As an armor builder I wanted to review this kit partly as a challenge to see how well I could build a car. Mainly I wanted to review this kit because I love Ferrari’s. The kit is molded mostly in white, with a sprue of chrome parts and some rubber tires. The decals are nicely done, but a few items required an aftermarket set to enhance the model. At first glance the kit looks very nice except for a few minor details that are an easy fix.

The Ferrari 458 comes in several colors, and I found pictures on the internet of one I liked that is white with black rims and an all black interior.

You begin by building the engine, which is cool, except for the fact that the majority of this work is hidden by the engine bay and cover. I painted the engine even though on my curbside edition you really won’t see much detail once the body is on.

The brakes are okay, but they look much better when drilled out. This did not take as long as I thought, and in the end the result enhances the look of the wheels. I choose to strip the chrome from my rims and paint them in powdered black. The powdered black wheels look great with the yellow Ferrari center decal and the yellow painted brake pads.

Once the body is painted (I choose a gloss white which strangely orange peeled on me) next comes putting together the interior. I had a slight problem with the fit of the headliner. By the way this was the only problem I had building the car. The rest of the interior was easy to put together, and I choose to paint it black to match the car I found on the internet. Although difficult to see I choose the yellow speedometer decal. I added a PE Prancing Horse to the seat headrest. It just pops out better than the original decal, and it was easier to lay down over the raised detail.

Next comes the fun part of adding the interior to the top, yes, top of the Ferrari. Then we put together the glass, and attach the top to the bottom. A few more decals are added, a final PE Prancing Horse to the front grill, and you are done.

All in all this is a great kit of the Ferrari 458 Italia. I am sure a car builder can do a magnificent job on one of these. Heck, as an armor builder I like the way mine turned out, orange peel and all. As an armor guy I know I am about to take heck for this next statement but I enjoyed building a car. In fact so much so I bought another Ferrari kit so I can build a red version too!

A great big thank you to IPMS/USA and especially Revell for the chance to build this cool Ferrari!