new Tamiya announcement.....

[gasman]

Lexus LFA

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10132081

Edited November 4, 2010 by gasman

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Ditto! Odd car, but I'm still pretty pleased.

Hobbysearch's notes on the model say this:

"The essence of this machine also say something to make the top of Toyota's 1 / 24 scale model approaches."

Untangle that a bit, and it's almost as if it says, "Since the LFA is such an ambitious, high-caliber machine itself, only the best execution ever bestowed on a 1/24 Toyota will do."

Wonder if that means we get an engine this time...

[Darin Bastedo]

it's a better deal than the real car. $50 is about what you pay for a typical Japanese kit, but the real car costs 3x the cost of a ZR1 Vette, or a Porsche Turbo with a negligible performance gain

[tim boyd]

Wonder if that means we get an engine this time...

Chuck...I was just wondering the same thing. Somehow Revell found a way to include a complete engine in their new midget kits...which match any Tamiya kit for quality and will sell for half the price or less. As I was finishing the Midget buildup, I was thinking 'boy I sure wish Revell had done the Aston instead of Tamiya...I bet THEY would have found a way to include a complete engine.'

TIM

P.S. to Bob - thanks for your delicate acknowledgement of my (and others') displeasure over the Aston kit omission of a complete engine in your recent kit buildup....TIM

[crispy]

I had heard something like this was in the pipe. I'll buy the kit too. I'm thinking red for it.

Chris

[Darin Bastedo]

That's a nearly perfect conundrum on this car, actually.

On the one hand...pick any vintage car (Let's say Jag E-Type for fun) and you could make the argument that a 2011 minivan can do anything it can do, and is way more economical/practical/comfortable for a fraction of the cost. And not a soul here would pick a minivan over an E-Type. Least I hope so.

Then you have this thing...and you have to say (least I do!) that anything 3x the cost of a Porsche Turbo or ZR-1 better do SOMETHING way better or else I'm buying the Porsche, the Vette, and a lot of other stuff.

I dunno. I'll take the kit of this thing...build it gladly...and probably just shake my head if I see the real thing. I'd way, way rather buy a used Ford GT if I had this kind of money.

i was just thinking that the other day. My brother's kia minivan has 275hp, 4wheel disc brakes fuel injection. this would have made it a race winner against most 50's & 60's sports cars. But on the other hand, take a 1957 jaguar XK-SS, that by today's standards is not very fast, and lacks sophistication, but who wouldn't rather drive that on Mulholland Drive instead of the minivan? It's because you can imagine that you are Steve McQueen racing one of his buddies to a late night hot spot. It's the image and history that really makes that car.

That also is what keeps my enthusiasm low for the LF-A. It has no heritage. Lexus to me says pimped up Toyatas and overpriced SUVs. Had Lexus spent the ten years they were developing this car on building a sporty image, perhaps the car would excite me more. You take the Nissan GTR it has a long racing history, from a company that has a long history of building sporting cars linked to many famous drivers, the GTR inspires me more than the LF-A especially seeing how the GTR is not that far off the lap times of the LF-A for a small fraction of the price.

[Darin Bastedo]

I agree 100%. When the Acura NSX came out, it was on a performance par with contemporary Ferraris and sold at a discount by comparison. The LFA is a neat car, but the money they're asking makes it more expensive than several pedigreed cars that match or nearly match the performance.

I have no doubt that the way it does the things it can do is probably more sophisticated than the less-expensive cars that match/nearly the numbers-generator capability, but if you have to pay 3 times as much for the experience, it's hard to rationalize.

Maybe I'm dead wrong, but somehow this car has "curious historical footnote" rather than "Future class winner at Pebble Beach Concours" as the by-line when they write the story on this car many years down the line.

...perhaps if the LF-A wins LeMans history will treat it well. otherwise...

[charlie8575]

Reminds me of what might happen if a Celica and present-design Nissan Z mated....strange looking car.

Charlie Larkin

[Rob Hall]

It sure is an odd looking car...looks like it is from a Gundam show or something.

Speaking of supercar kits, I wonder if Fujimi or Revell AG will kit the new Ferrari 599 GTO? I'd like to see that along w/ the Porsche 911 GT2 RS kitted (read a comparison test of those two in the new Automobile magazine last night...I'd love to have a new Porsche kit...something like the GT2 RS, regular 911S, or Boxster Spyder would be great in 1:24th..

[crispy]

Rob, I read somewhere that Fujimi was going to do a 997 GT3R, was another board.

Chris

[RodneyBad]

Even tho they Basically look like the same car as the R35 GT-R,

it looks a heck of a lot Meaner..

I'd be sure to get one!!

Edited November 9, 2010 by Zukiholic

[rick6343]

A few years back, Grassroots Motorsports magazine answered the very question raised above. They pitted a Jaguar E-type and a Porsche 356 against a new Honda Odyssey minivan on an autocross course. If I recall, the Odyssey beat one of the cars out of the box and was a fraction of a second of the other. They then bolted a set of bigger, stickier tires on the minivan-and beat out the two classic sports cars.

[The Creative Explorer]

Even tho it is Basically the same car as the R35 GT-R,

What do you mean it is basically the same car? Both have nothing to do with eachother at all haha

[RodneyBad]

What do you mean it is basically the same car? Both have nothing to do with eachother at all haha

Whoops, Ya got me.

I meant to say they Basically look like the same car.

(shape, style, Idea)

Ya ya ya

Ones Nissan and ones Toyota. ha ha..

[Rob Hall]

Whoops, Ya got me.

I meant to say they Basically look like the same car.

(shape, style, Idea)

Ya ya ya

Ones Nissan and ones Toyota. ha ha..

Hmm..they both have 4 wheels and are very aggro and pointy looking, but other than that, don't have anything in common...

[Danno]

Hmm..they both have 4 wheels and are very aggro and pointy looking, but other than that, don't have anything in common...

Wull, ... I guess he meant they both look ... uh ... furrin'!

[elan]

Not what you would call "classic" styling, IMHO it's butt ugly.

[Joe Handley]

Wull, ... I guess he meant they both look ... uh ... furrin'!

I was going to say ugly........................

[Nova-ss]

Well,I like the look.I don't think or believe it is ugly.I will build the kit but as far as owning the real thing....no way,to much to pay for it.but the car is nice looking.I think the LF-A Lexus looks better then the GT-R,but that is my opinion.I'm glad to have as many new kits as we can get.Thanks,Chris

[935k3]

I like this proposed racing version, and notice it has a Tamiya decal on the rear wing end plate.