Four Small Wheels 5/2003 - models of the month

models - and book - of the month

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BBR - New 1:43rd metal kits

BBM054	Ferrari 512S Le Mans 1970 #12 - kit	£52.30
BBM054B	Ferrari 512S Le Mans 1970 #5 - kit	£52.30
BBM054C	Ferrari 512S Le Mans 1970 #6 - kit	£52.30
BBM054D	Ferrari 512S Le Mans 1970 #7 - kit	£52.30
BBM054E	Ferrari 512S Le Mans 1970 #8 - kit	£52.30

BBR’s 512S kits have been announced for so long now that they had almost reached mythical status, but then the photos started arriving and the kits weren’t far behind. Those who enjoy a little more than a simple ‘shake the box’ build will certainly enjoy the contents. A wealth of small metal components make up the fully detailed engine with the rear suspension a mixture of metal uprights with steel rod and p/e linkages and the axle tube is cast into the gearbox casing for accurate alignment. A good level of very fine p/e includes pre-shaped wheel inserts for the turned brass wheel rims and there are various other turned, resin, plastic and clear parts. The decals are very clearly printed and vac-forms are provided for all windows, which is good news for those who don’t like the flat sheet and etched frame system. The main metal castings aren’t quite up to the standard we expect from BBR, while the shapes are good, capturing the detail differences between the cars, and the three main pieces fit very well, there are areas of porosity and the panel engraving needs tidying up in places. There are also some quite significant amounts of flash, though this will be easy to remove. With careful preparation of the body and close attention paid to the very good instructions the finished models will be excellent. The five versions we have here are the yellow #12 Ecurie Francorchamps entry which finished 5th and the four works cars which variously broke down (#6) or crashed (all the rest). Our photo shows just a small selection of the kit parts.

Tamiya - New 1:12th plastic kit
TAM14092 Honda V5 FIM 02 Repsol 1:12 £23.00
Get the Alclad out, and the carbon-fibre decals. Just as Honda moved the performance goalposts when the RC211V V5 bike appeared last season, so Tamiya continue to do so with their plastic kits. Looking at photos of this kit built up it’s hard to know whether it is the model or the real thing. A fully detailed V5 engine bolts into an extremely realistic frame, the rear suspension is also mounted on fine-threaded bolts and pivots on its spring, just like the real thing. Once all of the mechanical parts and seat/tank unit are fitted the cowlings then also screw on. Despite the high level of detail this should still be within reach of us mere mortals to do a decent job. Decals are included for either Valentino Rossi or Toru Ukawa or if you don’t fancy the Repsol colour scheme there are others coming from Studio 27 (STUDC620C - West, STUDC621C - Fortuna).

LP Creation - 1:43rd resin & metal high detail hand built

LPC017

McLaren M8B Laguna Seca Can-Am 1969

£1314.00

Without hesitation this is by far the best model that we have ever seen from LP Creation! We’ve known about this project for some time and had the occasional peak at progress but we were still gobsmacked when it arrived in completed form. Little other than the bodywork remains from the Marsh kit with the balance of the parts specifically made for the model. That body shell has been extensively modified with lift off front and rear body sections and hinged doors to reveal a fully detailed engine, drive train and cockpit. The finish throughout is excellent, with the paintwork easily up to the standards of a Marsh built and superb attention to detail everywhere. Particularly impressive is the treatment of the rear wing mounting. The wing must be removed to fit or remove the rear body sections and is held in place with barely visible pins at the base of the uprights and hinging rear diagonals which fit into equally small slots near the base of the uprights. Unlike most of the F1 items we’ve seen from LP Creation the bodywork all fits, in case for any strange reason you would want to display the model with the detail hidden. Sublime.

Book of the month

ISBN1899870008
BRM, The Saga of British Racing Motors vol.2 £70.00
weight 2kg
by Doug Nye

Is it really nine years since Doug Nye published the first of what was going to be a two volume history of BRM. The second is now here but the extent of Nye’s research means that this is (at the moment) the second of four.
This is the very detailed story of the space-frame chassised cars built from 1959-65 and, while centred around the F1 team, covers exciting projects such as the Rover gas-turbine car. With such strong feelings surrounding the BRM name, both positive and negative, Nye does an excellent job of balancing both sides of the story. Throughout there are reproductions of team correspondences, factory drawings and a wealth of excellent period photos. A fascinating insight into one of the major successes of the 1960’s. Read it.