Fujimi Enthusiast Series Kits. Still the rabbit to chase.

[MrObsessive]

A tip for those looking for some of these kits.Testors sold the Ferrari Dino and the Lamborghini 5000(the Walter Wolf edition) in their own boxes.Best part is that they're available cheaper than the Fujimi boxed versions-and it's the same kit!

IIRC, the 356 Carrera Coupe was also sold in their own boxes as well.

[Modelmartin]

I will be the voice of dissent here, but not very loudly. I like the kits and have multiples of some of the 911s and 356s. I have built several 911s and watched two friends build the 356. These kits have issues for sure. The suspension and ride heights are the biggest. The trunk floor on the 911 is so low that the suspension is on the ground when assembled. It also has so many gaps in the unibody structure when it is assembled. The front and rear bulkheads do not fit tightly, The fuel injection/carbs (depending on version are not so great. The early 911s do not have the correct dual battery set-up in the nose. They give you the later version. The bodies are generally quite good but there is something not quite right in the roof and drip rail area.

The 356 has a nose that is too long. Look at the distance from the front of the front wheel opening to the headlight and bumper and compare to photos. It also has the ride height issue. It is like they measured all the suspension parts when the car was sitting on jackstands with everything hanging at full extension.

Both kits make great race cars because there are no carpets or floormats. They are bare floorpans. Not a big deal, but kind of curious.

Having said all that I still love the kits. I must have 6 911s and 4 or 5 356s and a couple of Countach!

p.s. Testors also sold several 911s and the 356 Convert.

[Junkman]

I will be the voice of dissent here, but not very loudly. I like the kits and have multiples of some of the 911s and 356s. I have built several 911s and watched two friends build the 356. These kits have issues for sure. The suspension and ride heights are the biggest. The trunk floor on the 911 is so low that the suspension is on the ground when assembled. It also has so many gaps in the unibody structure when it is assembled. The front and rear bulkheads do not fit tightly, The fuel injection/carbs (depending on version are not so great. The early 911s do not have the correct dual battery set-up in the nose. They give you the later version. The bodies are generally quite good but there is something not quite right in the roof and drip rail area.

The 356 has a nose that is too long. Look at the distance from the front of the front wheel opening to the headlight and bumper and compare to photos. It also has the ride height issue. It is like they measured all the suspension parts when the car was sitting on jackstands with everything hanging at full extension.

Both kits make great race cars because there are no carpets or floormats. They are bare floorpans. Not a big deal, but kind of curious.

Having said all that I still love the kits. I must have 6 911s and 4 or 5 356s and a couple of Countach!

p.s. Testors also sold several 911s and the 356 Convert.

You are right on all accounts. Still, they are arguably the best 1:24 scale kits ever made.

[torinobradley]

^{I, too love these kits and have several in my stash. I am also always on the lookout for more. One thing I saw on another abiet foriegn board is a photo-etched engine kit for the little 356. It replaces the finned block with alternating photo-etched plates and looks amazing when finished. It appears to be available through gdetail factory.}

^{http://api.viglink.c..._13397029126162}

Edited June 14, 2012 by torinobradley

[Foxer]

Those PE fins DO look nice!

[Guest]

Was not this kit when in Fujimi packaging part of the Enthusiast series?

[Don Sikora II]

Was not this kit when in Fujimi packaging part of the Enthusiast series?

Yes, that's an Enthusiast kit. Revell also boxed the Enthusiast Series 1985 911 Targa kit.

[Modelmartin]

You are right on all accounts. Still, they are arguably the best 1:24 scale kits ever made.

They are certainly good kits but there are many that are better. Many Tamiya kits and certainly the Jo-Han Chrysler Turbine car and classic Cars, M-B 500Ks and Cadillac V-16s, are better.

[Guest]

No pistons and crank in this kit tho.

[CAL]

They are certainly good kits but there are many that are better. Many Tamiya kits and certainly the Jo-Han Chrysler Turbine car and classic Cars, M-B 500Ks and Cadillac V-16s, are better.

Better is all relative to model kits.

Tamiya kits are generally engineered much better, but there isn't a Tamiya kit that exists in the same scale with anywhere close to the part counts of some of the EMS kits.

The Johan kits has nowhere near the fit and finish or the fine detail as the EMS kits.

As much as I love the Johan MB 500s, I got a whole stack of the Special Roadster and a hand full of Limos, there is a lot to be desired. There are many fall downs, inaccuracies, and pit falls with those kits. I still like trying to build them though.

[niteowl7710]

Both kits make great race cars because there are no carpets or floormats. They are bare floorpans. Not a big deal, but kind of curious.

Show me a Japanese kit that has some sort of molded in carpet texture. If there are any, they are certainly few and very widely far between. Not sure why that is, perhaps flocking/embossing your own carpet is a given over there. One of those oddities you get when you buy models not intended for export.

[wgflatliner]

sorry for the thread bump.

i'm currently looking to collect/build all of the EMS kits.

Does anybody have or know of any other kits not in this list other than the Lancia?

1. Porsche 911 Turbo ‘85
2. Porsche 930 Turbo ‘76
3. Porsche 911 Carrera ‘85
4. Porsche 911 Cabriolet ‘85
5. Porsche 911 Targa ‘85
6. Porsche 911 Carrera RS ‘73
7. Porsche 911 S ‘69
8. Porsche 911 Carrera ’73 Rally Type
9. Porsche 911 R Coupe ‘67
10. Porsche 911 Carrera RS ‘74
11. Porsche 911 Flat Nose
12. BMW M635 CSi
13. Alpina B7 Turbo
14. Schnitzer 635
15. Hartge H6S
16. Dino 246 GT (Latter)
17. Dino 246 GT (Early)
18. Dino 246 GTS
19. Countach 5000 Quatro Valvole
20. Countach LP500S W.W.
21. Countach LP400
22. Ferrari 288 GTO
23. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
24. Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder
25. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Racing Type
26. Porsche 911 Speedster
27. Porsche 356B/C Coupe Carrera 2
28. Porsche 356B/C Cabriolet Carrera 2
29. Porsche 356B Roadster 1600S
30. Porsche 356A Coupe 1500GS Carrera
31. Porsche 356A Speedster 1500GS Carrera
32. Porsche 356A Cabriolet 1600GS Carrera
33. Porsche 356B/C Hardtop Carrera 2
34. Porsche 356B 1600S Cabriolet Hard Top
35. Koenig Countach Special
36. Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
37. Lancia

[johnbuzzed]

I had what I think is one of these kits back in the mid-late '80's- it was a BMW of some type. I'm not sure why I bought the kit; if I remember correctly, it might have been relatively "cheap" after a fire at a LHS. I wound up using some of the multitude of detail parts on other models and some more went into my parts box- the kit never was completed. In my opinion, the kit wasn't much better than the old Revell '55 and '57 Chevys, which I dealt with 20+ years earlier when I was still in the single digits, age-wise. I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it, even back in '87. I'm at the point now where I'm beginning to better appreciate those kits with fewer parts but with good quality, clean molding and fidelity to the subject. I don't need to have scale seat tracks with handles anymore; if I do, I'll fabricate them. Of course, that's just my opinion after 52 years of building scale models.

[wgflatliner]

i agree to an extent, John. i do like nice simple kits as much as anybody else.

however, every once in a blue moon, i will want to see, for curiosity's sake, the level of detail a manufacturer will take a model to, and how well they can execute it.

i also wonder if there's a noticeable difference between an EMS Fujimi kit and a cheaper, less detailed kit when both are completed by the same person with the same skill level. Then it's a matter of choosing which one you like more in the end. Every builder has their preferences. Some like simple, some don't. I don't mind building complicated over-engineered kits out of the box, but i also like adding my own touch to my models in the fabrication department, which is where the cheaper less detailed kits come in to play.

I'm just hoping somebody has a complete list of these kits or if anybody knows if there were more than the 37 listed.

[Gluhead]

I love a good 'ol Craftsman series type of kit just as much as a modern-tooled whatever...just to clarify I'm not biased toward any particular parts count.

These Enthusiasts Series kits seem to fall on one side of the fence or the other, depending on who you ask. Personally, I've only had one -- the 356B roadster. I built it early in my adult return to modeling, and I didn't do it anywhere near the justice it deserved...but it's shortcomings were my own fault, not the kits. My main issue was being pretty sloppy with the glue (I was still using the orange tubes, ffs), but everything fit well during mockups with the one exception being the ride height mentioned earlier (the up on jackstands comment was very appropriate), and was beautifully molded.

So yep, I fall on the "they're exceptional" side of the fence. I'd love to get my hands on another. A 356A Coupe, in particular. Around the time I built my roadster, there was a stripped down, bare-metal coupe race car that I absolutely fell in love with that I would use as inspiration.

Donations happily accepted.

[martinfan5]

I have never built one, and I get the feeling that I am missing out, I think its time to get me a few to build

[peekay]

If you wish Fujimi had done a Jaguar XJS in this series then look for the Hasegawa kit(s). They have a similar parts count, quality and general realism.

[GeeBee]

I've just finished my first Fujimi enthusiast kit, the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, and everything went well until I came to put the chassis to the body, they just didn't line up without leaving a huge gap between the panels, and the ride height was awful, but will a little fettling, it was sorted, it was possibly one of the trickiest kits I've built, but I did enjoy it, would I build another ?? oh yes, I have a stack of these kits to get through, they just need a little planning and dry fitting before you put glue anywhere near to parts ....

[cruz]

I have a few of those and I love them. Yes they can be fiddly but at the end, they are the most realistic looking models. I did this baby about a year and a half ago and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

http://www.fotki.com'>Hosted on Fotki

[Monty]

If you wish Fujimi had done a Jaguar XJS in this series then look for the Hasegawa kit(s). They have a similar parts count, quality and general realism.

I recently completed a trade with another board member for one of those XJS kits. Based on what I've seen in the box, Hasegawa seems to have put a lot of work into this kit. Any pics of yours yet?

[afx]

I love'm. Here is my effort with a 911R/911-Rally kit bash.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2015 by afx

[beeRS]

I recently completed a trade with another board member for one of those XJS kits. Based on what I've seen in the box, Hasegawa seems to have put a lot of work into this kit. Any pics of yours yet?

The Hasagawa XJS is a nice kit, but the underside really lacks detail. It has a moulded in gearbox and the suspension is simplified. Having said that, it does make a nice model - just maybe not as nice as those Fujimi EM kits.

Agreed - the Fujimi Enthusiast models have the best detail I've ever seen. Even after 20 odd years I dont think anything rivels them for detail, however I do think some of Tamiya's latest stuff is coming very close (Enzo, Mclaren SLC, Ferrari 360).

[Chuck Kourouklis]

You want a white-knuckle experience, try working an EM Countach body shell over the finished chassis according to the instruction sequence. That it all came together without anything shattering or splitting in half was all the proof of a benevolent God I needed.

I'd agree with Sonny that the Tamiya's 200+ piece Enzo came pretty close and their Carrera GT and LFA kits aren't too far off the mark. Fujimi's own 250GTO has parts that number in the 190s, and if the engine were a little sharper, it would have been a perfect latter-day EM kit.

[peekay]

I recently completed a trade with another board member for one of those XJS kits. Based on what I've seen in the box, Hasegawa seems to have put a lot of work into this kit. Any pics of yours yet?

Sorry, no, I haven't photographed any of my models yet and the Jag is still in the box. But after checking it out out more thoroughly I see what Sonny means - less underside detail but I still claim it has the quality and character of the Fujimis.

[MrObsessive]

You want a white-knuckle experience, try working an EM Countach body shell over the finished chassis according to the instruction sequence. That it all came together without anything shattering or splitting in half was all the proof of a benevolent God I needed.

Yikes! You got that right Chuck!

I built one of these also back in the '80's and with my somewhat novice experience then, I was able to get it together with nary a trouble! I wish I still had it---------maybe I'll seek out another and build it again someday.

I have about all of the 356 Porsches........a very overlooked kit these days! They can still be had on the 'Bay for very reasonable prices and if one takes their time, can be built without much trouble at all.