The Ferrari F40 was released in 1987 on Ferrari's 40th anniversary, and Tamiya has done an excellent job of reproducing this beautiful car on the Group C chassis. Number 58356 is a re-release of Tamiya's original F40. Judging by the box, kit quality, and contents, I think it's safe to say that Tamiya put a lot of pride into this one.
Building the kit is fairly straightforward and won't take long. The tires are held to the rims by double sided tape, and it's hard to get the tires perfectly straight. The front suspension is tricky to get right but once it's done the rest is easy. As you build the car you realize that the design is simple, yet solid, and somehow still lighter than almost any other Tamiya kit. FRP holds the front and rear together with a simple bathtub chassis in the center. The rear gearbox is assembled from four pieces and the rear axle is supported by two included 6x12 bearings. An adjustable ball differential and Sport Tuned motor come standard, and the motor mount is adjustable for different pinions so there should be no need for an upgrade motor. The body included is already finished. The decals on mine were not perfect, but good. Tire decals are also included, most people don't put them on but I took the extra time to. Fortunately Tamiya included two sets so you can afford to make mistakes.
The front suspension is just kingpins holding the front uprights in place, with F1 springs on top of them. The rear uses chassis flex and a single oil shock. The foam tires are probably the only thing on this chassis that will wear out, unfortunately the front wheels use standard fittings and the rears use special Tamiya ones, so you're limited to Tamiya replacements.
Overall the F40 is a beautiful car and I would recommend it to anyone, quantities seem to be limited though so act fast!
Reviews
rhenbelz
The Ferrari F40 was released in 1987 on Ferrari's 40th anniversary, and Tamiya has done an excellent job of reproducing this beautiful car on the Group C chassis. Number 58356 is a re-release of Tamiya's original F40. Judging by the box, kit quality, and contents, I think it's safe to say that Tamiya put a lot of pride into this one.
Building the kit is fairly straightforward and won't take long. The tires are held to the rims by double sided tape, and it's hard to get the tires perfectly straight. The front suspension is tricky to get right but once it's done the rest is easy. As you build the car you realize that the design is simple, yet solid, and somehow still lighter than almost any other Tamiya kit. FRP holds the front and rear together with a simple bathtub chassis in the center. The rear gearbox is assembled from four pieces and the rear axle is supported by two included 6x12 bearings. An adjustable ball differential and Sport Tuned motor come standard, and the motor mount is adjustable for different pinions so there should be no need for an upgrade motor. The body included is already finished. The decals on mine were not perfect, but good. Tire decals are also included, most people don't put them on but I took the extra time to. Fortunately Tamiya included two sets so you can afford to make mistakes.
The front suspension is just kingpins holding the front uprights in place, with F1 springs on top of them. The rear uses chassis flex and a single oil shock. The foam tires are probably the only thing on this chassis that will wear out, unfortunately the front wheels use standard fittings and the rears use special Tamiya ones, so you're limited to Tamiya replacements.
Overall the F40 is a beautiful car and I would recommend it to anyone, quantities seem to be limited though so act fast!