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Fujimi Fiat 500
FIAT 500 – Fujimi #123622
VERSIONS: Stock
MOLDED COLORS: White, Black, Clear, Satin Plated, Chrome Plated
SCALE: 1/24
MSRP: 2800 Yen (Japan)
NEW TOOL
ENGINE: None. This is a curbside model.
CHASSIS: Fujimi’s chassis of late have been nothing short of excellent, and the Fiat’s is no exception. The basic chassis pan has superb engraving and has engine lowers and fuel tank molded in place. Front suspension is a fourteen-piece assembly with poseable steering, and the rear suspension is a thirteen-piece beam axle unit. The larger part count is due to FOUR-PIECE disc brake units at all corners, and these do look good! The separate exhaust system is two-piece and CHROMED, with the exhaust tip on the resonator recessed for depth. Save that chrome tip, the rest of the exhaust isn’t chrome on the real car, so its metalizer time.
WHEELS AND TIRES: Satin plated 18-spoke Fiat cast wheels ride on rubber Pirelli Cinturato P7 215/50VR15 tires.
INTERIOR: Molded to the basic interior floor are the console, front seat supports, rear seats, and cargo cover. The separate side panels offer excellent three-dimensional detail, and the engraving on the speakers front and rear is first rate. Front bucket seats are three-piece assemblies with backs and separate headrests – the headrests are hollow at the rear so you may want to fill them up. The dash is nicely done with separate two-stalk steering column, steering wheel, and shift lever. Decals are provided for the horn button, shifter ball, and instrument cluster. A headliner is part of the window unit, with molded-in sun visors and overhead storage box.
BODY: The cuteness of the new Cinquecento is captured beautifully here by Fujimi. The one-piece body has the Sport model’s side skirts molded in place. The cowl is separate and has two delicately molded separate wipers. Front fascia is separate and has separate plated headlight buckets with clear lenses, grille panel with clear running light lenses, and Euro-style license plate. At the rear are a separate roof spoiler, rear pan, Euro-style license plate, rear wiper, and plated taillight bezels with clear lenses. Two-piece side mirrors with plated faces complete the exterior. The one-piece window unit is a tad thick but has minimal distortion, and areas to be “blackened” are marked out as frosted.
DECALS: In addition to the aforementioned items, the smallish decal sheet contains Euro-style “500” plates in white/silver and black/silver, FIAT logos for front and rear (the front containing the silver crossbar), four wheel centers, the inside mirror face, and two silver and black 500 logos for the sides.
OTHER: Included in the kit is a printed sheet of masking patterns for the windows, meant to be used as templates with the self-adhesive masking medium of your choice.
COMMENTS: The little Fiat 500 took Europe and Asia by storm, and is now becoming popular in the USA. With its Italian flair, generous equipment list, and a 35 miles per gallon rating, the reasons for its popularity are apparent. This kit represents the initial Euro-spec 500; the version that is now being sold in the USA is very different but still close to the original formula. Fujimi has captured the look of the Cinquecento perfectly, and the model builds up into a fine replica of the original. Some painstaking paint work and a little extra detailing via a photoetched detail set such as Hobby Design’s (#HD02-0094) will produce a real conversation piece. It’s also a good first import model for those who are only used to American style model car kits. I personally have an affection for the 500, and one day might just own one in 1/1 scale, it’s that cool – but for now, I’ll settle for Fujimi’s offering – it’s a fun build of a fun car.