1:24 Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE China Porcelain Limited Edition

The Ferrari 599 GTB HGTE China Porcelain in 1:24 scale

This item is neither a kit nor a finished model but a sheet of modeling decals for the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano with the HGTE package, in a guise referring to the limited China Porcelain form. The decals serve to give a built and painted body the decoration and lettering matching this edition.

What makes the real subject interesting

The 599 GTB Fiorano was a front-engined twelve-cylinder grand tourer built between 2006 and 2012. The V12 sat at the front behind the axle of the wheels, the transmission went to the rear axle and the engineering of the car grew out of the experience with the Enzo model. The HGTE package, that is Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione, changed the tune of the chassis - stiffer springs, a different setting of the dampers, a lowered ride height and a sharper response from the steering. The limited forms prepared for the Chinese market were among the special commissioned series, and their artistic reading referred to traditional painting on porcelain.

Working with the sheet

The decoration stands out on smooth, glossy and perfectly cured paint. Rid the area under the motif of dust, soak the decal briefly in lukewarm water and let it rest until it starts to slide freely over the backing. Settling into the pressings and the transitions is helped by a softening solution; lay the larger motifs down in parts and draw the excess water off with a soft cloth from the center toward the edges. Once it is completely dry, the surface is overcoated with clear varnish, so that the edges of the carrier film disappear.

Who the set suits

• builders of road cars from Maranello in the usual car scale
• collectors who focus on limited and commissioned pieces
• modelers looking for decoration beyond the usual contents of a box
• hands with experience of laying a larger motif onto a curved surface