Isuzu Mu
Model Number: 58152
Released
TBA
Drive
4WD, 2 geardiffs
Suspension
Front double wishbone & rear 4 link rigid axle
Chassis Description
ABS Bathtub
Body Type
ABS Injection Moulded
Motor
540
Wheel Base
242mm
Scale
1/10
Tires
front:TGX radial tires
Rear:TGX radial tires
The Isuzu Mu or in Europe the Vauxhall/Opel Frontera Sport. You either like this car or you hate it, I don't think there is any middle ground! Tamiya placed the accurate body onto the bathtub of the Mitsubishi Pajero 58132, and gave it wide lowprofile street tires on chrome wheels and a lowered suspension. (Description originally entered by acprc)
Reviews
J3cubfan
The Isuzu Mu was developed by the Isuzu and sold and exported under different guises such as the Amigo, and Frontera in May 1989. The Mysterious Utility (MU) became an instant hit with consumers around the world and no matter where you live, I am sure you’ve seem them. As this became a hit, Tamiya was there to capture this in 1/10 scale from in the shape of two models, 58152 and 58166. The 58152 is the Isuzu MU and 58166 is the Isuzu MU XC both are in four wheel drive.
When I ordered my 58152 Isuzu Mu, I was not sure what to expect. At the time, there was no instruction manual to browse through on Tamiya club so I asked around. What I did know what that this was a 4 -wheel drive vehicle and a hard plastic body to boot.
Well, I am a sucker for a hard plastic body and this is what I found. The kit itself was laid out in a very well organized fashion. All of the screw bags and parts corresponded with the instructions, which made assembly quite simple. Everything was nice and organized in the box and each sprue had its own plastic bag. As I mentioned, the vehicle is a four-wheel drive vehicle and you assemble the front drive train first then the rear. The rear suspension is a rather ingenious design, which is quite detailed. There’s even an option for a slip or locking differential. A RS540 motor powers the whole works. The chassis is shared with other Tamiya models such as Pajero, CR-V and Jeep Wrangler.
What’s the rest of the car look like?
Tamiya has included a Mechanical Speed Controller (MSC). The MSC is like any other that I’ve seen on my other Tamiya Cars. The body as you can imagine is quite detailed in soft white plastic. Front, side and rear cab windows are a tinted plastic affair. The instructions call out for the rear cab to be painted the same color as the rest of the body. I was concerned about that because of the make up properties of the plastic. Its seems like its among the same type of the plastic consistency as the Holiday Buggy body, so I didn’t bother painting mine fearing that the paint would start to chip off over time.
Tamiya includes a set of side mirrors that are held on by a small clip. The front grill is crisply done with pop in clear plastic headlights that give it a realistic look and feel. Don’t forget to attach the separate Isuzu badge to the front. Speaking of the headlights, Tamiya has left the sockets open for the Tamiya Light Set. There is also some optional parts that look like rally lights, can be used. I think that they are intended for the XC because the instructions specifically mention them as not being used. A plastic ABS spare tire cover is assembly along with a chrome bumper.
For the finishing touches, I used Tamiya Brilliant Red with mixed results. I washed the body first in warm soapy water to remove any mold release and let dry. The red was applied and in certain areas, the finish has an “Orange Peal” look to it. It may have been due to the fact that I didn’t use a primer, but I had no problem before. The paint was sanded out and resprayed. The decals where applied for rear taillights, the MU logo and front grill. All decals where in good registry and really didn’t need to trim anything.
So how does it run?
I have not run my Isuzu Mu and don’t know that I will. It is an on road four wheel drive vehicle I am sure the handling will be impeccable. I bought this merely on aesthetics more than anything else. I remember when these came out and thought at the time these where pretty neat. For most of us, the Tamiya four-wheel drives are priced out of our range, but this isn’t. Granted that this is no 3-speed, you still can have some four-wheel drive fun.