Aoshima Vintage Club Toyota Celica LB 200GT

[Ken]

I got the Aoshima kit I won on Ebay today. I took some quick pics in the parking lot at work. Here is the box.


Not too badly bent for coming from Hong Kong. The body itself looks pretty good. I have gotten out the ruler, but it looks like my old ride.




The only disappointment is that the kit was intended to be motorized and as such, the interior suffers a bit. In this pic you can see the abnormally large tire hump in the passenger's side rear seat. I guess this was to clear the gears for the motor. I may try to fix it or not. The dashboard also appears quite a bit flatter than the original. Notice, the gauges are on the 'wrong' side. On a good note, the gauges are on the clear tree and fit in the cluster from behind. Good thing for detailing. There are several choices for the front end. There is one grill with square(???) openings for the lights and one with the normal round lights like mine had. Front seats are two parts bottom and back. I am guessing that the extra grills and steering wheels are for a 'race' trim celica.



The bumpers are JDM, but I like those better than the clumsy looking US spec bumpers. These will also be easier to modify and tuck into the body. Paint them body color and call it done. Oh yeah, sorry for the crappy pic



Lastly, there are photo-etch scripts included in the kit for exterior badging. In all I am happy with the purchase an see plenty of potential in the kit.... Now to search for some decent wheels... where did I put that Fujimi list???

[MonoPed]

Wow!

Thanx for posting the pics. I don't have an pics of my 1st ride, but the body looks right to my eye. I agree the JDM bumpers are better looking, but it would be nice to have US spec parts to accurately model the 1:1. Overall, it looks like a decent kit, gotta get one now!

[iangilly]

Looking to buy a celica kit, and I'm between these three kits. Anyone ever built any of these? Any input would be appreciated

Aoshima 041802

Aoshima 41383

Hasegawa TA22-MQ

Edited November 6, 2014 by iangilly

[Casey]

Don't believe the lies-- the top two are not "The Best Car."

The Hasegawa kit is pretty good, though the underside is a bit ho-hum and the engine detail is very minimal.

Here's the underside of the liftback version of the Aoshima kit:

Not that great, unless you like huge hole-and-peg assembly for the strut to control arm joint, struts which look like they never made it past the rudimentary design stage, and a rear suspension which shows its roots as a motorized toy.

Basically, they look very good as they're sitting on the shelves, but they lose some appeal when/if you pick them up and turn them over.

[martinfan5]

but they lose some appeal when/if you pick them up and turn them over.

That is why I display mine sitting on the wheels

Here you can take look at the kit

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10029900p/10/1

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10028045n/40/1

Edited November 6, 2014 by martinfan5

[Helix]

Yep, the Hasegawa kit is real nice to build

Here's mine from a few years ago

Ray

I've just ordered the Aoshima Celica LB 2000GT!

[unclescott58]

I'd love to be able to buy and build a kit of a 1971 or '72 US spec Celica.

Scott

[English Jules]

I owned the real 77 LIftback, a 28GT i had. Also owned a few gen 2 79 ones, with round lights and square lights

Still miss them :-(

[wisdonm]

While the engine is weak, i thought the interior was good. I too had a '77 GT Liftback SR5. Always wanted to add a V-8, like I did to my kit.

[Daddyfink]

Hands down, the Hasegawa kit is great! It is a curbside, but looks very nice when built.

[English Jules]

never knew they were SR5 called. I saw my first one, a US import to UK, a RA27 IIRC. had a lousy low powered engine, but i loved the looks of it, so i hunted for one, and i got a nice Genuine RA28GT.

[niteowl7710]

Hasegawa all the way. Anything Aoshima releases with "Best Vintage Car" on the box is taking a trip back in time to when most Japanese kits were motorized. So it's got a generic chassis, a cradle for the electric motor, spartan interior, etc.

[62rebel]

i also built the Hasegawa kit, actually bought the racing version and used the stock parts in the kit. it makes a really pretty shelf sitter with not a lot of work.

[LVZ2881]

I've enjoyed building my hasegawa Celica.

[lysleder]

My Hasegawa was a joy to build. I didn't spend a lot of time detailing the underside, but I post a picture so you can get an idea what it is like.

[sfhess]

Yesterday I saw photos of an early Celica hatchback that had a Lexus 5.0 V8 installed.

[Casey]

My Hasegawa was a joy to build.

Are the "GT" nameplate and swagon molded with the grille? IIRC, the nameplate location changed to the center of the grille in '75 when the Liftback was added to the lineup, and I think you'll need the Aoshima version for that specific detail...and if you want an LB.

[English Jules]

IN UK the GT was in the centre of the grill and LT was on one side further off

[Casey]

Here's a partial look at the Aoshima version:

[English Jules]

Nice. thats the kit i made a replica of mine from. I cut out the bonnet, and i used a old Ford Escort TC engine etc. I had to add window wiper handles on the sides. I cut out the tiny tiny ash tray, just like mine was always open and full of cig ends

[Zarana-X]

I have the Hasegawa Gran Prix version. I've yet to build it, but I looks incredible. My parents had a '72 when I was growing up, so I know the car pretty well.

The racing versions are basically the stock car body, with the the parts to modify it into a race car, so you could build a modified, stock street racer out of them if you were inclined.

[unclescott58]

Again, I wish someone would make a 1st generation Celica that could be built as a version of the real car sold in the U.S. I would also like to see the same done with a '66-'67 Toyota 2000 GT. I think the model companies are missing the boat on these two cars.

For pure personal reasons, I'd also like to see a US spec '70-'71 Toyota Hi-Lux pickup. I don't know if others would buy it. But, my dad bought a real one brand new in 1971. So, it would be cool to me.

Scott

Edited November 11, 2014 by unclescott58

[mnwildpunk]

I would love a 70-71 hi-lux

[cruz]

I built this one for a review...

[bonehead23]

This is my Gasser Celica, using a few pieces from a '41 Willys, Monogram '55 Chevy and a blown 350..