Fully detailed with all the correct 1993 changes
Status: New built
Date: 31-Mar-2021
Comments: 9
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In between doing customer cars I sometimes have the time to build myself something. This is one I'd painted the body for in a batch last summer.
Of the two Calsonic R32s Tamiya produced the 50430 body set released in 1991 is based on the 1991 car, and the full 58135 kit released in 1994 is based on the 1993 car. The main differences being the door numbers (1 for the 1991 car, 12 for 1993) and the sunstrip wording. There are a fair few other slight changes too. My decision to do the 1993 car was based both on this being the rarer car and on the inclusion of interior and driver stickers on the 58135 sheet, something missing from the body set. It took me quite a while to locate the stickers, but I'm happy to delay a project rather than resort to using reproductions.
The Base Build
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Previously the oldest on-road body I'd built was the 190E, but this in the 58099 road form is slightly older. As is normal for me, I prefer the undrilled re-release versions to the originals. This body is widely available and inexpensive which makes for a no-worries cutting and painting process, always nice!
With just a single colour for the body and the TS equivalent for the wings and mirrors this was pretty routine. Likewise with the stickers. No complex curves to wrap around and just a single sheet to do. I left the regular 58099 sheet that comes with the Calsonic one untouched, and used just the 'SKYLINE' boot logo and door handles from the re-re body set.
It's interesting to see the improvements Tamiya has made between the 1991 and 2009 stickers, with the later version having shading for the recesses on the door handles, lines showing the demarkation between the black laminated glass and rubber trim on the window surrounds and better drawn bonnet and tailgate pins.
Detailing
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One major difference I wanted to fix was the incorrect mirrors supplied with all the Tamiya R32 kits, being the road car items rather than the more aero race versions. These Exiv mirrors are an almost perfect match.
Another alteration for the '93 car is a single wiper instead of the road car twin setup for previous years. As this is a RHD car the wipers from the Touring Car Accessory set are the correct orientation.
A bonus of the re-re body is it comes with light buckets. I think this is unique in that it's the only time Tamiya has created buckets for a body that didn't have them originally. This is Being a 1993 car has the later spec headlights which don't have the raised projector sections with the cleared section in the dispersion optics pattern. The sticker sheet actually contains these in addition to the regular headlights. I used Pandora RC headlight texture stickers which look great but really don't conform to curves that well. As usual chrome painted LEDs fill the holes in the buckets. The rears use red and orange Wrap-up Next texture stickers and looked better without the LEDs so these were omitted.
I made a set of air jacks from styrene tubing, rather than just being silver as I've done in the past, this time they are in two parts with the housings in blue with a silver base and the pistons in chrome.
Additional styrene fabrication is present in the form of the electric cutoff and fire extinguisher switches on the driver side wing, plus the distinctive side exit exhaust, bonnet pins, air ducting on the front bumper, and antenna.
The rear fuel filler funnels in the boot lid were made from spare rear light buckets (coincidentally the R32 ones native to the car), stripped of the chrome and painted flat aluminium.
Wheels and Tyres
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Due to the re-release of the HKS Skyline, the original 58135 grooved spoke kit wheels are now obtainable, and while correct for the '90 and '91 cars they are wrong for this '93 which uses a more regular looking spoke.
The closest match is the 50672 two-piece wheels. I painted the faces gloss white, then the outer edges with the bolt rings chrome. As standard with these wheels there isn't room for the brakes, so I modified the way the two pieces join together to allow the backs to be cut away. I 'm really happy with how well this worked as it looks so much better to have the brakes rather than just a black void behind them.
I used the colour matched red for right and blue for left nuts, but MST items which are smaller than the standard Tamiya ones, the final touch being the 'Impul RS' logos.
Interior
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Unlike the rally cockpits, the harness straps exiting the back of the seats on the touring car versions are minimal and too steep an angle to be realistic. I've see people use ribbon for these, but to me it looks too much like, well, ribbon. I made the straps with strips of styrene, heated and bent, then added the fixings and eye bolts.
The supplied interior stickers are a little spartan - just the dashboard clocks, so rather than use stickers from the cockpit set, I made a switch panel from styrene, based on the real car but adapted to fit the differing layout. It has the same shrouded fire extinguisher activation button, red lights and the electric isolator with yellow base.
The gear lever is from the rally interior and has a more accurate knob than the round one supplied, which is painted whit like the real car. I've fitted fire extinguishers before but with this one I made a printed label for it, and added the piping.
I elected to do the car with Kazuyoshi Hoshino rather than the box art Masahiko Kageyama. Stickers for both drivers are included but I liked the contrast of the white and yellow helmet more. Ironically, after paying more for stickers with the helmet graphics I ended up reproducing them in vinyl as I wasn't happy with how the stickers don't conform to the curves of the helmet perfectly. They also had some slightly oversized printed details like the visor mounts that I didn't want showing.
As usual, I created and had printed the missing driver sponsor logos, which include the omission of the 'Cabin' branding on the helmet. The half visor is tinted with PS smoke and I found a way to conceal the previously obvious screw heads holding it on. The harness adjusters are missing from the moulding for the RHD cockpit so I made those, and used thin vinyl for the suit quilting and striping.
Details:
- Two tone grey and black dashboard
- Harness straps, fixings and eye bolts
- Interior electric cutoff and extinguisher switch
- Interior switch panel
- Interior boost gauge
- Gear knob painted white
- Fire extinguisher and piping
- Custom printed driver sponsor logos
- Vinyl cut driver helmet stripes
- Driver helmet intercom wiring
- Driver half visor
- Drive suit quilting lines
- Steering wheel Momo logo
- Wheel 12 o'clock marker
- Styrene roll cage
- More accurate door mirrors (Exiv)
- Air jacks
- Air jack bumper connector
- Blue/red MST wheel nuts
- Exhaust heat shield with rivets
- Single wiper with screw head filled
- Styrene exhaust with support bracket
- Front intercooler
- Rear differential/oil coolers
- Diff/oil coolers texture highlighted with Tamiya Panel Line Accent
- Boot lid fuel filler funnels with ATL logos
- Rear bootlid catches (Demi Works)
- Battery isolator switch
- Fire extinguisher switch
- Styrene bonnet pins
- Bonnet washer jets
- Rear view mirror
- Light buckets front and rear (re-re R32 GT-R)
- Dummy LEDs painted chrome
- Headlight texture stickers
- Rear light texture stickers
- Front indicators painted clear orange
- Front bumper vents cut out
- Front bumper styrene air ducts
- Body lines
- Towing eyes
- Brake callipers painted titanium gold
- Red curved Brembo logos on brake callipers
- Tamiya brake discs painted silver then the bell titanium gold
- Brake disc grooves and holes highlighted with Tamiya Panel Line Accent
- Wheel centres painted gloss white
- Wheel centre lips painted chrome
- Impul RS wheel logos
- Bridgestone Potenza tyre logos
- Tyre F/R R/L and direction notes
- Mirror chrome vinyl for door mirrors
- Correct gloss and matte black window trims
- Matte light trims
- Red rear window heater elements
- Roof aerial
- Stealth mounts using standard TT-02 parts
- TT-02D Type-S wider track
- Camber adjustment
- Rear toe-in removed
4
Wide track chassis
2
Rear light buckets and texture stickers
2
Printed tyre logos
3
Air jack connector
1
Rear boot pins and diff/oil coolers
2
Headlight texture stickers
2
Side exit exhaust
3
Scratch built switch panel
2
Air jacks
1
Wheels modified to show brake discs
1
Electric cutoff and fire extinguisher switches
1
Fuel filler funnels
2
Fire extinguisher
3
Extended harness straps with fixings and eye bolts
Comments
Fuijo
Fabulous as always! Such a pretty car. The extra details are fantastic. I particularly like the styrene seatbelts and the yellow tyre-marker detail.
rjg1973
Just wow!
This is the proof- there are extraterrestrial aliens amongst us. It's impossible that human beings can do things like this
koenc
Speechless ...
Love looking at your creations!
Tamiyastef
Next car, next level of perfection! Just mind blowing your creations.
cavaliersri
Stunning!
R.C.C
Best Skyline build I've ever seen.
scollins
Another beautiful build! I really enjoy your work, please keep up the great efforts. I have been too busy with things to get to my R/C projects but when I see your stuff I get very inspired! Off to the workshop!
rc_ox
Amazing! I owned the 'limited edition' '93 kit as a teenager and made my own custom Red Calsonic. A few years back I built a tribute to my Calsonic using the white TT01 and street R32 body kit with MCI decals. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out but yours takes it to the next level! It's beautiful.
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