London Taxi - Revell

[plastiktruck]

Manufacturer : Revell

Model: London Taxi

Model No.:. 07 093

Scale: 1 / 24

moldings: 5 Degussa including 1 clear part and a chrome + body

Price: € 22.99

Production Year: 2011

Availability: dealer

Features:

Model-details:

- Separate chassis

- One-piece body with fine surface details

- Movable bonnet

- Metal axle and wheels turn

- Interior dashboard and with typical partition

- Reproduction of engine

- Various chrome parts, including bumpers and grille

- Hoses for the engine compartment

- Authentic decals with typical characteristics

engine imitation

Plan and Decals:

[Tony T]

Thanks for showing the box contents!

[Chuck Most]

What's up with that big hole in the 'engine'?

[mannyclub]

Looks like a pretty cool kit. I would build it as a taxi or somthing else anyway. Thanks for showing it.

Manny

[plastiktruck]

What's up with that big hole in the 'engine'?

I would say there is, according to instructions of the air filter. see here http://www.revell.de/manual/07093.PDF

[Rob Hall]

Is this the kit that there was some issue with the scale, that it was more like 1:22nd? Or was that the Aoshima one..

[george 53]

That's where the aircleaner sits. my across the street neighbor just bought one of these in August! I drove it an it'sa WEIRD feeling driveing from the RIGHT side of the car. His is a 1966 Austin. He wants to hot rod it.

[62rebel]

perhaps Heiko would indulge us with a set of pics that might illuminate the supposed scale discrepancy or put it to bed? it's simple enough to compare tire size, as the Taxi is only known to use one size?

[Harry P.]

Just out of curiosity, why are there two batteries?

[Junkman]

Is this the kit that there was some issue with the scale, that it was more like 1:22nd?

Yes it is. It's the ancient Imai rubbish.

Just out of curiosity, why are there two batteries?

Back in the 16th century when these were new, they had two 6 Volt batteries switched in line to get 12 Volts. One 12 Volt battery with the same power output wouldn't have fit anywhere.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Junkman

[Harry P.]

Back in the 16th century when these were new, they had two 6 Volt batteries switched in line to get 12 Volts. One 12 Volt battery with the same power output wouldn't have fit anywhere.

Wouldn't it have fit in the "boot"?

Oh well... one 12V or 2 6V... it's all the same, I guess.

[Casey]

Wouldn't it have fit in the "boot"?

Oh well... one 12V or 2 6V... it's all the same, I guess.

Six volts of one, a half-dozen of the other.

[Junkman]

Wouldn't it have fit in the "boot"?

I'm sure it would have. But possibly price was also a consideration. 12V batteries were expensive. Once they became cheaper and more compact, they were used.

However, this shows you how long this kit has been around. The Taxis were 'dieselized' already in the late Seventies (Perkins, the same unit as used in most European built Jeeps). For the past twenty odd years, the most commonly used engine was the 2.5 Litre Nissan Diesel. You would be hard pressed to find a taxi without it now.

[62rebel]

isn't there a Revell rep on this board who can speak up for their decision to release such a substandard piece of ancient dross? someone who can explain why a company with such a reputation for quality would fail to follow up on any question of their product accuracy?

or could we ask Heiko to take some scale measurements and compare them with the data readily available online?

or even request that Airfix tool up a completely new kit with opening doors and full detail..... right.

[Chuck Most]

I'd be up for that. I mean- Revell kitted a Trabant, of all things. When that kit was found to be, well, less than satisfactory, they tooled up a new, immensely better version.

[plastiktruck]

Revell has actually brought the Trabant only because even 20 years down the Wall and the new kit was lasered and allegedly had a motor, which the old kit came in the 1990 years out much better strength properties.

When the taxi I would argue, because it was just about the right model to sell London bus to the old Imai was therefore hergenommen kit for it.

Revell on the topic, there are different opinions about the quality inDeutschland. Much better than buying kits Italeri Revell since the quality is better. There are only two of the model is not always the same. 'm Curious if the Internatinal Revell Lonestar brings as is done, because I've already built the Moebius.

What am I supposed to measure accurately because of scale, etc.?

[george 53]

AS far as looks go, I'd have to see the kit, but honestly, they ARE Taxi's and they do only have a 4 cylinder manual trans. The interior is JUST as bare, with a back bench seat, an a little flip down seat. Not a whole lot of stuff to begin with. I'mma get one caz they just look cool and weird,I like weird.

[Rob Hall]

I wouldn't mind having one, but correctly scaled to 1:24th to go w/ the bus.

[george 53]

Ok, I saw Rob's reply just now, an it's NOT a 24th scale kit, but a 1/22nd scale??? Ohhh that sucks!!!

[Rob Hall]

Ok, I saw Rob's reply just now, an it's NOT a 24th scale kit, but a 1/22nd scale??? Ohhh that sucks!!!

Don't know that for sure, but the buzz I've seen about it here and elsewhere is that it's not 1:24th regardless of what the box says...

[Tony T]

I'd like to see a proper MKII, as we have them here in Ottawa. Left-hand drive, of course!

[plastiktruck]

The kit has been taken in cooperation with the Japanese company IMAI.

[jbwelda]

piece of junk. i am glad in a way, one more kit i dont have to worry about

[Art Anderson]

Don't know that for sure, but the buzz I've seen about it here and elsewhere is that it's not 1:24th regardless of what the box says...

It's the Aoshima kit of the Austin FX4, and yes, it's larger than 1/24 scale, quite possibly 1:22. Still, it's wise to consider that the actual cars are fairly ungainly looking, in some dimensions larger even than say, a late 90's compact Chevy SUV. Some stats on the real car, gleaned from a websearch:

Length: 15.05 feet; width: 5' 8.7"; height 5' 9.5"; wheelbase 9' 2.7"; track 4' 8" (same as a Model T or Model A Ford!). At 1:22 scale, it would be approximately 9% larger overall than a 1/24 scale model.

The model kit itself is of the 1958-81 Austin FX4 London Black Cab, the kit, I believe, dates from the late 1970's from Imai--although my example is from Aoshima, as one of the commonly simple Japanese model car kits of that decade (other than Tamiya). It's still a pretty neat model, even if simplified beyond what most of us would expect in today's world, that that's the way of it with old reissued model car kits. It's wise, I think, to bear in mind that Japanese model kits (Tamiya armor excepted!) from the 1960's well into the late 1970's, just as with US-made model car kits were aimed primarily at children and teenagers. Japanese model car kit advertising from those years, just as with the likes of AMT, MPC, Revell and Monogram, if they showed real people building or showing off the model, featured kids, not grizzled middle aged adults, as likely would be the case today were there actual people posing in advertising pics of model kits in this day and age.

After some Googling for the FX4, there were a fair number of variants, including a stretched limousine style, as well as hearses.

No, it's not 21st Century state of the art, but it should build up very nicely indeed, and should display nicely as a curbside, and yes it is larger than the 1/24 scale that it's been advertised as being. Oh well!

Art

[Harry P.]

This and the new double-decker bus kit would make a nice "London" diorama display.