Tamiya Nissan Leopard TR X Turbo

[galaxyg]

It's a fairly simple kit so hopefully won't be a long build - once I've picked a colour. There are some interesting details (to me anyway) about what's in the box.

 

 

 

 

Despite all 4 tyres being in the same bag, two of them have collected this white residue, which I'm going to guess is related to getting them out of the mould. Whilst the other two have not. It comes off with water anyhow.

 

 

The 50cc Honda Tact scooter that comes with the kit is not some extra pack-in, it's part of one of the main sprues that also contains car parts. I'll be building it too.

 

 

The driver however won't be taking part in this project. I'll save him for a race car, especially since he inexplicably is wearing a 4 point harness, not standard equipment on the Nissan Leopard 

 

 

 

I'm starting with the interior as I know what colour this is going to be, two-tone brown and beige. I have some ideas on the car body (gold being the most likely), but I'm not 100% sure on that yet.

 

[Cool Hand]

Cant say ive seen many of these built, good to see something different.

[asfastasu]

Awesome ?. I'll be watching. Have a soft spot for these older Tamiya kits. 

[Spottedlaurel]

I look forward to see it come together. You've got onto it quicker than I would have done.......

[galaxyg]

Further work on the interior. Much brownness.

 

[Spottedlaurel]

The interior is certainly period correct, just like the sea of brown and beige in my 1:1 1980 Datsun.

You've gone for a more subtle scheme then the Leopard I saw in the UK some years ago, that was very red.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Spottedlaurel

[galaxyg]

In the spray booth

 

 

Although I wasn't 100% sure of using gold (Tamiya Titanium Gold in this case) on this car, as soon as it was out of the can and onto the body, I knew it was the right choice.

 

 

It is going to be a two-tone body however, so masking begins.

 

 

And here's the result. It's subtle but I like it. The lower colour is Ford Ginger Ale Metallic, a kind of greenish gold.  I'll let the body sit for a week now to get full dried out before I think about going near it with clearcoat.

 

 

Meanwhile, back at the chassis I've blocked up all the battery/motor holes.

 

 

Most of the underbody assembles, except for the petrol tank. There are not a lot of parts but it's quite well detailed. If there's one thing I'd change about this kit, it's be to not have the exhaust pipe moulded in.

 

 

Now with petrol tank and weathering.

 

 

Wing mirrors have sink marks, so get some filler.

 

 

Door cards all finished and with chrome trim.

 

 

How very 80s. A brown digital dashboard.

 

[asfastasu]

Good call on the colors, I like the 2 tone you used. Can't wait to see it with the clear.

[galaxyg]

Completed interior. I've added rear seatbelts and seatbelt retainers.

 

 

 

TURBO!  Having examined images of the real car, indeed the TRX-Turbo is reversed. I can imagine only so you can let the person in front of you know in their mirror you're packing a TURBO.

 

 

TURBO TURBO. Is there a more 1980s word?

 

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Great to see it progressing so well, and you using all the period decals which I left off my recent Leopard build.

Nice detailing work on the interior.

[Mattilacken]

Sweet little build! 

[bisc63]

That's looking good!

[galaxyg]

What follows are a series of photos going from freshly clearcoated (top) to the first look at combined body/chassis. Via a lot of polishing and masking for the black parts and annoyingly - and on one side only, the TURBO decal I thought should be protected by clearcoat, pulled off by the mask. Shame BUT - the kit does come with a second set of these decals in black and for a while anyway I've been wondering if that would have been the better colour choice anyway. Now I'll find out. 

 

[galaxyg]

Headlights and tail lights, the car gets it's face.

 

 

 

These wheels are *very* chromy.

 

 

 

A trick I've used before. Mr Hobby Flat Matt. Turns chrome into aluminium in one coat.

 

 

The wheel centres are intended to be black with giant hex decals to cover the chrome (decals can be seen at far left of photo). But this seems not the best way. Mr Muscle soon gets the chrome off. and I'll trim out the badge part of the decal to use on semi-gloss black instead.  What can't be seen on this image is the new *black* TURBO decals down the side. Turns out Black was the best colour after all, so happy accident.

 

 

As is often the case with my builds, the mirrors are the final part to go on. In this instance Tamiya has even moulded in the small mirror wipers of the original car. How useful these are in real life, who knows but it's amazing the amount of great and/or weird engineering that used to go on with Japanese cars and also - how much of that cool stuff they kept in their domestic market only.  This is the last photo in the WIP, completed photos will follow as soon as.

 

[asfastasu]

Coming together nicely. The colors you chose work very well. I never have heard of mirror mounted wipers! Learned something new today.

[Spottedlaurel]

Coming together nicely. Good work on the black trim, there's a lot of it isn't there?!

[galaxyg]

56 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Coming together nicely. Good work on the black trim, there's a lot of it isn't there?!

There certainly is!   Look out for the completed photos either late Saturday or sometime Sunday.