Spottedlaurel

Any news on alternative versions of the Nissan 240ZG? It looks to have been engineered in such a way that a standard-nose Z could be offered, and there are so many race/rally cars they could do. Maybe even borrow the S20 engine from the Skyline GT-R to create a Z432R? Look how many different issues Hasegawa can get out of one subject. Also, with regard to weathering/rust, given that many of their subjects are older Japanese cars there is plenty of scope for corrosion (as the past/present owner of numerous 1:1 Datsuns, Toyotas etc I can say that!).

OK, after a bit of rummaging through the stash I'm in with the Tamiya Nissan 240ZG: I shall be fitting an RB26 straight-six out of a Skyline GT-R. Needs converting to 2wd, but doesn't look too difficult with a bit of parts box engineering and cutting/filling. Seen images of a few such transplants at 1:1 so it's clearly a feasible swap, just need to keep the appearance looking restored rather than overly modified, so I'll choose a period colour. The Tamiya kit is already very nicely detailed, but I happened to find the Hobby Design detail-up set on eBay so I'll add whatever I can from that. Kind of a shame to lose the well-detailed standard L24 engine, but I can make good use of that on something else and it makes sense to start with the best version of the Z. It's way ahead of those from anyone else, and it's still readily available if I want to build one more standard. Using the ZG gives me the aero nose, which will hopefully gain a few MPH, and arch flares to cover wider rubber. Now waiting for the start date!

Thanks Enzo! It's a tricky one this year, but I think you've come up some guidance there that we can take in the right spirit and come up with something that isn't just a rehash of previous CBRs. I'm currently swaying between AMT's '69 Cougar with a newer Ford V8 (Revell's Foose FD100 or Shelby Series 1?), or the Tamiya Nissan 240ZG with an RB-series stright-six engine. I'll use the remaining Christmas holiday period to have a look at them and see how easy it will be to perform the upgrades I have in mind. What I like about both is that the base vehicles could have run in the 1971 event. Also, they'll also be eligible for one of the other community builds on here.

Well done for persevering with it, the finished result looks excellent. I dropped into your WIP thread every so often, this kit certainly seems like a challenge....

Nice selection there. All well-engineered kits of interesting/significant cars. At some point I'm going to attempt putting a spare Celsior V8 into the Soarer. Can only dream of doing it at 1:1, but it's vaguely feasible in styrene....

Nicely done Michael. Sometimes it's good just to build them OOB and enjoy how the kit was designed and engineered.

What a beast, well done Steve! You put a lot of thought and effort into this, it's really paid-off.

Sounds like the perfect description of what it should be about, it's certainly how I approach it, I've definitely built things that I wouldn't have done otherwise. I guess the trick with the resto-mod category is to get the right base vehicle. Something old enough that needs to be restored, perhaps raced or rallied back in the day or at least with good aftermarket tuning parts supply. I'll be looking out for something that's not immediately obvious but shares its DNA with something commonly upgraded, to make use of the parts sharing possibilities. Recent comments from @disconovaman elsewhere on this forum about the Nova and Camaro come to mind, the same principle can be applied to plenty of other things. Hmmmm.......

Ditto. I have a few Japanese straight-sixes in my various kits, and there's a 2.4-litre lump in my 1:1 Datsun so they are definitely something I appreciate and it's probably something I'd be building anyway, but to challenge myself a little maybe it's time to do something with the Maserati 'six' I have spare from the Monogram 3500GT?.....

Looks good! I built the road car version a few years ago, went together nicely and a wheel swap worked well on it. I don't remember anything particularly odd about the interior - the rear was boxed-out to house the MR engine set-up, and Tamiya made use of it for the motor. It loses a bit of detail in not having the rear suspension detail, with just a metal rod axle, but it still looks fine on the shelf. Saw one in action at a French hillclimb we were lucky to attend when on holiday last year:

Looks stunning Luke! And it's not black ? The gold suits it really well.

Nice coincidence on the Wolf, Tamiya's 1:20 version is one of my oldest, unrestored survivors: For some reason I brush-painted it with yellow Humbrol enamel, which looks slightly better than it sounds. I think this one is from a year or two before the Wolf: Didn't paint the bodywork back then, but looks like I had the patience to apply the decals. Anything else from my teenage years in the '80s has either been restored/rebuilt, or is stashed away awaiting future TLC.

A well-deserved win! I'm very happy to come in 3rd. The variety of entries certainly shows that we made good use of the RWYB category this time around.

Ooh, didn't know about that one. However I'd imagine it may well be, I have heard of another SATCO reboxing of an Aoshima kit. They also include a LHD dashboard which isn't in the original Japanese kit.

Wow, that's rather impressive! Very neat how you carried the paintwork through onto the dashboard.

Yup, but even allowing for that there's a fair difference. A bit like how some Monograms are on the 'generous' side of 1/24.

Luckily I was able to dig out my T-top version to compare it with the '90s issue AMT that I have. Both are old kits, the difference in scale between them is very noticeable but I don't know if it's that the Tamiya is a bit big or the AMT is on the small side. Tamiya was intended to be motorized so has a metal rod back axle, also the engine detail is top half only with sump/gearbox detail moulded into the floorpan, whereas the AMT has more detailed suspension and a full engine/transmission. Tamiya has separate wipers front and rear, on the AMT they're moulded-in and a bit delicate. Tamiya has nicer OE wheels, but the AMT has an accessory set of mesh wheels and bigger tires (albeit the wheels are 5-stud). Given that I'd probably change them that doesn't bother me. AMT is LHD, Tamiya RHD. With a bit of care and attention I think both will build-up to give a decent appearance, I've certainly got plans for each of them. And both are far better than Fujimi's attempt at a 280ZX - I have one of them too, but luckily my plans for that one don't require much more than the top half of the bodyshell...

Technically I won't have this one until the 25th, but I got a sneaky glimpse when it arrived at work today before being whisked away when I got home.... I have a couple of examples of Tamiya's T-top version (original plus recent reissue), but I was lucky to successfully bid on this fixed-head model. Came with the motor and a separate sheet translating the instructions into French. I wonder if this one came first, then they modified the tool to create the T-top? The latter was released later (and recently reissued), as was the Pace Car version which also had the removable panes. I am not aware of the fixed-head ever having been reissued. This fixed-head 2-seater might be good for a more performance-oriented build, perhaps even enjoying an engine transpant as it has an opening bonnet (then I can use the top part of the ZX's engine in a special Datsun project I have in mind).

Glad you persevered with it, the end result looks excellent!

I'd be very happy with the Radwood theme. I have loads of suitable subjects in the stash, and cars from that era represent three quarters of my 1:1 car fleet (1980 Datsun, 1993 Lexus and 1996 Toyota). To take me out of my comfort zone a little perhaps it's time to do something with those Thunderbirds and Fox Mustangs I've picked-up, or maybe even the Citation X or Ford EXP?!

I now own a '93 Mk1, and I've previously had a '96 Mk3. My daughter's boyfriend has two '98-ish Mk4 models, so all my experience is of the 400s. I think they're great! Even mine, bought very cheaply and maintaind to a far lower standard than it deserves, is a lovely thing to drive. So smooth. The impression I've got about later 430s and 460s is that they're not built/designed to quite the same standard, so despite being newer they can suffer issues that don't affect the 400s. I personally prefer the look of the Mk1/2 models, especially the Mk1 on its 15" wheels, and happily it's an early one that Tamiya represent with their very nice kit. Great news that the Lexus version will also be reissued!

Thanks, would be way beyond my 1:1 mechanical skills sadly! I did contemplate that, with a dividing screen behind the front seats, no internal cover and the clear rear glass. Would be good for a show/go car, my concept for the Cannonball Run was something that looked like nothing more than a tidy Accord, not one with the heart of a supercar ?

That's very nice, you've captured the look of the real thing very well.

A super-clean build, what a tribute.

I admired your work on this in the WIP thread, the finished result looks excellent.