Tamiya Lexus LFA

[galaxyg]

Background:

If I were to win a stupidly large amount of money on the lottery, the Lexus LFA would be at the very top of my car shopping list. I've had this kit for almost 10 years before I decided to build it, partly because I could not decide on the colour, and mostly because I wanted my model building skills and photography skills to be at a level to do it justice.

Pros:

It's a fantastically detailed kit and goes together mostly very easily. Photo etch as standard for all the grilles and some other details, magnets for the bonnet stay and swappable rear wing (which comes with both a deployed one and a closed one), an entire engine and transmission, and a beautiful interior, this kit is tip-top Tamiya.

Cons:

There are some strong mould seperation lines right across the middle of the rear wings and down the middle of the front ones, which take quite some sanding to get rid of. The rear lights seem a bit vague and floaty in their installation. No other cons whatsoever.

Verdict:

Utterly fantastic, one of the best Tamiya kits I've come across and not especially difficult to build either.

Build notes:

Built over the course of 2 weeks in May 2024. The only additions to the kit are seatbelts and carpets. It's painted in Toyota (2023 Corolla) Metallic Blue from a rattle can from a Toyota dealer, the interior is Luftwaffe blue from a Tamiya rattle can. Clearcoat is Mr Hobby Premium Gloss. The good warm weather of mid-May helped a lot with paint drying times and therefore overall build time, nonetheless it was an intensive two week build.

Photography notes:

I have taken a lot of photographs of my completed builds over the years. Sometimes I've got almost perfect photos without quite knowing quite why. Other times I've got very very good photos knowing exactly why. Before shooting this LFA I studied quite a few photos of real cars and did a lot of experimentation to find out what the missing parts in my setup were (insofar as studio-style shots that is. Putting it in a real-life backdrop is study for another day). The end results are the best model kit photos I've taken.

 

[Madhatter]

damn - that is a nice looking LFA! Funnily enough, I saw a RL one a couple of weeks ago with my son when we were out walking. The Driver gave it some welly and man - what a sound!! Toyota really nailed it with that glorious V10.

BTW - your photos came out great. There are a couple in there that make it look real - so kudos to you

[Nacho Z]

Fandamntastic!!!  Beautiful model and beautiful photography!  I really like the shots with the chassis, interior, and body.  I’m going to be honest and tell you that I may very well steal that idea!

[BVC500]

Great build and review too!  

[Matt Bacon]

Absolutely beautiful. Great building, detail painting and overall finish. An outstanding build of a stellar kit of a car that may have been under-appreciated at the time but is now starting to be recognised as peak Japanese supercar. The uncompromising design lead has written the definitive book about the LFA which is soon to be published: https://theroarofanangel.com/password You can sign up to be notified when the book is ready, if the LFA is your thing, or your interest has been piqued by building one…

best,

M.

[Jim B]

Georgius Lexus!  Very well done.  I do like Tamiya kits.

[happy grumpy]

Excellent on all counts. Really nice details and nicely photographed. 

[SpikeSchumacher]

Very nicely done on all counts! ??

[espo]

Beautiful looking paint finish and color. The body details look great, and I like the rear window defogger can even be seen. 

[Brudda]

Great build! I also would buy a LFA. A super dependable super car! If I only can hit the lottery!LOL! Cool build! 

[PappyD340]

Outstanding build!

[ea0863]

Absolute beauty Michael, and I agree with everything you stated; fantastic car, fantastic kit, great color choices, and wonderful photographs. I too struggle with my photos, and so far seem to have the best luck with outdoor shots on cloudy days using my cell phone as opposed to DSLR (the phone just seems to have the best software for rendering colors and lighting). Great job, and happy Memorial Day!

Edited May 27, 2024 by ea0863

[karbuildr]

Outstanding build.  Beautiful color, amazingly detailed, excellent all around.

[Rich Chernosky]

Couldn't agree with you more concerning the quality of this kit. (I built one) It is definetly one of Tamiya's finer efforts. Yours turned out fantastic. That color suits it so well. 

[ncbuckeye67]

That is some beautiful work, and excellent photography!

[XYHARRY]

Wonderful model and photography, well done Michael. 

Cheers, 

David. ??

[Ulbo]

Perfect Job?

[70 Sting]

Super-clean build. Nice to see it in a colour other than white. Great photography as usual. ?

[Dragonhawk1066]

Beautiful looking Lexus!

[slusher]

Stunning build!

[ChrisR]

Looks great!!

[ToyTund2009]

Wow! Fantastic build and the color looks great. Been considering purchasing this kit for a while now, I think you closed the deal, I just hope I can do it justice as you have. 

[titino]

Spectacular Lexus, thank you very much for showing your assembly and detail.