Aoshima Toyota Crown Athlete GRS214

[galaxyg]

Background:

I do like the Toyota Crown very much as a large saloon car, and this 14th generation of the Crown is my favourite from them all. The hard part was finding a colour which suited it. This is the 3rd Aoshima Toyota Crown I've built.

Pros:

Nice clean mouldings, good shape and proportions, good decals, plenty of details - for example a separate chromed crown emblem for the steering wheel centre. Window masks included. Fits together easily. Moulded in white so it's easy to make it any colour you wish. Great wheels. Adjustable ride height and camber, if that's your thing. Separate chromed door handles.

Cons:

The glue contact points for the front and rear bumpers are very very small, and needed reinforcement from the inside. The chassis is Aoshima's long-in-use spring/screw adjustable "large car standard" and is not representative of the real thing. The front grille's chrome part's attachment to the sprue could have been in a place less visible in the final build. Curbside - no engine.

Verdict:

Very very good. It easily builds into an excellent replica of the real thing. 

Build notes:

Painted in Hycote Audi Dakota Grey, cleared with Mr Hobby Premium Gloss. The only addition to what was in the box is the Toyota emblem on the boot, which is a Tamiya item. The door mirrors are by some margin the largest I've ever fitted to a kit. At this point I'm certain I've found the sweet spot of model car kit photography, a few of these are amongst the best I've taken.

 

[bbowser]

Great paint!  Were these imported, I don't recall ever seeing one?

[Dragonhawk1066]

Very nice work!

[70 Sting]

Looks 1:1! Nice photography as well.

[Spottedlaurel]

Very nicely done Michael, the colour suits it perfectly.

[70 Sting]

14 hours ago, galaxyg said:

At this point I'm certain I've found the sweet spot of model car kit photography, a few of these are amongst the best I've taken.

I’ve been analyzing your photography trying to figure out how you shot this beautiful car.  Great choice of angles - they look like sales brochure images.?

Did you photograph the car outdoors with available light using various white and black fill cards? 

[Roger U]

Very nice build and great color choice for that type of car.

[spencer1984]

Looks great, very clean work!

[galaxyg]

9 hours ago, 70 Sting said:

I’ve been analyzing your photography trying to figure out how you shot this beautiful car.  Great choice of angles - they look like sales brochure images.?

Did you photograph the car outdoors with available light using various white and black fill cards? 

Thanks. When I get a mo I'll take a photo of the setup, it's deceptively simple. They're taken indoors but in a conservatory, so there's a lot of light. There just one piece of black paper as the backdrop.

[slusher]

Great and clean Toyota!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Very nicely done.

On 4/17/2022 at 3:55 PM, bbowser said:

Great paint!  Were these imported, I don't recall ever seeing one?

  There  may be individuals that brought some over, but they were never offered here by Toyota.

[ChrisR]

Awesome!

[galaxyg]

On 4/18/2022 at 12:41 PM, 70 Sting said:

Did you photograph the car outdoors with available light using various white and black fill cards? 

The recreated setup is below. The only difference is the original pictures did not have that patch of light across the car, as it was a less sunny day. The inset shows a photo from this exact recreated setup. The light patch makes it not as good but still nice. The main elements are: 1) A piece of black paper propped up against a box of cat food* to make an infinity curve. 2) A small light just to bring a little more light onto the front of the car (turned off in the setup image below but normally running at only about 20% anyhow). 3) A 35mm lens. When a 35mm lens is used about 300mm (12 inches) from a 1/24 car, it's a good approximation of the type of perspective when an eye sees a 1:1 car. 4) An aperture setting on the camera narrow enough to put the entire car into focus, front to back. Real cars when photographed are all in focus.

And that's it!

*other pet food boxes also work

[70 Sting]

Thanks for sharing @galaxyg. Simple is often best. Nice use of the tiny fill light. It was the reflections in the paint that got thinking. Very well done. ?

Edited April 20, 2022 by 70 Sting

[happy grumpy]

Beautiful car and pictures, the paint job is awesome.