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Posted

Background:

The Sauber Mercedes C9: "One of the greatest Group C cars ever" made by Tamiya: "First in quality around the world". How could I not build this one? Group C, certainly for me the most interesting era of endurance racing and looking at their output from it, also for Tamiya.

Pros:

Pretty flawless in terms of moulding, fitment and overall quality. The photo-etch parts in the re-release do make a significant difference to the end result.

Cons:

The windscreen wiper is straight and doesn't confirm to the curve of the screen. The body is a little loose over the chassis. A few more decals for the interior and dashboard would have been nice. And that's it.

Verdict:

Outstanding. If you're into Group C there's no reason to not get it and chances are if you are, it's already either in your stash or on your wish list. There's enough in the box to make a very nice model and enough quality in there to make superdetailing a very worthwhile effort.

Build notes:

Built over in just over a month in Jan/Feb 2025. Painted in Tamiya rattle-can gloss aluminium. I had the original release of the kit but obtained the photo-etch parts from Tamiya as a spare part. Other additions to the kit are quite a lot of extra scratchbuilt detailing parts - hoses, fittings, wires and such, in both the cockpit and the engine bay. I also added seatbelts and removed the passenger seat. On the exterior, I filled and sanded the panel line caused by the front cover being a separate part. This build is surprisingly heavy after completion, probably as a result of some of the solder-wire in the engine bay. Sitting there on the shelf it looks a very solid and grounded vehicle and it really does look like a miniaturised version of a real C9. If this somehow doesn't make my top 3 of 2025, I will have had a very very good years modelling. 

 

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  • Like 15
Posted

Beautiful C9.  I have this in my stash as well, and hopefully I'll build it some day.  Very well done.

  • Thanks 1
Posted

I remember the C9's and how dominant they were back in the day.  Congrats to you on a handsome build.  cheers, tim

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Really nice build of this kit Michael. All the extra work you put into this really shows...especially in the engine department.  And inspiring others (myself included) to build this kit....that's priceless. Great job.

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Great build Michael, if mine turns out half as good I'll be happy.

Lucky to have seen one run in anger at the Phillip Island historics some years back.

Dave B

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Wow, such an amazing build Michael. The bodywork is exceptional in finish and the amount of detailing around the engine reveals your exceptional talent.

Bravo!

  • Thanks 1

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