for the replacement body, this one can, easily, be displayed and enjoyed, as is.

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Spectacular!!

Now that is a thing of beauty!! :heart_eyes:

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Richard,
Truly amazing work. I’m almost speechless, but not quite. I’m still trying to understand how you can build such a complex and multi media model at the pace you’re going. Never seen anything close to it, and I’ve seen quite a few MFH builds on my other site.

Love how the wheels look, and you’re right about the axles having the knock offs going in opposite directions. As it is now, the left side wheels would eventually loosen and fall off.

I don’t remember any posts about issues with the body needing replacements. For you to request replacement parts, they must have been pretty bad.

joel

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Thanks Joel - glad you are on the mend.
The body issue is one of the parts being short shot in the area of the louvres . I initially thought that it was just flash but upon closer examination I found that the vertical bars were actually incomplete. MFH thought the same and asked me to try and trim them but I sent them more photos and explained that trimming will not fix it . This kit is currently sold out and out of production so I may have a wait while they cast new parts . I must say they are very responsive and helpful and use excellent English.
Here is the area in question- look closely at the vertical bars where it can be seen that they are ragged / split .


Here is the nicely cast hood area for comparison…

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I’m glad that MFH have agreed to replace the part. Save coming up with a cunning plan to fix them - my idea would have been to fill them since the 159 doesn’t have those louvres and nobody would have been the wiser.

cheers
Michael

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Hi Michael - I do have a back up plan on fixing them as I have no idea how long it will be until I get replacement.
My thoughts were to close off the inside as you will not see it from the cockpit because of the saddle tanks and make accurate plugs for the louvres and fill the vertical bars between the plugs.
I may give it a go regardless but given the cost of the kit I feel I should not have to. We’ll see .
Cheers - Richard .

Fantastic build so far, Richard! :slightly_smiling_face:

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That is a downright shame considering the cost of these multi-media kits.

So far it’s been your tenacity and skill that has dragged what appears to have been a “dog” of kit to where its is now. It’s been a real pleasure watching what you have achieved thus far.

I hope that this is resolved by MFH.

Good luck with you adventure.

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Thanks Gavin - I hope I haven’t given the wrong impression regarding quality - it really is a beautiful kit that just had a few issues. The misshaped white metal parts it seems are the norm . I think some of the problems may be due to the age of the molds . This is apparently one of their older kits and mine likely came from the end of the production run. I don’t think the body pieces I received should have ever been put in the box but then again I didn’t initially see the damage so I can’t blame someone else for missing it as well. I must also reiterate that MFH are happy to be helpful with great communication.
I’ll be watching your Duc build - lots of aftermarket goodies !
Thanks for the interest.
RT

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Richard, it’s easy to see how much you are enjoying this build, every update is absolutely outstanding! The level of workmanship and the quality of the finish are just top notch. I’m going back to read through again (for the third time).

Cheers, D

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Richard,
Thanks for posting those pictures. The louvers are clearly short shot, making it nearly impossible to correct them as in the 2nd picture. Each louver is open under the following one but they do indeed slope down as in picture 2. Picture 1 shows just how poorly that part was molded.

What really concerns me is that this part was packaged to start with, as they must or should have the modeling industries best QC department, but far to many poorly molded or broken parts are packed in the industries most expensive kits. And while they’ve been very positive about replacement, as you said, the part doesn’t exist. How long it will take to get a replacement could be a month, months, or even longer as I’m sure that they get replacement issues quite frequently.

I’ve seen a good dozen MFH builds on my other racing sight, nearly all of them had issues, and nearly all of them were with white metal parts like doors on a Porche 935 K2 that just never closed flush even with a replacement. Why MFH just doesn’t use resin molding for body parts, and leave the white metal for suspensions is beyond me.

joel

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I am happy to report that the replacement body parts arrived today and they are indeed much better.
Before…


and new …

So a thank you to MFH - excellent communication and quick service - I believe they had to cast new for me .
A pleasure to deal with - even a handwritten note and an origami crane !


I’m a happy guy !
Cheers - RT

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