SUBSIM Radio Room Forums



SUBSIM: The Web's #1 resource for all submarine & naval simulations since 1997

Go Back   SUBSIM Radio Room Forums > General > Submarine Scale Models: Subs, Naval, Tanks, Planes, Trains, Space & Other
Forget password? Reset here

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-12-22, 09:33 PM   #1
ET2SN
ET2/SS
 
ET2SN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 2,460
Downloads: 56
Uploads: 0


Default Yet another 1/18th scale die cast adventure..



So, last week I get a "new items" notification e-mail from my prime source for 1/18th scale die cast cars. I'm REALLY trying to keep my new purchases of 1/18th scale stuff on the down-low (these cars become like chips, you can't have just one.. ) but this caught my attention:





Its an early 1970's BMW 2002 tii in what Kyosho calls "tan".
Its more like a pale pastel yellow, but whatever. It looks pretty good.

Could it be the 2002 I'm really looking for?



Oh yeah, those are the round tail lights all right.
The 2002 got a slight make-over in the mid 1970's which replaced the iconic round tail lights with larger square units, so I wanted to be sure.

Even with a 10% discount, I still had to fork over the better part of $200 but you only live once..

So, it showed up yesterday thanks to FedEx. Believe it or not, this is going to be a "mixed" review.

The color of paint is just fine and well applied but it is NOT tan. Well, it kind-of is, but its closer to "pale cornflower yellow" but it looks fine and it gives the model that quirky 1970's look.

For what its worth, this model is also available in a brighter "screaming" yellow if that floats your boat, but I think the "tan" looks good.

One thing you may notice from the pictures, the front end is sitting a bit "proud". The model features working suspension (springs) but I don't think its what BMW had in mind.

Other working features- The wheels roll (barely) and turn along with the steering wheel- which is crooked. In what will become a theme for this review, this stuff should work "right" straight out of the box (at this price point, anyway). Its also fixable, but again.. At this price point it SHOULDN'T be an issue. The doors work fine and the hood and trunk/boot are also hinged, however there IS a bit of a wide seam on the trunk/boot lid. Its OK, but it does tend to look a little odd compared to the rest of the body fit.

The doors are molded crisply and open with a nice feel of resistance, not too much- not too little. Which is a pity, because opening them shows you body colored metal on the (inside) pillars and the roof. Great, I get to break out the paint again after I do the research. To be fair, the windshield wipers will also need some black detail painting for the blades.

Opening the trunk/boot shows- an amazing lack of detail. This also show cases this car's only EASTER EGG. Look carefully at the trunk liner. It almost looks like... . Yes, carefully get a set of tweezers under the liner and gently pull it out. You'll find that the liner is a rubber like material and it hides the (removeable) spare tire and a (molded in) jack.
Its an awesome feature that Kyosho never mentions.

Opening the hood shows a VERY nicely detailed engine compartment. Look carefully and you'll find even the spare fuse holder. Just be REALLY CAREFUL with the hood. This brings up a detailing step you'll want to address ASAP.

THE HOOD LOGO IS EXTREAMLY DELICATE AND YOU'LL WANT TO SEAL IT IN PLACE WITH EITHER CLEAR GLOSS PAINT OR CLEAR PARTS GLUE.

Do this NOW or you'll pay for it later. Like I did...

While you're at it, you may as well put some clear coat on the rear end logo and in the centers of the wheels. This is a Kyosho thing I've dealt with in the past and its best if you protect this stuff NOW rather than waiting for it to peel or fall off. Trust me, it WILL happen without a clear coat.

OK, its time to address the model's stance and fix the front suspension. Unless you want to dig around for some softer/shorter metal springs you can also fix it by making a couple of shims to lower those front wheels a bit.

I went with the shims for the time being. Find some brass or alum. tubing in your scratch building drawer. Something with a 3/16ths outer diameter should work fine. Cut two shims about 1/8th of an inch long. File them smooth, making sure they are same length. Now, CAREFULLY flip your model over on its back. Try to do this on a towel to protect the paint. Get a small Phillips screw driver and look for two small screws on the lower suspension arm assembly. This piece is metal so handle it carefully so you don't crack it.

Remove the two screws then carefully remove the suspension assembly. Its screwed in place in the rear and has two locating pins at the front. At this point, you can place the two shims above the springs on the pivot dowels then carefully replace the suspension assembly and screw it back in place. This will tuck the wheels closer to the fender lines, you want them at least level with the rear wheels. The two pivot dowels are also metal and can be removed easily in case you need to dig a little deeper into the suspension, just be aware that they can be removed. I wouldn't recommend lowering the front suspension by more than 1/8th of an inch IF YOU PLAN TO KEEP THE STOCK SPRINGS. Softer and shorter springs would be the better way to go.

Getting the steering wheel centered will probably involve cutting or twisting the lower end of the steering arm. I'm saving that job for "later down the road". This was also when I noticed that I damaged the logo on the hood.

Like I wrote a couple of paragraphs before, this logo is VERY delicate and you need to protect it as soon as possible. Since it was too late in my case, I noticed that I had damaged an outer chrome ring and chipped some of the logo decal, itself. The decal was an easy fix, I just needed to fill in some black paint. Replacing the chrome trim ring?

Once again, my stash drawer came to the rescue. I had a couple of sets of PE gauge bezels for 1/24th scale cars and the larger bezels were the perfect size. Just slightly too thick but I'm putting down a somewhat thick clear coat, anyway, so its just a matter of gluing it in place.


So, am I happy with this die cast? Yeah, mostly. Would I recommend it? Yeah, mostly. Just be aware that there are later examples of the 2002 tii out there if you don't mind the newer tail lights. The darned thing IS expensive for what it is and what you get.

Would I recommend it and its higher price? Yeah, probably if I didn't have to fix stuff like the logos and the stance. Unfortunately, its just another case of a die cast manufacturer almost getting it right, AGAIN.

On the plus side, the paint is basically flawless and the subject was desired, at least by me. On the minus side, the die cast manufacturers are finally getting their ducks in row with issues like production lines in China and no detail on the tire sidewalls, but this model still has its issues and I'm waiting for another set of tire sidewall decals to show up from Germany, dang it.

Oh, that brings up one last issue. Remember trying to stay awake in Math class? This is one of those times when it actually pays off.

The real 2002 tii ran smaller 13-14 inch diameter wheels. Regular sized 1/18th scale decals would be too large since they are based on larger 18 inch wheels.

Do some quick math in terms of scales and you'll find that a 13 inch wheel in 1/18th scale is almost exactly the same size as an 18 inch wheel in 1/24th scale. In other words, 1/24th scale tire lettering should be close to perfect on these tires.
ET2SN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-22, 06:53 AM   #2
l02turner
Soundman
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Va
Posts: 143
Downloads: 167
Uploads: 0
Default Yet another 1/18th scale die cast adventure..

Outstanding review! I used to collect diecast and only stopped when I ran out of space. I really like 1:18 although I'm coming around to 1:43. But I'd like to cull my collection some and since I didn't save all of the boxes/packaging I'll take a hit but maybe I can sell some and not get hurt too bad. I tended to collect Porsche, MB and Ferrari with a few odd and ends but don't think I have any BMW's. But there awesome cars and there's a few I'd love. I guess my favorite car is the Pocher 1:8 Porsche 911 which is probably (by far) the most expensive at around $400. but it's an awesome model.
Thanks again for the review - I also liked the details about how you fixed the suspension and other flaws. Great job!
l02turner is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:26 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 1995- 2024 Subsim®
"Subsim" is a registered trademark, all rights reserved.