Honda NSX-R, Tamiyami, 1/24

[Matt Bacon]

I quite often find inspiration for what to pull out of the stash in the current edition of Octane, and this is the latest in a long-ish line. A pretty unusual NSX-R built to order for a wealthy expat Brit who worked in Japan at the time. It's the full NSX-R spec in a slightly stealth package with standard headlights, no extra scoops, a single color body and roof in a tasteful pearl Brooklands (aka Charlotte) Green, and the interior trimmed in black alcantara. The wheels are a bit more in your face, mind you...

This is another Frankenbuild, but this time it's 90% Tamiya with just a few parts stolen from a Fujimi NSX-R kit that's gathering dust. I think the Tamiya is a much better and more detailed kit overall, so all I've stolen from the other box are the Recaro seats, gear shift lever and steering wheel, and the wheels. They aren't quite right, but they have seven thin spokes and look a lot more like the prototype than the ones in the Tamiya kit. I thought I might be able to find something closer, but 16" seven-spoke "Custom Order Programme Step Three" Enkeis don't seem to feature in any aftermarket wheelset I can find from the usual makers and vendors...

So far, all I've done is the tedious process of converting Fujimi-fit wheels to Tamiya-fit spindles. The Tamiya body shell is lovely and clean, though, with no visible parting lines at all...

best,

M.

Edited Wednesday at 09:33 PM by Matt Bacon

[Rich Chernosky]

Matt...that color on the full size car is very striking. Are you planning on replicating that or do you have something else in mind.  For me, sometimes I find a color or paint that really grabs my attention then dig into the stash to find something suitable  to use it on.  That's just me. 

[Matt Bacon]

1 minute ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Are you planning on replicating that or do you have something else in mind.

Thanks, Rich... that color was what sealed the deal, so I have a bottle of color-matched Zero Paints Honda G70P on its way to me as I write...

best,

M.

[lordairgtar]

A little putty and filing work will help your wheel sets look closer to the prototype.

[Matt Bacon]

14 hours ago, lordairgtar said:

A little putty and filing work will help your wheel sets look closer to the prototype.

I've had a quick look, and I think it's rather more work than it seems at first glance, and the opportunities to mess it up are significant: you have to do 28 spokes exactly the same. Just filling the gap between the raised parts of each spoke will result in a very chunky appearance and an odd looking centre. What you really need to do is remove the raised ridges, which are actually made up of a V-shape which runs down one spoke and up the one next door, smooth the curve of the well around the centre cap, and readjust the part where each spoke meets the rim. If I had a spare set of wheels, I might give it a try, but since I don't, I've decided the balance between risk of stuffing the whole project and absolute accuracy comes down in favor of leaving them as they are!  I'll have a look in some of my other 90s JDM kits and see if any have tuner rims that are closer, but if not I'll plough on with what I've got now.

best,

M.

[kelson]

That exterior color is beautiful!.. as is the design of the car that's aged very well!.

[slusher]

3 hours ago, kelson said:

That exterior color is beautiful!.. as is the design of the car that's aged very well!.

I totally agree!

[Kenmojr]

Very interesting subject matter. Love these NSX.

[Vessey]

I like the color in your inspiration photo, looking forward to seeing it on the model. I painted this kit green as well when I built it. 

For the wheels, the factory Civic EK9 wheels look similar, but they are smaller. I believe the ZoomOn NSX-R detail kit has the correct wheels, you could ask if they would sell them separately. I also found a file on Cults3d if you have a way to 3D print them.

[Matt Bacon]

Sections 1 and 2 of the instructions completed!

The engine is very typical Tamiya: only 6 parts, but with very complex painting instructions, enhanced by the many detail photos of the real thing that are available online.

Similarly, the exhaust is only three parts, but this time the "all-over chrome" painting directions are a bit simplistic, especially for an NSX-R...

The single-piece chassis is also nicely detailed with a little careful painting.

Quick mockup suggests it will fit together nicely.

From the other side....

One of the reasons it's worth spending a bit of time on the engine. The NSX-R has a mesh panel over the engine, whereas the NSX has a solid trimmed "parcel shelf." On the left, the Fujimi part, trimmed and extended to match the size and shape of the Tamiya part on the right. This should mean that the engine is visible even with cover closed, but also the Tamiya rear window is hinged and can open, so it's possible to expose the engine to full view...

best,

M.

[oldcarfan]

That's a cool project! Looking forward to seeing it when it's done.