My Time with the Williams FW29 Kit
Alright, so I finally got my hands on that Williams FW29 model kit I’d been eyeing for a while. Remember the ’07 season? Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz driving it. It wasn’t a championship winner, but something about that Williams look just gets me.
Got the box open, you know that feeling, right? All those plastic parts still on the sprues. First thing I did was just lay everything out, look it over. Instructions looked okay, not too crazy. Some kits, the instructions look like they were written by aliens, but this one seemed pretty straightforward, thankfully.
Started with the main body tub, the chassis. Snapping those first few pieces together, it always feels good, like you’re actually starting something. Had a bit of trouble with the floor section, getting it to sit perfectly flush. Needed a bit of fiddling, maybe a tiny bit of sanding on one edge, but got there in the end. Patience is key, always.
Then moved onto the suspension bits. Man, those little arms and rods are fiddly. Dropped one tiny piece, spent like ten minutes crawling on the floor looking for it. Found it near the cat’s water bowl, typical. Getting the alignment right so the wheels would sit straight later on… took some careful gluing and holding things in place till they set. Used some tape here and there to help.
- Bodywork went together okay.
- Suspension was tricky.
- Engine detail wasn’t super complex on this kit, which was fine by me sometimes.
Painting came next. I always kinda dread this part but also look forward to it. Decided to go with the classic Williams blue and white, obviously. Masking off the sections took forever. Seriously, getting those lines clean between the blue and white, that’s where the real work is. Used my airbrush for the main colors. Spraying thin coats, letting it dry properly. Rushed it once before on another model, learned my lesson the hard way.
The decals… oh boy, the decals. That AT&T logo and all the other sponsors. Tiny little things. Used plenty of decal solution to get them to settle down over the curves. Had one tear slightly, managed to patch it up so it’s barely noticeable. That always gets my heart rate up. Those tiny logos make or break the look.
Finally got the wings on, front and rear. Added the wheels, the little aerials, all the final fiddly bits. Stepped back and looked at it. Yeah, feels good. It’s not perfect, couple of little flaws only I would probably notice, but it looks like the FW29. Sitting there on the shelf now. Good project, took a fair few evenings, but worth it. Always satisfying to finish one.
