My Tangle with the Williams FW08
Alright, so I got this idea stuck in my head about the Williams FW08. You know, the one Keke Rosberg won the championship with back in ’82. Not the prettiest car maybe, but tough, real raw. I felt like I needed to do something with it, not just look at pictures. Decided building a model kit was the way to go. Get hands-on, feel the shape of it.
First step was actually finding a decent kit. Scoured around online for a bit. Lots of newer cars, but the FW08? Took some digging. Finally landed on an older Tamiya one. Heard good things, mostly. Ordered it up and waited. While it was shipping, I started pulling up old race videos and photos. Trying to soak in the details, the specific sponsors for certain races, the dirt, the look of the thing in action. Didn’t want just a clean factory look, wanted it to look like it had been thrashed around a track.
Getting Stuck In
The box finally showed up. Felt like a kid again, tearing it open. Sprue trees everywhere, instructions looked a bit daunting but manageable. Decided to start where they usually tell you to: the engine. That little Ford Cosworth DFV. So many tiny parts. Fiddly work, gluing these little bits. Dropped a few pieces onto the carpet, spent ages searching. Standard procedure, really. Managed to get the engine block together, painted it up. Looked okay.
Then moved onto the main body, the chassis tub. This was more involved. Getting the main parts aligned just right before the glue set. Lots of dry fitting, checking angles. The biggest headache early on was the paint. That specific Williams white isn’t just white. Took a couple of tries mixing paints to get a shade I was happy with. Then masking off areas for the green and blue bits later on. Masking tape is my enemy sometimes, always threatening to pull paint off.
- Glued the engine assembly into the chassis.
- Started working on the suspension arms. More tiny, fragile parts.
- Tried to get the radiator pods assembled and attached. Fit wasn’t perfect, needed some filler putty.
Hit a proper snag with the ground effect side pods and those sliding skirts. Man, they were thin. Trying to get them attached and looking straight was a nightmare. One of the little skirt pieces snapped clean off. Had to carefully glue it back, hoping it wouldn’t be too obvious. That held me up for a day, letting the repair properly cure. Made me appreciate the real mechanics who had to fettle these things for real back in the day.
Bringing It Together
Once past the side pod drama, things started moving quicker. Got the suspension bits all attached, front and rear. Wheels went on. Suddenly, it started looking like an actual F1 car, not just a pile of plastic bits. Spent a whole evening just painting the tires, trying to get the lettering on the sidewalls looking neat. Used a toothpick for the tiny letters.
Then came the decals. Oh boy. The kit was old, the decals were a bit yellowed and felt brittle. Nerves were jangling. Soaked the first one… slid it off the backing paper… so far so good. Carefully positioned it on the bodywork. Used tons of that decal setting solution stuff. Did one, took a break. Did another. Slow process. The big ‘Fly Saudia’ logos were nerve-wracking. Managed to get them all on without tearing any, which felt like a massive win.
Finishing Touches
The driver figure was next. Trying to paint a tiny Keke Rosberg. Helmet design was crucial. Got the colours mostly right, I think. Popped him in the cockpit. Added the steering wheel.
Last bits were the front and rear wings. Got them glued on straight. Final check all over. Did a bit of weathering – some grime in the panel lines, a bit of exhaust stain near the back. Didn’t want it looking factory fresh.
Done. Ish.
So there it sits now. My Williams FW08. Took a lot longer than I expected, couple of weeks of evenings and weekends. Plenty of frustrating moments, glued fingers, dropped parts, swearing under my breath. But looking at the finished thing… yeah, it feels good. You get a real appreciation for the car, its shape, how it was put together. Simple, brutal machine in some ways. Definitely worth the effort. Gives you a connection to it, you know?
