Zoom Zoom

The guy who was in charge of the cars at Amelia Island (he was also in charge of the lone Maybach on display) was the one who told me (when I expressed surprise to see them there) that at the time there were 8 in the country at the time. They had the media and potential customers doing test drives. I have no idea how MB works their show/media presentations. There were at least 3 SLS's at the Amelia concours d'elegance.

Feb. 4, 2010 Announcements on this forum It was posted immediately when it became known. Here, have another look at Revell AG announcements previous to the show: New Years Day announcements They've been there to share with everyone here for months.

So I assume that the list that hit on Jan. 1 that had the SLS knew that it was in the pipeline, since the Feb. 4th announcement (I think) was at the time of the trade show? Regardless...bring it on, I love the SLS This is me, sitting in one of 8 SLS's in the country as of March 12th:

It's been on their website for months now, along w/the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is due in June. I think the information was presented on around New Years, and the website was updated on Feb. 4th. Can't wait for both...and many are looking forward to the DTM cars as well.

In some respects Tamiya is listening to critics; they went from wire axles and a very simple chassis on the 350Z to a much more detailed (with steering) setup on the 370Z. Though it does have a wire axle in back...but that doesn't really bother me since I'm not a U-joint or CV-joint snob The GTR has steerable wheels and a wire axle in back. They also have quit the "metal chassis" nonsense on newly-tooled kits. The newly-revised SLR 722 still has the metal chassis, but the chassis design on the 1:1 makes it easy to substitute on the model w/o much visual compromise, aside from the separate panels that install over the screws to hide them. Maybe they'll go back to full engines, if they get enough flack about the simplified setups they've put in the GTR and the DBS. Or if perhaps their competition forces them to.

Nice model and photography

The Miura is easily in the top 10 of the greatest cars ever built, top ten most beautiful, yada yada. Great job on your Shah mobile The online restoration album they had of the 1:1 was a great resource for building the model. The Hasegawa kit is a gem, and so much nicer than all the vintage kits of the Miura. I dream of a Hasegawa Lusso...

I did what I was told. I looked, I voted...before I snooped around to find the answer. Phew...got it right again

No wire axles. A lot of supercars/exotics have been kitted by the Japanese as curbsides. This one, when built, will look full-detail, even with the hood open. Works for me; won't work for anyone who wants an engine-on-a-stand for a diorama or to put the engine in a hot rod. Fujimi has had no problem selling Ferrari and Lamborghini models with either zero engine detail or "just what is visible" like this Aston Martin. Aoshima's SL63 AMG has a crazy looking engine "block" that looks comically inaccurate outside the model. Assembled and installed and paint-detailed, it looks amazing (remembering that modern cars like these have very tightly packaged powerplants and many aesthetic covers; not nearly as much open space underhood as a vintage car, and a lot less chaotic looking). Again, works for me, but perhaps not for others. I can't think of many people buying expensive Japanese kits for engine swaps. While I understand and respect how some people will be put off by not having a prototypical engine, the fact that they do make what is visible look like it's complete is what matters to me and lets me build a detailed model without quite as much effort. I don't think it's a fatal flaw for Tamiya to not include an engine, but others may come to a different conclusion and I can certainly respect that.

I have never seen it turn yellow and have been using it for nearly 30 years. Are they left out or in cases? Smoke free house? Might be a bad batch of BMF? I hope you didn't clearcoat over it...if so, it's likely the clear that has yellowed. If it wasn't cleared, take a little compound like Novus #2, Meguiars Scratch X, Tamiya Coarse or Fine, and polish the foil. Being aluminum, it will take off any of the tarnished/oxidized material, and should turn the polishing rag black...and should make the foil look like new.

Sorry to say it does not. What is visible under the hood is done quite well, but they have not tooled up parts that would be invisible when the model is built.

Word got around yesterday that somewhere on the Tamiya website (in Japanese) that the release date was pushed to May 22; probably right after the Shizouka show. I hate it for y'all. My DBS looks pretty sharp in Tamiya TS-85 Bright Mica Red (Ferrari F60 F1 colour) Sacrilege, perhaps...but it sure looks right

Very nice; and you managed to get it to look good both open and closed, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Saturday much preferred; Sunday is the recovery day from any of the really good shows

Yep, they're generic. Revell USA seems to be the worst at making them so generic at times that they don't look like real tires. The Tamiya GTR and DBS tires are the same, they're generic, but they do have a nicely molded low-profile "rim protector" lip that is common on modern hi-po tires. The Aoshima Mercedes AMG SL63 does have some small Michelin logos on the sidewalls.

Nice work Blue/red is a great combo in Euro subjects

It's just a reissue of the original kit; it's not on the shelves quite yet. I never built mine; it's painted white/silver like the ones that ran in the Hot Rod series, but that's as far as it got. Pretty decent kit. I doubt there are any changes to it, unless they included some custom graphics and perhaps wheels/tires.

It's wearing a final coat of Tamiya primer as we speak

I see minor issues w/front & rear wheel openings (rear being worse), and with the roofline/drip rail area, especially over the quarter glass area. Seems like someone used their straightedge more than their ships curves Big Freaking Deal. It looks like a '62 Impala HT, and last time I looked I could pay $25 for a resin body to put on AMT's convertible, or buy an original. I'm 100% more psyched since it's not an SS and comes w/poverty caps. I'd have bought the kit if it were an SS, but they've made it more tempting in subtle ways. I'd love to see someone graft an AMT bubbletop onto the Impala body...and keep it as a phantom Impala.

Japanese websites show April 29th for both the DBS and the Mercedes McLaren SLR 722.

There is a Rockler store nearby, they're a woodworker's supply store...they carry separate sheets of Micromesh, they're nearly double the size of the pieces we get in the "hobby" kits. Since I use 2400/3200 the most, that's what I've gotten to replace the sheets that get worn out. They also carry 1500 which you can't get with Micromark. I rarely use anything over 4000 grit, so it is nice knowing I have a local source for the sheets I do use, since the hobby shops can't be trusted around here to carry anything useful.

Scale is fine; Countach is a very small car (aside from width). Wheels are tiny, something I find remarkable every time I see one in person. There were a few off-brand Countach kits, perhaps one of those in the infamous 1/27 scale?

Shizuoka show in May, here is a list of what is coming out kit-wise: Aoshima Mazda Autozam AZ-1　(all new) Lamborghini Countach LP400 (all new) C-West Evo-X street C-West Evo-X racing Fujimi Lexus HS250h (all new) Ferrari 458 (all new) Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari Abarth 500 ESSEESSE FW14B (British GP) (all new) Hasegawa Lotus 79 1978 German GP winner (all new) Ferrari 312T 1976 Brazil GP winner Tamiya Lotus 79 (all new) Nothing really earth shattering; the 458 will be nice but since Revell AG has one coming it will be interesting to see who gets theirs out first, and how they'll differ. The Revell kit should certainly undercut the Fujimi kit in price, and very likely be full-detail vs. simplified engine compartment in Fujimi. Lexus? If you mush have one, wait for the 50% off sale. That thing will surely tank. Lamborghini LP400? Haven't Tamiya & Fujimi already sold enough of these through the years? I love the car, but... Autozam? I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Mazda fanatic and that one doesn't do anything for me. Especially when the Mazdaspeed3 has been ignored... Or perhaps the car that gave us the 13B, the Mazda RX4. The only one I'm really interested in is the Abarth Ferrari tribute

Doesn't matter to me; I read this board in the "View New Content" mode and I choose what to open or not from the list of threads there. I'm not compelled to open anything that doesn't interest me. I do enjoy the trainwrecks from time to time due to the entertainment factor. Anyone else notice that when a trainwreck thread gets locked or deleted, that new content in general (including the "good" stuff), seems to diminish for awhile? People have a habit of hijacking model or 1:1 threads with O/T stuff that often ends up divisive enough on its own. Making a new section won't change anything. There are plenty of nooks and crannies here as it is. If one were to add a section for general chit-chat, it would likely encourage certain people to post forbidden content.

Looks great without the stripes and spoiler and with a proper set of wheels & tires