Tamiya Volvo 850 Turbo Estate - OOB

[Faust]

If you know me, and/or the Sprue Lagoon, you know that I do have a thing for “loser cars”. However, it’s not just econoboxes and soulless “made-to-be-rented” cars that I love! I am also a fan of the mundane. That means cars that aren’t necessarily bad, and might be kind of exciting, but definitely things that you’d see everyday. They are the car equivalents to the “people in your neighbourhood” that Sesame Street sang about.

One vehicle that surely fits this description is the Volvo 850 Turbo Estate wagon. I rather like these cars, and they’re decent, competent and even kind of stylish, in their own way. However, at least where I live, they were common. Not Chevy Celebrity common, but much more common than many other kinds of wagons. Since station wagons aren’t something that get kitted enough, in my view, I was very glad to come across this kit at Wings and Wheels in Toronto quite some time ago. I figured that the drab days of winter were a good time to pop it out and see what was up. After all, I remember seeing a lot of these in Beige.

Check out Tamiya’s take on this Swedish family mover at the link below!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/tamiya-1-24-volvo-850-turbo-estate-oob/

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by Faust

[Pete J.]

4 hours ago, Faust said:

If you know me, and/or the Sprue Lagoon, you know that I do have a thing for “loser cars”. However, it’s not just econoboxes and soulless “made-to-be-rented” cars that I love! I am also a fan of the mundane. That means cars that aren’t necessarily bad, and might be kind of exciting, but definitely things that you’d see everyday. They are the car equivalents to the “people in your neighbourhood” that Sesame Street sang about.

One vehicle that surely fits this description is the Volvo 850 Turbo Estate wagon. I rather like these cars, and they’re decent, competent and even kind of stylish, in their own way. However, at least where I live, they were common. Not Chevy Celebrity common, but much more common than many other kinds of wagons. Since station wagons aren’t something that get kitted enough, in my view, I was very glad to come across this kit at Wings and Wheels in Toronto quite some time ago. I figured that the drab days of winter were a good time to pop it out and see what was up. After all, I remember seeing a lot of these in Beige.

Check out Tamiya’s take on this Swedish family mover at the link below!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/tamiya-1-24-volvo-850-turbo-estate-oob/

 

I read your link and find it a bit odd that you see this as a mundane car.  It was anything but that in the in the BTCC racing trim.  I think that is why Tamiya did it because they released a lot of BTCC cars at the time, this one as well. 

 

There are many parts that are interchangeable between the kit you are building and the BTCC version.  Think of your kit as the homologation special!  You mentioned price and frankly, I haven't been paying attention to that of late but Holy S***!  Back in the day, I use to chop them up to make custom cars. I even gave one to S. Tamiya during a visit to the home office.  I have a couple of them that I stashed thinking I would redo the custom aspect, but I might be reluctant to do that with what people are charging for these.  Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[stitchdup]

I remember the cops having the t5 version of these during the 90s, when they got to the end of their service life and went to auction they were one of the few ex cop cars that held a decent amount of their value and were known to give ford cosworth drivers a fright when they couldn't shake them off. There was one rebuilt on wheeler dealers last season

[Bennyg]

I’m currently working on a RHD dash for this car, basing it off the British touring car version. Looking forward to seeing how yours goes.

Ben

[Mike999]

"Yes, a 5-cylinder engine. If that sounds weird, it should be remembered that in North America, not too many makers had embraced the 5-cylinder at that point."

 I rode all over Egypt in an older Toyota van with a 5-cylinder diesel engine.  Our driver told me, IIRC, that he had replaced the engine 3 times and the A/C compressor 4 times.  

That van rode like a buckboard wagon and stunk of diesel, but it was tough as nails.  The poor thing was often crammed with 4 or 5 large Americans and the driver.  Plus a roof rack loaded with heavy tools, spare parts etc. we needed for jobs. We sometimes went to places where there were no roads, just dirt and rocks.  But the Toyota never broke down and always got us home.  An amazing little vehicle.

As for the price of these kits: I remember them being costly for a long time.  Years ago at a kit swap meet, I saw the Volvo on a table with the Revell Mercedes "Fire Chief" station wagon.  The kits were priced at $40 each.  While I was standing there thinking about making an offer and haggling, some obnoxious guy swooped in and grabbed both of them.  Oh well, as the old saying goes, you snooze, you lose.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Mike999
omit

[espo]

First of I share your appreciation of wagons and this model in particular. A friend of mine bought a very used standard wagon for a work car. He loved it and I gave him some old Sheep Skin seat covers to help hold the stuffing in the front seats were the leather had not been cared for. I built him a model with the upgrades he said he wished he could afford. He picked up a BTCC model as that was all that could be found. I put together a reasonable passenger car interior while keeping as much of the competition parts as possible. The body was painted Tamiya gloss Black and I tinted the windows. I wish I had taken pictures of it but didn't think of it at the time and have since lost touch with him. My point is that while this is a Curbside build this is a really great kit.  

[89AKurt]

I built this last century, Box Stock but added scratch-built hood pins.  My original intent was to make a tuner, but because it's curbside without the turbo 5, I did this.  The T5R with the day glow green, that's what I wanted.

[64Comet404]

These cars were an absolute blast to drive. One of our neighbours was a Volvo salesman many years ago, and he brought one of these wagons home as a demo. One afternoon, I was 'appointed' to take this wagon to town on a beer run. While the car had some torque-steer issues, it was like a guided missile once it hooked up! It was definitely up there in the realm of really neat drives I had in my mis-spent youth. 

[iamsuperdan]

I build all three Tamiya VOlvo 850 kits back in the day. Not sure why I just disposed of everything.

I have since found a couple of the green street version, and am actively hunting for both the BTCC versions...versions that aren't ridiculously priced.

Hoping they just reissue these at some point, like the ALfa DTM cars.

 

My plan is to build one like a Post It Note yellow T5R.

 

[Faust]

That yellow seems to be a popular collour for those cars. 

I personally like the teal, but that's because when I think '90s, I think teal!

I will likely do mine that goldy-beige-Champagne colour. Not much says "suburban hauler" like that, and no other colour would hide the wolf inside like beige! 

If only it was rear or all wheel drive, that wagon is something I'd lust for in real life! I hate front-drivers...

[Tom Geiger]

Adam I always love your threads!  Volvo had that reputation of tough and reliable, as well as being a very safe car in a crash.  That sold a lot of those wagons!

I own this one, but it was built by Tom Sheehy. I bought it from him a while back.  New Jersey state police tested them, but never put them in service.

[Jonathan]

Now THAT is a kit I'd like to see reissued!  Actually, any of the Volvo kits....

[iamsuperdan]

13 hours ago, Faust said:

That yellow seems to be a popular collour for those cars. 

I personally like the teal, but that's because when I think '90s, I think teal!

I will likely do mine that goldy-beige-Champagne colour. Not much says "suburban hauler" like that, and no other colour would hide the wolf inside like beige! 

If only it was rear or all wheel drive, that wagon is something I'd lust for in real life! I hate front-drivers...

The 850 T5R only ever came in three colours, with Cream Yellow being the rarest of the bunch. THere was also a black and a dark green.

And it's the colour everyone wants!

 

The 850 GLT Turbo, as featured in the Tamiya kit came in a much wider range of colours.

 

 

 

[Faust]

Oh, cool production breakdown list! 

Thanks for that. 

I forgot that the TR5 was a separate thing. There's an AutoArt replica of the yellow one, I think!

I love the cop-car Volvo! 

[PatW]

On 1/30/2020 at 4:16 PM, 89AKurt said:

I built this last century, Box Stock but added scratch-built hood pins.  My original intent was to make a tuner, but because it's curbside without the turbo 5, I did this.  The T5R with the day glow green, that's what I wanted.

I bought and built one of these within weeks of it being released! Superb kit. I was at Silverstone the day the TWR team  did the press release and tested it with all of the other cars for that year's BTCC launch.

I bought a box of bits without decals and built.........................................

Edited February 28, 2020 by PatW

[Paintandwrenches]

Those are great cars, we have a few of them. I want that kit to build a copy of my son's turbo wagon but I haven't been able to bring myself to pay $120 for one yet.