Fig. 1

The kit is impressive looking even before you open the box (fig 1). I paid about $50 from HLJ, which is not bad for what could possibly be one of the nicest plastic kits on the market (we shall see).

Here is a picture of the contents (fig 2). Every tree is individually wrapped. Besides the plastic, you get a sheet of photoetch and real rubber tyres! Everything looks as neat and organized as Halvorsens’ underwear drawer. Mark says that even though it is typical Tamiya nirvana, I need to point out two areas. First, the thinness of the body plastic (fig 3), and also, the engraving on the engine parts (fig 4).

Fig. 3

A good way to inspire yourself to stick with a project and finish it is to do the body first. If you have that part sanded, filled, painted, clear coated, decaled, and foiled (if applicable), you can put on a shelf near your workbench and look it at as incentive. Also, if you screw it up, you can move on to another project without having as much time wasted.

As I start the body I have to say that I am a little disappointed. Typically with Tamiya kits, there are only a couple mold lines to sand and you can go right to painting without primer or putty. But this offering has two small sink marks on the roof (fig 5). Not a big deal, but a little disappointing for a Tamiya kit. As I look closer, the hood has these little sink marks as well. Perhaps just sanding will do?

Fig. 5

Fig. 7

I think it was Chris who mentioned at a meeting one time, "Once you rub on paint in any fashion with any grit of sandpaper you are going to have haze." I agree. If it is possible to get a smooth finish without rubbing or sanding IMO, it always looks better. Even though I occasionally use lacquer, I prefer enamel, because you will most likely never be able to lay down smooth lacquer paint without some sort of sanding or rubbing with compound (if you want it smooth). At any rate, here is the finished body (fig 6). So now it's on to the engine.

As usual, with Tamiya and especially with the later stuff, all you have to do is get a plastic bag and throw in the parts and some glue and shake. As mentioned earlier, the tranny is in the rear. I like to spray Alclad White Aluminum for modern engines. So, I will shoot a base coat of gloss black first and then the alclad. Here it is after installing aftermarket pulley faces and shooting a very light coat of blueing on the exhaust (fig 7). On to the chassis and suspension.

Fig. 9

I shot the main suspension pieces with Alclad Aluminum (regular) and then applied a little gloss over it. Sometimes I think its important to forget accuracy, and go with what will make parts stand out. With this same idea in mind I took a brush and ran some red paint on the outside of the springs. The exhaust is Model Master jet engine (and don’t worry about the seam, it will be covered by a chassis plate). Now just add some detail to the brakes. I sprayed the chassis itself gloss black and then applied semi-gloss and flat where the different sections were (fig 8). The interior is very straightforward and easy to assemble. Right hand drive is the only option. As is usually the case with these type of "supercars", you can get them in just about any color you want (interior & exterior), and it will still be accurate since the manufacturers will make them to order. But, you can't get fluorescent green or orange (Sorry, Ted). I did this driving space in a leather and black combo with the silver highlights around the driver's seat. I am not going to do much extra here because this kit has the one piece window section that goes all the way around. Side windows must be removed to show the interior detail, and I don’t want to do that this time! Here is the finished product (fig 9).

Fig. 11

As is typical for Tamiya nowadays, they provide photoetch parts! Here you see the mesh screens for the openings in the body (fig 10). They fit perfect. You don't even have to trim the edges. They fit from behind and don't show on the assembled model. But beware and don’t make the mistake that I did. I did not leave off the long screens in the rear bottom until the chassis was in place (fig 11), and I scraped these pieces off when I slid the chassis on in the final assembly. It was as frightening as seeing Tom in a Speedo! Luckily, I was able to repair the pieces and install after the chassis was attached.

Let's see if Mark has finished machine-gunning the universe and painted his LFA yet...

He used a shade of cinder from House of color. He says he used urethane clear coat which not only gives a nice shiny, smooth surface, but also does a decent job of hiding any repairs you may have had to make to the paint. Muggs is still living in the stone age without a computer, so I have no picture to show you. We have pledged to have them finished for our NNL so you will be able to see them then.

Fig. 13

Ok I am almost done! I have to say that this build went very well. Before fitting the body to the chassis/interior assembly, I painted the window trim black. Then it was just a matter of finishing touches: mirrors, turn signals, license plate (England of course because of right hand drive), wheel centers, wipers, etc... Here are pictures of finished product ( figs 12,13,14).

I conclude that, all in all, this is a very nice kit that goes together fast (if you go box stock, as I did). It includes all the wonderful condiments that Tamiya provides in their newer releases. One thing really bugs me about the real car though. Why would anyone buy one? I mean, if you had $375,000 for a car, wouldn’t you rather have a Ferrari or a Rolls for the same price?

Thanks and take care,
Scott