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It's here, but was it worth the wait? Let's begin with the description. This is a multimedia kit of the # 48 1996 Le Mans Canaska Southwind Viper GTS-R in 1/24th scale by Scale Designs (SDF1). This is one of the two white and green stripped Vipers that took the thunder of an American big block back the Sarthe circuit.
The cars competed in the GTS1 category and were overmatched by the likes of McLaren and others in the GT1 category and finished a credible 10th overall and 8th in class. Since then, they have been moved down to the GTS2 category and are virtually dominating this once Porsche hallmark class. One only has to witness their top 2 position in qualifying for the 1998 to understand how successful the Viper GTS-R has become.
The history of the Canaska Southwind Viper is located on Canaska's homepage including photos of the #48 Viper! So we have a nice base of reference material right from the source and online to boot!
On to the kit. The body and one piece interior tub are cleanly cast in creme colored resin. All the roof, both small rear door inlet brake cooling scoops and the front fender air outlets, at the leading vertical edges of each door, are cast open. The body is void of any major casting defects but the scribed lines are a bit rough and shallow. Also the rollcage detail for the doors is cast inside the body. The interior tub is held in place with one screw located at the front of the tub on a thin tab. Will this hold for long? Who knows but I'm not trusting it.
The tub is a very good representation but there are a few problems. The resin is of a different type than what the body is cast in and suffers from pinholes and an uneven surface on the transmission tunnel. No big deal. We've all had our fair share of those to fix and it is on the interior but my major gripe is the inclusion of wiring and an ECU cast in the resin. I feel this will makes detailing them harder than if they were left off and the ECU's corners are unsquare. Probably due to a pulling effect from the mold but all can be easily fixed.
The only other resin parts with this kit are the tire/disc brakes. Yup, the disc brakes and calipers are cast into the inner portion of the black resin wheels. This may make detailing the brake area more of a challenge, but then again, it may be the perfect answer. Especially since the units are hidden behind the "spokes" of the cast wheels.
Click on these photos for a larger picture:
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There's metal, and a lot more than I expected. There are a total of 20 cast metal pieces including the wheels, rear wing, seat, dash, electrical panel, mirrors, brake ducting, fire bottle, steering wheel, identifier lights, a short piece of rollbar tubing and one other piece which looks to be a short cylinder antennae similar to the roof mounted ones used on the Opel DTM. For the life of me I cant identify it in the instructions. Is it for a different version?... Unfortunately the castings are a bit soft on detail. |
| One brass photo-etched front splitter and a stainless fret of photo-etched pieces contains the pedals, side window surrounds, a windshield wiper, 4 headlight/driving light reflectors, rear wing endplates, tow hookups, seat belt hardware, front end fuel filler details, rear mesh air outlet between the taillights, front end aero vanes, wheelnut safety locks, rear air outlet, door handles, rear wing supports, and body latches. Rounding out the list is a pair of aluminum tubing axles. |
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Decals, 3 sheets. Yes THREE sheets of SD's printed decals.
Two of the Canaska #48 viper GTS-R's and one UMi Art printed,
#40/41 RentaCar Viper, also from Le Mans. The only reason I can determine that the RentaCar decal sheet was included is because the Canaska sheet is missing the white Michelin Pilot SX decals for the tires. As usual for UMi (the Canaska sheet isn't labeled as UMi, but the quality's there), the decals are excellent and on register. |
Clear pieces include front and vacu-formed windshields, front and rear lighting covers in a single sheet of clear, and a flat piece for cutting out the side windows.
Canaska was the Chrysler development team for the GTS-R, which makes this an important car to add to any racecar collection. Unless you are a dedicated scratchbuilder, Scale Designs #48 Viper GTS-R is the only game in town.
Worth the wait? Absolutely!
Last modified: June 1, 1998
Send me e-mail: gpma@home.com
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