KIT REVIEWS....Look in here to see other modellers veiws on kits

[tonioseven]

I wish I coul find Lee's version of the AMG S-600 sedan

[willimo]

Fujimi NSX-R

If you love the NSX and are willing to rebody the Tamiya Chassis and engine, this kit will be worth your while.

Fit and Finish 5/10

I know Fujimi quality is pretty suspect in everyone’s opinion, but upon the first inspection of this model and subsequently assembling it, I was very disappointed. The only tree that was well molded was the interior parts, the rest of the kit seemed like it was spat out of a 30 year old machine. The body was full of flash and mold lines, especially around the headlights. This is particularly frustrating as they are the only real reason to get this kit instead of the Tamiya offering. Not only is the molding on the headlights so poor it leaves flash around the buckets, but there are weird triangles of plastic that must be removed in front of the lights. The worst aspect in my opinion are the front and rear bumper parts. They are warped, flashed, and so poorly molded they don’t fit on the body without leaving gaps. They are not properly shaped or sized, and require work to blend smoothly into the lines on the car. The same applies to the separately molded hood. Only the interior is well molded, it is fairly convincing despite the single piece molded bucket; the seats and the dash both look good. The engine is a very poor effort. The top of the engine is molded into the interior tub, and Fujimi tries to hide their poor engine detail with mesh to cover the motor. The brakes and wheel hubs are a joke. They are the worst I've seen from Fujimi, and I've never respected their wheel attachment or carriers.

Accuracy 6/10

While none of the kit is molded well, none of the details seem to be wrong. The overall shape of the car seems right, and the wheels are good depictions of the real thing. The tires should be Bridgestones, but they Dunlop. The hood and the headlights are close to correct, and will make a reasonable representation of the real thing, and can be modified to look correct. The spoiler, which is unique to the R version of the NSX is a bit chunky and seems narrow. It’s close though. The seats are good, but not correct. Close, again. The mirrors are oversized, as are most of the suspension components. The suspension, as well as the engine, suffer from Fujimi’s poor engineering. Everything is oversized, crudely shapped, and poorly sized. Jay was trying to tell me the engine was more like an older version, not the 2002+, but in my opinion, there is so little detail in the engine compartment it isn’t any worse a representation of one engine than another. If you are willing to work for it, this kit can be correct, but straight from the box, it will be just an NSX model.

Value 4/10

Do you love the NSX? If your answer is not a resounding “Yes!” you may want to pass this one up. Unfortunately, it is the only kit still in production of the NSX, which might corner you if you aren’t willing to pay inflated prices for the Tamiya offering (which can be gotten for $20 or less on Ebay if you are diligent). The quality of the kit does not at all reflect the price of the model, and to make a good model it will have to be kitbashed with an old Tamiya kit, effectively doubling the cost (though not substantially changing the amount of work required) involved. With no engine detail to speak of, with only one set of seats (instead of Fujimi’s usual inclusion of a second sprue with extra Type R seats, they only have one), with rally no spare parts, this kit isn’t very useful outside of building it up stock and making a mediocre model. This kit scores very low on bang for the buck, and really only has intrinsic value as the only kit of the modern NSX. But you will have to modify it plenty to make it accurate.

Overall 5/10

If you want the new NSX, get it. If you want a challenge, get it. If you want a great NSX kit, or a well engineered and relatively simple kit to build, hunt the Tamiya version on Ebay.

[gasman03]

Tamiya Toyota bB (Scion xB)

Toyota introduced the Toyota bB at the 2000 Tokyo Auto Show, and it was a big hit. it was so different then any other car that Toyota has produced until then. it was basically a box, everything inside and outside of the car was designed as a box. which made the car very unique, and very popular with the young crowd in Japan. trying to bank of the success of "Tuner" cars in the United States Toyota starting importing the little funky box to the U.S. in late 2003, under Toyota's new Scion brand name. a division in which Toyota started to bring younger buyers into Toyota's show room.

The Tamiya kit is typical awsome Tamiya, no mold lines, awsome engaving, but the kit is based of the Japanese version bB, which is different from the American version, Exterior there are no differences between the bB and the xB, but the interior is almost completely different. The only piece shared between the two cars in the door panels, The steering wheel is the same on but cars but the bB uses a colunm shifter, the U.S. Xb uses a floor shifter on both auto and manual transmission cars, and it would also require scratch building a center console, another thing in which the bB does'nt have. also the seats are completely different, the bB has basically a bench front seat, and the xB has buckets. The dash is the same on both vehicles but the kit is a RHD only, but with some basic scratchbuiiding it could be converted.

now lets get to reviewing the kit. THe body on the kit is great, and it features a seperate front and rear bumper assemblies, which is great for the aftermarket to give us a Drift or any other style body kit for it. The glass is a two piece unit, which is wierd for Tamiya becouse on most of there lower kits they all have one piece glass. The kit is new enough that it has window masks, but still too old for Tamiya's fantastic metal transfers. The kit comes with a flames decals, and decals for the interior and bB markings for the exterior

The interior is typical Tamiya. but a nice feature is the carpet for the interior, also some cutting is needed to get it to fit which may be above the skills of some lesser skilled modelers.

The chassis features seperate exhaust, and front and rear suspention

The wheels and tires are correct for both the bB and the Xb,

once again another fantastic kit from Tamiya, which has become of habit of there kits. although it would be nice for Tamiya to update this kit it is nice just to have a Scion xB in any form.

I give this kit a 9/10, just becouse i'm picky and want a U.S. Scion version

[Layla's Keeper]

Review - 1:24th scale Tamiya Jaguar XJR-9LM

With the Le Mans Contest in full swing, I figured it'd be a good time to take a look at some Le Mans subject matter, and few cars capture the imagination quite as well as the classic Group C cars of the 80's. Blindingly fast, stunningly handsome (even downright pretty sometimes), and packed to the gills with individuality and creativity, Group C (and its American and Japanese counterparts - IMSA GTP and JSPC) became the Can Am of a generation.

One of the most successful and memorable series of cars from this era were out of the Tom Walkinshaw Racing stables - the Jaguar XJR's. Though the Group C/GTP Jaguars started in the Group 44 stable as built by Fabcar, the thundering V12 Jags from TWR in their bright purple, gold and white Silk Cut livery became more than just fast pretty race cars - they became icons.

It didn't hurt that the Silk Cut Jags also won Le Mans twice.

The Tamiya kit represents the XJR-9LM as it competed in 1988, taking the illustrious Le Mans win back to Jaguar, and it does it well. When looking over the parts trees, you notice a distinct lack of flash and very crisp molding. Good points, especially in a re-issue of an older kit. If there's any detractors at first glance, it has to be the fact that Tamiya continues the practice of molding parts trees in different colors. All white is preferable for painting, and I'm fairly sure anyone who can remember this car will be painting as opposed to leaving parts either white or grey.

Now, onto the kit itself. The gem of the kit, and I do mean gem, is the rear drivetrain. The intricate header layout and the precise interplay between the coil-overs and control arms at the rear-suspension really pop and give a good reason for that massive bit of removable rear bodywork. This is one to display with the deck off.

However, there are still some faults. The coil-overs are very weakly attached to their bracket and can break off if carelessly handled. Also, the engine's mounting point to the chassis plate is a little vague. But all in all the engine and rear-suspension are really the shining stars in this kit.

The front suspension is simplified in typical Tamiya Group C fashion. Only the control arms, tie rod, spindles, and pushrods of the front suspension are represented. It's servicable, but hardly note-worthy.

In the interior is a very well-detailed dashboard with decals for every imaginable gauge. Pay close attention to the intstructions during this step otherwise it's easy to get confused as there are six gauge decals. The dashboard mounts to the inside of the body. The rest of the interior isn't quite as stellar. There's a typical bulkhead assembly, an unidentified "black box", and a seat that unfortunately has the harness molded in place. Detail painting can make it look okay, but careful sanding and an aftermarket harness will look better.

I'd also like to point out that, even though the pedals can't be seen very well through the Jag's tiny windows, it's still a shame they weren't included in the kit.

The bodywork in the kit, against all my resources, checks out beautifully. The flush sides of the Jaguar bodywork are well rendered and the two piece wing very well represents the prototype. The minor qualm I have is in the vague fit of the "glass". Molding the window separate from the windshield is a big benefit to anyone wanting to cut open the dramatic butterfly doors of the Jag, but without positive locators for the kit glass the less adventurous amongst us have to put up with a decent headache.

Not a headache, however, are the excellent - if incomplete, but I'm getting to that - Cartograf decals. Past complaints about Tamiya kits, in particular the race cars with complex liveries, were most centered around thick and difficult to apply decals. No more. The Cartografs are great and make giving the Tamiya Jag its distinctive scheme a joy instead of a pain. Be careful, though, the Cartografs get very soft and fragile if you use a setting solution. I found this out the hard way with one of the front corner decals.

Now, here's one thorn in my side about the Tamiya kit, and it isn't Tamiya's fault. There are no Silk Cut decals in the kit, as Silk Cut is a tobacco company. Instead, there are large white and purple blank panels that mimic the car's paint scheme at races that had tobacco sponsership legislation. That's all well and good, but the Le Mans cars wore Silk Cut markings, and with Revell making the jump to put Coors and Budweiser on their stock car kits as "Adult Collectibles" it may be time for Tamiya to do the same.

However, props to Tamiya for including the correct numbering and lettering decals for each of the 3 TWR cars at Le Mans in 1988.

Also, fair warning about Tamiya's painting instructions for the car. In the instructions, it's implied that the line across the nose to mask between the white and the purple is straight. Umm, no. It dips down in a little curve around the fenders to the inner nose. If you don't notice this on photos of the car or on the decal sheet, be prepared for a huge error. Again, I found out the hard way.

But, the qualms I have about the kit all can be chalked up to the experience level of the builder. This is a well-detailed kit of a historically important and incredibly beautiful race car. It's very accurate, excepting the Silk Cut decal fiasco, and when finished in its purple, gold, and white livery it's sure to grab eyes on your shelf.

So long as you're ready for a little work, and have access to Studio 27's Silk Cut decals, the Tamiya Jaguar XJR-9LM is a fantastic and easily recommendable build, and perfect starting material for your own Le Mans build-up.

Accuracy: 2/3
Fit&Finish: 1.75/2
Detail: 1.25/1.5
Options: 1/1.5
Value: 2/2
Final Verdict: 8/10

[windsordeluxe]

ARII '77 Celica Coupe (Owners Club Series)
First off this model represents a 2nd generation Celica (RA4) which was introduced as a 1978 model. This car would represent either a 1978 or 1979 but not a 1977 which kinda looks like a scaled down late 60's Mustang. Also the model is probably closer to 1/23 scale when the dimensions are compared to my 1978 Celica Liftback.

Body: This is the best part of the kit I would give it an 7 out of 10. The leading edge of the doors are canted a bit too far forward at the top and the gas door is too rectangular, but other than that it is a pretty decent 1/23 scale representation.

Engine: None (curbside)

Chassis: I've seen better engraving on the underside of Tonka trucks. Huge opening strategically placed in the center to accomidate batteries if you wish. a 0 out of 10 is generous. Flat plastic would be a serious improvement. Wheels are pretty nice replicas of the optional spoked alloys and I've seen worse tires but nothing could improve the rating of this chassis.

Interior: The worst I have ever seen, it is sort of like the typical interior in a Matchbox car only bigger. It is only 1/2" deep so it will not interfere with the important battery compartment and the "seats" are molded in place. The only piece you might be able to use is the RHD dash which appears to have been engraved by hand with a #11 X-acto knife blade. I give the interior a 2 out of 10 since the one piece glass can be blacked out sparing anyone from actually seeing this mess.

In conclusion, If you are looking for a great kit, look elsewhere, but if you are a huge fan of the second gen Celica, this is the only kit that I know of other than the out of production 1/20 Imex kit. While a bit on the large side, the body would be a good basis for a racer or a tuner unlike any other on the contest table.

[Layla's Keeper]

Kit Review: Hasegawa 1:24th scale Lancia Stratos HF Stradale

When you talk rally these days, the hot buzz is all around all-wheel drive turbo compacts like the Subaru WRX or Peugeot 307. These little rockets tear through stages with electronic wizardry controlling the diffs and complex transmissions selecting the gears. They've allowed drivers to conquer gravel and laugh at tarmac.

However, when the topic comes up of the world's top rally car, the title falls back to a stumpy Bertone bodied wedge with a Ferrari V6; the Lancia Stratos.

Weighing in at a scant 2,160lbs, and only 12ft, 2in from its needle-sharp nose to the tip of its tail spoiler (that's a full 10 inches shorter than a MIATA, folks) the Lancia was a tiny missle locked onto destroying the twists and turns of the Monte Carlo. And after a difficult gestation (the car originally housed a Lancia Fulvia V4) and a brief production run of only 400 cars, the Stratos did just that taking four out of five wins in the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally from 1975 to 1979.

Thanks to its rally winning ways (and the fact that it was no slouch itself) the Stratos street car became an instant collectable that became the archetype of the low production rally special and laid the groundwork for Lancia rally domination with such other instant classics as the O37, the S4, and the Delta Integrale.



Being a fan of rallying, Lancia, Ferrari, and wild looking classic sports cars, there was a lot of anticipation going into this kit. I admit to having been disappointed in my previous experience with a Hasegawa kit (the previously reviewed Lancer Evolution VI) but keeping an open mind I slit the shrink wrap and dove into this new release.

Boy am I glad I did.

Though a modified reissue based on their Group 4 spec rally Stratos, Hasegawa does the subject matter proud by making ALL of the proper modifications to the tool to give the oppurtunity to build a really good curbside street Stratos.

The first pleasant surprise is the chassis. Detail abounds here, especially at the complex rear end. An engraved four piece "block" takes the place of an engine, and with a little paint detailing it hides the kit's curbside status fairly well. That's important, too, because the rear end is highly visible thanks to the Stratos's naturally tall stance. Every little structural rod is separate, and assembly of the rear superstructure is a little daunting, but with a little patience it all aligns together very well.

I will say this, though. The exposed muffler and shield piece is overly fiddly and its mounting point is a little vague. Be sure to use the "header pipes" as a guide to aligning the muffler on its mounts. Otherwise the 10 piece rear suspension is a class act.

Ditto for the 10 piece front suspension. Thanks to some very well thought out locator pins, the separate upper control arms and coil-overs of the front end slot in with ease and sit level. It's almost a shame that the dramatic tilt front and rear ends of the Stratos don't make it into this curbside kit, because the detail that is here is superb.

One thing in the front end does give me a pause. The blank for the trunk space - which is visible through the body's open vent work on the nose - contains a molded replica of the RALLY car's spare wheel. The painting instructions for this piece are thorough and there's even a decal for the center hub, but it's a gaffe that betrays the tons of effort Hasegawa put into making this a good street Stratos.

The interior is a great example of this effort. It pays that the road car and the rally car were equally spartan, but even still a completely new two piece dashboard with decals for ALL instrumentation (and very legible decals, too), brand new seats with good upholstery engraving, a new shifter, and new door panels with separate map pockets make for a really complete transformation. Personal favorite detail? Tough choice, but it has to be the awesome metal transfer for the rear view mirror face.

But the best assembly in the whole kit has to be the body. Between the metal transfers, decals, and the 25(!) tiny detail pieces, plus the option of popped up headlights if you want, this body stands out as one phenomeonal way to occupy 6 inches of your desk. You'll have to be careful painting the tiny clear turn signals their multiple colors, and the single windshield wiper is a little tough to align on the wraparound windshield, but otherwise assembly is trouble-free.

You'll still spend a bit of time cleaning up mold lines, admittedly. A one-piece body with this many compound curves really makes it unavoidable.

And to help guide you when building your Lancia Stratos, Hasegawa kindly provides a color guide for production Stratoses that covers the available colors, the mix ratios to achieve their equivalents with Gunze Sangyo paints, AND an interior color cross reference chart.

Please, for heaven's sake, DON'T build the lime green Stratos with light green interior! It's absolutely correct, but damned hideous.

And for the kicker, in keeping with Hasegawa's fine rally-to-street kit tradition, almost ALL of the rally Stratos parts including the awesome five spoke mag wheels, the night stage light rack, the racing seats, steering wheel, shifter, dashboard, side mirrors, skidplates, AND fire extinguisher are all present and accounted for. It makes for some awesome kitbashing without having to buy another Hasegawa Stratos, or a great stockpile for your parts box.

It's hard to say really what makes the Hasegawa Lancia Stratos such a good build, but it has to be in the little things they get right. The parts have very thin and tiny connectors to the trees, making them easy to remove cleanly and clean up before assembly. There isn't any corner cutting when it comes to detail, and the accuracy is there at every corner. Flourishes like the spare parts, the metal transfers, and the copious decal sheet only sweeten the pot.

At $35 at your local hobby shop, it's a fair chunk of change to plop down for a single model kit. But if you love rally cars, love classic exotics, and love well-detailed, fun to assemble kits, then you owe it to yourself to find and grab Hasegawa's Lancia Stratos. It's really that good.

Accuracy: 2.75/3
Fit&Finish: 2/2
Detail: 1.25/1.5
Options: 1.5/1.5
Value: 2/2
Final Verdict: 9.5/10

[kingkai]

Revell Corvette C5-r Le Mans 2001
It is true that revell kits are relative cheaper than other brands.
But they also are known for por finishing. With this kit my decals where printed rater big and the us flag was blown over the sheet. I also found out that the fuel caps where not on the place as seen in the race. Disapointment . But not to be complaining about the kit itself. it was fun building the interior with some extra detail.
I would say it deserves a 6/10 pitty but they anounsed that they will work on it in the future to make there new kits much better. lets hope so. It is nessesary for them to be competing so we'll get the best en a much wider scale of offering of kits

[jja1969]

dose anyone have a reveiw of an old 91 formula firebird by monogram i just got it off ebay and was wondering how the fit was

[hks_kansei]

before you read this, there is another review of Fujimi's S13 in this thread, it is by "Layla's Keeper". but it is more of a comparison of fujimi's and Tamiya's.

this review is of the Fujimi Nissan Silvia S-13 Touge version

upon opening the box we are greeted to a nice amount of parts. four trees of black parts, one clear tree, and one chrome tree (wheels and exhaust tip). the main part though that the touge kit contains, is the decal sheet; it has the normal badges, but also has an assortment of tuning companies and other JDM businesses, ENDLESS, OPTION, 5ZIGEN and a few more.

all of the parts look quite nicely moulded, yes there is a bit of flashing on some parts (the suspension springs mostly) but these can be cleaned up fairly easily. If you are lucky (like I was) you will find a custom front bumper, and a GT wing (it looks more like a high mount stock wing).

upon assembly we find that the suspension goes together very well, and sits solid and level. as well as this the suspension looks very nicely detailed, especially the rear suspension. the interior seems to fit nicely together, but not as well as the underside. the door panels are bland, but the dash is nicely detailed. the only real flaws in the interior are; the seats have no back and are flat (no simulated wrinkles for leather), and the dash leaves a small gap (about 1mm) where it joins the console. the body is nice looking and has decent details, one gripe is that the headlight housing is flat, and that will make it harder to look more real. the bumpers are just as nicely moulded as the body, but the tuning bumper sits lower than the rest of the car and looks strange (side skirts and a rear apron will fix this)

all in all this is an enjoyable kit to build, it is fairly simple to build, but also allows for that little bit of extra care to make a very nice model indeed.

ease of building: 7/10
Detail: 7/10
enjoyability: 9/10

overall: 7.7/10

[CamaroSSBoy346]

Revell 1992 Thunderbird Super Coupe 3n1 Lowrider kit

The MN12 Thunderbird. The last of the REAL Thunderbirds. (Not this crappy retro thing..) These cars were cruisers, with Independent suspension at all 4 corners. Thats untill you droped a few bucks, and you can get you a Sport Thunderbird, which came with a 5.0L V8 (Or a 4.6L V8 after 1993) upgraded wheels, brakes and suspension. Spend a few more presidents, and you can get yourself the "Super Coupe." Its not called "SUPER" for anything. Introduced in 1989, it was the top of the line Thunderbird. It came with upgraded suspension over LX models, 16x7 Unidirectional wheels, optional CD Player and cell phone, and a V6. Wait, what? A V6? Wouldnt the Sport with the V8 be better? Nope. The V6 comes with an Eaton Supercharger, hence "SUPER.." They also came with an optional 5-Speed transmission. Unfortunately, the Sport, LX, or Base models NEVER came with a manual, from the factory. Infact, the 1989 SC won Motor Trends car of the year? How 'bout that..

Now, its been gone for awhile, and the only place you could get them were on ebay...I'm talking about the model here. Revell made many different variatons of the SC kit. The 1989, 35th Anniv Ed, 1991 (I think..) and the 1992. Revell modified the molds of the 1992 kit, giving it the correct tail lights. This is the 3n1 Kit, so it comes with the outragous (in a bad way) lowrider parts (tires wheels decals), custom (which resembles a salt flat racer type theme) and stock.

Engine
The engine is a 3.8L V6, with an Eaton roots-type blower, SET AT 12 psi. The engine made 210 HP, and a whopping 315 TQ. The engine is extremely detailed (One inside the engine bay, there are so many pipes..). Except, the intake manifold, and SC are molded as one unit in chrome. Also, the intake pipe is molded in chrome too, along with the intercooler pipe. I did have a fit issue, and clearence issue. With the engine fully assembled The hood wouldnt close all the way. The first time around, I just lowered the K-Member, the second time, I trimmed the top of the blower, and bottom of the intake. Both times, I needed to sand the inside of the hood, to make it thinner. Also, when assembled, the chrome intake pipe can be a hassle to get in. The intercooler pipe doesnt quite fit right either, and may take a coupe of test fits, and filing. The kit also comes with the M5R2 Manual transmission.

Suspension
The biggest problem on this kit. Its very finnicky, to the point where you get so pissed off you just throw it against the wall. Its very detailed yes, but it doesnt go together right. The front suspension consists of 5 pieces alone. When built, without any alterations, the front suspension will give some very weird cambers, and offsets. By that I mean, one wheel might stick out of the fender, and one might stick way inside. Its a real PITA. Also, the wheels may look "too far foward". The back suspension is...the same way. The back consists of 6 pieces. The first time I built this kit, I put on the suspension before the chassis went together with the body, and ended up having to take it back off for some modifications. The suspension sits too low, and the wheels will look to close to the front of the fender. To fix this, I grinded off the little knobs/stubs that the subframe connects to, then I trimmed the stubs, that are supposed to represnt the coil springs. Then I added the suspension after the chassis was witht ehb ody, so I could line up the suspension to look right. As with the front, the wheels look like one sticks out farther then the other. What I found out was, apparently, not all the tires are the same, so Play around with them, and see what looks good. I also trimmed the inside of the wheels. Unmodified, they stick out of the tire, making the tire look too skinny.

Interior
This is a fairly nice interior, comes with seperate door panels, and comes with a choice of three different gauge clusters. (Stock, one with a built in shift light, and a gold one.) The way the dashboard connects with the center console looks a little weird though. I built this kit twice, and there seems to be some kind of..something..on the seats, that rejects paint.

Body
A very nice, cleanly molded body, with the revised tail lights, molded in clear red. The tail lights say "Thunderbird" on them, this is incorrect, there arent supposed to be anything on there. If you happen to have the 1989 Kit, it might be unique to add that bumper onto the 92 kit. The 89 it has "SC" molded into the front bumper. The windoes didnt come with any lines for the trim, so good luck painting them. Also, the wheels are chrome, which is incorrect. They are supposed to be silver, but I have seen only ONE EVER with chrome wheels. If you're building a 1:1 Replica, the 89-93 SC's came in Red, Black, Silver, and Teal.

Overall
For $12, and being the only MN12 Thunderbird made, I guess you have no other choice. The suspension is a major MAJOR PITA.

Accuracy: Pretty much spot on.. 3/3
Fit/Finish: The suspension ruins it.. .5/2
Detail: Box stock, theres alot of it.. 1/1.5
Options: Lowrider, Custom, stock.. 1.5/1.5
Value: Its a Revell..its cheap, but dont expect Tamiya quality.. 2/2
Final Verdict: 7/10

[Toyotagt1]

Pontiac GTO

HI since about one year of non-reply-time-for I decide to come back again to show you what I've done in one hour.

My father woke up me with the gto box in my face. After read wath I can I begin to built it 10 minutes later.

The box art show a good GTo drift machines with the Rhys Millen car with great bumbers, wheels and wing.


after opening the box checking what's inside I wasn't happy like at beginning. The engine don't look good for the drift car detail and mod


Polar light don't provide the good wheel for D1 racer and certainly don't fit perfectly at the right heigth


The body show good atention to the quality of the paint.


but the bumper doesn't correspond with the depicted car either in front and rear



the chassis look good but simple and with an extras work here and there it would be nice to show it


the interior show simple engravement and not accurate for the race car
its without roll cage or racing seat and its easy to built it clean


In overall for a good modeler its a great need-to-be modifiable kit.

7 out of 10 for it


enjoy a detailled thread on it later!

[aussie haiace]

FUJIMI R32 GT-R V-Spec II

very poor design imediatly noticed lack of inner door trimmings and worst of all this thing isnt even 4wd..
its plain rwd with molded exhaust till half way.complete undercaraige that looks nothing alike an no rear wheel steering completely wrong suspension and oil pan.. interier is very acurate not highly detailed but still acurate with exeption of door trims which as stated before are as good as not there.. rear speakers on parcel shelf is inacurate aswell..
body seems fairly good except there are no indicators on the front gaurds an no nissan badge for the bonnet other than that front bar and shell seems pretty good. wheels are alright exept the need some shaving on the inside to get them all to sit flush inside the body when lowered a bitbrakes are good exept a drilled not slotted an vented calipers are right size to 2 pot not 4.. both front and rear clamp on 1 side only rather that a even pots on either side coil over suspension seems accurate.

[gasman03]

Revell 2003 Hummer H2

awsome kit. but huge, prohibably the biggest 1:25 scale kit I've ever bought that was'nt a semi.

Body is perfect on this. they got every detail. The molding and engraving is excellent. and its stock, except for the wheels. which are huge. 26". I have 1:18 cars that have smaller wheels lol. The kit represents a 2003 version. The only way I can tell the difference is that that the logo on the steering wheel just says Hummer. unlike the 04-05 which say H2.

The interior is excellent. except for one thing. there no stock third seat. but the third row of seats are removable and optional in the 1:1 so leaving it out is'nt a big issue. the only option is a speaker box. which is just like the one in the Revell Escallade.

The chassis and underbody is just like the recent Revell kits. seperate suspension and exhaust. its a curbside converting it to stock would be an issue becouse it has a lowered suspension, I would recommend getting the diecast Revell H2 becouse it has the stock suspension and wheels.

The crome is very nice on this kit but its too shinny. a good coat of dull coat should take care of that.

I give Revell a 9/10 for this kit. they'd get a 10/10 if they would've included a stock suspension at least. and a 11/10 if they had stock wheels with stock suspension. this is deffinently an awsome kit. and I give Revell credit for decided to release it in plastic. I thing with gas prices as high as they are that Revell will sell a ton of these. for people who want to buy the 1:1...but can't afford the gas.

[Lambo003]

I've had this kit in my "under construction" pile for a while. Here's a quick review/run-down of the kit. If I've left anything out please feel free to add your comments on this kit.





KIT # - TC-59
SCALE - 1/24TH
PARTS COUNT - 112
MOLDED IN YELLOW, CLEAR & BLACK STYRENE
WITH DECALS, VINYL & PLATED PARTS.
M.S.R.P $35.00

First off, let it be known that this kit is a stock Fujimi 25th Anniversary "Real Sports Car Series" Countach rather than the highly detailed Enthusiast Model Series. Therefore the car on the box cannot be built without major modifications and scratch building. This came as a big disappointment because no efforts other than the decals and tires were made to accurately represent the full scale Rain-X Countach. There are a few different versions of this car as it developed over the years. Good research should be done before any modifications to the kit are made.

BODY - A 22-piece assembly of a stock 25th Ann. Countach. Body modifications will consist of removing the front valance and rear tail light panel and replacing them with scratch built parts. You will have to add six vents to the engine cover and reconfigure the air vents on the rear quarter panel tops. A stock rear countach wing is included so you'll have to construct a new correct one from scratch.

ENGINE - None, this is a curbside model.

CHASSIS - This is the simplified chassis with metal axles, poseable front suspension, front & rear disc brakes and relief molding of the engine underside. I like these chassis over the EM series, due to the accurate stance your finished model will have. Wheels are also stock 25th Ann. items, but now have new "no name" racing tires. No decals where added to replicate a specific brand name for them. Strange for such a kit!

INTERIOR - There are no modifications to the stock interior and no additional parts where added to correctly represent a racing interior (racing seats, harness, fire extinguisher, etc.).

DECALS - They are complete. However all of the dark blue sections are printed in a pale blue, requiring new decals to be printed to correct them.

FINAL THOUGHT - This kit has a lot of potential, but will take a lot of work to replicate the real car. The biggest hurdles will be the front valance, air vents and making new decals. Fujimi obviously took advantage of their molds here and released a kit geared more towards the collector rather than the builder.

Surgery started on the front valance. Thankfully the Fujimi kit makes the mods easy by scribing along good definition lines.


Here the rear taillight section has been cut away and sheet stock applied. Same for the rear window areas.



The decals. . . ugh

[Whumbachumba]

Kit - Testors 1/4 Hemi Visible Engine
Kit # - Testors - 452
Scale - 1/4th
Molded in Clear, Silver, and Chrome plated.
Part count - 300 plus
MSRP - 80-100 US Dollars.

First off, this is a working model. It is powered by 3 AA batteries. The batteries power a small motor in the base which in turn powers the crank and then powers the rest of the moving parts. The Crank, pistons, cam, and valves move.

Mold: The mold is terrific with no flash what-so-ever. The clear parts are very well made, but removing the little bit of sprue takes a bit of care so you don't crack it.

Detail: The detail on this is stunning, a great replica of a Hemi engine. When completed, the engine looks like it is ready to roar to life.

Pros: Great kit with wonderful detail.

Cons: Directions a bit confusing at times. Belts are too small and pull in A/C and Water pump, need to be heated and stretched.

Overall: 8.5/10.