1:43 JF Alberca Ferrari 275 GTS/4 Spyder Nart

When this model was offered to me more than a year ago I didn't think twice. Aside from the unsurpassed beauty of the Ferrari 275 GTS/4, it was built by master builder Jean Francois Alberca who is one of the best French builders. The fact that this was assembled from a rare Le Phoenix kit is an added bonus.

One thing that I like about JF Alberca's models is the cleanliness of his works. Even the great master builder Akihiro Kamimura described JF Alberca as someone who makes clean models.

Model is secured on a thick acrylic base. Base plate includes the Ferrari Model, chassis number.

The model has detailed interior including key and carpet.

Jean Francois customized a plate number to make this model more realistic.

1:43 JF Alberca Ferrari 335S

Once in a while we were intrigued by the amount of publicity a car has received. This is especially true whenever a Ferrari has been auctioned off at an astronomical price. The car that I was referring to is the Ferrari 335S that was sold for $36 Million in 2016.

This model was built by Jean Francois Alberca from an AMR kit.

Some consider this car as the most beautiful Ferrari ever. Although I believe the Ferrari 250 GTO holds that title, but after seeing this model I'm not so sure anymore. According to 1961 World Champion Phil Hill, the Ferrari 355S was the most sophisticated and beautiful Maranello product of all time. Who would dare argue with Mr Hill who has driven the best cars in the 1950s and 1960s including the 250 GTO?

1:43 JF Alberca Ferrari 250 GT TDF

Many Tifosi prefer a Ferrari to be red. This could be attributed to the long history of Ferrari cars in that colour. For this reason I told myself to collect only Red Ferraris. However, when I saw this car I told myself that I need to get it (even though it is blue). Fortunately, a fellow collector offered me this model and I immediately grabbed the opportunity to own one of the most iconic Ferrari of all time - 250 GT Scaglietti TDF 1956 Ch. 0563 GT.

Built by Jean Francois Alberca from an AMR kit.

It is possible that without this car there would be no Ferrari 250 GTO, 250 California and 250 SWB.

Personally, I think the Ferraris the raced in the Tour de France Automobile in the 1950-60s have the best livery. I like the 3 colours of the French flag on top of the car.

1:43 Steve Barnett Ferrari 330 P4

Without doubt the Ferrari 330 P4 is one of the most beautiful car in the world. Personally, I would rank it in my top 3 of my all time favorite Ferrari along with the 250 GTO and 250 GT SWB. For this reason I didn't hesitate to acquire a model built by Steve Barnett.

This Ferrari came second overall in 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans and driven by Ludovico Scarfiotti and Mike Parkes.

The model was built from a Feeling 43 kit. Nowadays, it is very hard to obtain such rare kit. If you do find one, expect to pay a huge amount. We're talking about hundreds of euros.

I like how Steve assembled components of this kit. I heard complaints from model builders that Feeling 43 kits are hard to assemble because some parts don't fit perfectly. It is not uncommon for experienced builders to fabricate some parts of the kit. Therefore, it is a good idea to leave such expensive and rare kits to professionals or experienced builders.

Model cars with opening parts and engine are truly special.

Reasons for Collecting Handbuilt Model Cars

Just a brief background, I have been collecting handbuilt model cars for 11 years. It was 2007 when I had an opportunity to own my very first BBR model. At that time, I follow Formula 1 and my favorite team was Ferrari. I purchased from Ebay, 2 QR BBR F1 models worth $500 each. The prices of QR BBR models back then were high. The details of these models were better than the ones that I own such as Minichamps and Kyosho. After that, I decided to focus only on handbuilts rather than diecast models.

Having a model is like owning a piece of racing history. I'm a big fan of Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Juan Manuel Fangio. For me, they are the greatest racers of all time. In my opinion, one of Michael Schumacher's greatest race was the 1996 Spain GP. He won that grand prix racing for Ferrari and it was his first win for the Scuderia. The manner that he dominated the field on a wet track against much faster opposition made the win more special. Currently, I have a BBR model of this F1 car and every time I see it reminds me Michael's great F1 victory.

Model cars built by master builders are works of art. I am fortunate to own models built or assembled by some of the best builders in the world including Steve Barnett, Jacques Brauer, Fred Suber, Jean Francois Alberca, among others. Similar to a painting, these artisan can turn simple kits into realistic model cars in 1:43 scale. For example, Jacques Brauer built the 1:43 Ferrari 330 P4 (see picture below) from scratch. 

Please share your reasons for collecting. Feel free to comment below.