Aoshima Jecs Nissan Skyline R32 Gr.A 1/24 | Model Kit Index

Background:

Of all the R32 Group A liveries, the Jecs one is my favourite - when it was just mainly "Jecs" and before it became the full "Unisa Jecs" style. Tamya didn't tackle this particular livery, but Aoshima did. It seemed like a good oportunity to compare this Aoshima kit with the Tamiya one.

Pros:

Great decals. Racing car interior with rollcage and side-exhaust for the underneath. It's not just a road car kit with decals and wheels as some Aoshima kits have been (I'm looking at you Kei Office Silvia). The slick tyres have no seam line, a great rubber look and moulded-in brand on the sidewalls, however..

Cons:

..however the tyres are just too high in the sidewall - put on the kit it rides and looks like a tractor, so I had to change them. This kit is curbside - no engine. The underside has a moulded in road-car exhaust even though a side-exhaust is supplied. Comparing this kit to the Tamiya equivalent (of which I built 3 at the same time) the proportions of the exterior just look not quite R32'y enough - almost like a facsimilie. It's not terrible or anything, just not right when placed next to a Tamiya one. It's almost like a Skyline R32 reflected in a mirror that makes the whole thing a tiny bit thinnner/taller. The Tamiya R32 is more squat overall, and just looks "right". Likewise the Tamiya interior is more three-dimensional to the comparativley flat looking Aoshima one. The dashboard has little mounting and not great fitment. The side body skirts seem to stick out too far just head of the rear wheels. The suspension and stuff underneath are like reasonable copies of the real thing. The Tamiya one is more beefy.

Verdict:

It's fine. I mean if you're not going to make comparisons it's a perfectly acceptable kit. Aside from the dashboard it all goes together well and looks Skyline-y enough.

Build notes:

Completed in about 5 weeks, concurrently with 3 other R32s. Extra details include the electrical shut off and extinguisher buttons on the front wing, interior wiring, seatbelts, fuse box and other details in the interior and PE bonnet pins. I mis-read the instructions and forgot to paint some of the boot and rear light area orange, which i didn't notice until I'd decalled most of the car, so that remains white.Of the rest - some of the orange is decal, some of it (such as the roof) is Tamiya TS-31 bright orange. The Aoshima instructions actually call for this Tamiya paint here as there is no decal for the roof.

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