Mike Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I desperately want this kit being a Skyline fan, but $50 is a big price tag for a glorified curb side kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v3biker Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Yeah, I know what you guys mean. I'm a Tamiya person and I've only built kits by Tamiya but the increased costs have been brutal. The only thing I don't get is, the GT-R is 50 something bucks but yet the engine bay is a one piece with the chassis. I still consider myself a newb when it comes to building models but man, that is one PAIN in the ass to paint. Esp if it requires 3-4 different colours in there. At least give us a separate full engine for 50$. I've never really built any Fujimi kits before but I'm thinking of trying them out since they are a bit cheaper where I'm from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygre Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Yeah, I know what you guys mean. I'm a Tamiya person and I've only built kits by Tamiya but the increased costs have been brutal. The only thing I don't get is, the GT-R is 50 something bucks but yet the engine bay is a one piece with the chassis. I still consider myself a newb when it comes to building models but man, that is one PAIN in the ass to paint. Esp if it requires 3-4 different colours in there. At least give us a separate full engine for 50$. I've never really built any Fujimi kits before but I'm thinking of trying them out since they are a bit cheaper where I'm from. Fujimi does a pretty reasonable job on most of their kits. Some of them get a bit too simplified for my tastes when it comes to their interiors. Fortunately, their GT-R is very well done. Next to Tamiya I have a preference for Aoshima. EXCELLENT QUALITY. Superb interior details and really sharp engraving. I'm waiting on their GT-R kit now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v3biker Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Fujimi does a pretty reasonable job on most of their kits. Some of them get a bit too simplified for my tastes when it comes to their interiors. Fortunately, their GT-R is very well done. Next to Tamiya I have a preference for Aoshima. EXCELLENT QUALITY. Superb interior details and really sharp engraving. I'm waiting on their GT-R kit now. Yeah, I was also checking out the Aoshima kit as well. What I love about the Aoshima kit is that it actually comes with real springs for the suspension, which is pretty cool. I also like the idea of how Aoshima and Fujimi have moving rotors (unlike Tamiya's one piece rotor and caliper). I thought it's a cool little concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Too much dough for a curbside!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bimmer Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I agree with you guys about the price, I've paid mine $52 and I ordered the photoetch for $18 to complete the details. It becoming really expensive but when I saw the final result.....well...It was a good choice!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v3biker Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I agree with you guys about the price, I've paid mine $52 and I ordered the photoetch for $18 to complete the details. It becoming really expensive but when I saw the final result.....well...It was a good choice!!! How did you deal with painting the engine bay? That's my main concern about this kit. I'm still a newb to model building and that engine bay just seems like a pain in the ass to paint. I thought about not even touching it and just let it be, but then it'd bother the hell out of me knowing that the kit was not fully painted. V3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 makes what i paid for my Tamiya Ferrari Enzo seem like a steal! i'd really like to have this kit as well, but it's just too expensive. maybe they offer me a good trade-in for my older Tamiya Skylines? Dave $34.35 from Hobbylink Japan, just add shipping. But yeah, I got my Tamiya Enzos for about $27 each, so inflation is a killer. The Fujimi and Aoshima versions are much cheaper; Fujimi/Aoshima GTR's can be had for $25.31 before shipping (from HLJ, Hobbysearch is 5% cheaper still), and after seeing an online comparo between all the kits, the Fujimi one is the best value. It has much more chassis detail than Tamiya, but no engine detail. Aoshima's wheel/tire package look a bit puny, and it has some odd proportions, but it is engineered to make it easy to make an adjustable suspension. The Tamiya kit sits nice and low straight out of the box. US prices on all Japanese kits seem insane when compared to buying in Japan; even considering the shipping expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlite5hadow Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 (edited) cant wait til i have time away from work to start my FOUR GT-R's! got two tamiya, and two aoshima kits for about $90 altogether. Here's my own little review: Tamiya kit: moulding is typical tamiya, though i personally feel the panel lines will be too shallow once filled with primer, paint and clear, so a wash will be in order for me. as mentioned above, the engine has very good detail for being a glorified curbside kit. speaking of which, for a car with this much press coverage, and anticipation, you would think a full driveline (motor, trans, diff) would be seperate, and for the price would almost be expected. rims are nice, brakes are huge, and wheels are awesome. and that seperate under panel is a killer, hiding plenty of potential for exhaust and driveline details. if i could re-engineer this model, i would make full engine bay and driveline detail, turbos, intercooler and charge piping, full exhaust, and to keep it accurate, a clear underpanel like the one included, and a second grey-moulded panel with the optin to cut out "access panels" (regardless if they're there on 1:1) to show off said details. but thats just me. the nose panel leaves a lot to be imagined, with the grill identical in detail to revell's magnum grill with moulded mesh detail. suspension components leave a bit to the imagination, metal axel included for rear wheels, fronts are steerable, and much detail here is hidden and simplified due to that darn underpanel. i dont have the photo-etched detail set, but from what the instructions point out, those are included in the constructino steps, and the details they add will be subtle, but oh so very noticable on the finished model. typical decals and metal transfers also included. here's an initial mock-up of the body, suspension/brakes and wheels. sidewall on the tire appears thick, but i haven't really paid much attention. its in this post, third pic down: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13855 Edited August 30, 2008 by moonlite5hadow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_rad88 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 (edited) i think of the nissan r35 gt-r kits: the fujimi nissan r35 gt-r kit is the worst of all three! its nice in the interior and all but the is no, I MEAN NO UNDER HOOD / ENGINE BAY DETAIL. the tamiya nissan r35 gt-r kit to is the best for the fact of it showes engine detail. AND THE FUJIMI FERRARI F40 MODEL KIT HAD INCORRECT DOOR MIRRORS! Edited March 19, 2009 by KUZTOMMODELS88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 (edited) Stump, forgive me, but it's silly to qualify your post with "just my opinion". This is a message board, most of us are purportedly adults, and one thing that should be OBVIOUS to all participants is that opinions are central to the premise of any forum such as this. Frankly, you have a point: these molded-in mills Tamiya's been doing with the McLaren SLR and this GT-R are clearly phone-in efforts compared to the complete engines they used to do. And I will also respectfully submit that any thorough examination will actually put Fujimi's kit in the running for the BEST of the R35 GT-R's. Their body shell is only marginally behind Tamiya's in accuracy (the Aoshima body is a more distant 3rd place). Fujimi's wheels and tires are decisively better than Tamiya's, and Aoshima's rolling stock isn't even close. Fujimi's kit is the ONLY one of the three that makes a serious attempt at reproducing the actual suspension as it appears in the R35. The separate rear undertray/rocker panels/front spoiler all save you some masking relative to the other two models. Fujimi's "detail-up" photoetch kit pretty much has its dirty little prison-style way with its counterpart from Tamiya. And for what it's worth, Fujimi's parts count is far and away the highest, even without an engine - and the parts all fit together quite well. Yup, the ONLY drawback is that Fujimi's kit lacks an engine. And oh, lookie what Fujimi has coming at the end of the month: http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ03794 When that one arrives, there won't be any doubt. Edited March 20, 2009 by Chuck Kourouklis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Yup, the ONLY drawback is that Fujimi's kit lacks an engine. And oh, lookie what Fujimi has coming at the end of the month: http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ03794 When that one arrives, there won't be any doubt. woo hoo!!! Everyone has said it looked like Fujimi's looked like they were providing for an engine.. now I finally know which one to get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_rad88 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 (edited) nice, well i will retracked my previous statement when i build this model with the engine when it comes out. until then i will have to wait to see. but what about the mirrors for the ferrari f40? they where wrong! and i think tamiya made an excellent ferrari f50. i made one for a superdetail project like everyone has done. soon i am going to make a 2nd one. i also want to try the tamiya ferrari in 1/12 scale with the f50 gt trans kit. also the same for the ferrari fxx! Edited March 20, 2009 by KUZTOMMODELS88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FujimiLover Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I've always loved their inch-up series................................their aero-series is cool too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatRedmond Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hmmmm......there's 2 GT-R's at work ( belonging to doctors ).......maybe i'll get a kit to keep up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) Well, now that I've gotten a few things figured out, perhaps I can offer some proof: These two 3/4 shots show that Fujimi's kit has the best stance right out of the box; Tamiya slams it a bit too low, and Aoshima's rather-too-small rolling stock ruins the effect. This model is also pimping bits from the KA/Fujimi upgrade kit, most notably the spun exhaust tips (incorrectly pointed here), the photoetched rotor surfaces, the metal transfer crests for the wheels, and the "GT-R" photoetched plates which just scream with some simple paint detailing and highlight-scraping. You don't have to squish the wheels in as far as they did on the prototype on Fujimi's website. And you can see here that once you finesse it, the window unit snaps in much more decisively than Fujimi's display model would lead you to believe. And here, we see far and away the best undercarriage treatment. The interfaces between the chassis plate and the rocker panels, air dam, and rear diffuser are much more convincing in this kit, with none of the gaps that Tamiya's kit has or the oversimplification that characterizes the Aoshima kit. There's no conspicuous split in the exhaust system, and the transaxle engraving and suspension detail blow the other two clean away. We're pretty much at a stalemate right now, even with Fujimi's curbside disadvantage. If there's a decent engine in the upcoming version, fuggeddabouddit. Game over. Edited March 23, 2009 by Chuck Kourouklis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_rad88 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 well i still will wait for the fujimi kit. any one know the release date. it says march, but when? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Well, Hobbysearch has just gotten pictures up, so it's not likely much longer: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10084193n3/40/3 While the pieces are designed to augment a curbside chassis, the instruction sheet shows that this is far and away the most detailed effort of the three - and maybe the most accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 love that build there chuck; a couple questions: you say the exhaust tips are pointed wrong? they look cool to me...whats right then? and tamiya slammed it too low? thats hard to believe. the photos are of the fujimi, right? and tamiya sits lower than that? got a photo of your tamiya build to compare to? many thanks and nice build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) love that build there chuck; a couple questions: you say the exhaust tips are pointed wrong? they look cool to me...whats right then? and tamiya slammed it too low? thats hard to believe. the photos are of the fujimi, right? and tamiya sits lower than that? got a photo of your tamiya build to compare to? many thanks and nice build! Howdy, jb, and thanks! I mention the ride height not in reference to any build I did (although my test-fitting shows the same results), but to all of the Tamiya builds I've seen, in person or online - to a single car, the tires practically bump against the wheel arches. You can just about see it in Tamiya's own press photo, in fact: As for the tailpipes, they're cut at an angle as you see, and I've positioned the tailpipes so that those angles point straight down, as they do in most conventional setups. Literally minutes after the epoxy cured, I saw in my reference photos that those bevels described by the tailipipes actually point out more toward the rear corners of the car, instead of straight down at the pavement - such that I'd need to turn each pair about 45 degrees outward from the car's center line to get them aimed right. Edited April 1, 2009 by Chuck Kourouklis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 thanks for the reply chuck...yeah i see now what you mean about the exhaust tips and dont it always work like that! they do look more wicked at an angle but they look cool like you have them too. thanks for the feedback on ride height; to tell the truth i saw the photo of the tamiya one on its boxtop and was wondering if it really was that low or if that was artist conception or something...i was hoping it truly sat that low and looks like it does! for me there is no such thing as too low for this car especially if you dont have to actually drive it over todays roads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Oh sure! Aesthetically, this sucker looks meaner and meaner the lower it goes. And yup, Tamiya's really is that low - to a point just this side of clearance problems with the inner fender wells. I was mainly evaluating it from the stock ride height as a reference, and even with the apparent +1 sizing of the rims, Fujimi's is far and away the closest to a factory 1:1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Zoom Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Tamiya finally realized what most modelers know already. The model looks cooler when it sits lower Personally I think they made the right choice w/the stance. Too often models sit too high vs. stock. Too often perfectly in-scale wheels/tires look too small on a model. Other than price and the simplified engine/chassis, Tamiya pretty much nailed the car perfectly. Fujimi's version w/full engine will undoubtedly please those who cannot fathom building something w/o full blown engine detail. And it's still cheaper than Tamiya's kit. It is a great kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.