Scale Auto – October 2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1
http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 57

The fine detail on the steering wheel
can be brush-painted, but I went with
the included decals instead. The kit also
provides decals to replace some of the
raised dash details, which I used for
continuity’s sake. The seat harness is
also a decal.
Considering the complex shapes,
assembly went extremely well. Some
joins didn’t need cement, but I glued
them anyway, just to be sure. Mostly, I
used Tamiya quick-setting thin cement
(No. 87182). Superglue made an
appearance only occasionally.
The new Tamiya kits have nicely
engineered features, such as larger
locator tabs that become hidden after
assembly. They provide a good place to
hold while painting and fit positively,
lowering the risk of damaging the
surrounding area with glue. Another
welcome feature — and something I
haven’t seen before — are the holes that
allow you to add glue to the inside of a
join after fitting the parts together,
featured prominently on the TS050
front winglets.
The instructions call for you to apply
some decals during assembly. I’m
inclined to hold off until the final stages
to slide on exterior decals, but I’m glad I
followed the instructions because some
of them would be difficult to add after
it’s all put together.
In general, the decals fit well and
have a smooth, glossy finish. I used a
little Tamiya Mark Fit - Strong (No.
87135) on all the decals to get the edges
to wrap and conform to the complex
curves. A hair dryer helped the decals
settle quicker, but it wasn’t required. If
you should need to touch up any of the
red decals, Tamiya bright red (TS-49) is
an almost exact match.
The kit does not include Le Mans
World Endurance Championship
badges. Instead, there are three white


Masks and decals make finishing the complex Gazoo livery possible
without pulling out your hair. The materials are well planned, but make
sure you have a sharp pair of scissors.


For the black parts, I recommend Tamiya lacquer because it will dry thinner than the acrylic
paint, giving a smoother look. I also applied Tamiya black panel line accent (No. 87131) on some
of the parts.

Remove the raised detail from the steering wheel with a sharp hobby
knife before applying the decals.

rectangles where the badges would go.
The tires have special decals for
sidewall details. They work a little
differently than the rest of the kit
decals, so be sure to read the
instructions carefully. You’ll get the best
results if the tires are mounted to the
rims prior to decal application.
I waited to install the roof section
until just before final decaling to
minimize my chances of damaging it. I
used canopy glue even though the roof
practically locks in place.
Due to the complexity of the cockpit
sides, the door lines along the side pods

aren’t as crisp as on the rest of the kit.
When I build another, it’ll be an easy fix
to scribe them a bit deeper.
I was impressed at how quickly this
kit went together considering all the
dips and fulsome rises. The part fit is
about as precise as anyone could ask.
Masking and painting the gloss black is
the most challenging part, but the
masks prove manageable. While I used
an airbrush, I’m sure talented spray-can
users could pull it off. I highly
recommend this kit, but spray paint and
airbrush experience are a must.


  • Mark Jones

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