Search the Community

Maserati Indy (A55309) 1:32 Airfix Maserati’s Indy was named for their two Indy 500 race winners that occurred in 1939 and 1940, the design debuting in 1968 at the Turin Motor Show, and reaching showrooms a year later. Its sleek lines, pop-up headlights and Coupé good looks and styling making it a popular car to lust after. It continued in production until 1975, and was firmly placed in the Grand Tourer, or GT category, thanks to its ability to carry four passengers swiftly with the aid of a V8 4.2 litre engine, and later a larger 4.7 litre alternative that was offered alongside the original smaller capacity engine, and finally an Indy 4900 that sported a… you guessed it, 4.9 litre lump, making the race to 155mph top speed a lot scarier. It was made as a unibody construction, with chassis and body combined to make a light and strong assembly, with the full aluminium engine also keeping the weight down. It also used some complex suspension technologies to offer refined ride and handling characteristics, and with only just over a thousand made during its production run, it was a rare sight on the roads, thanks also to its purchase price. The Kit The original tooling of this kit was made while the production lines at Maserati were still turning our Indies, dating back to 1973 and having been re-released and reboxed a number of times in the interim. This is a new boxing under the Starter Set line, so the kit arrives in a red box with integrated header card for vertical displays, and in that header card the paints, glue and brushes are stowed safely to show off their colours. Inside the box, which is glued closed for one-time-only opening, there are two sprues of parts and two halves of the bodyshell in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet in spot colour. The painting and decaling guide can be found on the rear of the box, so don’t rush to throw that out just yet. It's an old tool, which is evident by the open sprues with a trapezoid profile to the runners, and this is also visible on the parts that show very slight variations in panels due to the old-timey manual creation of the toolings before CNC toolings were a common thing. The driver figure is also a creation of the 70s with a suit or blazer and tie coupled with very traditional gentleman’s haircut from the day. The glazing is also thicker than you would expect from a brand-new kit, which has a minor effect on its transmission, with a little distortion visible. It will benefit from a coat of Klear/Future and the blackening of the edges to cut down upon internal reflections and give a thinner appearance. Construction begins with the aforementioned driver figure, who has a hollow back to prevent sink marks, and just needs a flat cap and pipe (not provided) on the seat next to him to complete the theme. He’s popped into the floor pan on his seat together with the passenger seat and twin rear seats at the front of the boot lining. For the record, it’s a right-hand drive kit, which is lovely for those of us that drive on the right (correct) side of the road. I’m just pulling your leg, so don’t take it personally. An insert is placed under where the engine would be to give a more 3D look to the underpinnings above the suspension, which is next, as it happens. The double wishbones and coax spring/damper solution are fitted to the front along with an anti-roll bar. The rear axle has leaf springs and dampers that support it, and it is linked to the back of the transmission by a drive-shaft, which is the end of the underbody until the wheels are fitted later. The upper body on my example has a slightly frayed rear arch where it curves under to the rear, but having its mirror image only an inch and a half away will make repair quite easy. There is no headliner, so prepare to make your own if you fancy the task, or have the old Airfix logo and its part number on display through the clear frame that holds the windscreen and back window in place. The side windows are separated into a single part for each side, and with the windows in place, the dash is made up with column, stalks and wheel added into the slot in the right, and a number of decals for the instruments and vents to modernise the area nicely. Under the rear of the vehicle the curved rear panel is slotted between the rear of the arches, then the whole thing is slipped over the floor pan, and it’s time to add the bumpers front and rear, a pair of exhaust stubs under the rear bumper, plus rear lights, front side-lights in the underside of the front bumper, and a choice of closed or open lights, the latter having two circular clear parts to complete the look. The final step involves the wheels, which are each three parts, with tyre and rear of the hub forming the major part, a small mushroom-shaped stopper that can leave the wheels movable if you’re careful, and the fronts of the hubs covering the stopper and giving a decent representation of the spoked design that is still seen on cars today. The wheels are the weak part of the kit, having decent tread pattern on the shoulder of the contact surface, but a slightly vague circumferential tread with a large seam down the centre. With a good scrape away of that seam they can be made to look a lot better, so it isn’t the end of the world. Markings There are six pots of acrylic paints, two different sized brushes and a tube of glue vacformed into the header card, and when you flip the box over, you’ll find the yellow scheme that’s on the box top. The decal sheet includes the number plate ‘PAP 999L’ in white and yellow, the Maserati logo (it’s a licensed product, as shown by the sticker on the box), silver maker’s badge and nameplate for the rear, and the other badge on the lower wing. There are also two square red decals that are placed behind the rear lights, so make sure you don’t forget those or you’ll need some clear red to replace them. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The colours provided are as follows: 11 Metallic Silver 21 Gloss Black 33 Matt Black 34 Matt White (provided as an undercoat) 61 Matt Flesh 69 Gloss Yellow Conclusion It’s an older kit, but it was a good one for its day, and stands up well for its age. You’ll need to do a little careful preparation before painting, but you’ll be rewarded by a good replica of an iconic sports car. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of