Nissan R381, Lola T-160 TS Can-Am, and Porsche Carrera 910
Almost thirty years after their original release, these kits have reappeared. And the timing is great, considering the renewed interest in classic sports car models. The three cars represent the golden age of sports/prototypes in the late Sixties and early Seventies. The Lola is a Can-Am car from early 1968, while the Nissan and Porsche competed in the World Sports Car Manufacturers' Championship.General notes:
- These kits were originally motorized, so they do have some inaccurate chassis details. The most affected areas on all of the cars are the front suspension, chassis bottom, and rear suspension. Although you can build these kits as curbsides, there is considerable detail that would be hidden, so it's a tradeoff. And watch out for sink marks - unlike Tamiya's modern kits, these do have a few.
- Engine: The engines are very nicely detailed, and they don't suffer from the motorized design. They should look great with detail painting, weathering, and wiring.
- Front suspension: Although inaccurate, the front suspension is unobtrusive on all the cars, so not a major problem. And the wheels are poseable, which is a plus.
- Rear suspension: This is an area you may want to change. The motorized design uses two curved plastic "springs" for suspension at the rear. They look pretty awful next to the nicely engraved engine and transmission parts. A scratchbuilt suspension in the rear might not be too difficult.
- Drive shafts: The drive shafts are too thick and inaccurate, but a little lathe work or filing and detail painting can correct this.
- Battery compartments: On the Nissan and Lola, just glue these in place and fill the seams. The Porsche has a better design that doesn't use battery panels underneath.
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The Nissan R381 won the 1968 Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji
International Circuit, while the Porsche came second. This was
clearly a significant event for Nissan, and Japanese motorsports
generally |
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The Nissan has a nicely-molded exterior that seems accurate. Details that need attention are the mirror support, which has three thinner pieces as in the box illustration, and the black screen at the rear, which looks too thick. Also the wing end-plates are probably too thick. |
| The Lola was not successful in the 1968 Can-Am series, where John Surtees ran a private entry. The T-160 was heavily modified, but did not respond to attempts to make it more competitive. |
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The Lola bodywork is mostly correct, although the lower parts of the front should be slightly more rounded. The mirror supports are correct, but a bit too thick, and should be replaced with wire. Wing end-plates are also too thick. |
| The Porsche 910 came second in the Japanese GP, but dominated the Nurburgring and Targa Florio. Its 2-Liter engine made it less competitive in horsepower, but its superior handling and aerodynamics showed Porsche's potential for future racing success. |
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The nicest kit is the Porsche, probably because of its clean, basic design. Also, the decals are included to build the 1967 Nurburgring 1000KM winner, driven by those racing greats Schutz and Buzzeta :-) |
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I'm assuming that licensing was the problem that prevented Tamiya from re-issuing this kit. |
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If they did reissue it, I bet they'd sell a million of 'em. |