Four Small Wheels 10/2002 - reviews, page 7

reviews, page 7

Click on a link to order a model or the logo to see the complete range from that manufacturer

New 1:43rd resin hand builts

FAS006	Ferrari 340MM Vig Spider CPA 53 #45	£61.70
FAS010	Porsche 917K Nurburgring 1969 #61	£61.70

Two reasonably finished hand builts but both have a number of detailing errors. The Ferrari has a fairly good red paint coat and the decals are neatly applied but the p/e portholes on the side are too big and the side trim should lie over the decal not under it. The Porsche again has a reasonable basic finish but the detail painting around the window frames and air vents is pretty shaky. There are also a number of decalling errors, the most obvious of which is the oversized number decals.

This car also didn't have a Porsche badge on the nose, the model does, and should have an orange circle around the emergency cut out on the front deck. We notice from race photos that the sponsorship logos were obviously added during pit stops. Some shots show nothing, then there are Shell logos (as on the model) and finally what we think are Bosch stickers above the rear wheels. The car finished a creditable 8th overall in what must have been a scary development drive for Gardner and Piper. Apparently the Englishman was silent when he got out of the car but the Australian had plenty to say! Unfortunately he couldn't give the techinicians any feed back from the instruments because he daren't take his eyes off the road for a second!

New 1:43rd metal kits

KRR117	Triumph TR8 Convertible	£26.00
KRR127	Sunbeam Alpine Series III	£25.00
KRR129	Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500	£27.00

K&R are providing us with an interesting view of the history of British built sports cars. In the 1960/s style was all and Sunbeam's Alpine series of cars epitomised this. The overall shape looks good and the main metal castings are generally clean. There are a number of chrome plated parts which are rather uneven but it all looks as if it will go together reasonably well. There is a fair amount of interior detail including white metal pedals and we are given two dashboards so the car can be built left or right hand drive. Triumph's TR7 was a very fashionable car in the late 1970's but the main criticism was a lack of power (they were also badly built and the brakes werenÌt up to much). Answer?

Pop a nice little V8 under the bonnet and you've suddenly got a great export product that also (in coupe form) happens to be quite handy as a rally car. To reflect the fact that most road cars went across 'the pond', K&R have again included left and right hand drive options and there are also additional parts for American safety spec bumpers. The chassis plate with built in rear bumper will need a bit of cleaning up but the shape looks good and again the parts seem to go together quite well. In the 1980's mass market sports cars had fallen from favour in the UK and been replaced by fast saloon cars. Ford's Sierra Cosworth offered huge performance for not a lot of money and the 500 homologation specials were built with bigger turbos to make them more competitive in racing. The kit is instantly recognizable as the subject but the centre door pillar does look a little heavy. Once the window frames have been painted it will look a little better but will still be slightly thick. As usual for K&R there is no p/e in any of these kits and the lights are separate cast items. The round headlights in the Sunbeam can easily be replaced with aftermarket items, the TR8 has closed pop-ups but the Sierra may end up looking a little odd. You could try silver paint or Baremetal Foil (BMF) in the whole and then fill with clear epoxy to create a 'lens'.

Click on a link to order a model or the logo to see the complete range from that manufacturer

New 1:43rd resin builts

SPK0001	Courage C51 Le Mans 1998 #14 FPEE	£30.00
SPK0002	Courage C50 Le Mans 1998 #24 Am-Pm	£30.00
SPK0005	Courage C60 Le Mans 2001 #19 Speedy	£30.00
SPK0011	Cadillac LMP Le Mans 2000 #2	£30.00
SPK0012	Cadillac LMP Le Mans 2000 #4 Dams	£30.00
SPK0013	Chrysler LMP2001 Le Mans 2001 #14	£30.00
SPK0014	Chrysler LMP2001 Le Mans 2001 #15	£30.00
SPK0015	Chrysler LMP2001 Le Mans 2001 #16	£30.00
SPK0016	Dallara-Judd 1st Daytona 2002	£30.00
SPK0032	MG EX257 7th Sebring 2002 Banana Joes	£30.00
SPK0033	MG EX257 Sebring 2002 #11	£30.00
SPK0037	Panoz LMP07 Le Mans 2001 #11	£30.00
SPK0038	Panoz LMP07 Le Mans 2001 #12	£30.00
SPK0039	Panoz LMP07 Sebring 2002 #50	£30.00

We have to admit that we're not quite sure how to describe this range. The closest we can think of is mass produced resin models hand built in China. But, the MGs are limited to just 750 numbered pieces which makes them rarer than some BBR hand builts. For the price of a typical resin kit this range is well worth a look. The overall standard of finish is very good, with the paint finishes being particularly fine, but the smaller details aren't necessarily up to the standards of most current kit makers and a few of the minor decals are slightly out of register. No p/e is used so the rear wings in particular can look a little bulky but the moulded wheels do include brake detail and in some cases, dare we say it, look more convincing than the p/e inserts included in a very prolific kit manufacturers products.

With the addition of some decent seat belts (Virages, SRC or Tameo) and a little carbon fibre decalling (BBR) these will make worthy additions to many collections, either in their (supplied) display cases or removed. The Le Mans subjects have all been made previously by PM and others but some of the earlier subjects are no longer available. For example the Am-Pm Courage would look great in a display with this year's 'Fireworks'car made by PM. The Daytona winning Dallara has also been previously released in kit form but we havenít seen any of the Sebring machines before and all are great looking subjects, see photos above and on the colour pages. As previously mentioned the MGs are limited editions and the issue number is given on an etched plaque in the display case, along with the drivers names and event. On loan works driver, Jonny Cane qualified the #11 KnightHawk car an incredible 3rd overall and the team were running strongly before suspension damage and gearbox troubles dropped them down the order. By contrast the fabulous looking blue and grey 'Banana Joe's' machine started slowly but then ran consistently to finish a class-winning 7th overall. The Panoz qualified a distant 4th with Brabham at the wheel but the engine cried enough after just 56 laps with Magnussen in the hot seat. The car was finished in white with a black and gold ribbon design running over the top bodywork and will make an attractive addition to a Panoz or Sebring themed collection. Itís good to see that model manufacturers are giving more attention to the classic American endurance races as well as Le Mans because in a lot of cases the machinery, while very similar to that used in Europe, is often far more colourfully decorated.

1:24th photo-etched kit

WIL230

4 Wheeled Trailer 1:24

£23.50

We’ve seen various 1:43rd scale trailer kits over the last few years but this is the first we’ve had for those who prefer their models a little larger. The chassis, deck and ramps are supplied as finely etched brass and there are large number of smaller white metal parts for the tailboard, axles, wheels, winches, and vehicle towing hitch among other parts. Various cables are provided for the brake linkages and electrical parts and the whole lot is finished off with realistic treaded tyres. Just pick the competition car of your choice and a suitable tow vehicle and you’ll have an excellent diorama.

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