Scale Auto – October 2019

56 Scale Auto

Recent Le Mans cars are
somewhat polarizing to
many enthusiasts — they
don’t have the simple, smooth lines they
once did. But form follows function,
and with the Toyota TS050 model from
Tamiya, we can see how the new hybrid
cars are affecting already complex Le
Mans body shapes.
The kit includes 146 plastic parts,
Mylar mirror transfers, two sheets of
decals with more than 100 different
elements, and a comprehensive sheet of
masks. A curbside model, the TS050
assembles relatively easily despite the
aggressive styling with good cockpit
and suspension detail and posable front
wheels. The challenge comes with
masking and painting the signature
Gazoo scheme.
Read through the
instructions and
familiarize yourself with
the parts to develop a plan
for painting. The
instructions include a
helpful five-view plan
detailing the exterior
decals and paint colors.
When removing the
delicate mold lines on the
body, be aware of the
molded paint guides. Take
extra care and check the
instructions so you don’t

Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 Hybrid

Tamiya No. 24349

Molded Colors: White, black, clear,

chrome, rubber tires

Scale: 1/24

MSRP: $53

Pros: Beautifully molded;

complete decal set; clear

instructions with paint callouts

Cons: Soft door lines along side

pods

accidentally remove the paint guides.

The kit has you start by masking and

painting the cockpit area of the body.

However, most of the body needs to be

painted before assembly, so I went

ahead and painted most of the parts

with Tamiya white primer (No. 87044)

followed by pure white (TS-26).

While the body dried, I prepped and

painted the larger chassis and interior

parts Tamiya semi-gloss black (TS-29;

X-18).

I used the kit masks and additional

Tamiya masking tape on the body. The

masks provided are not pre-cut, but

they are numbered like decals to help

place them on the body. I cut out the

masks with Tamiya decal scissors, and

they fit perfectly; cut along — not

inside or outside — the

printed line for best results.

Applying the masks may

seem tricky, especially on

the compound curves.

Fortunately, the material is

forgiving and the adhesive

isn’t particularly aggressive,

so you can adjust them

before burnishing the

masks down.

I decanted Tamiya gloss

(TS-14) and semi-gloss

black from the spray cans

and airbrushed the

appropriate places on the

body. The molded paint guides are

extremely helpful. Some of the semi-

gloss black areas of the interior were

painted at the same time (per the

instructions).

Do not spray directly from the can

over the masked areas to avoid paint

bleeding under the masks. I applied the

semi-gloss black in several light coats

for full coverage and let it dry for 30

minutes. Then I airbrushed two

medium wet coats to bring up the gloss

and removed the masks.

Painting as much as possible before

building the TS050 allowed previously

painted parts to dry a little longer, and

there weren’t too many different colors.

I finished the suspension parts by hand

with chrome silver (X-11) and metallic

brown (XF-56). The brakes received

titanium gold (X-31), and the rotors are

CONSIDERING metallic gray (XF-56).

THE COMPLEX

SHAPES,

ASSEMBLY WENT

EXTREMELY

WELL. SOME

JOINS DIDN’T

NEED CEMENT,

BUT I GLUED

THEM ANYWAY,

JUST TO BE

SURE.