Ferrari 500F2 1952 y 53 English

I learnt about these kit a few years ago, but was unable to find them until the fall of 2001. Roberto at Icaro had the full Revival line available and it was with enthusiasm that I submitted an order for these model and three others from the same line. At this point in time, it is quite difficult to find historic F1 in larger scales like 1:20th and 1:12th. However, Revival has created a kit which worthy of a build and review.
The 1952 is of major interest to F1 fans as this car and it 1953 brother were major players in the field with drivers like Ascari, Carini, Maglioli and Farina at the wheel.

To begin the parts of the kit come in a shrink-wrapped plastic protection. All the parts are therefore stored safely. One thing which is great about the kit, is the wire wheels. They are just perfect and look great.
I also knew that a plastic version of the kit was available. The only difference was that the body parts were made of ABS plastic and the lack of wire. I also ordered the plastic version with the intention of building an open version without any of the bodywork.

Before anything could be done to the kit, all the parts were examined carefully. On first impressions the kit parts were good. The body, which is pre-painted is very well done. The rest of the kit frame, suspension parts, engine blocks, etc, are made of white metal and need some serious cleaning and de-burring prior to painting. I took more time to do this than the rest of the painting and assembly process, but you should do it if the final result is worthwhile.
Once the parts were cleaned, they all received two coats of Tamiya grey primer and final color as shown by my research pictures.
Assembly was straight forward, with no real surprises. The only thing I would recommend to anyone undertaking Revival kits, is to proceed with a dry assembly of the engine block. If this is not done, there will be a large gap between the engine parts making the model look cheap. Even if this is not done, the gap can be filled with epoxy and repainted. This is what I did with the first version of the kit, and then the body was applied to this chassis. The other thing that can be done is assemble the engine with epoxy or CA, instead of using screws form the kit. I chose epoxy as this give you time to manipulate the parts and will bleed our to fill the gap. Once dry, the engine can be painted.
The open version was detailed using ready available computer connectors, wires, etc. The result is close to the real thing. However, the availability of research pictures I had, limited the amount of detail I could add to this model.

1953 version

The other things I added to the body are springs and latches to match how the hood was attached to the bodywork. Other than that, the model was built straight from the box.
I detailed the 1953, using ready available computer connectors, wires, etc. The result is close to the real thing. However, the availability of research pictures I had, limited the amount of detail I could add to this model.

1953 version

I would recommend all modelers to have one of these in their collection. I only build Ferraris, and this addition to my collection, along with the other Revival kits have added some depth to it. I also purchased the MG version of this model in 1:12th scale and look forward to building this one too.
Sounds good to me, put the 1952 and 1953 together. The only real difference
is the exhaust. In the 1952, the exhaust is on the right of the engine, whereas in the 1953 the exhaust is expelled behind the driver.