fumi

Probably no chance, the body mold was supposed to be permanently altered for the RS500.

Or swap the engine with the excellent Cosworth YB by USCP. https://uscp-ua.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=69

Well technically I am looking from outside across the border, but my car loving friends and coworkers in the Mainland, as well as the Internet forums both in here and across the border, give me some insight about the happenings over there. Some background on modelling in China: it started to become popular in the early 90's as the middle class grown and people were looking for new hobbies. It was around that time when Dragon put up a branch in Shanghai, while in the south Trumpeter had started to put out cheap, toy like military kits and Lee began doing Tamiya knock offs. AutoArt also started a new factory to make diecast cars. That was how it started and it had come a long way, with Trumpeter releasing some of the best military kits in the market and new companies popping up almost every year. I would say most car modellers nowadays are in their 30's and 40's growing up building Tamiya kits and reading translated car magazines about Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis during the 90's, so naturally super cars are the hottest subject matters. I have heard the McLaren Senna sold very well and the genre is also what Hobby Design is mainly focused in. JDM subjects are also popular, again these are what people see in magazines and videos, kits are abundant and there is a huge aftermarket for them. Motorcycles round out the rest of the market. American cars are an extremely niche market, there is simply no connection to them for most people, other than from the Transformers movies. Just like the rest of the modelling world car modellers are in the minority around here, with Gundam having the biggest market share and growth followed by military. The post-2000 generation are also not into cars as much as the earlier generations, though car related video games do have an impact on them, which again drives interest in super cars and JDM kits. Kit price is in the range of US $20-25 for Japanese re-release and $30 around for new kits here. I have been increasingly buying kit from TaoBao (sort of a Chinese version of Amazon), it saves from the hassle of going to the shop only to have the kit sold out or not in stock yet, and with Hasegawa kits it is usually cheaper even with shipping factored in. While we can get the Revell Germany version of American car kits here, I have never seen a Round2 kit for sale even when they are molded right in the same province I buy my kits from. They are probably all for export.

There is a very healthy car culture in China, it just has nothing to do with American cars. I also don't think Trumpeter charged an outrageous price for their car kits, I got my Nova and Bonneville for less than US $20 each and the Falcon for less than $30, and I still saw the Falcons on clearance at $20 just last month. How they cost so much in foreign market is beyond me. It is very simple why Trumpeter got out of the car kit market. When they make their umpteenth T-80 variant with 1000 parts and selling for over $50 (could be way over that on your side of the world) armour modellers just thank them and snap them up. When they make a car kit and sell for half that car modellers ridiculed them and not buying any. Coupled with their choice of American cars that no one outside of the US buys and it is easy to see they were doomed from the start, and there is just no point for them to make any more, new or reissue.

Looking at several build pics, holes are already tooled for the grab handles for the Safari version, and the ZG specific parts like the bumper, headlights, fender flares and wheels are on their own sprues that can be switched out. Safari versions is pretty much guaranteed now, just need to see what other combinations would Tamiya come up with further down the road.

No mention of the colour of engine sprue so I'd expect curbside. It would however have separate chromed parts for the window frame.

Highlight Model Studio also makes photo etch ones in 2 styles, with or without holes. https://www.highlightmodelstudio.com/en/product/11872852 https://www.highlightmodelstudio.com/en/product/11872852

Tamiya has posted product information. The window moldings and headlight cover frames will be separate chromed parts, and the wheel covers will be in 3 pieces similar to how it was done in the new Supra. https://www.tamiya.com/japan/products/24360/index.html

Model shops in here are taking pre-orders for around US $42.

Speaking of Volvo, they hinted an S40 on Facebook last year. There is also a Vauxhall Cavalier hinted but Opel and Vauxhall are no longer GM. The last car hinted was the Alfa 155. I am hoping the Peugeot license would lead to a 406 down the road. And maybe a Primera or Pulsar GTi-R for the Nissan license, if Hasegawa doesn't do it first.

Surprised me that they haven't done the 190E Evo 2 yet. That thing has cult status as far as the Guia race is concerned.

Orange Wheels. Chromed: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10402388 Plain: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10402384

The Watanabes from the Skyline will work just fine, and they are the de facto wheels on most 240ZG. My guess is they would be metal stickers like they did with their classic car line before. The front and rear windshield trims would be tricky; in real life it is a chrome strip sandwiched between the rubber trim.

The European fielded cars were the pre-facelift version and would need an entirely new body to change the side molding and rear license plate housing, I doubt Hasegawa would go that far. The post-facelift version as made by Hasegawa seemed to have raced in Spa in RHD config, and can be easily produced from the existing tooling.

Really didn't see this coming. All new tool with a "realistically depicted engine" and hinged hood, plus plated metal parts for window frame and headlight covers. Featured release for early 2021. https://www.tamiya.com/japan/featuredreleases_early2021.html

There are free SSL certs, which this site already uses. By all means use HTTPS, it is already here. It is probably ok to not encrypt what kinds of paints we use, or what our latest model purchase was, or photos of our models. But don't forget your password also get passed along to the site when you login in. Even if you only use it for this site (which you should), it would still be terrible if someone steals it and uses your ID to post something you normally wouldn't.

Japanese modellers have posted the inside shot of the Hasegawa body on Facebook, the recess lines for scribbing out the targa top are there.

I expect separate wheel nuts for ease of painting. Hasegawa has been doing this for most of their recent kits, even when it is not entirely necessary.

Makes sense as this particular scheme of 1993 Taisan was never released before and Tsuchiya "Drift King" Keiichi drove it to victory. It also helps snag sales as people who cannot wait for the Calsonic version will get this first and get the Calsonic one afterwards anyway. If it is done the other way round a lot of people will stop at one. From Hasegawa's web site the kit will come with proper single wiper, trunk lid with the fuel filler holes opened as well as brake ducts, race suspension, aero mirrors and proper interior bits. http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/product/hc41/

First saw it in Facebook, supposed to be an all new kit. I can't read Korean and all the words are embedded in the pics, it would be great if someone else can get more information out of it. http://www.academy.co.kr/1p/1p_plaview.asp?pView=PLA0000005&pCode=1985&pScale=PLA0000005

There is also a Benz Soarer in the same series. Whether it would lead to something in real life remains to be seen.

Race versions with different liveries and wheels are a given, they have already tooled the faces for all 4 types of mirrors used by different teams in the chrome sprue. The projector light housings, which are not used by most of the teams, are also on its own sprue. With the Nismo bits all on a separate sprue, I would also expect Spec V and Spec V-II variants with new BBS wheels but without the Nismo sprue.

Hasegawa has officially announced the kit, tentatively for Dec 24 release: http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/product/hc40/ Test shots here: http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/hc40b/ From the layout the Group A race cars and the 3.0 Turbo A are a given after this release; they have already tooled the Momo steering wheel for the Turbo A. The Twin Turbo R is possibe down the road with new Recaro seats and wheels. Export version is not likely, the rear side moldings are molded solid to the body and do not have provision for side markers.

Hasegawa has shown photos of the built up, looks very promising. Finally the Nismo sidestep and the front bumper ducts are properly scaled and not a huge blob of plastic. My only gripe is the tyres, nicely done Pirelli P7 with side wall engraving that should have been Potenza RE71. But I guess I can live with that. http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/product/hc39/

There is actually an info@sefinecast.co.uk e-mail address in the front page and a sales@sefinecast.co.uk e-mail address in their PDF catalog. Why they don't put it on their sales page is beyond me.