Saw news of the model car concours at the Challenge and thought that was just the excuse I needed to bring along a model Toyobaru with the real one. The only model-building I've done was a few model airplanes as a kid...it's been a long time, and I have no experience with building model cars.
The closest kit I can find to start with is an Aoshima 056493, which doesn't come with an engine. To complete it and make it look like the real car, I'd need, from most important to least:
- A model FA20/4UGSE engine. From what I can find the only option you can buy came with a much more expensive kit of an earlier model BRZ, so I'd probably have to 3D-print this.
- tiny 18s similar to the real FAST FC04s
- Lowered suspension (looks like this may require custom struts?)
- Custom offset license plate mount
- Ducktail spoiler (may need to be custom-built or perhaps pulled off of another cheaper kit)
- Accurate engine bay bits, especially highly visible stuff like the intake and oil cooler. Stock exhaust with the right paint should look close enough.
- Custom fender vents
Thoughts?
So, considering the parts I can find, the prices they're available at, and how quickly I can get them, I think the only practical option would be to buy a 2017~2020 ZN6 kit from Aoshima and DIY an engine for the empty bay.
If you have not built in a long time, I would just build the curbside Aoshima kit with upgraded wheels and the best possible exterior paint. Spend the time/money on learning the airbrush techniques and non-air brush tech as well. Many good aftermarket wheels are available, most of which are a direct fit to Aoshima hubs. Meanwhile keep you eBay watch on for the super detail kit to build in another color as well.
Scored a good deal on one of the last Aoshima curbside kits out there, should have it around mid-September, next, the wheels...closest I've found so far are BBS DTM and Work Emotion Cr-Kai.
For paint, Tamiya TS-40 comes in a spray can and looks like a decent match for the real paint.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
Tamiya spray paint is excellent. Highly recommended.
If they have the colors you need I will second Javelin's Tamiya spray review. Far better spray pattern than any other aerosol paint.
Looks like the kit's getting here early, should have it by tomorrow. Found some wheel designs that match the FC04s more closely:
RAYS GO25
BBS RI-A
BBS FI-R
BBS RI-D
BBS F1
So I got the kit:
And look what was included! SCORE!
Also it comes with suspension with a relocatable spacer block that can be used to lower it! Another item crossed off the list!
I haven't had much luck finding any of the more closely-matching wheels with Aoshima-compatible hubs. I found one place with one set of one model in stock, wouldn't be cheap...
About ready to pull the trigger on these wheels:
https://www.bnamodelworld.com/model-cars-scale-production-sprf24141-2-1-24-1-25-18-bbs-fi-r-wheels-2-w-profile-tyres
Only one issue I noticed, the rim diameter on these is 21mm, exactly the same as the stock wheels in the kit which are supposed to be miniature 17s. What gives?
I'm going with the theory that the stock wheel size on this model is inaccurate and they're actually 1/24th scale 18s. Compare a real car's 17s:
With what's shown on the model:
And compare to the 18s on mine:
Wheels ordered. Yesterday I took my list of required non-body paints to the local hobby shop I always drive past and noticed it had been replaced with a hair salon, I'll need to find another...
Considering paints again, I've been thinking I should go with a gloss black for the body, because that's how the car looks from a distance IRL. You can't see the metal flakes until you're close up to the car, I'm thinking that if the TS-40 paint were scaled up it would look like jumbo-size lowrider metal flakes. Also a lot of the models I've seen painted with it end up with more of a matte finish.
Got the wheels but I'm not sure they're compatible, they both have the same central divot but the originals have an outer barrel the "aftermarket" wheels don't:
Here's a diagram of where they connect:
Is it normal to be haunted by the smells of contact cement and paints for the rest of the day when you're not working on the model?
Still stumped with the wheel hub issue, there's a bushing arrangement that goes between the part #2 pin and the barrel of the wheel which obviously can't work with these new wheels.
Every time I see this thread I read it to the tune; 86 by 1-24....
Looks like it'll be a cool homage
