by Tamiya
Very nice model. Actually one of my preferred one! Not that the level of detail is that great but some really, ... REALLY ... small pieces make for a good challenge. Definitely not for amateurs or starters. So far I've build Ferraris, Reneault, McLaren and some more but this one really stand out of the pack with its beautiful glossy black slick profile.
The engine is marvelous! Great details and fun to build. Easy to fit to body.
However, I had more problems with the front arms and direction. The rods seem to fit too tightly. I managed to make them work anyway.
The most interesting part was the tail... Many little pieces that make up the tail wing support. Quite interesting to build.
The paint job is easy: BLACK. The car is mainly painted in black and many pieces are also in black with some silver or aluminum. Even though the outside body is already factory painted in gloss black it is strongly suggest giving it a touch of "brightness" by painting it using spray. The result is astonishing. Besides that there not much paint job to do, which is good or bad depending on your personnal preference (I, for one, hate to much paint. Takes to much time and I'm a really poor painter!)
Even though the instruction is only in japanese, it is fairly easy to follow (as always for Tamiya products).
The decals are not that easy to install. Long and formed strips are not easy to put right. I usually cut (sharply) them into smaller pieces more easily installed.
I did have two problems once everything was finished (except for decals): the rear wheels were not touching ground! Indeed, the side skirts were so low that it jacked up to car rear end. I still did not have time to correct this. Also, I made a mistake when glueing the exhaust pipes: one of them was fit too high preventing the top-rear wing from fitting. I had to cut the under side of one side so the exhaut would fit inside the panel. It doesn't show though.
Some months ago I finally decided to paint the wheel lettering on some kits I never end up doing. Wow! It really took a long time to decide myself.
This car made its debut around 1978 (I think, my japenese is inexistant!).
Pilotes : Michael Andretti, ? Nilsson.
I would definitely recommend this one to every enthousiasts. However, be aware that there are many REALLY small pieces that requires patience. It's also one of my cheapest model: really worth every penny!
