1/8 Nagano Kawasaki Z1R

[Lee Chambers]

Hi all, I have pulled another old 1/8 70's bike kit from the stash, it was produced around the same time as the Honda CBX. Basically, a refresh of an old model line, new bodywork and a cafe racer look.

 

It was not liked by everyone; some found the lines too angular, after the old rounded look of the original Z1's. I liked the look of the black engine and ice blue silver paint job.

 

 

I've also added a photo of some paintwork, when I worked on the real bike a few years ago. Zero Paints have the correct colour for this bike, so it should be another fun build.

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Lee Chambers

[Neil]

Brilliant, love it!  Styling wasn't to everybody's taste, but a classic if ever there was one, I always thought they looked superb, with a touch of quirkiness about them. As you say, very angular, and such a cool colour too. With those characteristic brake discs with 'more-holes-than-metal' look about them!  An old school pal of mine had one (while we were riding around on Suzuki GS's and Yamaha RD's/LC's) and his had a characteristic name plastered along both sides of the 'tank, began with 'B' and ended in 'D' (seven letters ....).  It was quite noticeable around Norwich/Norfolk at the time .... 😄 

 

Great to see something like this, hope the build goes well. 👍

 

 

🙂

[Lee Chambers]

5 minutes ago, Neil said:

Brilliant, love it!  Styling wasn't to everybody's taste, but a classic if ever there was one, I always thought they looked superb, with a touch of quirkiness about them. As you say, very angular, and such a cool colour too. With those characteristic brake discs with 'more-holes-than-metal' look about them!  An old school pal of mine had one (while we were riding around on Suzuki GS's and Yamaha RD's/LC's) and his had a characteristic name plastered along both sides of the 'tank, began with 'B' and ended in 'D' (seven letters ....).  It was quite noticeable around Norwich/Norfolk at the time .... 😄 

 

Great to see something like this, hope the build goes well. 👍

 

 

🙂

Cheers Neil, it's a bit of an old school kit, a bit flashy and some quirky build instructions, a 1/12 Aoshima kit would look more accurate I think, but I enjoy fighting these old 1/8 kits into something that looks like a real version.

[Neil]

Lee

 

I look forward to following the build, I love this kind of thing, not enough of this stuff being built, takes me back a bit too! (Rose tinted specs, etc etc !! 😄 ). I always fancied completing one the Kawasaki KH's, or those Suzuki GT's in 1/12, never got around to it though.

 

I did own a Blue and White 350LC 'many' years ago (amongst other things, as you do ....!) and actually bought this because of it, donkey's years ago, but never got around to building it. A Nichimo 1/10 RZ 350, maybe one day I 'will' get around to it.

 

 

 

 

🙂

[Lee Chambers]

11 hours ago, Neil said:

Lee

 

I look forward to following the build, I love this kind of thing, not enough of this stuff being built, takes me back a bit too! (Rose tinted specs, etc etc !! 😄 ). I always fancied completing one the Kawasaki KH's, or those Suzuki GT's in 1/12, never got around to it though.

 

I did own a Blue and White 350LC 'many' years ago (amongst other things, as you do ....!) and actually bought this because of it, donkey's years ago, but never got around to building it. A Nichimo 1/10 RZ 350, maybe one day I 'will' get around to it.

 

 

 

 

🙂

BUILD IT !! At that scale it should be a nice looking size model, I have built the Tamiya version a few years back.

I used to work in a local bike shop when I left school and un crate these and get them ready for the showroom. I still remember the smell of the packaging.

The front mudguards came wrapped in white plastic bags, and you had to fit that and the front wheel, then set the clutch and front brake levers at the correct angle.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Lee Chambers

[Neil]

10 hours ago, Lee Chambers said:

BUILD IT !! At that scale it should be a nice looking size model, I have built the Tamiya version a few years back.

Believe me, thought about starting it many a time. 😄.  Although it is supposedly a 350, Nichimo took the same route as Tamiya with their 1/12 version of the 350: they included a 250 rear wheel, with the four smaller rubber 'grommet' type cush-drive rubbers, only fitted to the 250, when in truth the 350 had a vastly bigger rear cush-drive with the huge hub-sized larger rubber type affair. I guess it saved them making a (very) expensive separate 350 rear wheel moulding. Understandable.

 

The last 'bike model I started was the 1/12 Hasegawa GSXR 750 (slab sided) but as yet not managed to finish it.

 

The last fully completed 'bike kit I made was the Tamiya 1/12 Suzuki RGV XR89, for the World Motorsport Group Build here on BM, back in 2008!!  About time I pulled my finger out and finished another .... !

 

 

🙂

 

[Lee Chambers]

2 hours ago, Neil said:

Believe me, thought about starting it many a time. 😄.  Although it is supposedly a 350, Nichimo took the same route as Tamiya with their 1/12 version of the 350: they included a 250 rear wheel, with the four smaller rubber 'grommet' type cush-drive rubbers, only fitted to the 250, when in truth the 350 had a vastly bigger rear cush-drive with the huge hub-sized larger rubber type affair. I guess it saved them making a (very) expensive separate 350 rear wheel moulding. Understandable.

 

The last 'bike model I started was the 1/12 Hasegawa GSXR 750 (slab sided) but as yet not managed to finish it.

 

The last fully completed 'bike kit I made was the Tamiya 1/12 Suzuki RGV XR89, for the World Motorsport Group Build here on BM, back in 2008!!  About time I pulled my finger out and finished another .... !

 

 

🙂

 

Great work on the Suzuki, I can see how the thought of building another bike would be off putting after that build.

These old 70's bikes are like Lego compared to Tamiya's offerings.

I built a Honda V5 race bike for my Nephew many moons ago, that was amazingly detailed.

My 1/6 Tamiya R90S BMW kit suffered the same inaccuracies that your LC kit had, Tamiya just tweeked the old 750 kit ,I had to scratch build the switch gear and drilled all the holes for the front discs that were on the 90s.