BBR Mercedes CLK
Resin and metal kit
Model and Photos by Laurent Tay
| The first thing you notice about the BBR kit is the smooth lines of the bodywork. Although Tamiya produces an accurate body shell, the removable rear piece exposes a large panel separation line. And the treatment of the fuel filler connections is cleaner on the BBR. The wheels are more accurate on the Tamiya version, given references I've seen, but these do look very nice on this kit. |
|
The decal application looks great, considering the difficulty of getting the girl to sit down on the curves of the front end. |
 |
| Overall, I like the clean lines of the BBR kit. The decals over the silver paint job look very realistic. You can't beat it for a gorgeous display model. But for those of us who prefer a plastic kit with opening panels and details, Tamiya is the obvious choice. |
|
At first glance, the body of the Tamiya kit looks a bit rough compared to the BBR. You can see that the paint and decal work is top notch, but that opening rear panel is hard on the boy. But I do like seeing all the techie bits through the window. Time to look under the hood . . . |
| This is where Tamiya comes through. It gives good detail modelers like Hossain a chance to show their stuff. The parts are provided to build a good out of the box version, or you can add wiring, plumbing, and other detail pieces to make a definitive replica. |
|
The bodywork differences between the BBR and Tamiya kits are really evident here. Having a removable rear panel leaves a small gap in the girl on the side. The decals also seem washed-out on the Tamiya version. I purchased an aftermarket sheet by AMS before Tamiya announced this kit, and those decals are definitely brighter. I don't know how differently they go on, however. Since Tamiya decals are notoriously thick, I'm sure this is not an easy decal job. So which one should you choose? As always, it depends on what you like to build, and how you plan to display the finished piece. I think there's definitely a place for both of these well-made replicas on my shelf. Thanks to Hossain and Laurent for sending in these photos. |